8 Sure Ways to Make Your Distant Assistant Love You
8 Sure Ways to Make Your Distant Assistant Love You
Hint: it’s not all about money. The process of finding the right distant assistant (DA) itself is not easy. And when that person comes, you want to make sure that everything goes well. Here are 8 Sure Ways to Make Your Distant Assistant Love You. Understand what your DA needs to make your work relationship work!
1. Develop Trust in the Workplace
Why hire a distant assistant?
It’s easy to fall for an affordable way to run your business. A lot of distant assistants from countries outside the US offer lower pay. A small amount can turn out to be a big sum in third world countries.
A number of distant assistants would be pleased to work with you for a reasonable price. However, the ability to earn does not necessarily overpower the happiness of a person.
Happiness is among the top reasons why people decide to work from home. It goes along with comfort, flexibility, and the opportunity to leverage one’s skills.
When someone applies for work as a distant assistant, she is assumed to possess the necessary skills for helping a client advance his goals. Some aspirants may still be unsure about what they can do best. But, the ideal distant assistant knows what she can do and has the confidence that she can do it well.
On your end as the client, you also need to be confident enough that she can do it.
“Trust is the glue of life. It’s the most essential ingredient in effective communication. It’s the foundational principle that holds all relationships.” – Stephen Covey
It may take time for a person to adjust to a new work environment. The virtual workplace itself is different from the traditional office setting. It requires patience to wait for your distant assistant to be completely comfortable and familiar with your business.
2. Maintain Steady Communication
Communication is vital in any relationship. Survey findings show that 92% of distant assistants (remote workers) are happy with the feedback they receive. This they receive through various communication tools, such as Skype and email.
Related: 10 Tools for Managing Remote Workers
There are lots of online tools that you can use to communicate and collaborate more efficiently. Look for those that will work for both you and your distant assistant.
They key here is to establish steady communication, where you can update each other on tasks or provide solutions to your projects. That does not only give you a way to stay in touch but also allows you to strengthen the trust you have for each other.
The world online has risks involved. If you ask any distant assistant about their greatest fears, you may find that among them is not hearing anything from clients after how much they have worked.
While you may worry about losing your DA, she may be worrying about losing you as well. Distant assistants have their own virtual nightmares, too. You may hear one such story from Michelle, who suffered from having clients who no longer show up after at least 3 months.
The title of “assistant” alone could mean that she looks up to you for instructions before proceeding any tasks. She may work independently, but that does not necessarily mean she works separately from your goals. Maintain steady communication to keep the both of you on the same track.
3. Give Clear Instructions
What is more frustrating than not being able to provide the right solution … after doing all that you could? Distant assistants may pride themselves in having a job well done. But without giving them clear instructions, you just might be directing their efforts and energy to waste.
Before starting a project, be clear on your goals. Create workflows that will serve as your distant assistants’ guide. Clearly define what you want them to avoid any pitfalls.
4. Be Open to Suggestions
You may find yourself stuck in a rut sometimes. You run out of ideas on how to move forward. Your distant assistant, however, might know something that can help.
As someone confident in the job she does, your DA might enjoy contributing ideas to your business. In the first place, that’s among the reasons why you hired her.
“If you hire people just because they can do a job, they’ll work for your money. But if you hire people who believe what you believe, they’ll work for you with blood and sweat and tears.” – Simon Sinek
Well, why did you hire your distant assistant? What made her say “Yes” to your offer and still continue working with you?
If your distant assistant is familiar with your business and goals, it will be easy for her to act on what you want to achieve. Familiarity also makes it more convenient for her to gather insights from past experiences to help your business progress. Be open to what she might have to suggest—there’s a potential waiting for you to tap.
5. Pay On Time
What could keep you from paying on time?
Compensating your distant assistant appropriately for her efforts is a sweet reward. Everyone has bills and other expenses to deal with. When you pay on time, you make it convenient for your distant assistant to address her financial concerns.
It’s natural to consider online work as a “paying job”. You can agree on a pay period and a set of terms that work well for the both of you. If ever the pay gets delayed, you can notify your DA about it earlier.
There is truth in the saying: Nothing beats hard, cold cash especially when you need it the most.
6. Give Incentives
Giving incentives benefit you and your distant assistant. For one thing, this act of kindness tells the DA that she is doing a good job. Her stellar performance has not been taken for granted and adds value to the business.
That motivates her to do better in the long run.
On your end, you reap the positive results of that inspired response. You wouldn’t have to push her too far to achieve the goals in your business since your she is motivated enough to do what she could.
Furthermore, The Incentive Research Foundation provides strategies when using incentives to improve performance:
- Assess the DA’s performance against the goals of your business
- Identify the best way to provide incentives
- Clearly define the work value
- Train and communicate towards success
- Provide support as is necessary
- Appeal to the emotion
- Measure choice, commitment, and mental effort
- Analyze performance and provide feedback
Incentives may or may not come in the form of money. You can offer to treat your distant assistant to a relaxing massage every month or simply recognize her efforts in your meeting. Many times, distant assistants are already happy when they know their efforts are producing a positive effect on the client’s business.
Even a sincere thank you can be enough to fuel her drive.
7. Be respectful of others’ time
24 hours a day and 7 days a week—everyone has the same amount of time.
When you think about it…
A distant assistant with good intentions could be willing to devote her time to you. She can set aside a personal priority to make sure she does what she could to help your business become more profitable. You could do the same thing for success.
But, sometimes the time you have is less than the number of pending tasks on your table. In such cases, it could be tempting to call your distant assistant even when it’s not her regular working hours.
I am paying her anyway, you may say.
Unfortunately, money cannot buy all the happiness—and time—in the world. There are times when you may need to set aside work for more important tasks in life.
To avoid missing your distant assistant when you need her, come up with an agreeable work schedule. Also, consider whether the tasks would require your DA to work on the same hours as you do. And, don’t be afraid to take some days off in your calendar.
Just like what Sinek stated, the ideal distant assistant will work for you with blood and sweat and tears. If there’s an urgent project, ask your distant assistant if she can complete during that time frame. If she can’t, there could probably be a good alternative.
Think outside the box. Be respectful of others’ time, and come up with ways to work well together. That is one sure way to make your distant assistant love you.
8. Provide space for growth
What separates successful people from those who are not?
Successful people have persistence and the drive to keep on. Mistakes will always be a part of the journey. But, those mistakes did not keep them from achieving what they want.
Related: Tim Fargo Why Bootstrapping Beats Being Funded
Similarly, your business can go through some challenges and failures. And, there are times when they are either a direct or indirect result of your distant assistant’s actions.
In such cases, you have at least two options: fire her or allow her to stay and improve.
As cliche as it is, nobody is perfect. Assess how many times the mistake has been done, think of the actions you’ve taken so far, and make sure to notify your distant assistant about it.
Silence can be deafening and destructive if you ignore the situation. By addressing her mistakes properly, you teach her the value of doing well and give her room to grow.
In all these 8 ways to make your distant assistant love you, there exists the importance of establishing a good work relationship. The work you do together is not merely a collaboration. It’s a relationship that can be strengthened by trust, steady communication, and other valuable efforts.
Think about how you manage your distant assistant. Issues of commitment can appear when you least expect it. Clarify goals and apply ways to make your distant assistant love you. Because when she does, you position your business on a path to success.
There’s sure bliss in having everyone and everything in sync.
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About Jaime Jay
Meet Jaime Jay – a man who wears many hats, and wears them all admirably. He's a master connector, an entrepreneur extraordinaire, and a published author who knows how to get things done.
Before he found his way to the business world, Jaime served his country as a brave paratrooper in the U.S. Army. But that's just the beginning of his many accomplishments.
He's the founder of the renowned Bottleneck Distant Assistant Services firm, and his book "Quit Repeating Yourself" has become a must-read for entrepreneurs everywhere.
When he's not busy building his empire, you can find him on his beloved Harley Davidson, cruising through the countryside and taking in the invigorating effects of Uitwaaien – a Dutch practice that involves facing the wind to boost health and relieve stress.
He enjoys spending his free time outside building stuff with his wife, Nikita the dog and their two kittens (for now at least) Tommy and Tater.
He is ‘over-the-moon’ happily married to his wonderful wife Sara, his amazing daughter, Jessica, who is serving our country as a United States Army soldier. Jaime and Sara are the proud grand parents of two beautiful little girls.
Victoria Dorsano2023-09-17Bottleneck has been such an amazing support for my business! They have a seamless process to ensure you find the right fit for your DDA. I am so thankful I started working with them! I'm now able to accomplish so much more in my business with a personal DDA and editing team on my side. Thank you!!
Rockwell Felder2023-03-15I cannot thank the team at Bottleneck enough for their incredible support of our business. Their team has played a vital role in helping us staff our customer support and ensuring our customers were satisfied with our services. Their Distant Assistants were extremely helpful in answering inquiries promptly, handling complaints, and providing solutions to our customers' needs. Their professionalism, attention to detail, and communication skills are exceptional. Working with Bottleneck has been a fantastic experience, and I highly recommend their services to anyone needing a reliable and efficient virtual assistant, especially for customer support.
Karen Ravano2022-09-24I am grateful and blessed to be part of this team. It’s such a wonderful experience because i gain more experience and help me enhance my basic skills. This will be my stepping stone to my career as a newbie in this kind of industry. It would help to reach my goals.
Jeany Mercadal2022-09-16Bottleneck Distant Assistants can lessen the burden of company owners. We provide excellent services depending on our client needs. We are not scam, clients surely get more than what they pay for. Being part of this team helped me hone my skills and become excellent in all my works.
Jeff Peñaflor2022-09-14I started last March 24, 2021 as a Dedicated Distant Assistant and it was an awesome experience. In this new journey, as Security Administrator of Bottleneck Distant Assistants, I have been supported by the team, A LOT !!!! All help that I need, the whole team is there to support me. I know that there are a lot of room for improvements with my skills and what I know, but because of BNDA, I became equipped with all the weapons I need to conquer the daily challenges especially with my tasks. With BNDA, they will not just help you to aim high, but soar the skies!
Tinoe D2022-09-09I don't remember the last time I loved what I was doing until Bottleneck came into the picture. I love working for bottleneck, they are professional. The management makes the workplace fun and they're very flexible. I definetly recommend that you make that important switch and be part of something big today by joining BNDA.
Michael Goodcliffe2022-09-09Jaime and his team are incredible at what they do! Joining them has been one of the best decisions in my life! I whole heartedly recommend them to anyone who are looking to scale and improve their business. Their highly 'Dedicated Distant Assistants' are well trained. They are top notch!
GM Simon2022-09-08Working with Bottleneck is not just having one or two assistants working alongside you. You have the support of the whole team behind them as well.
Ma. Edeliza Silot2022-09-07Aside from the knowledge gained, the trainers are highly commendable.
Sara Knox2022-09-07What an awesome business! Finally, a way to hire the RIGHT person for my administrative tasks and they are remote! No office space to consider, W2's, 1099's or payroll. Jaime and his team of remote workers are top-notch! I hired my first assistant in May. I recently suffered a motorcycle accident and it left me unable to work for 2 weeks. But my assistant stepped right in to guide our CEO on all matters financial. It’s so nice to have that stress eliminated from my life!
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