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83 Tasks for Coaches and Consultants to Delegate to VAs

Just because you are a solopreneur, such as an executive coach or consultant, doesn’t mean you do it all yourself or don’t need to delegate. In fact, leaders like you can get the highest return on their investment in a virtual assistant because the more time they spend working within their unique gifting, the more money they earn.

At Trusty Oak, more than 20% of our clients are coaches or consultants, and our VAs handle hundreds of tasks for these experts, allowing them to focus on strategic growth of their practice and revenue-generating activities. Plus, many virtual assistants thrive in these partnerships because they can do the work they love most and collaborate with leaders who understand the power of developing others.

Whether you are already working with a VA (or two!) or are preparing for delegation, this list will help you get some ideas for what virtual assistants can do to help you reach your goals. 

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20 Administrative Tasks to Delegate to Your Virtual Assistant

Goal: Increase time spent on high-value activities such as revenue-generating activities, business strategy, and nurturing family relationships.

This goal can be achieved numerous ways, but the theme for the solution is always the same – delegate lower level tasks to free you up for the stuff that really matters. 

  1.  Delegate your inbox management by adding filters and labels, unsubscribing from junk, and responding to emails on your behalf. 
  2. Delegate calendar management and coordinate appointment setting. 
  3. Delegate personal assistant tasks such as menu planning, scheduling dental appointments and haircuts, or researching ideas for a family activity or an epic date night.
  4. Delegate all aspects of travel planning, including booking flights, hotels, and car rentals and developing detailed itineraries.
  5. Share your receipts with your VA to prepare expense reports and keep track of budgets.
  6. Ask your VA to plan client events you may host, such as quarterly offsites or leadership retreats.
  7. Your VA can search online to find quality events for you to attend for networking or professional development opportunities.
  8. Let your VA maintain and update payment information for all of your software subscriptions and memberships. They can also ensure you are not paying for subscriptions you no longer need.
  9. Have your VA contact happy clients and request Google or Facebook reviews.

Goal: Improve your client experience and get paid faster.

First impressions matter the most, and having your assistant help with the administrative tasks associated with closing and onboarding new clients ensures that your clients see you as a valuable expert who manages their time well and prioritizes high-value work over tedious administrivia. Having VA support in this area allows you to go above and beyond to delight your customers without adding more to your plate. Plus, having VA support to facilitate quicker payments and signatures can improve your cashflow. 

  1. Your VA can prepare proposals and contracts for prospective clients.
  2. Ask your VA to prepare and send invoices or receipts.
  3. Delegate documentation, communication, and tasks related to processing payments to your referral partners.
  4. Your VA can facilitate the completion of onboarding questionnaires and assessments from your new clients.
  5. Give your VA the responsibility to follow up on failed or missed payments.
  6. Your virtual assistant can keep your CRM (database) updated, making tracking critical data related to your clients and email list easier.
  7. If you provide physical materials for your clients, your VA can order materials and manage shipping tasks.
  8. Your VA can also send personalized thank-you notes, gifts, or other delightful surprises for your clients.
  9. If you need to hire vendors or outsource certain aspects of your services, your VA can coordinate with these third parties on your behalf. 
  10. Your VA can create and distribute files if you host workshops or other training sessions requiring handouts or digital documents.
  11. Celebrate and highlight your new client by having your VA create and share a welcome post on social media.

 

 

35 Marketing Tasks to Delegate to Your Virtual Assistant

Goal: Increase audience size, impressions, and engagement on social media.

As a coach or consultant, your personal brand is either supporting your goals, or detracting from them. Even if your business is built solely on referrals, it’s critical that you are active and consistent on social media so when prospects Google you, they see your expertise represented in a professional and steady digital presence. 

  1. Use LastPass or another password vault to securely give your VA access to your profiles and pages and delegate management of your social media presence.
  2. Ask your VA to create a one-month content calendar for all social media channels you use.
  3. Your VA can use ChatGPT to develop creative ideas for content and even draft thoughtful posts shared in your voice and tone.
  4. Delegate designing social media graphics or utilizing AI tools to create images for sharing.
  5. Your VA can publish or schedule posts at least 1-2 times per week on all channels you want to grow.
  6. Your VA can help you grow your audience by following thought leaders in your space and beyond.
  7. Increase your online presence by having your assistant like and comment on posts of others talking about topics of interest.
  8. Have your virtual assistant refresh your LinkedIn profile to include new accomplishments and an authentic story about your mission and goals.
  9. Ask your VA to design a professional LinkedIn banner image.
  10. Your VA can also request LinkedIn endorsements from connections you personally know.
  11. Your assistant can add connections with others who are commenting in discussions and threads about your area of expertise.
  12. Have your VA monitor direct messages, delete spammy messages, and notify you when something needs your attention.
  13. LinkedIn allows you to invite up to 250 connections per month to follow your business page. Your VA can grow your business page by sending these invitations regularly.
  14. Your VA can research LinkedIn Groups to join and engage with on your behalf.
  15. Delegate social media graphic designs such as image carousels or infographics.
  16. Establish yourself as an industry leader by having your VA start and manage a LinkedIn newsletter.
  17. Ask your VA to design a fresh Facebook banner.
  18. Have your VA join existing Facebook Groups where you can add value or create your own group. Your VA can act as you to facilitate engagement and connection.
  19. Your VA can use your Facebook account to invite your contacts to follow and like your company’s Facebook page.
  20. Get the most out of your Instagram account by having your VA add links to your products, services, or scheduling links.
  21. Ask your virtual assistant to repost video content from your profile and other relevant accounts to your Stories.
  22. Delegate editing video clips from speaking events or podcast interviews to create Reels and TikToks.

Goal: Generate more leads and nurture prospective clients through an automated sales campaign.

Not everyone who lands on your website is ready to hire you, but you can get their attention and the chance to build trust if you have methods in place to offer valuable resources in exchange for their email addresses. Work with your VA to grow your email list and automate lead nurturing.

  1. Your VA can create free content offering valuable resources, insights, or perks.
  2. Build your email list by having your VA design a landing page or add a form to your existing website to collect names and email addresses in exchange for the freebie. 
  3. Virtual assistants can draft a 6-email drip campaign using the Storybrand methodology. 
  4. This requires a particular skill, but technically inclined VAs can set up an automated drip campaign in programs like HubSpot, ConvertKit, or MailChimp to deliver these emails at the right time.
  5. If you do a lot of offline events, set out an email sign-up sheet or a fishbowl to collect business cards, then have your VA add these contacts to your email list. (Remember to get permission first so you aren’t violating the CAN-SPAM Act.)

Goal: Consistently publish to your blog and send a monthly newsletter to your email list.

Consistently posting content to your blog is the best way to boost search engine optimization efforts, add value for your site visitors, and showcase your expertise. With the rise of ChatGPT and other AI-enabled programs, delegating content creation has never been easier.

  1. Have your VA create a blog content calendar to post at least twice monthly to your blog.
  2. Delegate sourcing images for your blog posts.
  3. Your virtual assistant can also draft blog posts based on your previously presented/created content.
  4. Collaborate with your virtual assistant to draft blog posts based on topics and points you provide. Share examples of other blogs you learn from or like the tone.
  5. Ask your VA to round up content from the blog, podcast interviews, guest articles, or more to repurpose for a monthly newsletter.
  6. Your VA can write case studies to feature client work and ask for testimonials to share.
  7. For a more visual newsletter, delegate designing graphics for your newsletter.
  8. Let your virtual assistant prepare newsletters and other marketing emails, send you test emails for review, and schedule email blasts.

 

 

28 HR and Recruiting Tasks to Delegate to Your Virtual Assistant

Goal: Hire for a new role.

Whether you have ongoing hiring needs or are hiring for a key role or another support role, your virtual assistant can take one the majority of the hiring process. Delegate everything from prepwork to scheduling final interviews and save hours of time.

(Related: Using VAs in the Recruiting Process)

  1. To prepare, ask your VA to research industry data such as competitive salaries, job titles, and minimum requirements.
  2. Have your VA draft a job description and/or job posting.
  3. Your virtual assistant can also draft instructions for applying and publish the job to job boards such as Indeed and LinkedIn.
  4. Delegate the preliminary vetting tasks, such as reviewing resumes and eliminating candidates who are not a fit.
    • If you expect a high volume of applications or have ongoing hiring needs, consider automating the process using a CRM or recruiting software. Learn more about Tools for Remote Hiring and Onboarding.
  5. Save time by having your assistant conduct initial screening interviews.
  6. Your VA can order background screenings and follow up with references.
  7. Give your VA access to your calendar and ask them to schedule interviews for you with top candidates.
  8. Your VA can send offer letters and rejection emails as decisions are made.
  9. Once you have hired for the new role, delegate creating accounts such as Email, Slack, Time-Tracking, or other software accounts your new hire needs to get started.
  10. To give your new hire an extra special welcome, ask your VA to send welcome gifts or cards.
  11. Your assistant can also schedule training or time to review onboarding material together.
  12. If you have other team members or vendors who need to know about your new hire, have your VA notify those vendors or make introductions.

Goal: Maintain up-to-date employee and contractor agreements and documents.

Particularly in Q4, you may have some annual paperwork to track down from vendors, contractors, and employees. Your accountant will thank you for this one!

  1. Ask your VA to help you collect appropriate W-2 or 1099 tax forms to share with your accountant.
  2. Maintain current mailing addresses and contact information for all vendors and employees by having your VA follow up with them at least once yearly.
  3. When hiring vendors or contractors, your VA can help by preparing and sending operating agreements.

Goal: Process payroll accurately on time, every time.

If your accountant isn’t already handling this for you, and you have a small team or even contractors you pay regularly, payroll may be taking up anywhere from 15 minutes to a couple of hours every week, biweekly, or monthly. This is a task that needs to be done accurately, on time every time, and many leaders hold onto this task for far too long because of confidentiality or a fear of someone else making mistakes. But the truth is, this recurring process can be handed off to a VA with some care and collaboration.

Before delegating this to your VA, record yourself doing the task so they can reference specific instructions for this critical recurring task. It may also be necessary to provide a live training session for questions and review stages before you entirely hand this off.

  1. Have your VA review time trackers, PTO, and other resources to confirm the accuracy of payments.
  2. Give your VA authority to coordinate with your bookkeeper or accountant for accurate recordkeeping.
  3. Your VA can document and process pay rate changes, bonuses, or commissions.

Goal: Celebrate the team by recognizing employee and contractor birthdays and work anniversaries.

You care about your team and want them to know it, but keeping up with important dates amidst everything else you are managing is challenging and nearly impossible. Even if time is flying for you, your employees likely remember their exact start date with your firm, and work anniversaries are significant milestones to recognize and celebrate. Ask your VA to ensure you never miss an important date and take advantage of a special opportunity to show your deep appreciation for your team.

  1. Delegate designing graphics to recognize team members’ work anniversaries on social media.
  2. If you use Slack, your VA can remind and invite other team members to wish teammates a happy birthday or happy work anniversary on group channels.
  3. For an extra special touch, your VA can order and send cards or gifts to commemorate achievements or milestones.
  4. To have a little fun and make your team feel special, ask your assistant to design Zoom backgrounds for the team to use when celebrating together.
  5. If you host virtual happy hours, ask your VA to create a custom Spotify playlist to set the vibe!

Goal: Develop and maintain SOPs for all core functions of the business.

Inevitably your employees and contractors will come and go, and it can feel like one of the most disruptive changes for your business. The best way to minimize these disruptions is by having SOPs documented for literally every process within your organization so new hires can get up to speed quickly.

I often compare the key parts of an effective delegation system to a door: the handle or doorknob is Communication, the top hinge is Trust, the bottom hinge represents Processes, and the “optional” middle hinge is Documentation. For lighter doors, two hinges is enough, but you need that middle hinge for heavy lifting. Your VA can create these SOPs and make updates as tools, roles, and processes change. 

  1. Have your VA create SOPs for accounts receivable and accounts payable.
  2. Your VA can also document SOPs for recurring marketing efforts.
  3. Review and delegate the creation of SOPs for client onboarding, management, and offboarding.
  4. If you regularly onboard new hires, your VA can write SOPs for that, too.
  5. Delegate creation of Sales SOPs – and virtually any other function of your business!

Did you find this task list helpful? Subscribe to our monthly newsletter for more example tasks and delegation tips shared by me and others from the Trusty Oak Treehouse!

Amber Gray

Amber Gray is the founder and CEO of Trusty Oak, an Austin-based virtual assistant company providing administrative and marketing support to small business leaders, authors, and creative teams. A people-first approach to hiring, along with a scalable growth model have positioned Trusty Oak as a flexible, dependable, and affordable alternative to hiring administrative and marketing employees. In 2021 and 2022, Trusty Oak was named Freelancer Hiring Platform of the Year, and in 2021 Amber was recognized as Austin Business Woman of the Year.

Before founding Trusty Oak, Amber spent five years at a rapidly growing digital agency based in Austin, TX. Four of those years, she was responsible for hiring and leading both local and virtual teams while working closely with clients ranging from CEOs to bestselling authors to build their brand online. As VP of Operations, Amber helped lead the company’s growth to #15 on Austin Business Journal’s Fast50 List in 2014.

As a female founder and leader of a company that has quickly established a recognizably special culture within a non-traditional workforce, Amber has energized and empowered women from diverse professional and personal backgrounds to go against the grain of historically standard female roles in business, technology, and leadership. Trusty Oak provides an opportunity for experienced admin and marketing professionals to work independently as freelancers, but with a supportive internal network consisting of other ambitious and resourceful remote workers.

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