Detroit, MI · Member since 2012 · 170 posts · 21 votes
I will be hiring a virtual assistant soon.
Before I do though, I wanted to pick your brain on the ways virtual assistant's have helped you as a wholesaler, or that they could potentially help a wholesaler.
I just wanted to get your opinion, in the event that there are some ways I could leverage their services that I haven't already thought of.
They will be working a four hour shift each week day, so I'd like to maximize the value of those four hours.
Wholesaler · Austin, TX · Member since 2012 · 7 posts · 8 votes
13y
Alvin Grier: A virtual assistant can be an absolute lifesaver.
For wholesaling, these are just a few ideas:
Draft a template for Craigslist / other Internet posts that you frequently post. When you have an ad to place, provide the info to the VA, along with the template, and instruct the VA to post it in your city and surrounding areas.
If you have a phone system that tracks calls, ask your VA to enter incoming leads into a spreadsheet for later reference.
Send contact info of new colleagues/associates to the VA by email to enter into a spreadsheet or contact database.
Instruct the VA to place orders for new bandit signs, business cards, flyers, etc. using the info you provide.
Have your VA post new info, blogs, tweets, Facebook posts, etc. to various social media outlets.
Ask the VA to research upcoming real estate club meetings or seminars, register you, calendar the dates and arrange travel if needed.
The most difficult things about using a VA are being comfortable enough to delegate tasks (if you like to be in control, which is true of MOST of us who choose to get into entrepreneurial ventures); and remembering to give VERY detailed instructions for EVERY task. Once you've worked with a VA long enough, he/she will get to know your quirks, but in the meantime, it's important to hold their hand through every new task to achieve the most efficient work product.
My firm uses a company called U Assist Me (www.uassist.me). We pay a flat $699/month for a dedicated VA to work for us 2-4 hours per day, 5 days a week. They're working out well so far. But, if you engage a local VA, you could also assign things like handwritten thank you cards to sellers/buyers, birthday cards to your buyers list, etc., and even bandit sign placement and retrieval.
Detroit, MI · Member since 2012 · 170 posts · 21 votes
13y
In hindsight, I think this was somewhat of a dumb question, as I'm sure it all depends on the exact strategies we're implementing at the moment to find properties and buyers.
I'd imagine that it's hard to answer the question without knowledge of what we're doing business-wise.
Wholesaler · Austin, TX · Member since 2012 · 7 posts · 8 votes
13y
Alvin Grier: A virtual assistant can be an absolute lifesaver.
For wholesaling, these are just a few ideas:
Draft a template for Craigslist / other Internet posts that you frequently post. When you have an ad to place, provide the info to the VA, along with the template, and instruct the VA to post it in your city and surrounding areas.
If you have a phone system that tracks calls, ask your VA to enter incoming leads into a spreadsheet for later reference.
Send contact info of new colleagues/associates to the VA by email to enter into a spreadsheet or contact database.
Instruct the VA to place orders for new bandit signs, business cards, flyers, etc. using the info you provide.
Have your VA post new info, blogs, tweets, Facebook posts, etc. to various social media outlets.
Ask the VA to research upcoming real estate club meetings or seminars, register you, calendar the dates and arrange travel if needed.
The most difficult things about using a VA are being comfortable enough to delegate tasks (if you like to be in control, which is true of MOST of us who choose to get into entrepreneurial ventures); and remembering to give VERY detailed instructions for EVERY task. Once you've worked with a VA long enough, he/she will get to know your quirks, but in the meantime, it's important to hold their hand through every new task to achieve the most efficient work product.
My firm uses a company called U Assist Me (www.uassist.me). We pay a flat $699/month for a dedicated VA to work for us 2-4 hours per day, 5 days a week. They're working out well so far. But, if you engage a local VA, you could also assign things like handwritten thank you cards to sellers/buyers, birthday cards to your buyers list, etc., and even bandit sign placement and retrieval.
Realtor · Ventura County, CA · Member since 2012 · 126 posts · 61 votes
12y
Hi Michelle,
I want to get a VA from Odesk to do my letter campaign. If they're overseas, how do I arrange and pay for the logistics, i.e. paper that the template letter will be printed on, the envelopes, stamps, and address labels?