Once your startup grows, you quickly realize that you can’t do it all by yourself. There is only so much time in a day, so you start to outsource tasks that require highly specialized skills. Whether you hire someone full-time or someone on a task-by-task basis, it’s essential to first respect the relationship between you and your virtual assistant.

What most people don’t realize is, strong relationships lead to a clear direction for their business. When you have a positive relationship, you’re more confident in your ability to rely on that individual to get the job done. Unfortunately, building strong relationships in the workplace doesn’t come easy, so here are 3 surefire ways to strengthen your relationship with your virtual assistant that leads to success.

1. Lack of Follow-Through

It is expected that your Consultant or VA (CaVA) will follow through on the tasks assigned because they’re being paid for a service. However, as a client, it’s also important for you to have the same expectations of yourself. For example, you hire a VA to create a social media calendar to include the best times to post to guarantee higher engagement. However, once you have been trained on the new schedule you fail to follow-through with those changes. As a result, nothing changes with your audience engagement, and not only have you invested in wasted time, but also wasted valuable dollars; resources that could have been better allocated in other areas of your business.

Before assigning any tasks that will require a huge financial (and time) investment, make sure you are clear on what you want and that you’re mentally ready to make the necessary adjustments.

2. Pay Your Invoices on Time

When you hire someone, paying them on time seems straightforward. When your contractors, consultants, or virtual assistants meet deadlines and complete the assigned work, their reward is payment. When that reward is not given on time it creates unnecessary tension in the relationship. To avoid this, only hire individuals within your budget and be realistic about the amount of time it will take to complete each task. Also, be sure to implement a midway hourly checkpoint. For instance, if you assign your VA 10 hours a month, but the work for that month exceeds the allotted time, the VA should provide an update or progress report on what has been done and what’s left to be done at the half way mark (5hrs). At that point, if you realize it will take longer than 10hrs to complete, you can then decide if you want to continue or allocate the excess hours to next month’s budget.

Lastly, if your budget changes and you find that you can no longer meet the agreed upon expectations, be bold and have the hard conversation. When you’re honest, you will find that people are more understanding and willing to work with you if things change. 

3. R-E-S-P-E-C-T

Be human first and remember that your consultant(s) or virtual assistant(s) are people too. Be kind and be respectful of their time. Show up on time for your scheduled meetings and if you’re not able to make it, send a quick message letting them know. Having an outsourced team doesn’t have to be a transactional relationship, consider them as a partner that’s excited to help further grow your business.

We hope that these 3 surefire ways to strengthen your relationship with your contractor, consultant, or virtual assistants were helpful. Remember, business is about relationship building and when you bring someone on board, they’re now a part of your business model and culture. Avoid a revolving door of business partners by focusing on these 3 surefire tips.