The Virtual Office Assistant:
The Virtual Office Assistant by Deborah Steuer If you're so busy you need an assistant, yet you don't want the hassle of dealing with an employee, keeping track of employment records, and paying out a full-time salary, a Virtual Assistant may be the answer for you. Your marketing coordinator could live several states away, yet is able to handle all of your advertising, design, and web site management – things that would take away too much time from what you need to be doing, namely listing, selling, prospecting and negotiating. Daily communication between you and your Virtual Assistant through email and occasionally the telephone keeps both of you focused and on track. All work passes through the Internet or a fax machine. This arrangement is extremely rewarding, both for you and your Virtual Assistant. Below are just a few of the things handled by Virtual Assistants: • Creating & Submitting weekly classified ads • Creating & Submitting weekly display ads • Creating & Submitting monthly ad for real estate books • Creating & distributing a monthly newsletter • Creating Just Listed/Just Sold postcards • Keeping web sites updated • MLS Listing Maintenance • Preparing CMA's • Developing Custom Listing Presentations • Developing Marketing Pieces • Database Management • And many…many more! The advantage to you is that you don't have to provide office space for a Virtual Assistant, you don't have to pay a fixed salary – Virtual Assistants work on either a pre-determined hourly fee or, they are on commission, based on the number of closings you have each month – and you don't have to file a lot of complicated tax paperwork for a Virtual Assistant. You also are not required to provide insurance, vacation pay, or sick pay. The advantage for a Virtual Assistant is that they get to work at home. They don’t have to fight traffic going to and from work, buy a fancy wardrobe, and they don’t have to abide by a rigid, 9 to 5 schedule. While you don’t have to pay an enormous salary, Virtual Assistants can handle work from several agents, so they are still able to enjoy a nice paycheck every month. And as an independent contractor, Virtual Assistants don’t draw vacation pay, they still take vacations thanks to laptop computers. The vast majority of Virtual Assistants agree that this arrangement has been more fun and stress-free than any office job they have ever held. If you'd like to set up a virtual office, here are some of the things you need to consider: • Finding the right person • Defining their responsibilities • Setting up a system to ensure proper lines of communication Finding the Right Person For the virtual office system to work, you need someone who can work comfortably and productively outside the regimented infrastructure of an office environment. Some people lack the organizational skills and motivation to work at home. You also want someone who is comfortable with technology. As we all know, computers can be complicated and quirky. Your assistant needs to know how to resolve any minor complications and get your work to you on time. You need someone who is creative and who has a thorough understanding of the written word. Defining Responsibilities Probably even before you start looking for an assistant, you need to decide what you'll have them do. Do you need a Virtual Assistant to write your newspaper ads, magazine ads and newsletter? Do you have a contact manager that needs to be updated daily? Make sure that the person you select as your Virtual Assistant has experience in the areas that you need taken care of. Setting up a System Setting up your system means having the right software, hardware, instituting a reliable reporting procedure, and determining the best communication protocols. Smooth data transfer and frequent communication between you and your Virtual Assistant is the key to a successful system. If you'd like more detailed information on setting up your own virtual office visit my website, http://www.revstaffing.com, email me at deborah@revstaffing.com, or give me a call, 850-423-7186 or 404-819-2933. No matter what your production level, you'll find that letting an expert handle the busy work of real estate will give you more time to meet with buyers and sellers, which can't help but improve your bottom line.
 
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