A real estate Virtual Assistant could be the solution you have been looking for to ensure the profitability of your agency. If you’re wondering how someone who works from a remote location; probably from home, can turn your business around, here are 8 things a real estate Virtual Assistant can do for you:
1. Gives You a Cost Efficient Way to Manage Your Business
If you want to maximize productivity, you have to delegate some of your tasks and responsibilities. But hiring a full-time employee even just one employee, can seriously affect your monthly operating budget.
With a full-time employee, you have to assign at least 48 hours of work every week, pay benefits and accommodate adjustments for Internet bandwidth, power and contingencies.
You don’t have to worry about those types of expenses with a real estate Virtual Assistant. Because the VA is self-employed, she is accountable for all of those expenses.
As a contracted professional, you only pay the VA for hours worked and you are not obligated to assign her 48 hours of work per week. Many VA’s only work 20 hours per week
2. Immediate Increase in Your Level of Productivity
Do you seize the day by hitting the ground running? Or do you squander the day by sitting and reading your e-mails?
If a great deal of your time every day is spend reading e-mails, answering phone calls, updating appointments or perusing bills and account statements, you are missing out on opportunities to grow your business.
Sure you’re busy but you are not coming anywhere near you goal of closing a sale. If you feel overworked and have nothing to show for it, you are wasting your time. Chances are you’re spending a lot of time on admin tasks.
You should delegate administrative and supportive tasks to your real estate Virtual Assistant so you can focus more on the core functions of your business. You will remain busy but the tasks you accomplish will eventually translate to your bottom- line.
3. Assures You of Great Quality Work Every Time
When you hear the term “Virtual Assistant” today, it no longer means personal secretary. You can find VA’s for every type of skill your business needs. Virtual assistants are skilled professionals. They have experience and are experts in what they do.
Another reason why you can be assured of great quality of work is because the real estate VA has the time to focus on the designated responsibility.
For example, marketing is a key task in marketing. Agents have to remain consistent in their marketing efforts in order to stay relevant, to generate leads and to build their network.
But marketing needs strategy and strict implementation which take time and effort. By delegating these tasks to a VA, you can be confident your marketing campaign will be running as scheduled.
4. Acts as a Hedge Versus Uncertainty
Virtual assistants are alternatively referred to as telecommuters, freelancers or home-based workers. Generally, they are remote workers. There’s a reason why companies have been hiring more virtual assistants the last 5 years.
In addition to streamlining costs while increasing productivity, they also act as a hedge versus uncertainty. Since the year 2000, events such as 9/11, the 2003 collapse of the equities market and the 2009 Euro Zone crisis have made global business conditions unpredictable and highly volatile.
It you cannot sustain your income it will be difficult to terminate the services of full-time employees. You have to observe labor laws, the provisions of the contract and pay out termination benefits.
It is not the same case with virtual assistants. If business is not good and you can no longer support additional manpower, simply pre-terminate the contract. No legal issues, no payout of benefits, no questions asked.
5. Gives You Comparative Advantages Over Your Competition
If this is your first time to outsource work to a Virtual Assistant, you are already a step ahead of your competitors who have not delegated or and those who hired full-time employees.
It may take some time to get your real estate Virtual Assistant up to speed but you are definitely on the right track. Your productivity level is higher than the “lone star” real estate agent and you are running a more efficient operation than “Mr. Employer”.
6. Ensures Smooth Operation
Have you been into any of these situations?
Your Internet service gets cut off because you forgot to pay the bill.
You missed an important invitation to an Open Home because you did not check your e-mail a week ago.
You were 15 minutes late for a meeting with a prospective buyer because you spent 1 hour looking for the Contract of Sale.
These types of situations happen to everyone. But you can avoid them by delegating administrative tasks to your real estate Virtual Assistant.
She will give you a disbursement schedule every start of the week so you will have an idea of which accounts are due. She will routinely check your e-mail and call your attention to those that merit immediate attention. She will create a filing system so you will know where to look is you need an important document.
7. Provides Valuable Consultation
Don’t let the term “Assistant” fool you to thinking the VA is limited to only supportive functions. They can give you valuable advice that could help grow your business:
As mentioned, VA’s are highly experienced. Many have come from the 9-to-5 grind before switching careers.
They know what it is like to be assigned tasks and why it is important to have them accomplished.
Many have undergone advanced training or certification in their respective field of expertise.
Virtual assistants are also business owners. They own and operate a virtual assistance business. They have objectives and goals that they want to accomplish.
They want you to succeed because they want you to remain their client.
During meetings, encourage them to share their opinion. As the client, keep an open mind about their recommendations and suggestions. Invite them onboard your business as an invested stakeholder. Their equity is not measured in terms of cash but of experience.
8. Boosts Your Sales
Real estate agents often need help in closing the sale. They are brilliant up to the second call but as they get busier it becomes more difficult to keep up the frequency of making follow up calls.
You can find virtual assistants with experience conducting follow up calls to qualified leads. They know how to pressure without coming across as hard- sell.
Their approach remains professional and natural. Virtual assistants are great at establishing trustworthy relationships with prospects. A little nudge every few days can go a long way in converting leads into paying customers.
As a real estate agent, you will definitely find great value in hiring a Virtual Assistant. She can make your work easier by taking on the burden of administrative tasks, support services or technical work. Hiring a real estate Virtual Assistant is the first step in taking your agency to the next level.
