By: Leanne Fournier of DezignSource
If you’ve been looking, you realize that there has been an explosion in the Virtual Assistant (VA) marketplace over the past few years. There are many choices and it’s not hard to feel overwhelmed by all the options available to you. Stop right there and dial in to Marta Costa at VA-4-HIRE. Marta draws on over 15 years of experience in providing all the services most companies are looking for when considering hiring a VA. She’s experienced in matching VA requirements to business needs. Marta has extenstive knowledge of social media marketing, administration, event management, Internet marketing, and bookkeeping. She’s able to turn her knowledge and experience in these areas into a tangible benefit for business owners who are looking for the right people to do these tasks for them.
While Marta and her VA team can do it all, VA-4-HIRE specializes in helping online businesses administer their operations: shopping carts, autoresponders, website updates, etc. Marta says, “I like to be the go-to person. My clients come up with the ideas, I find a way to implement them. My mission is to get them out of the ‘how’ and back to the ‘what’ and ‘why’.” Under Marta’s guidance, business owners can stay focused on the big ideas that generate revenue and growth.
Marta says, “So many business owners get stuck on doing everything themselves. They don’t realize that the four hours it took them to get their database updated and send out a message about their services just cost them hundreds of dollars of their time. A VA could have done the same thing in less time and at considerably less cost to the businesses’ bottom line.”
The cost of a VA depends on the level of skill that the business is looking for and can range anywhere from $35 to $80 and up per hour. The key really is how much training time the business owner wants to invest in the relationship. The VA’s on Marta’s team all have a good understanding of social media and online services. They can be brought on board to help clients develop and maintain their databases, deliver regular communications through existing social media, manage email, handle bookkeeping duties and more.
Marta has many years of experience working with business owners and administrators of all kinds. She started VA-4-HIRE when she and her husband sold their family business. Now she loves both the flexibility and satisfaction owning her own company has afforded her and her husband and their five children. “It’s been a lot more work than I could have imagined at the time but I enjoy the challenge of it, the feeling of accomplishment of starting something from nothing and growing it. “
Marta talks about the importance of fitting the right VA to a client’s needs. The success of the relationship is often the result of effective two-way communication and respect for the skills and expertise on both sides. She describes her ideal clients as follows:
- is generous, gregarious and an all around fun person to hang out with
- is smart, funny, gracious, appreciative, well mannered, ethical, respectful and compassionate
- appreciates the finer things in life and doesn’t mind paying for them
- knows the ins and outs of what needs to be done and the time it takes to get the job done
- has a clear vision of what they want us to do for them and can communicate that vision clearly
- recognizes a job well done, or when someone goes over and above the call of duty
- is looking for a partner to help their business grow
Marta loves what she does especially when it helps clients achieve the results they are looking for – and would never have accomplished without some quality, professional help. “I am the most satisfied when I know a client is moving their business to a whole new level because of the help we are providing. It’s amazing to see and be a part of.”
Read what others have said about VA-4-Hire here.
