With an enthusiasm for Virtual Assistance that
literally knows no national boundaries, Tammy
Lorette of
Virtually-Yours in Midland, Ontario shows
her clients just how “virtual” real estate
support can be. Read on to see how she puts it
all together for her clients, regardless of
location.
MI: What led
you to establish your business as a Virtual
Assistant, and how long have you been in
this profession?
TL: I was first
led to this profession about 2 years ago by
a fellow VA, industry research, and the
determination to start my own business.
While researching I touched base with many
other VAs and signed up for as many online
groups as I could to gather information. The
research was very overwhelming but the one
thing that motivated me to make the right
decision is that the network of virtual
assistants are very supportive of other VAs.
This made the transition to start my own
business much easier. I have been involved
in the administrative profession for more
than 15 years, working with real estate
agents in small and large areas, and working
with small businesses and entrepreneurs. I
have always had a passion for organization,
creation and administration.
MI: Your
first client as a VA was a real estate
agent. What is your primary focus as you
continue to work with real estate
professionals?
TL: My primary
focus is to become their personal executive
assistant. The real estate professional
wears many hats and needs to pass some of
them on to someone that is supportive and
confident. Most agents work in a small
office for a large company and having the
ease of a virtual assistant working in their
own office is the ultimate solution to
reduce the agent’s work load. I want to be
the one that does all the back end projects,
working closely with them so that they can
be on the front lines at all times
increasing their sales, thus increasing
their business.
MI: What
kinds of activities would your work focus on
for a typical agent over the course of a
month?
TL: In a typical
month there are many projects to be done
when working with an agent, from creating
new print material to tracking leads and
following up with past clients. At the
beginning of each month a plan is put into
place to make sure that follow-up will be
done for past, active and new potential
clients. A tally sheet will be created to
track past month’s leads and marketing
strategies that were used from web based
content to newspaper articles. Updates for
web content are reviewed and put into place
as well as new advertisements to go in the
local papers. Database contacts are
researched to be sure that procedures in
place are still relevant to the client
plans.
Print material such as
newsletters, client letters, open house
campaigns, postcards and brochures are
created for direct mail campaigns and
follow-up plans. Email lists are compiled
and relevant material is sent out. Clients
are added to a database as they are received
through various avenues such as walk-ins,
1-800 service, mail campaign and newspaper
advertising. As these clients are added, a
call is set up to the agent and then a plan
is put into place depending on the clients
needs. Relevant correspondence is then
mailed out. This is all done through the VA
office.
MI: One of
your specialties is creating marketing
materials for your clients. What do you feel
is the most important thing to keep in mind
when developing a marketing package?
TL: In my
experience it’s very important to direct the
marketing package for the target market and
personalize it for the agent. Some of the
higher traffic areas require a larger scale
of marketing and advertising and the smaller
areas need to be more personable to the
clientele. I look at this when developing
the material to determine the marketing
strategies and advertising material to use
to determine the amount of material that
they will need. I want the agent to stand
out in their area as well. This is a very
competitive profession in all areas and
coming up with unique and creative ideas is
a huge aspect in my approach to developing
materials. I also need to take into
consideration the budget of the agent.
MI: Virtual
Assistance has a strong presence in Canada,
and I know you also work with agents in the
United States. Are there special challenges
for you in working with agents on this side
of the border?
TL: There are
not many challenges that cannot be overcome
although I am in a different country. From
where I sit I am able to create marketing
packages, locate a local printer for the
agent and have it delivered to the agent.
Another approach is to have the print
company arrange the mailing campaign which
is offered in various locations. This
eliminates the need to mail correspondence
from my office to their clients. I can also
prepare material and email from my office as
well; this is even more cost efficient for
the agent.
Through various
software programs I am also able to work
with the agent online to decrease the
workload of the agent. I can view the
agent’s e-mail program, schedule
appointments, upload web content, organize
their mail, and complete many other tasks
that can make it easier for the agent’s to
stay organized and focused.
As far as any rules and
regulations in working with agents outside
of Canada, the rules for virtual assistants
are very much the same in regard to a
working relationship and the real estate
profession.
MI: Would
you share with us some of the reasons why
you feel Virtual Assistance works so well in
the real estate industry?
TL: 1) Real
estate professionals work from home or from
a small office. Having an assistant in the
office is not an option as space would be an
issue. Virtual Assistants have their own
office and space.
2) Real estate
professionals don’t need to hire a full time
assistant. Having a virtual assistant they
are able to purchase a set amount of hours
or pay as they go depending on the work load
and how much time they want to free up to
focus on their business.
3) Virtual Assistants
have the computer expertise, the software
and the equipment that the real estate
professional is seeking, from desktop
publishing to various software programs.
This is very cost effective to real estate
professionals as they do not have to make
many additional purchases or do the training
themselves.
4) Real estate
professionals spend a lot of time doing
administrative tasks when they could be
putting their focus on the more important
issues at hand – making the sale or taking
time for themselves. Virtual assistants can
ease this pressure and allow the agent more
time to focus not only on sales but on other
aspects of their life such as family and
friends.
MI: If an
agent is considering working with a VA, what
are the most important things to consider
before taking this step?
TL: The agent
should consider someone that will meet their
needs both professionally and personally.
Communication to the VA is important so that
they can determine what is to be expected.
Find out what strategies the VA has in place
to determine the best possible way to
enhance your business…does this sound like
something you would benefit from? The agent
needs to determine of course the expertise
and experience of the VA…what sort of work
has the VA done in the past? Do they use the
same software as you do? This will determine
the length of the learning curve that the
two of you will have to go through. The
agent will also want to know price and
availability to decide if this will work
with their own budget.
MI: Do you
have any additional words of advice for
agents working with a VA?
TL: Take the
step to make this relationship between agent
and VA work to your advantage. Hiring a VA
can be a wonderful move in building your
career as a real estate professional.
MI: Tammy,
thanks for your time and willingness to
share your perspective with us.
TL: You are very
welcome and thank you for allowing me this
opportunity to share my views of the
connection between the real estate
professional and the virtual assistant. I
feel very strongly about this industry and
would like to shout from the roof tops to
all real estate professionals that working
with a virtual assistant is the best choice
they can make.
Always remember to do a
thorough due-diligence before hiring any kind of
assistant. This interview is part of an ongoing
series of VA profiles designed to help you find
the perfect VA or VA team to help you get
organized, profitable, and in control of your
business.
