Real estate contracts have become more complicated, interest rates have shot up, and housing inventory has plunged. The upshot of all these trends is that realtors now have more work than ever.
Yet according to Craig Goodliffe, a former real estate agent who now serves as a Keller Williams MAPS coach and the founder and CEO of leading virtual assistance company Cyberbacker, many realtors haven’t taken advantage of a simple way to reduce their workload — delegating essential tasks that don’t require a license to someone else. Utilizing virtual assistants is a key way realtors can make their businesses more productive in today’s remote work environment.
How Virtual Assistance Business Development Works
As Goodliffe explains, when realtors are free to focus on what matters most in their profession, their businesses thrive. “There are times when a realtor’s physical presence is required, such as meeting with clients and connecting with prospects,” Goodliffe says, “but a surprising amount of work can actually be done by virtual assistants, enabling the agents themselves to prioritize the tasks only they can handle. This is the best way realtors can revolutionize their productivity.”
Virtual assistants are remote workers who cover important tasks for real estate agents so they don’t have to. Freed from mundane tasks, realtors can direct their resources toward key meetings with buyers or sellers. They can also focus on building those all-important relationships that serve as the main driver for any real estate business.
Importantly, a 2020 study found that virtual assistants make existing employees more productive and happier on the job, make businesses more scalable, and provide faster customer service.
What Virtual Assistants Can Do
Studies show that nearly 60 percent of virtual assistants have graduated from college. They are intelligent, educated professionals who not only take direction but can also think on their feet and demonstrate initiative. This means they can take on an extensive range of tasks for realtors.
“Most virtual assistants can answer the phone, handle correspondence, manage your schedule, give you timely reminders, and conduct data entry,” Goodliffe says. “Others have specialized skills in certain domains. For instance, some virtual assistants have a knack for creating content, developing marketing campaigns, or engaging with people on social media. Some love delving into the details of legal matters, which makes them a good fit to help with your contracts.”
When Goodliffe was a real estate agent himself, the first thing he delegated to someone else was answering his phone. “Doing this quickly gave me a competitive advantage,” he says. “Both sellers and buyers knew that if they called, someone would always pick up. My assistant was always available to help them and provide reassurance. Meanwhile, I chose when to call people back, rather than always needing to pick up my phone when someone chose to call me, which meant I could focus my time and energy on closing deals.”
Another benefit of having virtual assistants is that they can help cover for you when you take time off. “When you’re trying to do everything yourself, you always have to be on,” Goodliffe explains. “But once you start bringing staff on board, you can step away with peace of mind.”
Despite all these advantages, does hiring a virtual assistant sound like it would add more work to your plate? It doesn’t have to.
The Painless Way to Hire a Virtual Assistant
If realtors take care to hire the right people, they will quickly unload work off of their shoulders. “Hiring the wrong people is a legitimate problem, however,” Goodliffe warns. “That’s why it’s best to treat the hiring process with the importance it deserves.”
Luckily, there’s an easy way to eliminate the work associated with hiring virtual assistants and cut straight to their benefits. Services like Cyberbacker do all of the vetting, interviewing, verifying, and role-matching of candidates so realtors don’t have to. Moreover, these companies also provide management and oversight of their virtual assistants, ensuring they always complete their assigned tasks for clients.
Start Building Your Real-Estate Empire
“As most realtors know, they do a better job of selling properties than owners on their own,” Goodliffe says. “That’s because realtors are specialists. Yet somehow, many realtors forget the value of specialization and try to do every aspect of their own business themselves instead of hiring specialists themselves.”
Turning a real estate agency into a real estate empire requires the willingness to build a team. “To win the game of business, you can’t do everything yourself,” explains Goodliffe. “If you haven’t started hiring staff to handle your responsibilities for you yet, then at some point, you need to start. The easiest way is to contract for a virtual assistant. These employees can relieve you of essential obligations and enable you to reclaim your time.”
