A lot of people still don’t fully understand what a Virtual Assistant does.
And if I’m honest, this recent experience reminded me of that.
After nearly 10 years running Miss Kantoor Virtual Assistant, I’ve learnt that not every enquiry turns into work. That’s business. I understand that.
But there’s a difference between somebody deciding not to proceed, and somebody completely wasting your time.
Recently, I was contacted through The Society of Virtual Assistants where I’m a member. The enquiry sounded promising. They were looking for support with social media and website posting for around an hour a week.
We arranged a Teams call.
Before the call, I naturally assumed they’d had a quick look through my website. After all, it explains exactly who I am, how I work, the services I offer, pricing structure, experience, testimonials, and examples of the businesses I already support.
Turns out they hadn’t looked at any of it.
Not even briefly.
Still, I showed up professionally, as I always do.
We had a good conversation. We talked through their business, their future plans, the support they needed, and how I could help. We agreed next steps. I promised to send a follow-up action list after the meeting, which I did that same day.
Then nothing.
Two weeks passed.
No update. No questions. No progress.
So I followed up politely, only to receive this response:
“Apologies for the delay. Thank you very much for taking the time to meet with me last week. I have made a few enquiries and made the decision not to proceed this time.”
And honestly?
It frustrated me.
Not because they chose somebody else. That happens.
What bothered me was the lack of respect for the time, preparation, experience, and energy that goes into these conversations.
As Virtual Assistants, we are still business owners.
Our time matters.
Every discovery call takes time away from existing clients, admin, marketing, invoicing, family life, and actual paid work. Most VAs will happily invest that time when they believe the person enquiring is genuine and has done at least some basic preparation.
What’s becoming increasingly common is people treating VAs like a free advice session.
Some enquiries arrive with no preparation, no understanding of the service, no realistic budget, and no intention of moving forward. Yet they still expect detailed meetings, ideas, recommendations, and action plans.
The irony is, many business owners contact a VA because they themselves are overwhelmed and stretched for time.
Yet they forget the VA is running a business too.
Respect goes both ways.
If you’re thinking about hiring a Virtual Assistant, here are a few simple things that make a huge difference:
- Read their website first
- Understand their services and pricing
- Come prepared with questions
- Be honest about your budget and intentions
- Don’t lead people on if you’re still “just exploring”
- Follow up promptly, even if the answer is no
Most VAs genuinely care about helping businesses succeed. We want clients to grow. We want to make life easier for them. We bring experience, organisation, ideas, and support that often saves businesses huge amounts of time and stress.
But we’re not disposable.
And our time isn’t free.
I’ll continue showing up professionally for every enquiry because that’s who I am. But I do think it’s important people start recognising the value behind the Virtual Assistant role, and the professionalism that comes with it.