Are you stuck in a rut and looking to take your real estate business to the next level? Are you a creative person with droves of innovative ideas, but are having trouble implementing them? Do you prefer being the visionary while letting others take control of the organizational aspects and structural execution? It may be time to invest in a virtual assistant.
Hiring a virtual assistant will help you go from a basic technician to the ‘be-your-own boss’ entrepreneur you’ve always dreamed of being. Often times, people assume VAs are only utilized at big corporations or well established businesses, but that simply is no longer the case. Freelancing entrepreneurs account for 34 percent of the total U.S. workforce, and of those entrepreneurs, 79.7 percent of them have employed a VA. You are not alone.
The beauty of a virtual assistant is that you can mold one however you like, so that they fit your criteria and business culture. The sole purpose of a VA is to relieve you of time consuming – yet necessary – responsibilities, in order to increase efficiency. You have the ability to employ a VA per your choosing, so if you only need them during your busiest season or for a few days out of the week, simply include that in the contract.
When Is It Time To Hire A Virtual Assistant?
If your business is starting to take off and you find that a majority of your time is spent being reactive, as opposed to proactive, bite the bullet and find a VA. To become a successful entrepreneur, you’ll eventually have to wean off completing administrative tasks like responding to repetitive potential lead emails and carrying out various research projects. These are duties that are easy to train for, and their elimination will save you tons of time. Ultimately, stress will begin to take a toll on your productivity and you won’t be able to help but produce sub-par work. The real estate industry is a people business, so if you abandon your client’s needs, your reputation will suffer. If you find that your work-life balance is leaning heavily towards the former, stop sacrificing your well-being and recruit help.
If you still aren’t convinced that a VA would be the perfect addition to your team, my colleagues over at CT Homes and I compiled a list of the top 3 benefits that will come from jumping on the virtual assistant bandwagon:
1. Their Specific Skill Set:
You can find a virtual assistant for almost any task you need completed. Whether you need an administrative assistant, someone to help revamp your website, or a marketing expert, you can easily find a highly skilled, independent contractor. VAs typically have a focus – or a specific niche – where they excel. So if you aren’t all that “tech-savvy” or you have a hard time concentrating on major projects with your phone ringing off the hook, delegate said tasks to your VA.
2. Cheaper Than A Full-Time Employee
One of the most advantageous aspects of hiring a virtual assistant is how much you will save. If you are an aspiring entrepreneur, every penny counts. So if you can avoid the costs of a full-time employee – including health insurance and other employee related benefits – you will be doing yourself a favor. As independent contractors, VA’s are responsible for their own taxes and bookkeeping, thus you don’t have to worry about incurring those costs.
You also have the option to pay virtual assistants on a project by project basis. So at the beginning of each month, sit down and prioritize your most important projects and budget accordingly. VA’s typically work from home as well, which means less expensive office space you’ll have to provide.
3. Avoid The Hiring And Firing
Nobody enjoys the grueling interview process that comes with taking on an additional employee, and even worse – firing that employee when you no longer need their services. With an on-call virtual assistant, you’ll no longer be burdened by those tedious activities.
There will be the initial interview that must take place. You need to find the perfect VA who has the specific skill set you are looking for, who helps make up for where you are lacking, and who will have the ability to grow your business. But once you find that one individual, you can keep their contact information on hand and rely on them whenever your workload becomes too much.
The personal and professional rewards that come with hiring a virtual assistant are endless. Not only will your business’ efficiency improve by leaps and bounds, but your stress levels are sure to decrease while your time to work on high priority projects will consistently increase. It could just be a virtual assistant standing between you and your goals of transforming from a technician to a manager. So don’t wait another day.
