Providing Businesses With the Support They Need — Virtually

Ruby Tuesday Pick of the Week: International Virtual Assistants Association
Why It’s a Gem: Get Just the Right Amount of Support You Need — No Commitment Necessary

Our lives have become virtual — virtual money (ATM cards), virtual sales clerks (online shopping carts), virtual relationships (texting). So why not virtual assistants? And, as with other forms of technology, the world of virtual assistants is evolving to encompass more industries and skills sets than most brick-and-mortar entrepreneurs might have believed possible. (This interview has been edited for clarity and length.)

Lynda Resnick: In this week’s Ruby Tuesday, we’re speaking with Jeannine Clontz, Acting President of the International Virtual Assistants Association. For our readers, describe your organization’s purpose and its unique selling proposition.

Jeannine Clontz: We are a nonprofit industry association that represents virtual assistants worldwide. We are a resource to people who are looking for qualified, professional virtual assistants to assistant them in their business.

LR: And what is the difference between a temp or consultant and a virtual assistant?

Jeannine Clontz, Acting President of IVAA

JC: A temp is actually an hourly employee – you have to pay employment taxes, benefits, and things like that. A virtual assistant is really an independent contractor. In some ways, a consultant is also an independent contractor – there would be a similarity there. But I think the biggest difference is that a virtual assistant is not a tax liability, like a temp or an onsite staffer is. We are actually a tax benefit, because our services, like any other independent contractor, can be taken from your taxes as a business expense.

LR: I see. Now, your website says you have 1,000 members.

JC: About 900, right now.

LR: Is it growing?

JC: It is growing. Last September-October through almost the end of the year, we saw a pretty dramatic drop. We were right above 1,000 at that point, [and then] it dropped off. But after the first of the year, we really started seeing it turn around. A lot of people [were] getting laid off, [and other] people were looking for options to stay home with children or to care for aging or ill parents. They’re looking at [being a] virtual assistant as a real option for a home-based business.

LR: And how long ago did you start IVAA?

JC: It started back in 1998. Christine Durst and Michael Haaren started Staffcentrix.com, and they started IVAA.org as the education arm for the industry. I joined in 1998, as one of the first 30 members. By late 1999/early 2000, they were at a point where they could see that the industry was really going to take off, so they incorporated and put a volunteer board in place. At that time, there were five people on the board. We have obviously grown greatly from that first 30 members, and so now we are a board of eleven, and we have close to 90 volunteers who help the organization to run and stay afloat.

It’s kind of nice, because we have lots of very experienced virtual assistants who help us take it to the next level. We have some virtual assistants who are very tech-savvy, so they introduce us to a lot of the new things that are going on in the industry. And, of course, the more brainstorming you can do with more professional business owners, the more information and brainstorming mastermind groups you can put together. And that’s what I think we offer to our clients: that technology base, being able to introduce them to technologies that maybe they weren’t aware of. We make sure we stay current with what’s going on technologically.

LR: Now, when you say you have 900 members, that means that 900 individuals who are virtual assistants belong to your association.

JC: Yes and no. I would call myself a multi-VA. I have my own business, and I have seven subcontractors who work under me. All of my subs own their own businesses, but they may not all be members of the association, but I am. But the 900 members would all either own their own business or be one of the principles in a multi-VA practice.

LR: So, it’s really a much bigger number than 900, the amount of people who are influenced by your organization.

JC: Absolutely! I would say it’s probably between 2,500 and 3,000, although statistics say there are probably 30,000 virtual assistants worldwide. We cover about 29 countries through our membership. But there are plenty of VAs out there who are not, unfortunately, a part of the association.

LR: What sort of benefits does IVAA offer the members in your association?

JC: [To start], there are several ways that we give them access to prospective clients. We have a request for proposal (RFP) system, where people can come to our site and put in what type of work they’re looking for. We also have a pretty extensive directory, so people can search by city and state [or by a specific skill set], like bookkeeping or database management.

We also have three certification programs: We have a CVA, which is a Certified Virtual Assistant; and CRESS, which is a Certified Real Estate Support Specialist; and the ethics check exam. And then we have ways for a client to look for virtual assistants with these specific designations. So, for example, if a Realtor comes to our site looking for somebody with real estate experience, they can look for someone with that CRESS designation.

LR: It seems to me that if I wanted a virtual assistant, I would want to start with you or make sure that the person I hire was associated with an organization like yours, so that I can verify their skills and level of professionalism.

JC: Exactly. We think that’s very, very important.

LR: How does someone qualify to be a member?

JC: You have to have your own business and a website in order to be listed in our directory. We do have an emerging membership level, which is someone who is new [to the industry], someone looking for the guidance, education, and knowledge that we provide. Emerging members are not listed in our directory, and they do not have access to RFPs. That way, we keep it so [prospective clients] can trust that they’re working with someone who is full-time and does have a website presence.

LR: Do you charge dues to your members?

JC: Yes, we do. The dues are $125 for the first year, and then $99 for renewals.

LR: And what do the dues go toward?

JC: They go towards marketing [our association]. We get the word out about what a virtual assistant is and how they can help [a business]. We also have certain benefits that we provide: We provide free website hosting to our members, [and discounts] with preferred partners and business partners. We also have a mentorship program for newer VAs, where we [match] a new VA with someone who is already established. A kind of buddy system.

LR: Do you go to conventions to meet prospective clients and become “less virtual” for a moment?

JC: Absolutely, you have to. It can be very isolating. I do a lot of local networking, obviously, because you still need to get out there and see what the business climate is. I would say 80 percent of my clients are outside the state of Missouri. But I still need to know what’s going on with business and understand the logic of working with people and what they’re going through right now. That’s very important. We also attend trade shows where we know there are specific niches that our members’ services fit well.

LR: I understand that you have a business and that it’s doing well. What is the name of your particular business?

JC: My business is Accurate Business Services. I just celebrated [my 11th year in business] about two months ago. I specialize in speaker/coach consultancy and real estate support, in the areas of desktop publishing and database management.

LR: What you do is much bigger than having an old-fashioned secretary. This is almost a management role that you support.

JC: Absolutely. And I think that’s why the industry has really evolved over the last ten years. When I first started out, it was strictly secretarial-type services. But now we have web designers, graphic artists, some coaches – all types of people who specialize in certain areas.

LR: Jeannine, is there anything else you’d like to tell us?

JC: I’d like to ask you a question, if you don’t mind.

LR: Sure, please.

JC: You know our main product is really our members. We’re always looking for unique and effective ways to reach prospective clients for our VA members, which is probably the most important part of our membership. We do trade shows, press releases – we do lots of search engine optimization on our own website. Would you have any ideas of how a nonprofit like IVAA could really promote the use of virtual assistants?

LR: The best way would be to get busy with your blogging, tweeting, and social media – and that takes time and energy. But you have enough people there that you could spread out the work – that is the most inexpensive way of reaching out. Do you have a Facebook page? Are your members on it? Do you invite them to join? Then get all their friends and associates on there, and start spreading the word.

JC: We are on Twitter and Facebook, [but] we don’t have a blog, and I think that’s something we might want to look into.

LR: Do a little analysis of [the industries] where your growth opportunities are and focus on that with social media. You can have an intern do this; it isn’t as though you have to do it all yourselves. You have universities in your area that are excellent, and you can find students that would be happy to help in exchange for a listing on their resume. If there’s any way you can get on radio or television, it would pole vault your industry into a new stratosphere. As good as social media is, there’s nothing like appearing on the local news channel.

JC: I will absolutely give that a shot.

LR: Why not? All they can do is say no.

JC: Thank you. I greatly appreciate it, and I wish you all the best of continued success.

LR: Thank you, dear.