2008 Virtual Assistant Industry Survey Highlights

Transcription

2008 Virtual Assistant
Industry Survey Highlights
V irt ua l As s is t a nc e Cha m b e r of C om m e rc e
CONTACT: Danielle Keister, Founder
PO Box 7101 Tacoma WA 98417
Toll Free 888
888.648.0566
www.VirtualAssistantNetworking.com
…Creating Community, Expanding Horizons and Sharing in Success!
2008 Virtual Assistant
Industry Survey Highlights
Survey Period: August/September 2008
No. of Respondents: 604
Completed Responses: 500
Average Response Time: 20 min 42 sec
© 2008 Virtual Assistance Chamber of Commerce, All U.S. & International Rights Reserved.
VirtualAssistantNetworking.com | 2
October 6, 2008
Cheers!
Da dada DA! The results are in… the 2008 Virtual Assistant Industry Survey went fabulously! This is our
third year and each year the survey just gets better and better. The survey is a huge undertaking and
much work goes into doing a great job. There’s an incredible amount of valuable information yielded from
these surveys. This year’s results are the most fascinating and eye-opening yet. I especially loved
reading the pages and pages of responses to the open-ended hot industry issue questions.
I want to extend a big, huge thank you to all the participants for their efforts in promoting the survey and
making it the best ever! All Virtual Assistants who participated in the survey get a free copy of the full 85page results report as our thanks for their contribution to the effort. Surveys like ours are very important in
helping the industry understand itself, identify gaps in education, and create greater understanding and
awareness both inside and outside the industry. The more Virtual Assistants we have participating, the
more meaningful and representative the results are for everyone.
The annual VACOC Virtual Assistant Industry Survey is the standard for the Virtual Assistant industry.
Our survey is the largest, most comprehensive, in-depth annual study in the industry today. It is
conducted exclusively by Virtual Assistants, for Virtual Assistants. Unlike other pseudo-organizations and
industry outsiders that include anyone and everyone who happens to own a computer and operate
virtually—and that miseducate your marketplace in the process—our survey respondents are comprised
of only Virtual Assistants running their own administrative businesses.
The full 85-page survey consists of 101 questions covering the categories of:
Individual Demographics
Education, Experience & Credentials
General Business Demographics
Employees & Subcontractors
Clients
Hours
Pricing & Income
Services
Training & Continuing Education
Marketing
Success, Profitability &
Entrepreneurship
Industry Organizations
Industry Training Programs
Standards & Educating the Public
For those who did not take part in the study or who are seeking to learn more about the Virtual Assistant
industry, we provide this free abridged version of the survey. This report contains highlights from the 2008
Virtual Assistant Industry Survey. Feel free to forward, distribute and share this highlights report with
others. You may also publish the results contained herein as long as full credit and attribution is given to
the Virtual Assistance Chamber of Commerce. The full 85-page 2008 survey results report, as well as
previous years’ reports, can be purchased at: http://www.virtualassistantnetworking.com/virtual-assistantbusiness-forms.htm
If you are a writer or reporter, more in-depth statistical information can be obtained by contacting Danielle
Keister by phone at 888.648.0566 or by email at [email protected].
Yours in success!
Danielle Keister
Founder & CVO
Virtual Assistance Chamber of Commerce
Pre-Qualifiers
A. My VA practice is currently open (not closed or in planning stages).
B. I am in solo practice with no more than two other partners.
C. My primary VA service is administrative in nature.
D. Virtual Assistance is the profession of ADMINISTRATIVE experts who work in ongoing,
collaborative relationship with clients providing administrative support across the board.
E. I run a staffing agency or team VA practice.
Virtual Assistant Profile
1. Which statement best fits Virtual Assistance for you?
2. What motivated you to start your VA business? (check all that apply)
Individual Demographics
3. Gender
4. Age Group
5. Marital Status
6. Country
7. State/Province/Territory/Region
8. Do you have children?
9. How many children do you have?
10. What are the ages of your children? (check all that apply)
Education/Experience/Credentials
11. Education
12. Before opening your business, how many total years administrative experience did you have?
13. Which of these credentials do you have? (check all that apply)
14. Where does your knowledge of running a business come from? (check all that apply)
General Business Demographics
15. What year did you start your Virtual Assistant business?
16. What phase is your Virtual Assistant business in?
17. Where is your business located?
18. What is your business formation?
19. What kind of business insurance do you carry? (check all that apply)
20. Do you have health insurance? (choose the answer that fits best)
21. Do you have a business plan?
22. Do you have a contingency/risk management plan?
23. Outside of your Virtual Assistant practice, do you have any other business or job? (choose the
one that fits best)
24. When you opened your Virtual Assistant practice, did you start out FT or PT?
Employees & Subcontractors
25. Do you have any employees (not including subcontractors)?
26. Do you subcontract client work to other VAs?
27. Do you have a VA you’ve hired to help you in your own business?
28. Do you ever work as a subcontractor for other VAs?
Clients
29. Have you defined at least one specific target market for your business?
30. Have you defined an ideal client profile?
31. How full is your practice?
32. How many VA clients total do you have right now?
33. How many monthly retainer clients do you currently have (where they pay a monthly fee in
advance)?
34. How many hourly/PAYG clients do you have?
35. What kind of clients do you prefer?
36. How long did it take (roughly) before you had your first paying client?
37. Do you have clients sign a contract/agreement before working together?
38. Where are your clients located?
39. Are you interested in having international clients?
Hours
40. Which best describes your service hours right now as you advertise them to clients?
41. On average, how many billable hours (client work) do you work each week?
42. On average, how many non-billable hours do you put into administration and working ON your
business each week?
43. How many days a week do you focus on client work?
Pricing & Income
44. What is your base hourly VA rate?
45. How did you determine your rates?
46. How do you charge for services?
47. How do you structure your hourly services?
48. How do you structure your retainer fees?
49. How do you charge for creative services (web design, graphic design, desktop publishing, etc.)?
50. How do you charge for technical or consulting services (e.g., writing, programming, etc.)?
51. What is your gross annual income from your VA business this year?
Marketing
52. Where do you market/network? (choose the answer that fits best)
53. How have most of your clients found you?
54. What marketing collateral do you use? (check all that apply)
55. What marketing/networking avenues have you tried?
56. Do you have a marketing plan?
Industry Organizations
57. What VA professional associations do you belong to? (check all that apply)
58. What VA networking groups, forums and listservs do you belong to? (check all that apply)
If you thought these results were interesting,
you ought to see the full 85-page report!
This highlight reports spotlights only some of the survey categories and basic industry info. The full
results report is 85 pages of probing, in-depth statistics gleaned from 101 questions covering the entire 15
survey categories. Plus, you’ll get to read the 20 pages of free-form responses to the open-ended hot
industry issue questions, as well as the full responses to the “other” response options
There are two ways you can obtain a copy of the full report:
1. Participate in the survey. If you are a Virtual Assistant, we invite you to take part in the
industry’s leading survey. At the end of the survey period, which ends September 30 each year,
all those who participated and signed up to the mailing list will get a free copy of the full survey
results report. To take the survey, go to: http://www.virtualassistantnetworking.com/survey.htm
2. Purchase a copy. If you did not get to participate in this year’s survey (or if you are not a Virtual
Assistant), and don’t want to wait until the next survey period, you can purchase a copy of this
year’s full results report (as well as all previous years’ reports) instead. We have a fully
automated shopping cart ready to take your order. Upon payment, you will receive an email with
the instant download links. To order, go to: http://www.virtualassistantnetworking.com/virtualassistant-business-forms.htm
Happy reading!
Danielle Keister
Founder & CVO
Virtual Assistance Chamber of Commerce

2008 Virtual Assistant Industry Survey Highlights

Transcription

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