Let’s review some basics about virtual assistant services.  Generally, a virtual assistant (VA) is normally an independent contractor who provides services to one or more business clients from a remote location.  Specifically, as related to the real estate industry, VA activities can be broad in scope, but can be categorized as administrative, creative and technical in nature.

You should NOT confuse a real estate virtual assistant with an Independent Sales Agent (ISA). Rather, a real estate VA should complement an ISA, improving productivity and sales opportunities.  Since your real estate business is all about sales, your real estate VA should be viewed as an extension of your inside sales team.

How do you hire a virtual assistant for your real estate business?  When you decide to hire a virtual assistant, you are deciding to outsource some function(s) of your real estate business. Accordingly, whether your business is a one-person shop, a small team starting out, or an established company, this decision requires thought, planning, and execution.

Start By Getting Your House In Order

The basic credo is to start at the beginning and define the WHAT. Basically, what are your business needs, the means, the expectations, the concerns, the risks, and the time-frame?  Because answering this basic question helps you decide whether using a virtual assistant is aligned and fits what your real estate business needs.

If real estate virtual assistant benefits fit the WHAT, you then need to define the scope and functional role of the VA:

What If The VA Relationship Blows Up?

Some marriages end in horrible divorces with children scattered as casualties.  Unfortunately, the same can apply to a virtual assistant business relationship.

In this instance, move the business relationship back inside as quickly as possible, pick up the pieces in the relationship, and look forward to a new day to start over.  Regardless of why it blew up, your real estate business outsourcing needs likely haven’t changed.  So, after a reevaluation of what went wrong, it’s time to get back on the VA horse again.

1 – Real Estate Virtual Assistant Administration Activities

One of the primary real estate virtual assistant benefits is organizing your time and that of other personnel in the real estate agency. Consequently, this improves the productivity of everyone, allowing greater focus on the more important activities that will contribute to the success of the business.

Following are various real estate VA administrative activities that you should consider using:

2 – Real Estate Virtual Assistant Operations Tasks

A successful real estate agency requires many different operational functions to be consistently performed, at a high level of quality.  Basically, they can be categorized into either data entry or transaction management.

As you would suspect, the administration and sales staff of a busy real estate business is normally drowning in operational functions.   Consequently, these functions are rarely done on a consistent basis and, with inconsistent levels of quality.

Keeping the real estate business databases (sales and property management) up to date is essential. Consequently, the mundane activity of data entry and updating systems is a standard component of real estate virtual assistant benefits.

Correspondingly, each document, offer, evaluation, permit, application, listing, inquiry, etc. is a distinct transaction that needs to managed, tracked, and entered into the real estate business systems. Obviously, that’s a lot of data and a lot of lists.

Here are various real estate VA operational functions:

3 – Real Estate Virtual Assistant Marketing Functions

Your real estate business and staff are ALWAYS involved in marketing activities. Specifically, these marketing activities promote the buying or selling of your real estate portfolio of properties and complementary services.

Your real estate agency marketing includes all activities used to draw in customers and maintain relationships with them. Additionally, these include personal networking with potential or past clients, with the goal of seeking new business.   Consequently, one of the key real estate virtual assistant benefits is to help manage this broad scope of activities and the time needed to implement.

Here are various marketing tasks that your virtual assistant can provide to help grow your real estate agency:

4 – Real Estate Virtual Assistant Sales Activities

Your real estate business is all about sales.  Correspondingly, whether your sales team consists of just yourself or in combination with direct and indirect sales agents, productivity is key to your business success.

So, how does a real estate virtual assistant fit in?  Basically, your virtual assistant should be an extension of your inside sales staff.  Specifically, this sales function is related to lead generation, lead follow up, and whatever is required to help the sales team close more qualified prospects.

Lead generation and lead follow up take a variety of forms, takes time, and requires lots of effort. For example, real estate leads can result from cold calling, website inquiry forms, inbound telephone calls, social media, events, networking, and more.  Consequently, lead generation and lead follow up are important real estate virtual assistant benefits because they are used to move them through the sales funnel.

Below are sales functions your real estate virtual assistant should provide to your inside sales team:

DISCLOSURE: Nexus Teleservices is a Nearshore Real Estate Virtual Assistant Services business provider.

5 – Real Estate Virtual Assistant Market Research Tasks

You have heard the phrases before: “Location, location, location” and “It’s a buyer’s market”.  Unquestionably, understanding your local market is key to the success of a real estate business.  So, whether your agency focus is residential, commercial, and/or property management, investing in market research will help your long-term business success.

Real estate market analysis is a time consuming and detailed process.  While your sales team needs to have done, rarely is it the best option at doing so. So, this is where a real estate virtual assistant benefits your agency.

Listed below are virtual assistant market research tasks to help grow your real estate business:

6 – Real Estate Virtual Assistant Business Development Functions

Business development is simply all the ideas, initiatives and activities to make your real estate business better.  Similarly, using a real estate virtual assistant benefits your business since your investment improves its productivity, profitability, and growth.

Your real estate virtual assistant contributes to business development across sales, marketing, finance, project, and vendor management. Simply put, you define the business development direction and goals, while your virtual assistant acts as a doer to achieve them.

Listed below are real estate VA business development functions:

1 – Define Business VA Outsourcing Functions

The basic credo of how to hire a virtual assistant is to start at the beginning and defining the WHAT. Basically what are the business goals, what are the means, what are the expectations, what are the concerns, what are the risks, what is the time-frame, etc. Because answering this most basic question will help you decide whether using virtual assistant outsourcing services is aligned and fits WHAT your business needs.

If virtual assistant outsourcing fits the WHAT, you then need to define the scope and functional role of the VA. Firstly it starts with a clear functional description of the role, relationship with internal staff, requirements, skills and work experience, etc. Secondly, define the specific VA role responsibilities and means of evaluating. Thirdly, define stages of VA role transition based on accumulated experience, short and long-term. Fourthly, this serves to provide transparency in your communication with a VA, setting the proper expectations in the future.

Let’s consider a simple business example.

WHAT

FUNCTIONAL ROLE (Short-Term)

FUNCTIONAL ROLE (Long-Term)

EXPECTATIONS

2 – Determine Management VA Relationship

A factor related to how you hire a virtual assistant is determining WHO is responsible for the success in the VA business relationship. Generally, the WHO is the direct manager tasked with supervising the virtual assistant.

In the case of a small business, the direct manager is often the owner or senior manager. However, this may not be the case in larger companies. Consequently, the dynamics in the VA business relationship will be different due to the distance between WHO made the decision, and WHO has the responsibility for its success.

Why does this matter? Because, whether a local direct employee or remote virtual assistant, management responsibility requires time, dedication, communication, and a healthy dose of patience. So, the direct manager needs to weigh the resources invested in the VA relationship versus the expected business returns to be gained, short and long-term.

Some factors the Virtual Assistant direct manager should consider.

Control | Micromanaging | Hands-Off

Loss Of Control – Outsourcing of responsibilities to a Virtual Assistant implies a loss of control because the business process is now performed remotely and personal supervision is more difficult.  Correspondingly, is the direct manager experienced and prepared for this transition?

Micromanaging – Does the direct manager have a tendency to micromanage delegated responsibilities (particularly remotely performed)? In effect the direct manager becomes a bottleneck in the process, reducing productivity and potential benefits of the VA’s activities.

Hands-Off Management – Once the Virtual Assistant relationship is initially “set up”, does the direct manager have more of an absent, hands-off, let me know when you have issues, management style? In that case, the out of sight, out of mind limited communication and feedback hinders the development of the VA to better serve the business needs

Trust | ROI

Develop Trust – How does the direct manager develop trust with a remote, sight-unseen Virtual Assistant? While trust is obviously a two-way street, the direct manager needs to be the initiator to foster its development.  Hence achieving better communication, teamwork, and performance of the VA toward the business goals.

Cost Versus Investment – A Virtual Assistant has a defined role, with responsibilities and tasks to be performed. Equally, the VA is a PERSON with a mind who can think for himself or herself. Furthermore, if nurtured through constructive feedback and positive encouragement, the VA can evolve and grow to be a significant contributor to the success of the company. Consequently, does the direct manager view the VA as a business COST (a numbers person) or a business INVESTMENT (a people person)?

3 – How To Hire A Virtual Assistant –  Selection

As you would expect it all starts with how you hire a virtual assistant. Basically, you have to decide whether you Do-It-Yourself (DIY) or whether you use a third-party Virtual Assistant Services provider. In either case, like any business decision, there are pros and cons.

Let’s discuss each below in greater detail.

Do-It-Yourself Hire A Virtual Assistant Selection

DIY PROS

DIY CONS

Third-Party Provider Hire A Virtual Assistant Selection

THIRD-PARTY PROS

THIRD-PARTY CONS

4 – How To Hire A Virtual Assistant – Location Selection

The selection of the Virtual Assistant inherently includes the selection of the physical LOCATION of the VA. While the Internet, broad array of technologies, and online tools provide a high degree of transparency of location, there are differences in service delivery that should be noted. In brief the VA location may be inshore (in country), nearshore (close to country) and offshore (long distant from country).

Let’s discuss the different location options in greater detail.

How To Hire A Virtual Assistant – Inshore Location

The first selection option is an inshore (in-country) Virtual Assistant location that is straightforward for a business. Being that there are no issues related to language, cultural affinity, and time zone difference.  However, the business is not likely to gain VA labor cost savings as the following alternatives.

How To Hire A Virtual Assistant – Nearshore Location

Moving further away, the second selection option is a nearshore (close to country) Virtual Assistant location. For example, locations such as Canada, Mexico, Central America, and the Caribbean. Because of potential issues related to language and degree of difference in cultural affinity, a business will require further investigation and considerations.

As an example, if the VA function requires high-level verbal contact with a company’s clients, cultural affinity is important.  While time zone differences are a neutral factor in service delivery.

Conversely, if the VA function is off-line social media, the location choice may be perfect. In that case, the business does gain VA labor cost savings.

How To Hire A Virtual Assistant – Offshore Location

The third selection option is an offshore (far from the country) Virtual Assistant location. For example, India, the Philippians, and Eastern Europe. Similarly to the above, with greater distance from the business location, there are potential issues related to language, differences in cultural affinity, and time zone differences.

Correspondingly a business will require its investigation and due diligence. Finally, an offshore location offers VA labor costs savings similar to a nearshore location.

Finally, there are other factors to be taken into consideration including political stability, environmental risks, availability of labor force, etc.

DISCLOSURE: Nexus Teleservices is a Nearshore Virtual Assistant Services business provider.

5 – Short-Term Virtual Assistant Transition Guide

How to hire a Virtual Assistant really takes solid form during the the first six months of the business relationship. Basically, this transition period is when the direct manager and the VA experience, learn and evolve in the cold, real world of business. All things considered, the business relationship will either reach its potential rewards or alternatively crash and burn with frustration and disappointment by both parties.

As has been noted, the direct manager is chartered with the success of the VA business relationship. So, as a former president once succinctly stated:  “the buck stops here”.

The following transition guide offers you recommendations on how to reach the potential rewards of your VA relationship.

DEVELOP A SIX MONTH PLAN

As the direct manager, you probably have had several years to learn your business and what the Virtual Assistant needs to accomplish. So, develop a written plan (1, 2, 3, and 6 months) that phases in performance expectations so that both of you can succeed. Basically, what is critical for the VA to accomplish in 30 days that will then serve as a foundation to build upon moving forward?

CREATE A VA SYSTEM MANUAL

All Virtual Assistant repetitive processes need to be documented for future reference. Basically, you can do the draft or provide verbal guidelines that the VA can transcribe and execute in the process. For example, document all provider credential information, appointment setting guidelines, procedures to upload files and correspondence, etc. Alternatively, you can use online videos to coordinate training with the VA.

What are the benefits of creating a VA system manual? Chiefly it serves as an evolving information library for any future Virtual Assistant, facilitating easy transition and avoiding reinventing the wheel. Also, this allows you and the business functions to be more productive since this leverages the VA’s talents and creativity, enabling the VA to succeed.

As the direct manager, you should define the tools to be used in developing the VA system manual. For example, you might want to consider Evernote and Trello.

STANDARDIZE ON THE VA TOOLS

As has been noted, using the right tools can improve the process of communicating and training a new Virtual Assistant. Accordingly, the direct manager should standardize the toolset. Additionally, these tools should also encompass the broadest scope of business personnel that might communicate with the VA.

Examples include Dropbox or Evernote for easy access to files and information, Jing or Screenr to create online training video tutorials, and Trello or Asana for managing and staying up to date with tasks and tracking workgroup progress. Here is an extended list of tools by category that a Virtual Assistant can use to improve communications and productivity.

DELEGATE REPETITIVE TASKS

You need to honestly assess what should be delegated to the Virtual Assistant. As has been noted, most business tasks that are repetitive and routine in nature should be assigned to the VA. Consequently, this frees up more of your time to focus on more urgent and important business tasks.

Remember that each delegated activity should be documented by the VA in the system manual. In a word, when in doubt, prioritize and delegate to the Virtual Assistant.

COMMUNICATE AND ENCOURAGE QUESTIONS

Clear and consistent communications can resolve many issues in business as well as one’s personal life. Consequently, for the direct manager, the challenge lies in determining the proper balance of frequency, honesty, constructive feedback, transparency, and directed questions to the VA.

Additionally, you need to encourage the Virtual Assistant to proactively ask questions of you, without fear of being judged stupid or incapable of meeting expectations. For these reasons, this will save time for everyone long term and minimize the tasks that need to be redone.

BE KIND | BE PATIENT | USE THE TELEPHONE

Virtual Assistants are people. Accordingly, treat the VA with respect and be gracious in their contributions to inspire improvement, loyalty, and long-term growth. Really, this is basic Management 101, just from a remote distance.

There is no substitute for the human voice. Before there were email and chat, there was the sound of the telephone ringing signaling something important in the business day. So, use it when a new task is to be assigned to the VA, provide a five-minute overview, and allow for questions. Later follow up with the VA in written form with the details.

6 – How To Hire A Virtual Assistant – Considerations

This business owner guide on how to hire a virtual assistant provides an overview for managing a successful VA business relationship.  However, there are a variety of Virtual Assistant services considerations that don’t conveniently lend themselves to simple pat answers.

Let’s review each in greater detail.

How Much Time And Resources Should The Manager Dedicate To Managing The Virtual Assistant?

The simple answer is no more than is necessary to allow the Virtual Assistant to achieve the defined business goals.  Certainly, this response can be viewed as short-sighted, since no provision is made for investing more to develop a stronger VA that can evolve and contribute toward higher business goals.

However, personnel development is rarely the justification to use VA outsourcing services since it is invariably related to either labor cost savings or filling a skill need vacancy.

What Is Level Of Confidentiality And Risk To Be Assumed In A VA Relationship?

Less is better, from a business risk perspective.  Whether it is credit card information, client lists, key vendor contacts, future business plans, new products, marketing and service development, intellectual property, etc. it is preferable to keep it in a limited number of hands as close to the home office as possible.

How Close Should A VA Have In The Client Relationship?

This is a challenge since there is a legitimate need for the VA to foster a good business relationship with an existing client.  However, too close a relationship places the company at risk when the client does not distinguish the company from the VA relationship.

In this instance, it is probably preferable to rotate VA client responsibilities to re-enforce the business relationship with the client.

What If The VA Relationship Blows Up?

Some marriages end in horrible divorces with children scattered as casualties.  Unfortunately the same can apply to a Virtual Assistant business relationship.

In this instance, move the business relationship back inside as quickly as possible, pick up the pieces in the relationship and look forward to a new day to start over.