[please read the following carefully before proceeding to the application]

Welcome to The Registry at AssistU! You've come to the right place if you're looking for a talented, well trained, top-notch Virtual Assistant.

If you have questions about working with a VA, or if you're not quite sure that working with a VA is right for you, please read our Frequently Asked Question section. If you have additional questions, please be in touch and we'll make sure your questions are answered.

If you haven't taken the time to read through our content-rich site, we suggest you do that to familiarize yourself with our community and how we work. AssistU trained VAs are different than most people you'll meet who use the title "Virtual Assistant," and in our Frequently Asked Questions section, you'll get an in depth idea of what they're all about.

If you don't want to take the time to do that, here are some things you'll want to know before moving forward and requesting a referral:

1. The VAs in our Registry are the only ones in the world who have received intense, broad, and deep industry-specific training. Less than half who apply to the Virtual Training Program at Assist University are accepted. Of those who enter the program, 95% graduate. Those graduates are part of our referral service.
   
   
2. By the time a VA gets to the Registry, she has close to 200 hours of training, independent study, and practical experiences with clients. If she's been certified, she has closer to 400 hours, including up to 200 hours spent in a client simulated experience. That experience is on top of experience the VA has had in the corporate workplace.
   
   
3. The VAs in the Registry are all business owners building successful businesses. They work with clients, not for them, in long-term collaborative relationships that their clients tell us are beyond compare! If you can't imagine seeing your assistant as an equal - a professional and business owner in her own right, just as you are, you probably don't want a referral to an AssistU-trained VA.
   
   
4. The VAs in the Registry provide administrative and sometimes personal support across the board for their clients. They do not do piecework, project work, or only assist with one area of your business (like bookkeeping, accounting, marketing, etc.). If you only want help with marketing, for instance, or bookkeeping, or help with an Internet newsletter, then you want a marketing consultant, bookkeeper, or Internet writer/publisher, respectively. If, on the other hand, you want someone to assist you with most/all aspects of your business and/or life, and are interested in working with a VA in a long-term, collaborative relationship, an AssistU VA can possibly help you, and we're happy to help you with referrals. If you want someone to help you for the short-term, with a single element of your business, or with piecework or project work, we won't be able to help you with a referral to an AssistU VA. We can, however, suggest that you check with eLance.com. We've developed a terrific relationship with them. Please visit them to look for the help you need!
   
   
5. Virtual Assistants assist. They back you up and make it possible for you to do more, earn more, have more. Knowing that, you will want to manage your expectations. They are not coming into your life to directly contribute to your bottom line they are there to assist you with your work, and free you up to earn more. They are not coming into your life to handle, for example, the vision and implementation of your marketing program (for that you'd want a marketing professional), although they may assist with it. Do not look to them for skills at levels they probably don't have. Basic web work, possibly. Creating and implementing a full-scale branded web identity, no way. Know the kind of professional you really need and be realistic in your expectations. AssistU VAs are fabulous, they can handle anything you throw at them, but they are not, by themselves, all the kinds of business professionals you may need wrapped up in one neat package.
   
   
6. The VAs in the Registry bill their clients between $30 and $100+ per hour. The difference in fees has to do with the experience of the VA, and the types of successes she helps her clients create. VAs who are expert with your profession, and our certified VAs are almost always going to have fees at the higher end of that spectrum. Please don't ask any of them to negotiate their fees. The value they will create in your life will be worth every penny you invest!
   
   
7. The VAs in the Registry have high standards - for themselves, for their businesses, and for the clients they work with. They are the cream of the crop!

Here's how our Registry works:

When you're sure that looking for a VA is the right step for you, complete the referral form as thoroughly as possible. Your thoroughness helps the VAs who receive your information to better assess your needs. At the top of the referral form, please note that there's a link to a very special audio to help you best understand how to complete the referral request. We wholeheartedly suggest you take the time to listen, or to read the transcript.

Because the relationship between client and VA is critical to the success of the relationship, we only make referrals to clients looking for VAs. We don't deal with third-party requests for referrals, nor do we deal with third party requests where the third party plans to do the interview. Our VAs only interview with primaries.

Once completed, our system sends your request directly to the VAs who are an initial match. Those VAs review your request, and reply, via our system, if they think you might be an ideal client for them. Within five days, our system will send you replies from interested VAs. From that point on, it's up to you as to which of them you engage in the interview process.

Choose the one with whom you best resonate. That's a big key to building a relationship and to working in partnership with a VA, and that partnership will be the thing that allows you to take your business, and your life, to the next level. A VA can also help you understand how to build the relationship that will best serve you and your needs!