Hiring Virtual Assistants: What to Delegate (and What Not To)
Virtual assistants (VAs) can be a powerful tool for business owners—when used correctly. In this post, we’ll break down where virtual assistants make sense, where they don’t, and how to decide if hiring one is the right move for your business—especially in the junk removal industry.
Why Virtual Assistants Are Worth Considering
As business owners, most of us eventually aim to remove ourselves from being the bottleneck in our business. We didn’t start a business just to trap ourselves in it—we want freedom, flexibility, and scalability. While that doesn’t happen overnight, it is something you should be intentionally building toward.
One of the best ways to start doing that is by building a team—and virtual assistants can play an important role in that process.
Where Virtual Assistants Should Not Be Used
Let’s start with the biggest mistake I see: using virtual assistants to handle sales calls.
This came up recently on a call with one of my clients. He’s trying to remove himself from the business (which is the right mindset), but he was considering having a virtual assistant handle incoming sales calls.
In my opinion, that’s a bad idea.
Even trained call centers struggle in the junk removal industry. Pricing questions, job variables, customer objections—it’s not a simple sales process. Training an overseas appointment setter to handle these conversations effectively is extremely difficult, and the result is almost always a significant drop in conversion rate.
While virtual assistants may be cheaper on paper, losing booked jobs costs far more in the long run. In most cases, it’s actually more cost-effective to hire someone locally and work with them directly for sales and phone calls.
Where Virtual Assistants Do Excel
Now, let’s talk about where virtual assistants truly shine.
The “$10 an Hour Task” Rule
There’s a bucket of tasks in every business that we call the “$10 an hour tasks.” These are tasks that must get done, but don’t require your expertise as a business owner.
If you’re spending one, two, or three hours a day on these tasks, you’re pulling time away from revenue-generating activities.
This is where virtual assistants are incredibly valuable.
Tasks Perfect for Virtual Assistants
Here are some great examples of what virtual assistants can handle:
- Data Entry & Administrative Work
- Entering customer information
- Organizing spreadsheets
- Tracking jobs, leads, or schedules
- Updating CRM or internal systems
These tasks are essential—but they shouldn’t be handled by the owner.
- Outreach to Realtors & Property Managers
Most business owners know they should be reaching out to:
- Realtors
- Property managers
- Storage facilities
But in reality, outreach happens sporadically—if at all.
A virtual assistant can:
- Find local realtors, property managers, and storage companies
- Build targeted contact lists
- Send consistent outreach emails
- Help keep your business top-of-mind
Consistency is the key here, and a VA makes that possible.
- Scheduling & Rescheduling
Virtual assistants can also help manage:
- Reschedules
- Schedule monitoring
- Customer lists and confirmations
This is especially helpful if you don’t have a full scheduling platform and need someone to keep everything organized behind the scenes.
- Social Media Management
Many junk removal businesses struggle with social media—not because it doesn’t work, but because they don’t have the time or interest.
A virtual assistant with a social media background can:
- Create and schedule posts
- Post consistently on business pages
- Help with reels and short-form content
Social media is another “lower-cost” task that, when done consistently, can generate significant business over time.
How to Know If You Need a Virtual Assistant
The best way to decide is simple:
Write down everything you do in a typical day.
Then label each task.
If you notice you’re spending hours on tasks that:
- Don’t generate revenue
- Don’t require your expertise
- Feel productive, but don’t move the business forward
Those tasks should be delegated.
Your time should be spent on growth, strategy, and revenue—not busy work.
A Note on Virtual Assistant Quality
Don’t assume virtual assistants are untrained or unqualified. In our own business, we’ve worked with several VAs who are some of the most capable, loyal, and hardworking people you’ll find.
Lower pay rates do not equal lower quality.
That said, even highly qualified virtual assistants are not a good fit for junk removal sales calls due to the complexity of pricing and customer conversations.
Getting Help Finding the Right Virtual Assistant
If hiring a virtual assistant is something you’re considering, there are companies and networks that:
- Fully train virtual assistants
- Match them to your business needs
- Set up multiple interviews (often 8–10 candidates)
This allows you to find the right fit instead of guessing.
If you ever need a referral or connection, I’m happy to help.
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Final Thoughts
When used correctly, virtual assistants can become the backbone of your business—handling the smaller, time-consuming tasks so you can focus on what truly matters.
Delegate smart, protect your sales process, and build systems that support long-term growth.