Where are the New Markets?

Great question from our members:

A new market that has a great deal of untapped potential ( and do forgive me for letting out the secret ) is also very much a competitor.

Virtual Assistants (VA's)

They are an outsourced solution that is more cost effective than having someone on staff to perform specific and time sensitive projects

The benefits of using a Virtual Assistant is very much like the benefits of using an answering service

Businesses can pay for the services of a VA only when they need them and yet the VA is still available whenever needed.

Their specialties include but are not limited to:

Accounting / HR / Data Entry / PR / Copy Writing / Language Translation / Social Media Support.

The link below shows an RFP form from the International Virtual Assistants Association (557 members)

Submit a Request for Proposal

One notable entry is "live phone answering"

So Virtual Assistants are competitors? Yes

And Virtual Assistants are a new market? YES!!!

A virtual assistant that agrees to answer the calls for a business or sole proprietor still must juggle the other tasks and duties other clients are paying for while at the same time managing the phone calls they agreed to answer.

As we all know a phone call can be an interruption of anywhere from 3 - 10 minutes.

If a VA is working on a project for a client and a phone call from another client begins to ring, what will take precedent? How will the VA bill for that 3-10 minute interruption?  Can the VA guarantee availability? Can the VA guarantee availability 24/7?

Yes, the wheels are turning!

So, if there is a VA that is competing for clients it might make for a good strategy to partner with them.  You could be their back up.  You could be their partner if they want to start offering this service under their umbrella of services.

A VA could be an excellent referral source as they have built a relationship with a handful or perhaps even dozens of businesses and would be a trusted voice to bring your services to the attention of their clients.

Keep those wheels turning and keep the momentum going!

--A Few Reminders For ATSI Members--

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