Kathy Ritchie was the featured Lead Columnist for The News Letter from 1999 to early 2003. Her many articles and columns enriched and helped set the tone of The News Letter. Visit her award winning site, you'll be glad you did!

by Kathy Ritchie

The Virtual Assistance industry is growing, but there is still plenty of room left for collaboration and less for competition. StaffCentrix.com estimates 2,500 - 3,500 virtual assistants globally. What does this mean for you?

Plenty! With the rise in businesses - particularly the coaching industry - using virtual assistants, and only 3,500 of us globally, there is a huge need for qualified virtual assistants. By aligning ourselves with other virtual assistants, we can ensure that the Client's needs are met.

For instance, if I am unable to perform a project, for whatever reason, but can let the client know of another qualified virtual assistant, the client will remember  the extra step I took in order to help them get their project completed. As virtual assistants, our first priority after our own promotion is to our clients.

Clients depend on virtual assistants to get the job done. Often they don't mind if you're unable to handle something and you send it out. Check with your client as to their preferences.

I don't believe in competition among members of our industry - this includes among our industry's associations. By truly becoming the meeting places and resources they claim they are, associations can help us far more by sharing resources and information than by fighting over members. Associations like International Association of Virtual Office Assistants and A Virtual Solution are the leaders in the "share" philosophy that needs to be adopted by more organizations. This sharing will only further the entire industry, by making many more resources available, more understanding by potential clients about what Virtual Assistants do, and finally, make the Virtual Assistance industry even more attractive to potential virtual assistants.

So, do Virtual Assistants need to be cutthroat? No! We are already an excellent tool for the future; by collaborating, we can become indispensable.

© copyright 1999, 2003 K. Ritchie and The News Letter, all rights reserved.