Comments on: Cheap Versus Quality and Consistency

By: Sue L Canfield

Sue L Canfield — Mon, 25 Jan 2010 22:47:53 +0000

Thank you for sharing your experience with us Heike. Even in the English speaking world there can be other factors to consider. A prospect from the UK decided to go with a VA based in the UK because they wanted someone who understood that particular industry and how it worked in the UK since it was different from how things worked in the US.

By: Heike Miller

Heike Miller — Mon, 25 Jan 2010 22:44:44 +0000

I recently outsourced some graphic design work to a very cheap provider on Elance because my client wanted it as cheap as possible. The Indian provider did a nice graphics job, but all descriptions/labels were incorrect because it seems the person doing the job didn’t speak English. I had to make so many spelling corrections. When it came back again, there were even more mistakes.

I do understand that it’s hard to write in a foreign language, but it’s making it really hard to use services from cheap labor in lower priced countries. To hire a service like this for any tasks that require input, provactive thinking and proper assistance is ludicrous. It is vital that the service provider can speak English and is trained in online marketing to understand the big picture of the business they support.

Hiring a service provider who understands the online business world, comes from a similar culture and understands the language perfectly is a necessity, otherwise you are in for a lot of headache and corrections.

By: Joel D Canfield

Joel D Canfield — Tue, 05 Jan 2010 20:17:40 +0000

Kimberly, this is such an important part of our marketing message (for all VAs.) When business just becomes about money, or even primarily about money, something’s gonna break.

By: Kimberly

Kimberly — Tue, 05 Jan 2010 20:08:44 +0000

What I’ve had to explain several times is that a professional, good quality VA is the efficient and convenient option to hiring an employee, not the cheap option. People often don’t realize how they don’t really save money by hiring a lower priced VA because it usually means more time has to either be invested by the client to manage the VA or the VA isn’t as experienced and may take twice as long to complete a task or do it with errors. I’ve heard from some that finding a *reliable* mid-range VA is difficult…which isn’t a surprise to me.

By: Joel D Canfield

Joel D Canfield — Thu, 31 Dec 2009 05:07:43 +0000

Howdy, Sam!

I’ve discovered that, if the first thing someone asks me is cost, we’re probably not going to work together. What’s the saying? Penny-wise, pound foolish.

Folks make the mistake of thinking of a VA as a clerical employee instead of an entrepreneurial partner. As you say, a good VA adds value, and dollars or euros to the bottom line.

joel

By: Chief Virtual Officer » Blog Archive » Cheap Versus Quality and … | assistants

Thu, 31 Dec 2009 04:09:30 +0000

[...] View original post here: Chief Virtual Officer » Blog Archive » Cheap Versus Quality and … [...]

By: Sam

Sam — Thu, 31 Dec 2009 03:51:28 +0000

Sue, I couldn’t agree more. Since the economic crisis began we’ve seen a steady increase in enquiries from clients wanting to pay low rates that we just can’t offer. Clients who need a quality VA service are far better off investing in a VA that can become a long term partner for their business. A resourceful and dedicated VA will save the client money in the long term.

By: Chief Virtual Officer » Blog Archive » Cheap Versus Quality and … School’s Rate

Wed, 30 Dec 2009 22:34:59 +0000

[...] Chief Virtual Officer » Blog Archive » Cheap Versus Quality and … By admin | category: virtual school | tags: all-kinds, also-doesn, five-year-old, [...]