General virtual assistant (outreach & admin)

Role Overview:

We are seeking a proactive, organized, and business-minded Virtual Assistant to support a professional speaker, trainer, consultant, and educator based in Maryland, USA. This role will serve as a strategic partner in managing sales and business development activities, helping generate new opportunities, nurture client relationships, coordinate follow-ups, and maintain operational structure.

The ideal candidate is confident in client-facing communication, comfortable promoting professional services, highly organized, and capable of balancing diplomacy with firm business follow-through. This person will help ensure opportunities move forward efficiently while allowing the business owner to focus on speaking engagements, training, content development, and client delivery.

Scope of Work:

Sales & Lead Generation

• Research and identify potential speaking, training, consulting, and workshop opportunities.
• Build and maintain prospect databases.
• Conduct outreach through LinkedIn, email, and other appropriate channels.
• Initiate conversations with prospective clients and event organizers.
• Follow up consistently with leads and prospects.
• Track lead status and maintain accurate records of outreach activities.

Client & Relationship Management

• Manage ongoing communication with prospects and clients.
• Schedule meetings, discovery calls, and follow-up discussions.
• Act as a professional liaison on behalf of the business owner when appropriate.
• Help position and promote the business owner's expertise and services.
• Maintain relationships with existing clients and referral partners.

Administrative & Business Operations Support

• Manage calendar coordination and scheduling.
• Assist with proposal follow-ups and client communications.
• Support invoicing and payment follow-up activities.
• Monitor pending opportunities and ensure timely responses.
• Help establish and maintain organizational systems and workflows.
• Keep project documents, notes, and records organized.

Accountability & Executive Support

• Provide structure and organization to ongoing business activities.
• Help prioritize tasks and opportunities.
• Keep sales opportunities moving forward through consistent follow-up.
• Serve as a professional "business-side" partner who can communicate confidently, firmly, and tactfully when required.

Success Metrics

Successful performance in this role may include:

• Consistent generation of qualified leads and opportunities
• Improved follow-up and client response rates
• Increased speaking and consulting bookings
• Efficient management of client communications
• Strong organization of business systems and workflows
• Reliable support that enables the business owner to focus on high-value activities

Ideal Candidate Profile

We are looking for someone who is:

• Highly organized and detail-oriented.
• Proactive and self-directed.
• Professional and confident in client communications.
• Comfortable with sales conversations and follow-up activities.
• Not afraid to ask for commitments, decisions, or payments when appropriate.
• Diplomatic, firm, and relationship-focused.
• Strong in executive functioning, planning, and process management.
• Able to bring structure and accountability to a creative and fast-moving business environment.
• Comfortable working independently while collaborating closely with the business owner.

Qualifications:

Required:

• Previous experience as a Virtual Assistant, Executive Assistant, Sales Assistant, or Business Development Assistant.
• Strong written and verbal English communication skills.
• Experience with lead generation and prospect research.
• Experience with client acquisition and relationship management.
• Experience managing calendars, client communications, and follow-ups.
• Strong organizational and time management skills.
• Ability to work with minimal supervision.

Preferred:

• Experience supporting speakers, trainers, coaches, consultants, or professional service businesses.
• Familiarity with event-related outreach and speaking engagements.
• Experience handling invoicing and accounts receivable follow-up.

Tools & Systems

Experience with the following is preferred:

• Google Workspace (Gmail, Google Calendar, Google Drive)
• LinkedIn
• Notion
• CRM or lead-tracking systems (preferred but not required)
• Microsoft Office Suite (optional)

Candidates with recommendations for improved systems and workflows are encouraged to share them.

Shifts & Hours:

Starting with a minimum of 10 hours per week; semi-flexible shift. Preferred availability for occasional overlap with U.S. Eastern Time (EST) business hours. Ability to handle time-sensitive follow-ups when needed. Opportunity to increase hours as business growth and workload expand.

Target Start Date:

Flexible; hiring will prioritize finding the right long-term fit rather than filling the role urgently. Ideal onboarding period: Summer 2026. Goal is to build momentum and establish systems ahead of the busy Fall speaking season.