Latest / Salon Success Secrets — The podcast for salon owners who are done hustling harder and ready to break their revenue ceiling. / Maximizing Productivity with Virtual Assistants: Unleashing the Power of Remote Team for Your Salon Business

Transcript

Maximizing Productivity with Virtual Assistants: Unleashing the Power of Remote Team for Your Salon Business · Salon Success Secrets — The podcast for salon owners who are done hustling harder and ready to break their revenue ceiling.

• 0:35
  Speaker 1: Welcome, welcome, welcome.
• 0:36
  Speaker 1: We are super excited to have you here with us today.
• 0:39
  Speaker 1: We are going to be diving into some ways to really buy back some of your time and find the ability to scale your business and really let the world know what it is that you have to offer, without taking any more time out of your schedule today.
• 1:00
  Speaker 2: Yeah.
• 1:00
  Speaker 2: So what would life be like if you got back the gift of time?
• 1:03
  Speaker 2: That's what today is all about the lovely world of bringing in a virtual assistance to help and support you in things that you know even think possible that you could get support on, and how it can really help to stabilize the business and make you grow even faster.
• 1:24
  Speaker 1: Yes, and so I am Lindsay Lowe and with me I have Jen Booth, and we are pumped to really just dive into what does it mean to have a virtual assistant and how do they differ from having, let's say, an in-person assistant, and how can this really cost effective tool help your business grow and scale and make a bigger impact inside of the world?
• 1:54
  Speaker 2: Yeah.
• 1:54
  Speaker 2: So when we think about virtual assistance versus a traditional in-person assistance, in my opinion a virtual assistance has a greater access to.
• 2:04
  Speaker 2: First, there's many first and foremost, there's so many things that are coming to my mind.
• 2:10
  Speaker 2: I get so pumped about.
• 2:11
  Speaker 2: This is like they can have more opportunities because they don't have to be in the space at all times.
• 2:20
  Speaker 2: So instead of like a nine to three job, like if you need something at 5 pm or 8 pm, you could probably tag your VA in a Trello board or in a common section and they could probably gift that right away.
• 2:31
  Speaker 2: So I think that's one of the differences between virtual and traditional in-person assistants.
• 2:35
  Speaker 2: I think another one is I don't know, I just feel like the cost is a little bit more effective when it comes to having a virtual assistant versus a traditional in-person assistant.
• 2:45
  Speaker 2: It's not that a traditional in-person assistant is wrong or bad, but just at the end of the day, when we play the numbers game and we look at profit and loss, it's like I really think it is comes from a more cost effective gene to be able to have that virtual assistant versus an in-person assistant.
• 3:02
  Speaker 1: Yes, and so you might be thinking how in the world could I find a virtual assistant to work inside of my business, and what exactly is it that they could be doing to really give me back some time and to really help me grow and scale my business?
• 3:19
  Speaker 1: And so, you know, there's lots of different places that you could look to find your perfect virtual assistant.
• 3:27
  Speaker 1: One of my very favorite places and I know it's one of Jen's very favorite places too is onlinejobsph.
• 3:33
  Speaker 1: That's, onlinejobsp, as in Peter H, is in-house, and so this is, you know, a website that was actually created it has a really cool story by, you know, a gentleman inside of the US that was utilizing virtual assistants and, you know, discovered, hey, a lot of these virtual assistants aren't getting the full income, and so he created this website to be able to, you know, help people in the Philippines create a better life and also help people inside of other companies be able to utilize their services at a much more cost effective rate, and so that's a great place.
• 4:15
  Speaker 1: Of course, you can use stuff like Indeed.
• 4:18
  Speaker 1: You know, it depends on if you're looking for someone a little bit more local to your area or if you're open to the opportunity of having them, you know, be somewhere else inside of the world.
• 4:29
  Speaker 1: So those are just a couple of places that you can look, but some of the different things that they, you know, could help you with inside of your salon business because you might be thinking, gosh, they can't do hair from home.
• 4:41
  Speaker 1: No, no, you can't do that, that's your right.
• 4:44
  Speaker 1: Or lashes, or skincare, whatever that could be.
• 4:46
  Speaker 1: But there's so many things that it takes to operate a thriving business, you know.
• 4:51
  Speaker 1: Think about, like your social media.
• 4:53
  Speaker 1: You know you have a quick books you're always looking for, you know, new specials and creations and marketing, Jen.
• 5:03
  Speaker 1: What are some other areas that are helpful to utilize of EA in?
• 5:08
  Speaker 2: Well, so many things.
• 5:09
  Speaker 2: You were talking about customer experiences.
• 5:11
  Speaker 2: We like to utilize VA's to do client callbacks, new guests callbacks.
• 5:16
  Speaker 2: So after a guest has been in our salon for 48 hours, there's a script that we provide that they call back just to make sure that their experience was extraordinary and, if not, it gives us the opportunity to really make them feel beautiful inside and out by getting them back into the space.
• 5:31
  Speaker 2: So I think that's one way.
• 5:33
  Speaker 2: Another way would be by utilizing them for research.
• 5:37
  Speaker 2: So let's say there's a promotion coming up and you want to have some fabulous Stanley cups for Christmas for your guest is like utilizing.
• 5:47
  Speaker 2: They could use Alibaba, which is a website where you can really get wholesale retail goods at.
• 5:53
  Speaker 2: They could do some research there to price, point it out and tell you the different prices.
• 5:59
  Speaker 2: I mean they could help with salon retreat, salon education, I mean, I think, just about anything that you do.
• 6:06
  Speaker 2: You could really be able to delegate that out to a VA so that you could get your gift back of time to really be able to focus on that visionary role in the business instead of the everyday task of the business.
• 6:19
  Speaker 1: Yes, I love that, you know.
• 6:20
  Speaker 1: I think another key area that can benefit a salon is really on social media.
• 6:26
  Speaker 1: If you love social media, that's one thing.
• 6:32
  Speaker 1: If social media is not your very favorite thing, you know having somebody to help you in that department really is amazing, you know.
• 6:40
  Speaker 1: So there's so many different things that they can do.
• 6:42
  Speaker 1: Of course, having someone in your salon who's taking pictures or videos or doing things like that will be necessary, but then you can send those videos to your VA.
• 6:52
  Speaker 1: They can put them together.
• 6:53
  Speaker 1: They can make reels, tiktoks, anything that you might need them to create content-wise.
• 6:59
  Speaker 1: They could do that.
• 7:01
  Speaker 1: They could also engage with your guests online.
• 7:04
  Speaker 1: You know they could manage any messages that are coming through your system and just really overall manage your whole, just presence online and how the world sees and views your salon or spa company.
• 7:21
  Speaker 1: They can really just elevate that and make it even better, because I think you know one of the key parts to social media is remaining social on there, and so you don't just want to be like, hey, here we are, you also want to be interacting with your guests and you know doing things like that, and so having a virtual assistant who can spend a little bit of time each day.
• 7:45
  Speaker 1: You know liking your guest posts or celebrating different things that people have going on, or you know finding those client reviews and posting them.
• 7:55
  Speaker 1: I think are some of the key things that really does elevate your overall online presence.
• 8:03
  Speaker 2: I love that.
• 8:03
  Speaker 2: And you know you probably think to yourself well, how do I come up with this job description?
• 8:07
  Speaker 2: And I would do just like all these wonderful ideas that we've been sharing is just set you a timer for like five minutes and just write down the things that you want to get off of your plate.
• 8:17
  Speaker 2: And I like to say set a timer that way you don't overthink it.
• 8:20
  Speaker 2: And then, when you have those things that you want to get off your plate, that's when you can really create a beautiful job description for them.
• 8:26
  Speaker 2: And that way you can really have that clear communication and set expectations of exactly what you're looking for.
• 8:33
  Speaker 2: And I like to kind of like paint the picture and tell your mission as well.
• 8:38
  Speaker 2: You know, this is that salon XYZ.
• 8:40
  Speaker 2: This is our mission, this is who we're looking for.
• 8:42
  Speaker 2: Are you ready to work in a fun, loving environment?
• 8:45
  Speaker 2: If so, you know, salon XYZ may be the best place for you.
• 8:49
  Speaker 2: And then these are the expectations and tasks associated with this position and lay it out, and that way I think it helps to eliminate anyone that doesn't feel comfortable for certain expectations or anything that you're calling forth, that they don't know how to do.
• 9:07
  Speaker 1: Yes, I love that.
• 9:09
  Speaker 1: And really then the interviewing process that can really help simplify that as well, because you already know, hey, are these some of the skills that you have?
• 9:19
  Speaker 1: Are these things that you're interested in doing?
• 9:21
  Speaker 1: I know, specifically inside of the Philippines, they do have several schools that they are able to go to to learn a bunch of different programs and a bunch of different ways to be really an excellent virtual assistant, and so you know, there's already a lot of foundational pieces that they would have to bring to the table, and so really, it would just be like Jen said, once you have discovered the list of you know things that you would like to have them help with inside of your business, then it would just be just understanding like, hey, how confident are you in your communication skills?
• 10:03
  Speaker 1: How confident are you in the different programs that we use?
• 10:07
  Speaker 1: You know, because I feel like you know each individual on site inside of a team is going to have different strengths.
• 10:15
  Speaker 1: So our virtual assistants you know some are going to really be great with the marketing pieces.
• 10:22
  Speaker 1: So if you know social media is your number one thing, then look, you know, for somebody who that's like their best you know skill that they feel like that they have.
• 10:33
  Speaker 1: Or if you're looking more for help with like numbers and QuickBooks and you know spreadsheets and different things like that, then look for a VA who feels really strong in that area, you know, I think that that can really help you decide who is going to be the best fit for you.
• 10:53
  Speaker 2: Yeah, and you're probably thinking yourself well, okay, this is great, I can let them do all these amazing things, but I just don't really want to give them all of my information or personal information, and so there's lots of tools for that as well.
• 11:07
  Speaker 2: I like to look at the bigger picture, and the bigger picture of, you know, passing that information along is that you almost get to duplicate yourself, and I don't know if you've ever said to yourself, man, I wish there were three of me, or wish there were five of me.
• 11:20
  Speaker 2: It's like this really creates that opportunity for you to be able to duplicate that and to teach someone how to do what you do and then to truly give you back the gift of time.
• 11:31
  Speaker 2: So one platform you like to use is LastPass for password protection, so you can set that up and then you are able to give the VA's the passwords that they need.
• 11:44
  Speaker 2: You can also use Trello.
• 11:46
  Speaker 2: If you're familiar with Trello, it is an app.
• 11:49
  Speaker 2: It's an app and you can also use it on your desktop too.
• 11:53
  Speaker 2: I know some people pay for Trello, some don't, but you can use that for communication of if you have a certain task for the week that you want them to do, to use that Trello board that says, hey, here's what I need done from January 1st to January 7th, or whatever the week may be.
• 12:09
  Speaker 2: So I think those are two platforms that really come in helpful when it comes to communicating.
• 12:14
  Speaker 2: Another one would be WhatsApp.
• 12:16
  Speaker 2: I usually find with VA's that's an easy platform to communicate with them, especially if you're communicating with someone in the Philippines.
• 12:25
  Speaker 1: Yeah, I love that.
• 12:25
  Speaker 1: And the cool thing about LastPass is that you can also utilize that.
• 12:30
  Speaker 1: If you have, maybe you're also working with an accountant or some other people on your team, so that that way, you're not having to communicate any time that there's a password change and it's protected so that no parties see the password unless you choose for them to see it.
• 12:47
  Speaker 1: And I think also another cool thing about Trello is that you can set up hey, on Monday, this is what your focus should be.
• 12:57
  Speaker 1: On Tuesday, this is what the focus should be.
• 12:59
  Speaker 1: On Wednesday, this is what the focus should be, and put those different things on.
• 13:04
  Speaker 1: And then you can also have daily tasks and then, like Jen mentioned, you could have like a weekly task list too, you know, depending upon the different promotions or things that you have going on.
• 13:15
  Speaker 1: And there's also some really cool tools that, if you, you know they can track time stamping on, you know whatever websites they're working on or what they're working on, you know, to make sure things are getting done.
• 13:30
  Speaker 1: That is something you could utilize.
• 13:31
  Speaker 1: You can also, you know, just be like hey, if all the work and things are getting done, it doesn't really matter.
• 13:39
  Speaker 1: That's the most important thing is that you know we're getting all of that accomplished during the week.
• 13:49
  Speaker 2: Yeah, I love that, and you're probably thinking, okay, well, that's cool, we're going to have a virtual assistant in the Philippines and there's some opportunities in the United States as well, and I think it's not right or wrong either way.
• 14:00
  Speaker 2: We're just going to kind of dive into what the pros and cons are of each, just so that you can then make your own decision, because each set, in my opinion, has its own advantages.
• 14:09
  Speaker 2: So when you're hiring a VA in the Philippines, I mean, one thing that you want to realize is it's going to be more cost effective.
• 14:16
  Speaker 2: It's a huge cost savings.
• 14:18
  Speaker 2: The cost of living in the Philippines is significantly lower than in the US, which translates into lower wages for comparable work.
• 14:26
  Speaker 2: Like, for example, if you're paying someone $4 an hour in the Philippines and the United States, I think that's equal to it's like $84,000 a year, I think so, yeah, yeah, it's close to it Might not be exactly, but so you might be thinking, wow, that's cheap, I don't want to pay somebody.
• 14:41
  Speaker 2: That that feels like a ripoff.
• 14:42
  Speaker 2: But really that's being an exchange because to them, making $84,000 a year is huge.
• 14:48
  Speaker 2: And I've even worked with VAs that have engineering degrees, master's degree, and they tell me they say I make more money being a VA at $4 or $5 an hour than I was being using my engineering degree.
• 15:00
  Speaker 2: So I think that's one of the most advantages of hiring a VA in the Philippines.
• 15:05
  Speaker 2: The other one is, I mean, I haven't ran into this, but they're English.
• 15:11
  Speaker 2: They have a high level of English proficiency.
• 15:14
  Speaker 2: It's one of the official languages, is widely used in education and business, so I've been really impressed with their English.
• 15:22
  Speaker 2: So if they're going to be calling guests or contacting guests to know that their English is A-OK and I don't know this has just been my experience and you can share your experience as well, but I just feel like they're worth ethic and cultural compatibility.
• 15:38
  Speaker 2: I mean they're just really known for their strong worth ethic.
• 15:42
  Speaker 2: I've been hiring or interviewing some VAs right now for some opportunities in the salon and they're saying how long do you want me to work?
• 15:50
  Speaker 2: Can I work more.
• 15:51
  Speaker 2: What's the days you want me to work?
• 15:52
  Speaker 2: And I'm versus when I'm hiring for Associate or for Frontest like, well, these are only the days I can work.
• 15:59
  Speaker 2: I can work these days, these hours.
• 16:00
  Speaker 2: I'm like, wow, that's just, it's just really different.
• 16:03
  Speaker 2: It's not right or wrong either way, but it is really amazing to see that really hard worth ethic that they have.
• 16:11
  Speaker 2: And also there usually is a difference in time.
• 16:13
  Speaker 2: So if it's like 1038 AM here, it's probably going to be 1038 PM there, but I haven't ran into this at all.
• 16:20
  Speaker 2: But they're usually flexible in their working hours.
• 16:23
  Speaker 2: I mean they usually will work in your time zone and then even offer off-hour support.
• 16:29
  Speaker 2: So I think that's just some of the advantages of VA in the Philippines.
• 16:33
  Speaker 2: When you look at a VA in the United States, I mean one advantage there would be it's always going to align with your time, so that could create real-time collaboration.
• 16:42
  Speaker 2: I mean they understand their same culture most of the time.
• 16:46
  Speaker 2: They understand, so they might have a better grasp on your culture, business practice and marketing not always, but sometimes and it is kind of supporting local economy.
• 16:57
  Speaker 2: So I don't think it's either right or wrong.
• 16:59
  Speaker 2: I think at the end of the day.
• 16:59
  Speaker 2: You just have to decide to have the right person on board and do I know that this person is truly going to create more in our company and it's actually going to allow me to be that visionary of the company.
• 17:13
  Speaker 1: Yes, and you know it.
• 17:15
  Speaker 1: Really, with the time that it can free up, you know, it's it's like you can serve your community even bigger.
• 17:22
  Speaker 1: You know, maybe there's a board that you've always wanted to serve on or you've wanted to get a little bit more involved with your local chamber or some local organization or nonprofit and you think, gosh, I just don't have the time to do it.
• 17:36
  Speaker 1: But I would love to be able to.
• 17:38
  Speaker 1: You know, if you think about all the hours that you spend, you know, on social media, online presence.
• 17:44
  Speaker 1: You know, maybe it's just even, you know, like auditing your tickets to make sure that your payroll is going to be correct.
• 17:52
  Speaker 1: You know all the payroll prep, all of that good stuff.
• 17:55
  Speaker 1: If you were able to have back a little bit of that time, then you could make an even bigger impact in your community.
• 18:02
  Speaker 1: You know, so you could meet more people, you could see, kind of you know, the bigger vision, for how can you get more people to want to live in your town, in your area?
• 18:11
  Speaker 1: You know, because to me that's a great way to support your local economy is to really be a part of the leadership inside of your community so that you can grow that and make it a place that people want to work, live and thrive inside of.
• 18:27
  Speaker 2: Yeah.
• 18:27
  Speaker 2: So I know you guys are thinking about wow, what am I going to do with this time that I'm going to be getting back?
• 18:32
  Speaker 2: And I think, at the end of the day too, is just making sure that you find the person that's going to align with your values as well, and you know it's okay if that person doesn't work out.
• 18:46
  Speaker 2: I like to do like a 30 day grace period, and usually I could tell them 14 days and 14 days.
• 18:51
  Speaker 2: If I feel like they're not going to be the right fit to know that it's okay to give them the gift of release and to move on.
• 18:57
  Speaker 2: So you know, before I've had someone say well, that VA didn't work out, I don't want another VA, but just remember that one VA is not everybody.
• 19:04
  Speaker 2: So it may take a time or two for you to find the right one, but I think if you do training and it is going to take a little training on your end, but the reward or the payoff in the long run is going to be huge that this really could create a win-win situation.
• 19:19
  Speaker 1: Yes, and you know.
• 19:20
  Speaker 1: So I hope you're thinking, gosh, what do I need to do next to make this happen?
• 19:25
  Speaker 1: And so, if that's you, I would whip out a pen and paper or your iPad and your Apple Pencil whatever technology you prefer on that and start making a list like Jen mentioned earlier of all of the areas that you would love to have some additional help in.
• 19:42
  Speaker 1: And you know you can have a list of, for sure.
• 19:44
  Speaker 1: And then you can have a list of hey, maybe this could be something that we could add in the future.
• 19:49
  Speaker 1: And you know, once you have that all done, really start working on that job description, you know, add all of those key pieces that you just wrote down and start getting that posted, either, you know, locally somewhere or on onlinejobsph.
• 20:09
  Speaker 1: Think about what it is that your company can, you know, really offer for pay and what makes the most sense, and then dive into that interviewing process with those people that really stand out.
• 20:24
  Speaker 1: You know, I think one of the most important things anytime you are doing any sort of hiring is to add some additional questions or something to kind of weed out the people who really want the job and really read every word on the job description versus the people who didn't.
• 20:43
  Speaker 1: You know, no matter what position you're looking for if it's a stylist on your team or a VA you want to make sure hey, there's, you know, some things that they have to do in order to really show me, hey, they really do want this.
• 20:59
  Speaker 1: It's not just any old job to them, this is someplace that they really see themselves working at.
• 21:04
  Speaker 1: Yeah, so make sure you add some questions you know that mean a lot to you inside of that job description, for when they're applying, just to see, hey, you know, they're willing to do these extra things to show that they really want this position, and then begin interviewing.
• 21:25
  Speaker 1: And then there's a lot of platforms.
• 21:27
  Speaker 1: If you do end up hiring a VA from the Philippines, you know you obviously would understand the payroll portion if it was US, but if it was Philippines, you know there's some great ways to exchange your money that are easy, safe and secure.
• 21:44
  Speaker 1: So I'm going to kind of think of my favorite one Gosh what's it called?
• 21:49
  Speaker 1: Wise.
• 21:50
  Speaker 1: I really like wise.
• 21:52
  Speaker 1: I know that there's tons of different ways and platforms to utilize, but that's just an easy way to to pay and, you know, stay in exchange with your VA.
• 22:07
  Speaker 2: Yeah, I love that.
• 22:07
  Speaker 2: Another one lens is a remote remitly.
• 22:09
  Speaker 2: I used remitly for paying RVAs and they have a very low cost of fees.
• 22:14
  Speaker 2: So that's something else that you want to check out.
• 22:17
  Speaker 2: And I think too, when you start interviewing, I would just do a quick zoom because it allows you to see how they show up and they get really creative with some of their backgrounds in the Philippines and it's like wow, they really look professional and you know, just make it fun, interactive, find out what their wants and desires are, learn about what they've done or how, what they've created for other companies.
• 22:38
  Speaker 2: And then, if I am going to have them deal with guest, I will have like a quick script and just have them read it back to me, and that's always helpful.
• 22:47
  Speaker 2: Just for example, when I posted the new hair salon virtual assistant job, I think I got like 87 applicants.
• 22:55
  Speaker 2: I'm like whoa, that's a lot of applicants.
• 22:56
  Speaker 2: What do I do with that?
• 22:57
  Speaker 2: So I just briefly scanned them and I just said hey.
• 23:00
  Speaker 2: I just said hey, would you create a Facebook post for our Pink Friday just to see, because it just allowed me to see, first, if they did the assignment and, second, if they took time to look at our branding, took time to look at our aesthetics, and so from there I was able to narrow it down to about like 10 to 11 people and then from there you know, been able to do the one on one zoom call.
• 23:23
  Speaker 2: So if you get a over a big response in that, just like, have them do a small task and that'll tell you exactly who's willing to play the game that you want to play.
• 23:34
  Speaker 1: I love that.
• 23:34
  Speaker 1: So we are really pumped to hear your results from this and would love to hear from you.
• 23:41
  Speaker 1: So if you ever want to send us a message, you can choose an email at hello at the phdprogramcom.
• 23:46
  Speaker 1: You can DM us on Instagram or any of the social medias.
• 23:49
  Speaker 1: We would love to hear from you.
• 23:51
  Speaker 1: We hope you got some really big value out of today and we know that this could be something that could really elevate your business and take it to the next level.
• 24:02
  Speaker 2: All right guys, happy VA and we'll see you soon.