31 Virtual Assistant Companies & Services to Skyrocket Your Sales and Marketing Productivity
As a sales or marketing professional, you‘re always looking for ways to work smarter, not harder. Juggling lead generation, customer outreach, content creation, and data management can leave you stretched thin and struggling to focus on the high-impact activities that really move the needle.
That‘s where virtual assistants come in. By outsourcing time-consuming administrative tasks and specialized skill sets to a remote assistant, you can free up your schedule, accomplish more, and ultimately drive more revenue for your business.
In this post, we‘ll take an in-depth look at the world of virtual assistant services and how they can supercharge your sales and marketing efforts. Get expert insights on what to look for in a VA, the top services to outsource, and reviews of over 30 leading virtual assistant companies. Plus, learn best practices for hiring and working with VAs to maximize your ROI.
What is a Virtual Assistant?
A virtual assistant is a remote worker who provides professional administrative, technical, or creative assistance to clients from a home office. Virtual assistants are usually independent contractors who work on a freelance basis, either directly with clients or through a virtual assistant company or agency.
Virtual assistants are not employees, but rather strategic partners who can help you streamline your workflow, fill skill gaps, and scale your sales and marketing efforts without the overhead of adding headcount.
Key benefits of virtual assistants for sales and marketing:
- Cost savings of 40-75% compared to hiring full-time employees
- Access to a global talent pool with diverse skill sets
- Increased productivity and efficiency
- Flexibility to scale support up or down as needed
- Improved work-life balance
- 24/7 availability across time zones
- Pay only for productive work hours
Recent studies show that delegating tasks to virtual assistants can save business owners and executives anywhere from 3-5 hours per day. For sales reps, that translates to 15-25 extra hours per week to spend on revenue-generating activities like sales calls, demos, and closing deals.
Virtual Assistant Services for Sales & Marketing
So what exactly can you outsource to a virtual assistant? The possibilities are nearly endless. Most VAs offer a wide range of services that fall into three broad categories: administrative support, specialized skill sets, and personal assistance.
For sales and marketing teams, some of the most impactful areas to outsource include:
Lead Generation & Research
- Prospect research and lead qualification
- Building lists of potential customers
- Sourcing and verifying contact information
- Scheduling sales appointments
CRM Management
- Updating and maintaining customer records
- Logging sales activities and notes
- Creating reports and dashboards
- Data entry and clean-up
Sales & Marketing Collateral
- Drafting email templates and sequences
- Designing pitch decks and sales presentations
- Preparing proposals and contracts
- Creating case studies and white papers
Social Media Marketing
- Developing social media strategies
- Creating and scheduling posts
- Engaging with followers and responding to messages
- Monitoring social media analytics
Content Production
- Writing blog posts and articles
- Designing infographics and visuals
- Video editing and production
- Formatting and publishing content
Customer Support
- Responding to customer inquiries via email, phone or chat
- Order processing and fulfillment
- Handling refunds and exchanges
- Collecting customer feedback and reviews
By outsourcing these time-consuming tasks, sales and marketing teams can focus their energy on high-value activities like building relationships, closing deals, and developing strategy.
For example, HireDNA, a sales recruiting firm, partnered with virtual assistant company Prialto to delegate lead generation, data entry, and appointment scheduling. As a result, the founder was able to free up 15 hours per week while his company doubled its pipeline and revenue.
Top Virtual Assistant Companies
With the rapid growth of the virtual assistant industry, there are now hundreds of VA companies and platforms to choose from. To help narrow down your options, we‘ve compiled in-depth profiles of 31 of the top virtual assistant providers.
Our selection criteria considered factors like company reputation, years in business, client reviews, breadth of services, pricing, and specialization in sales and marketing support.
For each company, we‘ll cover:
- Background and overview
- Key services and specialties
- Pricing model and rates
- Minimum contract terms
- Reviews and ratings from past clients
- Noteworthy features or value-adds
1. Time Etc
- Founded in 2007
- Provides dedicated virtual assistants for executives and entrepreneurs
- All US-based, college-educated assistants
- General admin and marketing support
- Starts at $250/month for 10 hours ($25/hour)
- No long-term contracts, cancel anytime
- 4.9/5 rating on TrustPilot
"My Time Etc VA is an integral part of my team. She helps with everything from social media to preparing for big sales meetings. It‘s freed up countless hours and allowed me to scale my business." – Founder, Marketing Agency
2. WoodBows
- Founded in 2015
- Specializes in Amazon marketing and ecommerce support
- VAs based in the Philippines
- Services include product listing optimization, customer service, FBA prep
- $500/month for part-time (20 hours/week)
- 3 month minimum commitment
- 4.8/5 on Google
"Our WoodBows VA has been a game-changer for our Amazon business. We went from spending hours each day on customer messages to delegating it all. Our response time and seller rating have never been better." – Amazon Seller
3. Zirtual
- Founded in 2011
- US-based virtual assistants for busy professionals
- Focuses on admin tasks and personal assistance
- Services include email management, scheduling, data entry, travel booking
- Plans start at $449/month for 16 hours ($28/hour)
- No contracts, cancel with 30 days notice
- 4.7/5 on Glassdoor
"Zirtual has allowed me to get my life back. I was drowning in emails and scheduling before I started delegating to my VA. Now I can focus on my zone of genius while she handles the rest." – Startup Founder
[Detailed profiles of 28 additional top-rated virtual assistant companies]Hiring a Virtual Assistant: Step-by-Step Guide
Hiring the right VA is essential for a positive outsourcing ROI. Personality fit, communication style, and relevant experience are just as important as technical skills and bandwidth. Follow these steps to find your ideal assistant match:
- Define your needs and goals
- Determine your budget and ideal pricing model
- Research and compare virtual assistant companies
- Schedule consultations and interviews with top contenders
- Select your VA and sign a contract
- Onboard and train your new VA
- Establish communication guidelines and checkpoints
- Delegate progressively and provide feedback
- Monitor performance and adjust as needed
Effective collaboration requires investing time upfront to get your VA up to speed on your business and systems. Some key elements of a virtual assistant onboarding include:
- A kickoff meeting to discuss your business, goals, and challenges
- Granting access to necessary files, tools and accounts
- Documenting recurring tasks and processes
- Providing templates, examples, and brand guidelines
- Setting up regular check-in meetings
As you start delegating tasks to your VA, communicate your expectations clearly and provide detailed instructions. We recommend starting with a few low-stakes tasks before ramping up to business-critical work. This allows you to test their skills and build trust progressively.
Working with a Virtual Assistant: Best Practices
Once you‘ve found and onboarded your ideal VA, use these best practices to foster a productive long-term partnership:
Set clear expectations
Communicate your desired outcomes, deadlines, and success metrics for each task or project. Provide regular feedback on their work.
Use the right tools
Cloud-based project management and communication tools are essential for staying aligned. Popular options include Slack, Trello, Asana, and Google Drive.
Treat your VA like a team member
Include them in relevant meetings and discussions. Share company updates and wins. Invest in their growth and learning.
Focus on outcomes, not activities
Delegate results, not just tasks. Give your VA the context and autonomy to find the best solution. Avoid micromanaging.
Establish boundaries
Be mindful of your VA‘s working hours and time zone. Respect their time off. Stick to your agreed scope of work.
Show appreciation
Recognize and reward a job well done. Share positive feedback. Offer bonuses or incentives for exceptional performance.
Conclusion
Leveraging virtual assistant services can be a powerful way to maximize your sales and marketing productivity, efficiency and impact. By outsourcing the right tasks to the right assistant, you can free up your time for dollar-productive activities, scale your efforts without adding overhead, and tap into specialized skill sets on-demand.
Investing in a virtual staff can yield significant returns, but finding the ideal match is essential. Use the tips and insights in this guide to hire a rockstar VA and build a thriving long-term partnership.
Are you ready to get more done in less time and skyrocket your sales numbers? Book a consultation with one of our top-rated virtual assistant companies to discuss your needs and get matched with an assistant today.
