Reasons People Fail to Become a Worxbee Client
We get a lot of questions about working with Worxbee, and there’s one we’d like to highlight here in this article: why wouldn’t someone become a Worxbee client?
We believe in transparency and helping people as much as possible to understand whether our services will be a good fit. No one wants to waste time or be disappointed!
Here we highlight the main reasons that people don’t become our clients:
Why are some people unable to work with Worxbee?
These are some of the most common reasons that people might not be a great fit to work with Worxbee:
They want a “magic bullet”
There is no “magic bullet” when it comes to hiring a virtual executive assistant and helping your workflow to become more efficient. It’s a long-term commitment rather than a short-term project arrangement. (Note: Here at Worxbee, we do offer an alternative solution to support short-term projects.)
For a successful working relationship with a virtual executive assistant, you need to be prepared to commit to building that relationship. That means clear two-way communication, building trust and being available. It doesn’t work if you want to step back and not be involved at all.
They don’t want to give access to systems and tools
We get it - giving access to the tools and programs that help run your business can be a bit daunting. It involves a level of trust and being able to let go to some extent - to believe that someone else is just as capable of managing those tools successfully.
If you’re not willing to give access to those tools or have trust issues, an Executive Assistant can’t support you as well as if they had access. It also isn’t the best start to the relationship if the Executive Assistant senses that you have trust issues.
Trust is one of those things that gets developed over time, but if you’re wary and naturally more reluctant to be trusting, there are things you can do. For example, you might have a new Executive Assistant sign an NDA, which at least gives you a binding agreement to fall back on.
They’re not willing to give or receive feedback
Feedback is a key to building a successful working relationship with an executive assistant. An important part of it is that feedback should be two-way - you need to be willing to both give AND receive feedback.
Executive assistants give feedback as part of their roles because they operate at a higher level and always work to ensure you can be supported as best as possible. They also want feedback! They want to make sure they’re meeting your needs. If you’re not willing to receive feedback, or to provide it when needed, it’s not an ideal environment for a successful partnership with your Executive Assistant. People who aren’t open to feedback tend to not become clients with Worxbee.
They already know they’re “difficult”
Let’s get this out there - we ALL know that some people are just difficult to work with. Many of those people have an inkling they’re not the easiest to work with and that it will probably take a special kind of person to work together long term.
Those types are generally better off looking for their own executive assistant and paying them at a premium. They can set expectations from the beginning and work with the Executive Assistant to ensure that they get what they need.
They dismiss Executive Assistants as “just the help”
This can be related to that last point as well. If someone sees Executive Assistants as “the help” and doesn’t want to treat them with the level of respect and responsibility that goes along with being an Executive Assistant, they’re not a great fit for Worxbee. (And honestly, people being overly “mean” is one of the top reasons they wouldn’t be a client).
Executive Assistants operate at an executive level. They’re highly qualified professionals and deserve the responsibility and accountability that goes with that. Any sort of lowering of expectations is less than what the Executive Assistant deserves, and sells the role short.
They don’t have realistic expectations of what they need
Sometimes people either over or underestimate the level of support that they need. While each person is different in terms of how much they can cope with in a day, it’s important to know exactly what you need and define how you’d expect an Executive Assistant to help.
Executive Assistants excel with steady workloads and responsibilities. However, you do have to be realistic about giving them time to settle in and understand your business. On the other hand, if you don’t really have enough to keep them busy, that’s important to recognize, too.
Building a successful relationship with Worxbee
On the flipside, what does it take to build a successful relationship with Worxbee and your Executive Assistant?
The Executive Assistant is empowered to create or amend processes
One of the big inefficiencies for many companies is their systems and processes. Sometimes these are not set up as well as they could be and create issues such as bottlenecks or re-work.
Executive assistants are process management experts. When they’re empowered to make changes, they can impact your overall success and ability to work toward company goals. The relationship with the Executive Assistant becomes such that the executive doesn’t have to think about certain things every day because they already know the Executive Assistant is taking care of it. The Executive Assistant has been granted the authority to support as best as they can.
Share regular status updates
A sure sign that the working relationship is on the path to success is when the Executive Assistant and their executive meet regularly for status updates. Sometimes in the virtual world there can be a temptation to lean toward “out of sight, out of mind,” and assume the Executive Assistant can just get on with things without much interaction.
That’s really not true. It’s vitally important that the executive assistant and executive build a strong relationship and that the Executive Assistant gets regular updates. For example, you might meet quarterly to discuss goals moving forward. This ensures that the Executive Assistant understands what to prioritize and on the flipside, what to de-prioritize that they may have been doing before.
Build mutual respect
In the end, the best Executive Assistant-client relationships are built upon mutual respect. The client appreciates that the Executive Assistant is more than just “help” and that they operate at an executive level. The Executive Assistant respects the client and works as best they can to support them. These are the relationships where the Executive Assistant truly becomes the “right hand” and is there for the long-term with the client.
Final thoughts
As one final note, we’ve definitely seen change accelerate in workplaces due to the pandemic. Working successfully often looks different, especially as many continue to work remotely. Who you hire to help matters and it’s important to give thought to the mode of work. Do you really need someone who comes into the office, or do you need someone who is already comfortable and experienced with working at a distance?
If you can meet the criteria we’ve outlined in this article, a virtual executive assistant just might be the right answer for you. Here at Worxbee, we understand how difficult it can be to find highly qualified Executive Assistants! Our service recruits the best virtual Executive Assistants out there and works to match them with the right clients. Schedule a complimentary consultation today to see how we can help you.
