Virtual Freedom by Chris C. Ducker

Author:Chris C. Ducker [Ducker, Chris]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781939529756
Publisher: BenBella Books, Inc.

The Advantages of Staying Closer to Home

Remember when you went to college or moved into your own place for the first time and left behind the family home where you grew up? I don’t know about you, but I used to go back to that family home each week—sometimes more—for my mother’s home-cooked meals.

I also used to go back to talk to my father about business and life. He wasn’t a rich man and he didn’t have a lot of worldly experience, but he was hardworking and loyal to his employers—and he instilled those qualities in me as a young professional.

Why is it that we prefer to stay close to home when we first go out on our own? In many cases, it’s for a sense of comfort and knowing we can depend on those who are closest to us. There’s something reassuring in staying close to people who know us, understand our personalities, relate to the ways we communicate, and share a common worldview.

Here’s the thing: a lot of people think that in order to take full advantage of outsourcing, they need to have a small army of VAs in a foreign land—but this isn’t the case. Sometimes your business is better served by finding local talent instead of venturing overseas.

Here are a few examples of the benefits of working with a local VA:

•You work in the same time zone. It may be advantageous to have the same work schedule as your VA so that you can answer questions and/or so that he or she can serve your clients in real time.

•You need a skilled writer. Think of your target market or audience for a moment. Would you rather have a foreigner addressing your customers in writing or someone local who understands your cultural mindset and business needs and is also a native speaker of the language? If you’re looking for a copywriter or content writer, I recommend finding someone local. When you need someone to capture your “voice,” it makes no sense to venture overseas.

•You might already like the VA’s work. When you like someone’s work, price and location are no longer relevant. Even though I run a VA company and have access to hundreds of employees, I myself will often outsource outside of my own roster of VAs (usually for project-based work) when I like someone’s style, background, or simply the way he or she works.

•The local VA just gets it. Many business owners I’ve spoken with say that they prefer to work with domestic VAs simply because they are local. The VAs have the same traditions as their employers and have a better understanding of customers in the country in which the company is based.

Both eaHELP (eaHELP.com) and Zirtual (Zirtual.com) are good solutions for people who want to keep things close to home (in the United States). All of the VAs from these firms are based in the United States, and the companies provide hourly packages to get started—for those flirting with outsourcing for the first time.

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