It's in the back of your mind, and you keep pushing it away, until it comes back louder than ever. "No, I can do it!" you say to yourself over and over again, month after month. But now you, like so many before you, have finally realized you CANT DO IT ALL BY YOURSELF!
This VA Guide will serve to assist you in your decision to add to your business.... that crucial step of adding in your leverage. Whether you decide on an on-site assistant, or a Virtual Assistant, it's best to consider everything about you, your business, and its needs to make the best choice!
It's no secret that with the growing amount of competition, technology and administrative overload, going it alone can have its disadvantages. Once the decision has been made to arrange for some assistance, many agents are turning to Virtual Assistants as a perfect middle of the road option between hiring a full time,on-site assistant or going it alone. But in what may ultimately be a wonderful addition to your business, there are some things to know and consider before working with a Professional VA.
What is a VA?
#1 There are a variety of definitions of VAs, defining who we are and what we do. I'm sure many of you already know~but for those who don't, this is it, in a nutshell:
A Professional VA is a micro-business owner who provides administrative & personal support to its clients in long-term, deeply collaborative partnerships. The highest and the best of this profession base their role as a VA as just that...a partnership. Our services are provided with the desire to support our clients across the board...not with just one specific function or task, no matter ongoing that might be.
#2 Most VAs come with a vast array of experience in the corporate world, or in real estate itself. We have come to our own businesses so that we may reclaim our lives, control our own destinies, and use our talent and skills to support clients that we hand pick ourselves. Unlike corporate positions, there are few constraints on VAs who own their own businesses. You'll finds that we are pro-active, rather than just waiting for you to hand us our task list.
#3 Professional VAs are not employees. You don't "hire" a VA, you "work with" a VA. There is no need to provide space, equipment, a guarantee of hours or benefits. You don't have to pay for our Internet surfing, Active Rain blog time, our coffee breaks or errands. We strive to be hassle free...one check, once a month! How simple is that?
#4 Professional VAs bill at rates of $30+ per hour. The more professional, industry specific education a VA has, experience working with virtual clients, the more she/he can make things happen with his/her clients, the higher the fee will be. This may seem like a lot, but when you think about the value of your own time, and what you could accomplish with more of it...it starts to look like a deal!
Many VAs work on a retainer agreement. They block a certain number of hours per month to be used specifically for that client. The client pays the monthly fee ( # of hours by $per hour = retainer fee) at the beginning of the month. Unused hours do not roll over to the next month. Expenses like postage, delivery of docs, and vendor accounts are additional. The per hour rate is usually a discounted rate of %10 or so in recognition of the client's willingness to commit to a block of time with the retainer. The retainer comes with a higher degree of commitment to the partnership-for both people. But for those not ready to make a full commitment, per hour and per project agreements are usually available.
#5 There are some people who probably shouldn't consider working with a VA. If you are controlling, need to micro-manage, have trust issues, aren't on line, can't understand how or why this would work, live in the urgent, procrastinate, rush to deadline, aren't organized, want someone at your beck and call, have a huge ego and can't work in partnership with others, don't understand the power created in a relationship with a fantastic assistant, aren't open to learning new ways of working and communicating, or if you work in a high-pressure field where things run you instead of the other way around, you probably need an in-person employee, not a VA.
#6 Professional VAs invest heavily in themselves and their businesses, all for the benefit of their clients.
Professional VAs are life-long learners. They are curious, open, receptive to new ideas, and they take the time to really hone their craft. Never move into a relationship with a VA who isn't taking steps to better him/her.
#7 A word of caution: You must do due diligence in your finding, interviewing and hiring of a VA. Collect references, ask about their work load, and how they handle your work.(ex: do they do it themselves, or do they sub-contract it out to another VA.
Part 2: Creating a Virtual Action Plan BEFORE you Delegate!
Laura Monroe | Real Estate Virtual Assistant
| Copyright 2007
Source: Stacie Brice
Since then, I have added even more skills and made some terrific contacts. Realtors were among the first to 'get' the idea of how a VA could work for them, but there are many other fields who benefit from the support of a VA.
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