That’s where real estate virtual assistants come in. With the help of these VAs, you streamline your business and automate repetitive, non-dollar-productive tasks.

Additionally, there are strategies we can use that utilize virtual assistants directly to save you money and boost profits. With that said, here are some Key Takeaways you’d find in the article:

KEY TAKEAWAYS

• Virtual Assistants can save up to 70% or more on labor costs
• Real Estate VAs can handle repetitive administrative tasks so you can focus on core responsibilities that drive profit.
• You can hire specialized Virtual Assistants that help you find leads, promote your business, and boost your overall online presence.
• You can hire virtual assistants through freelancing platforms or Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) companies.
• India generally has slightly cheaper rates, but the Philippines is still the go-to for real estate and property management.

How To Boost Profits by Outsourcing Real Estate Virtual Assistants

Boosting profits can come in many forms – but primarily, this comes in the form of saving up on labor costs. In countries like the Philippines, the cost of living is low paired with a low minimum wage.

With lower labor prices and high English capability, the Philippines is a prime destination for outsourced staff. The country has a lot of talented and skilled workers, especially in the Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) industry.

That said, here’s a rundown of what you need to know regarding the cost of outsourcing to the Philippines.

Outsourcing Costs to The Philippines

There are several ways you can hire a real estate virtual assistant, but, the most popular are freelancing platforms like Upwork and OnlineJobsPh or BPO Companies.

As such, the cost of outsourcing to the Philippines depends on where you source the talent. For example, if you outsource to freelance, you may have a lower rate, but you lack security, training, management, and support, and may have trouble finding someone suitable (or someone who will stay).

Some smaller companies have made this work successfully, but many others have had negative experiences so it can take a little bit of trial and error. There are also BPO companies that provide outsourced staff, along with mitigating most of the above concerns.

Boosting Profits by Delegating Administrative Tasks

Real estate virtual assistants (VAs) provide administrative, technical, and creative support remotely, freeing agents and brokers to focus on core activities.

Studies suggest that repetitive, non-dollar productive administrative tasks can take up to 60% of a worker’s week. Naturally, this would drive productivity down for your in-house staff.

But real estate agents can delegate these tasks to virtual assistants so in-house staff can help drive profit to the firm. That said, here are some of the tasks you can assign to a real estate VA:

• bookkeeping
• property research
• website administration
• digital marketing
• appointment/ open house scheduling

To get more in-depth about the tasks, check out our article “Outsourcing Tasks To Real Estate Virtual Assistants“.

Hiring Virtual Assistants for Real Estate Lead Generation

Virtual assistants can help streamline lead generation for your real estate business.

Typically, virtual assistants were used by corporations to handle mundane, non-essential activities. But a virtual assistant can do more for a real estate company than just handle paperwork; they can also assist with lead generation to help directly drive business to your firm.

Attracting potential customers and collecting their information for further sales funnel progression is what lead generation is all about. Potential customers can be attracted to your company in a number of ways including:

• Cold Calling
• Facebook/Social Media Leads
• Cold Email Outreach
• Text Message Marketing
• Organic Leads

Where Can I Hire Real Estate Virtual Assistants?

As mentioned earlier, there are two primary ways you can hire a virtual assistant in the Philippines -Freelancing Platforms and BPOs. Naturally, there are pros and cons to each.

If you go on an online job board to find your VAs, you get a list of talented real estate VA applicants. You see their resumes, past jobs, and evaluations. You can also post job postings to attract applicants.

However, this means that you need to handle all the onboarding, interviews, background checks, payroll, and everything in between.

On the other hand, when recruiting virtual assistants from a BPO, only managers need to be involved. After giving pricing and other info on their website, a sales rep will contact you with pricing details.

Real Estate agents also get the following benefits when partnering with a BPO:

• Access to a wide talent pool
• 24/7 Operations
• Access to highly skilled and professionally trained workers
• Enhanced Flexibility and Cost Savings
• Updated Equipment / Backup Power In Case Of Blackouts
• BPOs cover all onboarding processes
• Ensured Data Security

There are a lot of ways you can get a VA depending on your preference. However, the important thing is that you hire a qualified real estate virtual assistant.

Here’s a quick rundown of what you need to know:

• Virtual assistant qualifications can signify several things. Real estate agents are in the same field, but their pain points vary.
• To answer “What Makes a Real Estate Virtual Assistant Qualified?” consider what duties take up most of your time. Separate critical (dollar-productive) from non-essential tasks.
• You can do this for a week to determine your needs. Log the chores you’re completing, the time each day or week, and if it’s vital.

India Vs the Philippines in Outsourcing

By hiring Filipino staff, clients can save a large amount in wage payouts, but pricing isn’t the only selling point. When companies outsource to the Philippines, they can hire workers that are:

• Diligent
• Proficient in Conversational English
• Adept to Western Culture
• Fast Learners
• Willing to climb the ladder to advance their careers

Savings shouldn’t be your only consideration when outsourcing, though. Consider the country’s outsourced infrastructure, government support, and culture when looking at India Vs the Philippines in Outsourcing.

Additionally, a Cushman and Wakefield study revealed that 89% of property management clients already outsource to the Philippines. And, for the top countries that do outsourcing, India is still #1 when it comes to outsourcing IT-related tasks while the Philippines is #1 for customer service and back-office operations.

CONCLUSION

If you don’t do your research and pick the best BPO provider, outsourcing might be a risky business investment. These risks can be minimized, and the benefits of outsourcing can be realized with some preparation, study, and the application of new technologies, methods, and knowledge.

Global Strategic can assist you to start outsourcing and provide you with a Strategic Advantage to beat the competition. Contact us today and learn how outsourcing to the Philippines can help your business flourish.

The post Boost Profits With Real Estate Virtual Assistants – Outsourcing 101 appeared first on Global Strategic Business Process Solutions.

Real estate agents have trouble scaling their businesses. As it grows, so does the workload. However, a lot of agents can’t afford to hire locally.

So, the best alternative is outsourcing virtual assistants to help with repetitive tasks, documents, and other administrative duties.

With that said, how exactly do you find qualified, cost-effective virtual assistants that can get the job done?

What Makes Real Estate Virtual Assistants Qualified?

When we talk about the qualifications of a virtual assistant – this could mean many things. Even though real estate agents are in the same industry, the pain points of each individual business or firm are different.

So, to answer the question “What Makes A Real Estate Virtual Assistant Qualified?” – you have to think about what tasks take up most of your time. When doing so, try to separate the essential (dollar productive) vs non-essential tasks.

You can do this for one week to give you a baseline for what you need to be done. Log the tasks you’re doing, the time spent per day or week doing the tasks, and if it’s essential or not.

Here’s an example table:

As per the table above, you can see that non-essential tasks like social media, lead generation, cold calling follow-ups, and especially, listing for buyers, take up a bulk of a real estate agent’s weekly workload. Generally, you can easily outsource these non-essential tasks.

Freeing up time means you get more time to focus on core tasks that drive profit for your firm. And, qualified real estate virtual assistants are those with experience or training in the tasks listed above.

Here are some more examples of real-estate tasks you can outsource to a virtual assistant:

• Broker’s Price Opinion
• REO Billing and Reimbursement
• Social Media Marketing
• REO Administrative Solutions
• Accounting and Bookkeeping

How Much Do Qualified Real Estate Virtual Assistants Cost?

Pricing depends on the specific roles that a business needs to fill. But, the rates of virtual assistants in the Philippines range from $1.50 on the low end and $20 on the high end.

However, this rate mostly applies to freelance virtual assistants you’d find on platforms such as Upwork. Those with $1.50/hour and below rates are mostly entry-level VAs with little to no proper training.

Meanwhile, hiring from a Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) company in the Philippines ensures that the real estate virtual assistants are qualified and professionally trained. The rate for VAs here ranges from $8.50/hr or higher depending on the task.

You can also hire in other countries such as India. But, when it comes to India Vs the Philippines, the latter does cost less, however, the proficiency in English, accent, and the westernized culture of Filipinos make them a perfect fit in the real estate industry.

Now that you know what makes a real estate virtual assistant qualified and the standard rates, let’s talk about the hiring process.

How To Hire A Real Estate Virtual Assistant

Online Job Boards

There are two primary ways you can source or find a real estate VA. First, you have your online job boards. These are sites such as Upwork and OnlineJobsPh.

Here, you get a list of virtual assistant candidates in several niches including real estate. You get to see their resumes, previous job history, and reviews. Additionally, you can also post job listings so interested candidates can come to you to apply.

Still, there are pros and cons to this approach that we need to consider.

Pros and Cons Of Hiring Real Estate Virtual Assistants From Online Job Boards:

Online Job Boards are simple and effective platforms you can use to find talented virtual assistants. Also, creating an account and posting a job listing takes a few minutes. That said, here are some things you need to think about before hiring from these platforms:

PROS of Online Job Boards

• Easy account creation
• Can Source Thousands Of Talent
• You get to be visible to candidates actively looking for work

CONS of Online Job Boards

• An overwhelming number of applicants (especially if the rate is above $3-$5 USD)
• Interviewing Applicants takes up a lot of time for in-house staff
• The onboarding process can be complicated with everything done virtually
• Frequent Blackouts

Pros And Cons Of Hiring Through Business Process Outsourcing (BPO)

The BPO industry in the Philippines is massive. Currently, the country is known as the BPO Capital of the World – and for good reason.

Previously, BPOs became synonymous with call centers. But, thanks to advancements in technology, the infrastructure of the industry grew rapidly. Now, BPOs cover a variety of niches from property management, real estate, social media, and more.

Going to a BPO Company means that you only need to talk at a managerial level when hiring virtual assistants. A sales representative would contact you after providing details through their website with the pricing and other important info.

That said, here are some of the pros and cons you need to consider:

PROS of BPOs

• Access to a wide talent pool
• 24/7 Operations
• Access to highly skilled and professionally trained workers
• Enhanced Flexibility and Cost Savings
• Updated Equipment / Backup Power In Case Of Blackouts
• BPOs cover all onboarding processes
• Ensured Data Security

CONS Of BPOs

• Loss Of Control
• Hidden Costs
• Overdependence

How do I know if I should be looking at outsourcing?

Assess your company’s staffing. Do you experience seasonal volume swings? Have you seen high attrition in accounting, customer service, or administration?

If you answered yes to any of them, an offshore partner could help. Your business will gain much-needed flexibility, allowing it to better handle industry ebbs and flows.

Offshore staffing is easier and more cost-effective than in our customers’ operations. By outsourcing repeatable, data-heavy, redundant, and time-consuming processes, you can increase internal efficiency, staff productivity, and overall cost savings.

Key Takeaways

Outsourcing is the best way you can scale your business. It’s cost-effective, efficient, and frees up your time so you can focus on core tasks.

You can choose to outsource through online platforms but this takes time. Furthermore, you’d need to handle the onboarding process, training, and payroll which can take up even more time.

But, with the help of a BPO, you get to focus on your core tasks and leave the rest of the onboarding process to your service provider. Moreover, you get access to a large talent pool of workers trained by industry professionals with years of experience in real estate.

If you’re ready to start your outsourcing journey, Global Strategic can help with your business needs and give you the Strategic Advantage needed to edge out the competition. Contact us today and learn more about how offshore outsourcing to the Philippines can help your business and future business growth.

The post How To Find Qualified Real Estate Virtual Assistants? appeared first on Global Strategic Business Process Solutions.

Traditionally, businesses delegate repetitive non-core tasks to virtual assistants. But, aside from administrative tasks, a virtual assistant can help realty businesses gain leads using simple strategies.

That said, here are some key takeaways you can find throughout the article:

KEY TAKEAWAYS

Virtual assistants are definitely a beneficial asset to any realty firm. But, before thinking about assigning lead generation tasks, make sure that you hire a qualified real estate virtual assistant.

You need a sustainable strategy in order to effectively use virtual assistants for lead generation. Furthermore, there are several ways to find leads including the following:

• Cold Calling
• Facebook/Social Media Leads
• Cold Email Outreach
• Text Message Marketing
• Organic Leads

With this in mind, here are the best ways you can utilize your virtual assistants to find leads for your realty businesses.

How Can Real Estate Virtual Assistants Help with Lead Generation?

Lead generation is a crucial component of the growth of your business, but it’s immensely tiresome and time-consuming. Without leads, you can’t offer your product or service, but doing so distracts you from higher-level activities.

But, you can still get a steady supply of leads with minimal effort and almost automatically if you hire a virtual assistant. And, in the real estate industry, having more time to do core tasks means you get to drive more business, gain more profits, and scale the business faster.

Now, when it comes to real estate, you have to ask yourself what type of virtual assistant you need to hire. You can either go for a VA that specializes in lead generation or a VA that focuses on the real estate niche.

Or, you could find a virtual assistant that specializes in both areas, however, these freelancers often have expensive rates. So, if you can’t afford one yet, you can still do basic lead generation using simple platforms such as Facebook or other social media sites.

Successful lead generation requires attracting prospective prospects and obtaining their details so you can move them through your sales funnel. Depending on your business, lead generation strategies can include:

Cold Calling

One of the most useful methods for getting real estate leads is cold calling, but it requires time, effort, and even more effort to make this work! You’ll need scriptwriting skills if you want to use this method effectively. If you want to make sure something is right, look for these:

• Opening Spiel – A vibrant tone will help you get the response you want. No one likes a disgruntled caller, especially if they didn’t call first. Be calm and friendly. Add mutual interests to break the ice.
• Pitch – You don’t have much time when doing cold calls. Explain why you’re calling and introduce yourself. Tell a client what they’ll get. Be concise and emphasize why they need your service.
• Follow-up Questions – As you can see, this is a major talking point. Pay attention to the customer and inquire about their needs. One of your goals should be to establish a rapport with the customer through their active participation. To put it another way, this will aid in gaining people’s confidence in you.
• Closing – A good impression should be left with the customer. A prompt conversion is not guaranteed. However, you’d like them to have a favorable impression of you, as you may need to get in touch with them again.

A virtual assistant can help you make more cold calls, boosting your outreach. A virtual assistant can spend all day calling, measuring motivation, compiling statistics, and preparing sales leads.

Facebook/Social Media Leads

Facebook’s Lead advertising is unique if you’re not familiar with them and a useful lead generation tool for any business. They are unique because leads don’t have to visit an external landing page to opt in. Facebook’s Lead advertising makes collecting prospect touch points straightforward, usually only requiring only one click. This gives marketers valuable leads and data.

Cold Email Outreach

Cold email marketing is a cost-effective way to generate leads. In this strategy, you’ll send a cold email, a personalized email message, to prospective consumers you’ve never met.

Text Message Marketing

Text message marketing in real estate is a cost-effective strategy to reach your audience and nurture leads. Short texts that convey the proper message and tone generate trust and authority. Using these tactics and best practices, real estate brokers can utilize SMS to arrange appointments, promote services, send invites, and provide client information.

Organic Leads

Organic leads are a powerful and cost-effective way to generate leads as potential clients typically come to you. There are several ways you can do this starting with becoming a member of property or real estate business groups online such as social media groups, forums, or LinkedIn.

Interact with the members here and make sure to link your site when answering questions, but don’t spam or you might get banned. Ensure that the way you promote yourself is natural.

But, the best way you can get organic traffic is by implementing Search Engine Optimization (SEO) on your site. This means creating content campaigns, creating blog posts, and becoming an authority in the industry.

Conclusion

There are several avenues available to you when deciding how to generate leads for your business. One of the most efficient and cost-effective ways to contact your audience and nurture leads is through real estate text message marketing. Short texts that are well-written and strike the proper tone are extremely powerful in establishing credibility and trust in interpersonal interactions.

Using the following methods and best practices, real estate brokers can effectively utilize SMS to schedule appointments, advertise services, send invitations, and supply clients with necessary information. Email blasts, Facebook campaigns, and good old-fashioned cold calling are also effective strategies that can help generate new leads and convert them to sales. These are all tasks that a Virtual Assistant can help you with, allowing them to be completed in the background while you focus on the core business in the forefront.

If you’re ready to start your outsourcing journey, Global Strategic can help with your business needs and give you the Strategic Advantage needed to edge out the competition. Contact us today and learn more about how hiring virtual assistants can help your real estate business can achieve your goals.

The post Real Estate Lead Generation With Virtual Assistants: Top Strategies appeared first on Global Strategic Business Process Solutions.