7 Reasons Why Hiring a Filipino Virtual Assistant Makes Business Sense

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CC Image courtesy by hongxing128 on Flickr

If you’re thinking that outsourcing some of your tasks for the growth of your Internet business is a cost, well, you’re correct. You’re running a business here for crying out loud – you can’t expect to not lose some cash. But that’s exactly why you’d want to hire some folks overseas: It’s a business. If you’re working at your campaigns on your own, you might as well call yourself self-employed and watch your life wither away with stress and decay.

That said, you’re now seriously considering hiring some people. Now another question appears: Who do I hire and what makes me so sure they’ll stay for the long haul? You’ve heard about the rumors over the Internet when it comes tooutsourcing and you’re probably doubting everyone over the net right now.

Chill. There’s this hardy people in South East Asia who would absolutely love to work for you at a relatively low cost and stay loyal to you.

In this article, I’ll explain (in 7 reasons, tops) why Filipinos aren’t only the best boxers and nurses in the world – they’re also the absolute best overseas Asian people to talk to when it comes to making it big in the Internet.

Filipinos are low cost

Filipinos are bluntly cheap because of their standards of living. Here’s a simple comparison:

In the United States, you can get a Quarter pounder for, say, $5.00 – and it could suffice for just a single meal (maybe lunch or something). In the Philippines, $5.00 means that the Filipino family can eat for not just an entire day, but a day and a half.

With regards to hiring a Filipino virtual assistant, you can get a good deal off of $250 per month. It may be a lot more expensive than a burger, but the returns are massive! You may think that for something as low as $250 it’s going to cost you quality work, at least in terms of content production. That brings me to my next point:

Filipinos KNOW English

Statistics say that among all the nations in Asia, the Philippines are the best English speakers ever. But there’s more than speaking ye olde English that makes Filipinos the right race to get when it comes to hiring a VA – They love the American culture.

While it’s true that half of the world do not necessarily like the United States of America (and everything it allegedly stands for), Filipinos absolutely adore it. So much so that every Filipino flick is based off of US movies and every trend is likened to the ones from the West.

So if you’re thinking that you can’t be on the same page with a Filipino virtual assistant who lives thousands of miles away, think again. For all you know, he might share common interests with you.

Filipinos are compassionate

The Filipinos are a very hospitable people (sometimes to a fault), but more than that, they can totally relate with their business owners. In terms of stress management and proving a point, Filipinos know very well that once their American provider is not happy, they’ll soon run out of a job – which is why they are committed to getting the results that their employers want.

Filipinos are committed

Speaking of getting things done, Filipinos pride themselves at being committed. This is because they are very much aware that if any of their campaigns screw up (because of relevant causes like WordPress errors, etc.), the chances of being laid off, if not fired increases.

They’ve also developed the uncanny ability of staying up really late just to get something done, going as far as working through the night shift.  This means that they can be up and at it while you’re going through your day. This, of course, depends on your arrangement with them.

Filipinos are full of pride

When you hire a Filipino virtual assistant, you literally raise the latter’s status up among his peers. This is because of 2 main reasons:

1. You pay him more than anyone else – take note that the Philippines has relatively low standards as compared to the US. This means that what’s less than minimum wage in the US is big money for the regular Filipino.
2. You make them happy – Remember that these folks are working in the same setting as you are. These means that they relatively share the same perks you get at work. They also get to learn new stuff which may, in the long run, help them in their own business ventures.

They’re also attached to the idea of just working primarily because Filipinos have been trained, since childhood, to keep working for their keep.

Filipinos are easy to please

Filipinos are easy to deal with as long as you give them small rewards every now and then. In the US, where everyone’s entitled to vacations every now and then, workers still need to earn the right to go on leave. Often times, a job offer is turned down as soon as a prospective employee finds out he can’t go on leave whenever he wants – an imagine the repercussions of asking one to go on overtime.

In the Philippines, it’s okay to ask people to work outside of working hours – heck, it’s a pleasure for them because they feel that their proving themselves to you. This brings in security and at the same time an extra 5 bucks in their wallets – which, by the way, isn’t too small for them and isn’t too hard to pull out of your wallet.

Filipinos are loyal

As stated earlier, Filipinos will do anything to keep their jobs – even if it means sacrificing a few personal liberties. This guarantees their loyalty. The myth goes like this, virtual assistants, in general, will leave you as soon as you put money in their bank account.

That’s not always the case when it comes to Filipinos. Their loyalty lies in their want to learn more from you. You’re the guy who thinks about how the gears should turn, and in the long run, they want to learn how to make a business work on their own too.

Now, another fear can be generated from this as well: the fear of being left without a virtual assistant because he’s already found his way to Internet business mastery – this is false because just like how you are continuously learning, they’re continuously learning as well. So it’s okay to let them in on your secrets, they’re the ones who keep it and share  it with  you and they WON’T leave you for it.

10 Essential Tips in Hiring a VA

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When you’ve finally decided to cut the chatter and start hiring Filipino virtual assistants, there are a lot of things to take note of. Remember, you’re dealing with a lot of things here besides distance and possible communication barriers.

Don’t fret though. In this article, I’ll give you some tips in hiring a virtual assistant. I’ll also add in a little bit of action points for you to nurture your relationship with your VA – something  that’s important for your Internet business at the end of the day.

Check it out:

1. Search for the right person

Now, I’m not saying that you scour onlinejobs.com or Odesk for Mr. Right. Chances are, he’s already hired by a top Internet businessman or you can’t afford his rates. Here’s the thing: Take as many candidates as you can, set a trial of two to three months and do what you must for your business to move forward.

It’s not really about finding the absolute best virtual assistant, it’s really about training your people to be really good. You can’t expect them to be out right and do everything!

2. Get a team, not a person

Speaking of which, you can’t expect just one virtual assistant to handle everything. From WordPress installation to SEO link building, everyone knows a little bit of each in the world of digital marketing outsourcing – it’s really all just a matter of assigning each person a segment of special tasks that they’re better with than others.

After, say, a few months when you’ve done all the trial work and you’re certain you’ve got a team that complements your needs as an Internet businessman – get someone who rose above the noise and turn him into a project manager. So you don’t have to fuss about everyone’s reports.

3. Make them feel involved

There’s nothing better than that feeling of belonging – maybe accountability and ownership, but in the outsourcing world, they’re pretty much connected. Make your Filipino virtual assistant feel like he’s part of your success. This should push him to better his skills and at the same time, serves as a virtual tap on his shoulder for a job well done.

4. Give them recurring tasks

Recurring tasks serve one main purpose: to keep your virtual assistant busy and involved. At some point, virtual assistants that specialize in a niche task (like web development or digital design), will have a hard time keeping themselves busy, especially after a launch. So keep them busy.

For web designer virtual assistants, give them some infographics and Facebook visuals to work on while they wait for that next big launch. For web developers, have them study app development and iFrame design for, say, your Facebook pages.

There’s loads of stuff to do, and giving these to your virtual assistants means that you get to keep them on your pay roll – which leads to them feeling pretty lucky.

5. Get to know the culture

Culture encompasses a lot of things from religious beliefs to national and special holidays. For the Filipino virtual assistant, getting to know their culture is a pleasure! The best you could do, when everything’s going as well as you’d hope for them to be, is pay them a visit in their archipelago home.

Getting to know their culture also means getting to know (and pay respect) to their holidays. While some may be down-right arbitrary, others are religion-based. The Philippines, being a very religious state, would have a few religious feasts and celebrations every month, so be ready to at least give them a day off.

6. Train them well

Training your virtual assistants helps the both of you in many ways. For you, you gain the assurance that the type of work or task at hand won’t get messed up. For the virtual assistant, he gets to increase his knowledgebase.

Training your virtual assistants well can range from giving them training material they can consume, to having daily calls and meetings about a certain Internet marketing concept. This also sends the message that you care for their professional growth which breeds trust – a vital factor in the growth of your Internet business.

7. Set reasonable expectations

This works in any setting – when you’re setting expectations, always make sure that these are achievable and measurable. This is so you can gauge your virtual assistant’s progress and, in the long run, the growth of your business.

Here’s a good example:

You give your virtual assistant some link building tasks and expect him to create, say, 30 links back to your website for, say at least 2 weeks. That’s pretty easy. You may want to push him a little, it depends, really. So long as you set clear expectations.

8. Treat them right

Don’t intentionally miss replying to their questions. Don’t call them anything demeaning or racist. Don’t make them feel inferior. The whole point of this is making them feel that they’re people too – which they are. At the end of the day, you not only create a relationship of camaraderie with your team, you get to save yourself from entering the outsourcing black list of doom too.

Besides, hate and anger are double-edged swords – you’re bound to get hurt (if not your business) too.

      9. Communicate with them daily

This could be best done at the start of the day, at least, for the Philippine virtual assitants’ side of the world. Let them know that you’re there by asking for updates from their tasks and work and give them updates from your side. This allows you both to be informed about the what’s ups and FYIs.

This also sends the impression that they are vital to the growth of the business – making them feel that you depend on them to get your business working allows

9. Use the right tools

In every team, there’s an arsenal of tools that complement their efficiency. For instance, communicating with your team requires a handy VoIP system like Skype or GotoMeeting. In terms of file transfers or sharing, Egnyte and 4Shared work pretty well.

At the end of the day, when you give your team the tools they need – a hammer for nails – this should lessen their burdens and you can expect your Internet business to grow at a much quicker pace.

That about wraps it up for the 10 essential tips you need to know when hiring a virtual assistant. Let me know what you think in the comments section.

Key Competencies of Filipino VAs

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The Philippines’ new tourism slogan says it all: “It’s More Fun in the Philippines.”

That can never be truer, especially when it comes to hiring a Filipino VA.

Perhaps the biggest advantage to hiring a virtual assistant is the savings to cost. Time is money, that we know for sure. But when you have an efficient virtual assistant to take care of some of your tasks for you, you get a tremendous load of your back and you save on time and money. That leaves you with more cash and time to be used for expanding your business.

Yes, there are costs involved. But the benefits of hiring a Filipino VA far outweigh the costs. With a Filipino virtual assistant, you will even more have an opportunity to run a business that is worry-free.

So why is it more fun to get a Filipino VA? Filipino VAs have key competencies that are at par with their international counterparts.

Filipino VAs are dynamic

Filipino VAs are young, able to easily adapt and dynamic. They are extremely abreast with the changing economic and technological trends. And because there is virtually free to access information in the Philippines thanks mostly to the low cost of getting an Internet connection, most young Filipinos stay in the know.

Filipino workers can easily adapt to the changing business landscape, and the competencies that they possess are world-class. This can be attributed to low cost and world-class quality of IT education.

Filipino VAs possess excellent English skills

Because Filipinos are exposed to a wide range of English media, an average Filipino can speak the language with great fluency. Most foreigners actually find it amazing to hear some Filipinos speak the English language in a neutral accent.

Most Filipino kids are actually taught to read and write in English before they are taught to read and write in Filipino. At school, the medium of instruction is English and tests are mostly administered using the English language.

Indeed, many Filipino professionals are great English speakers and writers. As an Internet marketer looking to outsource, you will never run out of excellent Filipino VA from the vast pool of Filipino professionals.

Most Filipino professionals are well-informed

Young Filipinos these days are hugely exposed to a wide range of information. Information, as previously mentioned, is virtually free in the Philippines. Any Filipino VA would find research work as just a walk in the park. Filipino VAs know exactly where to find the right information. Because of that, Filipino VAs are known for quick turnarounds of accurate information.

Filipino VAs are multi-skilled

Need to have something written? No problem. Need to have something consolidated? No worries. Need to have something found and turned in before you wake up in the morning? No sweat. You see, as the world continues to get smaller with technology, Filipino professionals have learned to adapt and stay competitive in the ever evolving new economy. Because of passion to excel, Filipino VAs have learned to learn what it takes to get the job done.