How much you charge for your services should relate to, obviously, what services you provide. Regardless of what your services are, the first thing you will want to do is take a look at the rates and prices your competition, either online or off, are charging for similar services. In this article, we will go over some of the ways to determine how much you should ask for your services, as there is no sense in suggesting a specific rate, since the cost of running your service and the quality of your work might differ from others.
Once you have determined how much the competition is asking for, the best thing you can do is to either offer the same service at the same quality for less money, or to provide a better version or enhanced services for a discounted rate. Many virtual assistant firms will provide quotes for work on an ad hoc basis, because the work can be so vastly different. Personal assistance support and digital transcription services can run anywhere between twenty and fifty pounds an hour, and telephone answering usually costs between twenty and thirty pounds per month. These rates are all relative, however, and you should do your business as cheaply as possible while retaining as much quality as you can and a profit for running the business.
Retainer work is also hard to gauge, as there is something of a difference between retainer packages you might offer. Tailored retainer packages will cost a little more, as they are designed to suit the specific needs of a client. Virtual assistants will usually invoice clients for office supplies, as well as travel costs, mailing and handling where they apply. Take the time to figure out exactly what your expenses are for each service before you make rates, as no client likes to see extra fees added on after they have already inquired about services available.
In the end, how much you charge is entirely up to you. If you think the quality of your work is higher than that of the competition, charge more. If you can provide work that is cheaper for both you and the client, charge less. Your goal when setting prices should be to outmatch your competition in terms of either speed, cost, or quality. Find out what your strengths are, stick to them, and your virtual assistant business will be running smoothly in almost no time at all.
Lilach Bullock runs 2 full time businesses, asklilach providing virtual pa services & Virtual PA Training, helping people set up their own successful virtual assistant business. Lilach recently attended an Award Ceremony at Downing Street for best Mumpreneur. asklilach.co.uk