Are Virtual Assistant Services Expensive?
Good question! It’s one that I’m often asked both on Twitter and when explaining the concept of a Virtual Assistant to local business owners (it’s still not very popular or well-known where I live).
First let’s review…
How Hiring a Virtual Assistant Can Save You Money
- Only utilize services when needed (no need in having an employee that’s not kept busy)
- No Workman’s Comp, Health Insurance or Payroll Taxes to pay
- No Benefits – e.g. vacation time or sick days
- You are not paying for coffee/water cooler breaks
- No overhead items to pay for such as office space, equipment, parking, etc.
- If it doesn’t work out you will never be subject to an Unemployment Claim
Back to the question at hand…
How much do Virtual Assistant Services cost?
From my research I have found that pricing for Virtual Assistant Services ranges between $15/hr to $85/hr.
Each Virtual Assistant has the ability to set their own price and do so based on a number of different factors:
- How long we’ve been in business
- Previous work experience and positions held at prior companies
- Specialized training/certifications
- Demand/Current number of clients
- What others are charging for similar services
- Cost of Living for where we reside
Why such a huge variance in the cost of Virtual Assistant Services?
On the low-end: It can be an indication that the Virtual Assistant is a newer business owner and therefore undervalues herself. It can also be an indication that there is some desperation to pay the bills and therefore she believes that by having a lower price she will attract more clients.
On the high-end: It could be that she has more specialized skills, more clients (demands on her time) as well it’s possible she’s mis-classified herself as a Virtual Assistant when she’s really more of a consultant.
At the end of the day – we all have different reasons why we chose the pricing that we do and cheaper is NOT always better.
How to Hire a Virtual Assistant
It’s always best to hire a Virtual Assistant based on what you need and what the person excels at. If you have narrowed it down to just a few candidates you can also decide who you like best by giving each of them the exact same task. Initially it will cost you a bit more upfront but there can be significant differences in how quickly the task is completed, communication styles and actual completion of the task.
When you decide it’s time to hire a Virtual Assistant refer to this free “Checklist for Hiring a Virtual Assistant” download.
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Twitter: vancesova
March 30, 2010 at 9:48 pm
Hi Michelle,
I wonder if there is any difference between your virtual assistant services and those of eLance and such.
It seems that you charge by the hour whereas they charge by the project.
Perhaps you can clarify that also for the benefit of others.
I wonder if you require payment in advance or just a deposit to start the work.
Perhaps you can refer me to a list of what you do too. I’m sure it’s somewhere on your site but I haven’t searched for it.
How bad is that? There may be more people who may want it served to them like me.
The abbreviated version will be great with an additional link to a detailed list.
Thanks,
Vance
Vance@Gurus Nightmare Report´s last blog ..Marketing With Alex 3.0 Preview, Gurus Nightmare Alex’s New Ebook
Vance – fantastic idea about using some of your questions as a future blog post. Shall I answer them all here or do you wanna wait for the blog post?
Here is a list of the Virtual Assistant Services I offer.
I’ll do a blog post on your suggestions and if all goes well, I’ll have it go live this Friday.
Michelle, I love this post about pricing. When I talk with a prospective client and they ask my rate, I can hear the big pause. Sometimes VA rates might appear high initially, but like you said, you need to take experience, skill set, economy and all the expenses the VA is taking on in consideration. In that case, hiring a VA is a bargain. Thanks for sharing!
Lissa Duty´s last blog ..What is a virtual assistant?
Lissa – I still hear the pause sometimes and when I first started I remember how “weird” it felt to state my rate because I was fearful of that pause. Now I don’t even blink – I think part of that comes from being in business for awhile – we really begin to realize we aren’t “expensive”.
Thanks so much for both of your comments on my posts! I love comments!
Michelle this is great article and you really explain a lot about Virtual Assistant Services. BIG Thanks
John
John Davis´s last blog ..Medjugorje resources
John – you are welcome!
I also think you need to look at the cost of your time. The cost of finding and working with a person can be much more important than the hourly cost. For me anyway, saving a few dollars an hour isn’t worth it if I have to spend much more time explaining things, requesting things be redone to take into account some weakness…
John Hunter´s last blog ..Bogle on the Stock Market and Investing
John – very well put – your time in working with and reviewing the work done by someone has to be factored in. Heather makes a good point in her comment how someone speeding through on her $5.00 project because they have a $40 project in queue would be a good example of this.