This is Dean Soto, founder of FreedomInFiveMinutes.com and ProSulum.com, with Freedom In Five Minutes Podcast Episode 184: How to Best Utilize Your Virtual Systems Architect (VSA).
This is a continuation of our previous podcast episode so make sure that you have listened to Episode 183 of Freedom In Five Minutes.
We also talk about some of our best practices in this episode. What are the things that a lot of our more successful clients do when working with our Virtual Systems Architect?
If you do not know what a Virtual Systems Architect is, in summary, they are experts you can show how to do tasks through your Process Videos. This lets you offload the tasks you never want to do again.
Simply show the Virtual Systems Architect your Process Video. After that, they document the Process Video, and that enables them to do the task for you. In the end, you are completely free of that task from that point onward.
Repeat this technique for the rest of your business processes with the help of our Virtual Systems Architect until your business is fully automated. You can achieve 100% automation with some of the best, most intelligent, and even best looking, Virtual Systems Architects.
And with that, let us dive into today’s episode!
Overview & Episode Content
- Your VSA is a Talented Person
- Spend Five Minutes a Day Recording Process Videos
- Understand the Various Capabilities of Your VSA
- Take Ownership of the VSA Process
Your VSA is a Talented Person
I have to reflect on when I worked with Virtual Systems Architects for the first time. How did some of the most successful business owners work with their Virtual Assistants?
First, your Virtual Systems Architects are not robots. So, do not treat your people like robots!
This issue frequently comes up during client calls. Unfortunately, people assume that our Virtual Systems Architects are robotic because they are extremely focused on Process Documentation.
Let me clarify what I mean by that.
People assume that VSAs perform tasks without any thought. That is a huge misconception! The biggest organizations in the world have robots and human personnel working together. But each person has a specific responsibility—making vital decisions on a daily basis despite automations in place.
So, how do these large-scale businesses become successful?
There is one thing in common. Each of these organizations have their own library of detailed Process Documents.
You see, well documented procedures give the organization a safety net. Documented systems allow bad employees to do work like a good employee. And then, it allows good employees to do work like a great employee. In turn, it allows great employees to make key decisions that grow the company.
Consider your VSA as your clone. Think of all the things that you learned or the things that you are doing right now in your business. Did you know how to perform all your tasks right off the bat? No. Are you the only person who can do all the assignments and tasks necessary to run your business? Of course not. Is what you
are doing so skilled and technical that you cannot document it? Definitely not.
Avoid treating your Virtual Systems Architect as just an admin person. Your VSA is your clone!
Spend Five Minutes a Day Recording Process Videos
The second best practice is spending at least five minutes a day creating Process Videos of tasks that you are already doing; even if it is something you think a VSA could not do for you. Create a process video of it anyway!
Part of the value of working with a VSA is creating a scalable business. If everything in your business is well documented, then you have a very marketable business.
Imagine an investor looking to buy your business. They see that you have documented every single process for every single personnel. And they will see that each process is done correctly and consistently. You can sell your business at a higher multiple just by having detailed documentation in place.
The key is to record process videos five minutes a day—things that you are already doing. New clients at Pro Sulum often think that they have to document stuff that they rarely ever do or any task under the sun.
All you have to do is press the “record” button on something you are doing right now—you’re doing the task anyway. You will come to a point when you have recorded everything you have done without taking more time out of your busy day. When you are done with your one process video for the day, hand it off to your VSA and let them document it.
If you want the VSA to do that specific task from then on, simply delegate it to them. If not, you can delegate the task to someone else. Do not add more work to what you are doing. Simply press the “record” button on what you are currently doing.
Understand the Various Capabilities of Your VSA
Best practice number three is understanding the various things that a VSA can do. There are a myriad of Virtual Assistant companies out there. The difference is that their VAs will only do one thing well.
On the other hand, our Virtual Systems Architects can do anything that you or your core staff are currently doing. The best part is that our VSAs are very good at doing your tasks exactly as you want because they are the ones who document your processes step-by-step.
Take for example someone who is excellent at email marketing. They may be good at email marketing, but they will not perform the tasks exactly the way your company does—in tone, culture, vocabulary, etc… It does not matter if you hire the best copywriter. They would still have to get used to how you do things in your business.
Here is a list of things that you can have a Virtual Systems Architect perform.
- Email Marketing
- Podcast Pre and Post Processing
- Content Marketing (including Podcast Blog Post and Syndication)
- Social Media Marketing
- Lead Generation
- Appointment Setting
- Bookkeeping
- Accounting work
- Outbound and Inbound Sales
- Project Management
- Research
- Closing Sales
…and more!
The possibilities are endless! So, that is best practice number three: understanding the various things that a Pro Sulum VSA can do.
Take Ownership of the VSA Process
Best practice number four is taking ownership of the Virtual Systems Architect process. I have noticed throughout the years that the reason why a client is unsuccessful with our Virtual Systems Architect is inapt delegation. They have an in-house employee take over the Virtual Systems Architect process.
Now, the problem is that the in-house employee is not aligned with the business owner’s reason for hiring our VSA in the first place. The employee in charge only does one or two Process Videos and that’s it.
Then the business owner would say, “We’re not really getting what we wanted from these VSAs.”
Of course they would get unfavorable results! These unhappy clients did not take ownership of our VSA process. By abdicating the responsibility and handing it over to someone else, these business owners already suck at delegating!
I do not intend it to be demeaning but it is the unfortunate truth. Some clients are simply terrible at delegation. However, there is always time to learn and become a better leader.
The best way to work with a VSA is getting your stuff fixed yourself first. Take accountability. Press the record button on your processes as the business owner. Prioritize the tasks you want to offload.
Imagine that you want to sell your business in 30 days for an insane amount of money. However, the investor wants to buy your business fully documented and automated. With that kind of pressure, you press the “record” button on your stuff first. You are the business owner. So you have the most important stuff.
Once the our VSAs are done with documenting your process, you get the document back and see just how powerful it is. You start freeing up your time and you can better guide your people to do the same.
Conclusion
In conclusion, you can delegate tasks to your Virtual Systems Architect. You can quickly show them how to perform a task, get it documented, and offload that task from your plate. Either offload that task to the VSA (at the cost of less than minimum wage) or someone from your core team.
For those who have read the book called “The E Myth” by Michael E. Gerber, I call this technique “The 5-Minute Cheat Code for the E Myth.”
Working on your business instead of in your business sounds nice until you are documenting a hundred processes and every piece takes about 5 hours to document in detail. I know how much that sucks.
Now, if you could tick-off one process in five minutes, then that makes a big difference! In just a couple of hours worth of video, you can have your business fully running on auto-pilot with a VSA or in-house employee responsible for those tasks.
Through this technique, you can work on your business just like what “The E Myth“ talks about. That technique is “The 5-Minute Cheat Code for the E Myth”. And that is how best to work with our Virtual Systems Architects. These experts are an extension of you—a VSA is literally your clone!
Resources and Links
This is Dean Soto. Go check out FreedomInFiveMinutes.com and ProSulum.com and I will see you in the next episode of The Freedom In Five Minutes Podcast.