If you are just starting out as a real estate agent, you may be wondering how to build your business. Anyone who has been successful in the industry will tell you that hiring an assistant can help you succeed. In the age of virtual things – from yoga classes to meetings to doctor visits – a virtual assistant is the way to go. With more people working remotely, it’s now easier than ever to hire a virtual assistant. We have put together a guide to help you hire a virtual assistant to help you generate leads for your real estate business.

A study by Harvard Business Review found that knowledge workers spend nearly 40 percent of their time doing discretionary activities that could be done by others. This is where an assistant comes in to help you focus on the essentials. You may find yourself spending time on tasks that you could outsource to an assistant.

The number of hours per week that you decide to hire someone depends on your needs and budget. Remember, however, that you can always start small and expand the number of hours later. Make sure to hire someone to plant seeds to grow your business.

How to get the most out of your virtual assistant

There are many ways you can get the most out of a virtual assistant, and your needs will depend on the size of your business and your goals. Here are four of the main areas in which they can help you take your business to the next level:

Assistant for social media and content marketing marketing

You probably already know that social media can help you market your business, but social media can be the task that gets pushed aside when you’re busy. A virtual social media assistant could have a background in writing, editing, and social media management for brands. You can do tasks like:

• Write, edit, publish and schedule blog articles.
• Reuse social media blog posts and manage your social media accounts to generate more leads.
• Creation of a monthly newsletter that is sent to customers and interested parties with news and insights about your real estate market.
• Use SEO (Search Engine Optimization) tools for your website to help your business show up better in Google Search.

If you don’t have social media accounts for your business, you can hire someone with this expertise to help you get started with this necessary marketing tool.

Lead generation assistant

To grow your business, you need to market it beyond your circle and this is where lead generation comes in. You may be collecting email addresses from open houses or attending conferences and socializing, but those contacts don’t have time to do that. However you make the connections, if you don’t follow up, they are unlikely to help you build your business. A virtual assistant can help you turn this information into a source of exponential growth. Some of the tasks can include:

• Support with data enrichment such as CRM (Customer Relationship Management) and creation of a valuable contact list.
• Integrate your newsletter content into a cohesive marketing strategy by addressing the interests of your customers.
• Inside Sales Agent (ISA) makes lead calls and makes appointments to ensure that you are maximizing your personal time with current and potential customers.

While you are making initial contact with prospects, your virtual assistant can keep the conversation going. Or you can let your virtual assistant research potential leads.

Remote assistant for scheduling

Keeping track of your calendar and scheduling can get tricky when you’re really busy. In fact, scheduling is so important that you might want an assistant to focus on organizing your time and responding to customers. For example, you could have an assistant who is responsible for planning all of your open houses or virtual tours, or who sends preliminary questionnaires to potential leads and then schedules virtual chats.

Accounting assistant

Depending on the size of your business, using accounting software like QuickBooks may not be enough to keep your books on track. An accounting assistant can organize your accounts payable and accounts receivable so you can focus on your real estate knowledge.

How to find a virtual assistant

Okay, you are convinced you need to hire this virtual assistant – but how do you find her? Your first step may be asking other real estate agents for a recommendation. A real estate professional on your network may work with a virtual assistant who has the time to do a few extra hours each week, or they may know someone on their network who does this. Referrals can save you the time of a lengthy interview process.

After asking for recommendations, you can also speed up the hiring process by partnering with a virtual assistant service provider or gig economy website. Many of these services even give you the flexibility to hire an assistant for specific categories so that you can get help in the areas where you need it most. Your options are numerous, but some virtual assistant services to consider are:

Service provider websites

These companies manage virtual assistants to make your life easier. Some to consider are:

1. wish

With Wishup, of course, we’ve got you covered too. Whether you need someone full-time or half-time, you can hire a professional virtual assistant with more than five years of experience.

2. Virtudesk

If you are unsure of how many hours per week you will need someone, or if you suspect that those requirements could change, Virtudesk might be the way to go. The hourly rate varies depending on the type of work you need to do.

3. Summit VA solutions

The company’s assistants are trained in real estate management, including real estate management, social media marketing, and brokerage duties.

Gig economy websites

On Gig Economy websites, freelancers post their profiles and portfolios, and you can contact those who may suit your needs. You can also post jobs and chat with candidates who fit as needed, hire per project or hourly. Some of the most popular websites to consider are:

1.Fiverr
If you have a large project that you need help with – like a voice over script for a virtual tour – you can probably find the person you’re looking for on Fiverr. Fiverr connects businesses with freelancers who offer digital services in over 300 categories, such as logo design and data entry. You can hire someone for a one-time project or work with a virtual assistant for a longer-term assignment.

2. freelancer
Similar to Fiverr, Freelancer lets you hire on a project basis or for a longer term by posting a project and then choosing the offers that best suit your needs. You can also share files with your virtual assistant in the Freelancer app for a seamless experience.

3. Upwork
Companies of all sizes trust Upwork when it comes to hiring people to help with projects. Some of the main categories you can look for are; Administrative and customer support, sales and marketing, and design and creative services. If you need a virtual assistant who can wear lots of hats, Upwork might be the right choice for your project.

This is how you write your pitch

If you work with a gig economy or service provider website, the ways you look can help you attract top talent. Even if you choose to use a virtual assistant service provider, you can ensure that you are spending your time and money wisely by outlining the areas where you need help. Adding educational requirements (including a real estate license) can also help you find the best person for the job.

Foreign vs. US-based virtual assistants

Many gig economy websites and virtual assistant providers include overseas workers. Some of the benefits of hiring someone overseas are that you may get more hours for your money – depending on the cost of living where your virtual assistant is based. You can also benefit from an assistant who can fill in hours when you are not working, when you hire someone in a different time zone (e.g. in Asia or Europe).

However, if you need an assistant who can conduct sales calls in your time zone, an overseas virtual assistant may not be ideal. If you’re not sure, start small by partnering with a service provider or gig economy website and then go from there. You can always hire someone for more hours later. As with everything, the first step is to get started.

Hiring a virtual assistant for your real estate business can make your life easier while growing your business exponentially. You may be surprised how much you generate not only more leads but also sales with this investment.