In this article, I will share with you my top tips on how to work with your virtual assistant on your Amazon online arbitrage business.
I’ve got 22 virtual assistants across my two businesses. I’ve actually hired someone to hire my virtual assistants for me because I can’t hire them enough to say that my business is growing that quickly. It’s the fact that I do it in my business. We’re growing fast but also we are hiring and training virtual assistants for other people.
First 3 weeks with your new virtual assistant
You’ve got our new virtual assistant from the Fast Track FBA Academy and think about their shoes, and where they are right now. They are just starting a new job with someone not in the Philippines but thousands of miles away on the other side of the world, over an internet connection. And of course, they will be scared or nervous and be mindful of that.
Be mindful of the cultural differences
To give you a heads-up, they will say yes to literally anything because this is a cultural thing. It doesn’t mean they’re actually able to do it but in the Philippines, anything the boss says they will go out and figure out a way to do it. Don’t assume that your virtual assistant understands what you’re trying to say.
It is always good to check back
When you give them an instruction, don’t ask them if they understand. Instead, ask them what they would do and how they’re going to do it. You can also ask for further clarification so that you seek understanding that they understood what you said.
How to support your virtual assistant
Schedule a one-hour call
In the first 3 weeks, in your calendar, just book out one hour. It doesn’t matter what time but spending that hour with your virtual assistant. As you go through with this call, you’re going to start seeing that you’re not using the whole of that time and they now have the time to ask you questions.
Be prepared before you go into these calls; get your cam and headset working and expect them to do the same. This is also about building a relationship with your virtual assistant. When you do live video calls, you see emotions, you see the faces which you get to know them.
Think and speak positive
They’re nervous, they’re scared and you’re not expecting them to get it right at first. And we as a human beings, can criticize very easily, and spot the problems when they are not at the same sourcing standard as you. So, go into it with a very positive attitude and reinforce the positives.
Don’t review the deals prior to your scheduled call
This should be the first time you review the deals if you’ve allocated an hour to this time to be with your virtual assistant. You can use that time to use deals, don’t go spending half an hour beforehand reviewing the deals. Then spend more time now. It’s a waste of your time and it doesn’t add value to your VA.
Talk out loud when reviewing deals
Explain the steps you’re taking because you have unique deal criteria and while it sounds simple, it isn’t like looking at deals, it’s how you analyze the deals. They need to understand that so talk out loud and let them know. Don’t ask questions whereby they can simply give you a yes or no answer. Rather, ask them the what, why, and where; because you want to see their understanding and you can get inside their head. And as a result, understand where they’re making decisions and realign those expectations.
Meet and greet your new virtual assistant
I will share with you a video of me meeting my new VA and how I went through with it. This can also be your guide when you are in the process of meeting your new virtual assistant.
Recap from One-on-One
Let’s break down that call. When I started the call, I didn’t talk business right away. I asked her about her weekend with her family and what was going on. When we jump on calls, we’re so focused that we don’t take a moment to know your people. I just want a little bit of chit-chat to get the conversation flowing.
Also, remember that this was her first day and she only had 3 deals. Instead of looking at it negatively, I was very verbal about exactly what I was talking about. When analyzing the deal, I also asked her why was she interested in this deal. But what I’m trying to do is to get an understanding of why she choose this deal out of all the opportunities. Remember, this is not a yes or no question.
As we go through all the deals, I was really looking for the positives in the deals because she’s just starting and what I want to do is to reinforce certain behaviors and actions that she’s done that resonates with where I want her to be. Now, she just needs guidance, and encouraging her to think outside the box will eventually give me some amazing deals in the future.
Time to scale your Amazon business with your virtual assistant
Trust me, being positive really works with their virtual assistants. And they do start seeing the biggest success after the first week, unto the second week, and in the third week; their virtual assistants start giving them more deals and better deals that meet their criteria. That is what you want. You’ll want your businesses to grow as well.
To know more about working with your Amazon virtual assistants, you can check our previous article about training your Admin Virtual Assistant. You will also find it helpful in working with your virtual assistant our top tips on how to work with your virtual assistant on day 1 up to your 2nd month: strategy and alignment.