Virtual Assistant Reality Check: What They Can Do vs What You Think They Can Do - Ep. 92

Giraffes Don't Eat Steak - for curious marketers who zig when others zag!

Virtual Assistant Reality Check: What They Can Do vs What You Think They Can Do - Ep. 92

Here's the thing about virtual assistants - most people get it completely wrong. They hire a VA expecting them to magically generate leads and run their entire marketing strategy. That's not how it works.

In this episode, Carmen Williams from Global Teams breaks down the real truth about working with virtual assistants. You'll discover exactly what VAs can do, what they can't do, and how to set up your remote team for actual success.

What you'll learn:

• Why "get me leads" is the worst brief you can give a VA
• The cultural nuances that make or break remote teams
• How to layer responsibilities for maximum efficiency
• The two-message rule that saves hours of confusion
• Why half-time beats part-time every time

Carmen shares real examples from building a 100+ person remote team, including the mistakes that nearly derailed everything and the systems that turned VAs into indispensable team members.

Chapters

0:00 Intro - Welcome to Giraffes Don't Eat Steak
0:41 Meet Carmen Williams - The Accidental Business Owner
2:22 How Carmen Accidentally Started Her Business
3:51 Building a 100+ Person Remote Team
5:35 The "Cheap Labour" Myth That Needs to Die
8:50 Why South Africans Are Such Hard Workers
10:38 The Magical Unicorn Syndrome - "Get Me Leads"
12:06 Why VAs Aren't Marketing Strategists
14:35 The Reality of What VAs Can Actually Do
15:51 The Layering Strategy That Actually Works
18:43 Full-Time vs Part-Time - What Really Works
20:01 Why Context Switching Kills Performance
21:39 The Two-Message Rule for Communication
23:21 Carmen's Matchmaking Process
25:27 Carmen's Marketing Strategy - LinkedIn First
26:43 What Your VA Can Do for LinkedIn Marketing
28:13 Three Essential Tips for Hiring VAs
31:04 Erica's VA Horror Story - What Went Wrong
33:31 The Importance of Cultural Understanding
36:01 Tiger Mum Leadership Style
37:48 Cultural Nuances - Philippines vs South Africa
41:03 Getting Past Culture to Individual Preferences
41:47 Final Words of Wisdom - How Much Do You Want It?
42:32 Outro & Marketing Power Hour

Connect with the hosts:
Erica: https://www.linkedin.com/in/erica-mackay/
Alex: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alex-bilney/
Get in touch with us at The Marketing Detective Agency - www.themarketingdetectiveagency.com
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