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It’s not because I don’t want to be disturbed, contrary to what some of our virtual assistants (VAs) may think.
Have you ever received a message that made you wonder why it was sent only to you and not to anyone else? This happens to me all the time with our VAs, consuming 80% of my time, which could have been devoted to more important tasks.
If a VA sends a message only to me and no one else, then I assume the VA thinks I’m the only person capable of answering that question, reviewing that task or addressing that issue. However, this is almost always not the case.
If you work in a team, you should learn how to work effectively as a team member.
In any form of team communication, there is always the person responsible, the person accountable, the person consulted, and the person informed. It’s called #RACI, and it’s in our Level 1 training, which every new team member undergoes.
#RACI means that you can send each message to a maximum of four people, but you don’t always need to send it to all four people. However, there is almost never a reason to send it only to me.
Being the CEO, my team should inform me about what’s going on, so I’m the “I” in #RACI. They should copy me but never message me without including other people. This means they should put my email address in the Cc field.
When they include me in the loop, they should ensure it’s something I need to know. This is because I receive thousands of messages a day. And if VAs could help trim that down by not including me in trivial matters, that would be great.
To be honest, I prefer not to be included in the loop. I should only be copied when something has gone wrong, and I have to come to the rescue. I would love to see a time when I don’t have to do that either, and this will only happen once we have quality people in place.
Who should VAs message directly? They should message the person responsible for taking action or making a decision, and always copy the person who is accountable and the one who needs to be informed.
It’s so simple, yet many VAs continue to make the same mistake. My hope is that I will never have to refer them to this post.
Dennis Yu
Dennis Yu is a former search engine engineer who has spent a billion dollars on Google and Facebook ads for Nike, Quiznos, Ashley Furniture, Red Bull, State Farm, and other organizations that have many locations.
He has achieved 25% of his goal of creating a million digital marketing jobs because of his partnership with universities, professional organizations, and agencies. Companies like GoDaddy, Fiverr, onlinejobs.ph, 7 Figure Agency, and Vendasta partner with him to create training and certifications.
Dennis created the Dollar a Day Strategy for local service businesses to enhance their existing local reputation and make the phone ring. He's coaching young adult agency owners who serve plumbers, AC technicians, landscapers, roofers, electricians in conjunction with leaders in these industries.
Mr. Yu believes that there should be a standard in measuring local marketing efforts, much like doctors and plumbers need to be certified and licensed. His Content Factory training and dashboards are used by thousands of practitioners.