People tend to fear change because they(often subconsciously) see it as a loss of control. The larger the change from the norms they’re accustomed to, the more they feel like it’s a change happening to them, rather than for them.
Housing prices are up, and people are getting desperate to buy! This isn’t clickbait hype, these are facts. The real estate market is in a weird place right now, with everything going on in the world. And few professionals are feeling the weirdness more than mortgage loan officers. But thankfully there is an answer to the added pressure those in the real estate industry are facing, and it involves virtual assistants. More and more brokerages are turning to virtual assistant services like ours to fill out their staff with experienced professionals, capable of handling a variety of tasks. Now, this is not about how a virtual assistant is a replacement for a loan officer. Nope! This is to educate any interested parties about how to support their existing loan officer, with a real estate experience virtual assistant. Because that is the killer combo that is shaking up the industry for the better.
[Grab a FREE Strategy Call Here]
Let’s get right to it because time is money, and in real estate that’s as true as it gets. It’s important to understand that a virtual assistant could never replace the role of a loan officer. A VA(virtual assistant) is best for a company when they are combined with your existing workforce, as a supplement to facilitate growth. They do this by learning how you do business, fitting in with your team, and performing like they’re just down the street, rather than across an ocean. The perfect VA will be doing the work that was slowing down your local team. There are always tasks that are a bit less top-level or expertise-specific, and those tasks are often doable remotely. So why not have someone remote knock out that busywork, so your local staff are freed up to be the experts they’re meant to be?
As you probably noticed from those different duties across both lists, the VA really is like a supportive lifeline. A loan officer has a lot on their plate and often can feel stretched thin, especially when juggling different clients. Having an experienced real estate virtual assistant on your team to back them up is a win/win scenario for everyone. By hiring a VA to assist them you not only increase the productivity and accuracy of that role, but you save at least 50% on the cost compared to if you had hired a second traditional loan processor, locally. That’s because a MyOutDesk VA is just one flat rate per month to our clients. We handle all of the other fees associated with their employment; benefits, PTO, insurance, etc. And these VA’s are proven, skilled, and experienced people with a drive to work hard. They speak fluent English, and don’t need to be hand-held or monitored to ensure productivity. A remote assistant for the loan officer is just one example of how VA’s are changing the way we run our companies. There are so many other applications that just make sense, we could go on and on(and we have!).
If you’re on the fence, or just have a few questions, don’t hesitate to click that button below. You can request a FREE one-on-one consultation with one of our experts. We’ll hear you out first and understand what your business needs, then we’ll discuss a plan to help with even just one of our proven virtual assistants. Remember, time is money, and we don’t intend to waste either of those.
Experience The Difference
MyOutDesk can save you up to 70% on employment costs
Claim a free business strategy consultation & ‘Grow Virtual’ Guide
This right here is probably the most important part of any successful marketing strategy; content. Our CEO Daniel Ramsey had an incredibly valuable discussion about marketing in this video interview, with Mike Cuevas. Mike is the CEO and founder of Real Estate Marketing Dude; a company he started in 2015 after moving to San Diego from Chicago. He and his team specialize in, you guessed it, marketing. But specifically, they excel at video content marketing. They conceptualize, script, edit and distribute video content catered to the audience of their clients. They’ve had a lot of fun making some clever videos with the intention of going viral, and teaching companies along the way how to maintain marketing success. He and Daniel have a very in-depth discussion on the topic of marketing, and how to do it the right way, all the way. They also touch on how and why virtual assistants have been so pivotal to Mike and his team. All in all, some very valuable lessons are being given away for free here…
[Grab a FREE Strategy Call Here]
Marketing is not advertising; in fact, the two are completely different things. Advertising is typically more focused on lead generation, by way of promoting a company often through paid channels. Marketing is more nuanced and complex, as it’s about identifying customer needs and finding ways to allure them with the promise of meeting those needs. Content creation is an important part of marketing because it itself has multiple movie parts.
First of all, the content itself needs to fit your target audience in an engaging and effective way. Most people don’t want to feel “sold to”, so sometimes it’s best to put your clever idea before your product. Meaning, if you’re making a commercial, don’t spend the whole time babbling about your product. They already know you want to sell it to them. Instead, stand out by making something clever, original, funny, or thought-provoking. Humor and heartstrings tend to get the most viral action, so maybe lean into that if you can. Mike makes a good point in the video above when he talks about the metaphor of friends inviting you out for drinks. If they never see or hear from you, are they less likely to remember to invite you the next time they go out? And if you do show up, and spend the whole good time talking about work, are they less likely to invite you next time? Yes, they are. You don’t always have to be selling, but you do always have to be demonstrating value. It’s a thin line, but with the right team and the right strategy, you can walk it just fine.
It’s important to support the content you made, properly. Because it’s not just about making a funny commercial for your product and posting it on Facebook and calling it a day. No matter how good that commercial is, it’ll get lost in a sea of other good commercials if you don’t support it. Mike and his team prefer to re-post good content repeatedly, on a pre-determined schedule. Mike uses those Bed Bath & Beyond coupons as a great example. I bet you have some in your house as you read this! Now if you decide you need some new towels or a comforter, you’ll probably first think of that store and consider looking there first. That’s brand saturation, by way of physical mail. Sure it’s low-tech nowadays, but it’s incredibly effective. The whole purpose of creating content, digital or physical, is to build a brand. And the whole purpose of building a brand is to have a sustainable business. And brand awareness will go a long way towards that sustainability. In fact, Mike breaks down a very clear step-by-step plan for the ideal marketing strategy during the interview. I highly recommend giving it a watch if you want even more juicy tips.
[Grab a FREE Strategy Call Here]
One(of many) things that Daniel and Mike agreed on was that chasing perfection is futile. Perfection is the enemy of progress. Meaning it’s a waste of time to stress over perfecting every little detail, like your hair before you get on camera. What’s more important than perfectly nailing something on the first single try, is just that you tried, repeatedly. You stuck with it. That’s one of the mistakes Mike has seen entrepreneurs make too many times; wasting their time planning instead of just doing. The second big mistake they often make is not doing enough once they finally start. Too many people think their idea is the next big thing, and they expect it to be overnight. They hit the ground running but when they’re not in the lead as fast as they wanted to be, they stop trying. The most successful business starters often were very unsuccessful at first. The difference between them and the guy you’ve never heard of is that they kept at it, relentlessly. Believe in your vision and your team will believe in you. Success will follow.
This was probably less a straightforward testimonial and more of a strategy session. But you’re not complaining, right? Our readers just got some free, top-level marketing advice! Who’s mad at that? Alas, our virtual assistants still played a major role in this story, albeit in the background where real heroes often find themselves. Mike and his team couldn’t run such a well-oiled marketing machine without the help of several of our virtual assistants. They utilize our proven, remote-working professionals to handle all the nitty-gritty busy work that perpetually needs doing. Thus freeing up Mike and his marketing rockstars to do what they do best; create awesome content and get it out in front of the world for their clients. It’s a winning strategy for not just Mike and his business, but many others we provide marketing VA’s for.
If you believe your company would benefit from one or more virtual assistant professionals, don’t hesitate to reach out to us. The link below will let you request a free one-on-one consultation, where we’ll hear you out to better understand your business needs. Then we’ll help come up with a plan for how a virtual professional can help. Because we listen first, then strategize. Talk to you soon!
Experience The Difference
MyOutDesk can save you up to 70% on employment costs
Claim a free business strategy consultation & ‘Grow Virtual’ Guide
The nationwide shift to embrace working from home just took a big step forward. Yesterday Amazon announced that they will allow working from home to be an option to all of their employees, indefinitely. Essentially, the decision will be left to individual managers to make for their own respective teams and departments. This is a shift from their previous stance, which indicated they expected a company-wide return to the office in January 2022. It was at this time that they expected to enforce a minimum 3-days at the office per week. Now it looks like 0 days at the office will be required, so long as the work is getting done of course.
“The decisions should be guided by what will be most effective for our customers; and not surprisingly, we will all continue to be evaluated by how we deliver for customers, regardless of where the work is performed.” – Chief Executive Officer Andy Jassy, in a company-wide email
The pandemic has forced a lot of companies to rethink their stance on working from home. Some have fully embraced the change and made the proper steps to support it going forward, while others have resisted a full adoption and instead gone for a hybrid model, in the meantime. Is your business working from home a lot? Should you embrace this workforce evolution indefinitely? There really is no right or wrong answer, as experts will attest that there are definitely pros and cons to be considered. With so many facets of our jobs becoming digital, a hybrid work model at the least is rapidly becoming the answer. For a lot of companies, they don’t need to dive all-in, nor do they need to resist the growing demand and risk alienating good employees and jeopardizing health. Adopting a mix can give a company the best of both worlds. That’s essentially what Amazon is doing now, by leaving the choice in the hands of managers. Because what works for one company, or one department, may not work for another.
[Grab a FREE Strategy Call Here]
Amazon has over a million employees, globally. They have major centers in cities like Seattle, SF, NY, Boston, LA, and a work-in-progress facility in Washington. One might think this is a problem for them going forward, as more office space with fewer employees using them is a waste. This is a very real concern for big companies right now, as well as for the commercial real estate business. For just one example, in Seattle, the amount of vacant office spaces has been increasing over the past year. While this may be a concern for realtors, it’s a silver lining for other business owners. More employees working from their home office equals less money spent on an office lease. Now a company like Amazon will always need buildings for distribution centers, but they could conceivably reduce overheard costs by way of administrative facilities. More and more companies are turning to outside providers for remote working employees, like virtual assistants. It simply makes sense nowadays, as more and more local employees are essentially becoming virtual assistants themselves!
We’ve recently written plenty of articles about how and why virtual assistants are the way of the professional future. To boil it down to a few of the main positive points is relatively simple because the entire case for utilizing VA’s(virtual assistants) is relatively simple too!
One of the first things a business owner considers is the quality of employees they get when they outsource. While a valid concern, it’s far less an issue nowadays than ever before. Companies like ours recruit our VA’s from places with a population that fluently speaks English. All VA’s we consider go through a rigorous and thorough hiring process, that includes FBI grade background checks. We ensure all VA candidates come already with the skills and experience necessary for the roles and industries we typically place them in. A lot of them have attended universities and have all the necessary tools for tasks like accounting, marketing, customer service, realty, etc. And all of this comes to US employers at major savings. MyOutDesk handles all of the insurance, PTO, benefits, etc so that our clients only pay a monthly fee per VA.
It’s starting to seem like only a matter of time before bigger and bigger companies like Amazon, Google, Microsoft, and Apple start increasing their outsourced employee numbers. It’s literally a win/win for everyone! Companies can save money hiring VA’s to handle the busy work that can all be done from anywhere in the world, freeing up space and budget for local employees who either need to be more hands and present or require particularly special skillsets. The big names are doing it, and you might be the next big name of your industry. So what are you waiting for? If you have any obstacle in the path to growing your business, you owe it to yourself to reach out. There has never been a better time than now to at least explore the possibilities. Click below to schedule a free one-on-one consultation with one of our experts. We’ll hear you out first, and then discuss how we can help.
Experience The Difference
MyOutDesk can save you up to 70% on employment costs
Claim a free business strategy consultation & ‘Grow Virtual’ Guide
The quality of your real estate leads is very important. However, spending a lot of money on lead sources does not guarantee a high conversion rate. A small percentage of leads will convert right away, the rest of the leads typically have a lag time to conversion. Therefore, conversion rates increase the more we connect with these leads and build relationships. This takes time and effort.
Do you need help with using Zillow? Here’s how virtual assistants are changing the real estate business by helping out realtors.
The real estate market is an ever-expanding industry that you should take advantage of. Getting into it is difficult, but with the right people and tools, you can make it big. With a virtual assistant helping you out with tools like Zillow, getting in shouldn’t be a problem.
A virtual assistant makes it easier for you to understand the market through provided data. If you need an assistant for a Zillow tutorial, then you’ve come to the right place. Read our list of five ways to learn how to use Zillow with a virtual assistant.
[Grab a FREE Strategy Call Here]
Zillow is a great way to generate leads on real estate houses you want to sell. With over 7 billion visits in the past year, your chances of getting a listing seen are bound to increase. The more listings you put, the higher the chances of generating more leads!
Setting up leads is easier if you have a virtual assistant helping you out. A virtual assistant can help get housing details for you to list effectively. Furthermore, a virtual assistant takes care of lead generation so you can focus on productive tasks.
To use Zillow with a virtual assistant, the best thing you can do is compare data. Knowing relevant data such as the average housing price keeps you competitive. Use data published on the site to price correctly and get the best returns.
Additionally, by studying the data published on the website, you will gain market insight. An example here is knowing the price ranges for different locations. You can set a virtual assistant to comb Zillow data instead of doing it yourself.
An alternative way to use a virtual assistant with Zillow is to network and expand your business. A virtual assistant can easily do that by setting up your appointments and following up with calls. A clear schedule for networking saves you time and expands your growth and market share.
Going through hundreds of reviews will burn through your time and energy without generating progress. Instead, have a virtual assistant do that for you on Zillow by collecting and following up on client reviews. Use that feedback to make correct decisions for the benefit of your business.
The best way to market your business is to have a marketing team. On Zillow, a virtual assistant is as good. Use one to send emails to potential leads and buyers. A good virtual assistant can even set up promotional material such as marketing videos and house tours.
Real estate is always a bit tricky without the proper tools. If you need to get into the real estate market, Zillow is your best bet, and a VA is your best friend.
Are you looking for a reliable virtual assistant? Contact us today and find a virtual assistant to ease your troubles. Get one now and focus on expanding your business!
Experience The Difference
MyOutDesk can save you up to 70% on employment costs
Claim a free business strategy consultation & ‘Grow Virtual’ Guide
In 2018 I was convinced that the time was right to stop renting, and start owning. I had no idea how right I was, considering the direction our world went just a year and a half later. At the time I was living in a nice little apartment in what we call the midtown area. I was close to restaurants, bars, shops, public parks, and friends. But I had this feeling I couldn’t shake, that if I didn’t become a homeowner soon, I’d regret it. Within a couple of months, I had purchased my first house. I had given up the youthful vibe in midtown for a quiet neighborhood across the river. I was still close to work, and a few friends who had taken the same plunge. But gone were the short walks at night back from the bar, and the short walk the next morning to mend my hangover with coffee. But I was content with that because I felt like it was the smart move in the long run. Boy oh boy was I right about that.
[Grab a FREE Strategy Call Here]
It’s now the tail end of 2021 and the estimated cost to buy this same house(if I were selling) is almost $100k more. The housing market in the US continues to rise. In September a report was published by S&P Dow Jones Indices (S&P DJI). It revealed that housing prices in the US continue to rise. In fact, July of this year was the 4th consecutive month in which the growth rate of housing prices set a record. Twenty cities were reviewed, and the data showed a 19.9% year-over-year gain. Seventeen of those twenty cities reported a higher price increase as of July 2021 versus the same time last year. According to Craig Lazzara, Managing Director and Global Head of Index Investment Strategy at S&P DJI, “July’s 19.7 price gain for the National Composite is the highest reading in more than 30 years of data.”. It’s also worth noting, that New York, Boston, Charlotte, Cleveland, Dallas, Denver, and Seattle recorded their all-time highest 12-month gains. Something is happening to the housing market, that seems great on paper. But under more scrutiny, it may be cause for concern.
On a long enough timeline, these price increases might seem natural and make sense. After all, real estate is typically one of the safest bets there is, right? But this much growth, so fast, is anything but natural. So what’s caused it? A popular theory that was gaining traction at the start of 2021 has been all but confirmed thanks to the results of that report. That it’s being driven in part by a reaction to the COVID pandemic, as buyers move from urban apartments to suburban homes. This makes a lot of sense when you think about the various reasons why a global pandemic might be moving people to leave their apartment and buy a house. Here are just two big factors I can personally attest to…
[Grab a FREE Strategy Call Here]
Not long after settling into my new house, I heard from friends about their rent going up back in my old neighborhood. This news repeated itself the next year, and I found myself thankful that I was locked into a set mortgage payment of my own. When the pandemic hit, much like many others, I experienced financial difficulties. Thanks to COVID assistance regulations I was able to essentially pause my mortgage payments temporarily while I figured things out. My friends renting expensive apartments weren’t so lucky. There was no pausing their rent because their landlords couldn’t pause all of the expenses they incur from running a rental property. I couldn’t help but wonder how far up the (expletive) creek I’d be if I were still renting when all of this went down. No doubt people who hadn’t already made the move to own were in that creek, struggling to swim. For those lucky enough to make it out and get back on their feet, I’m sure they immediately began planning how they can never be in that position again. Owning their own home suddenly began sounding like a really good idea.
How many people do you know that went stir crazy, cooped up in their apartment for an entire year? Or worse, their studio, or even just a bedroom in a shared space? I can’t imagine. I struggled with feelings of claustrophobia myself, and I’ve had an entire house to stretch out in. So set cost aside, and imagine for a moment being confined to a small living area, one you might even share with others. A small area that now serves as your all-in-one refuge, for work, play, eat, sleep, etc. People got sick of being in that predicament real fast! So when the dust started to settle, and hope shined through, one of the first things on their minds was “I need my own space, and I need more of it”. People renting a room with other people suddenly had a strong desire to not share their bathroom, kitchen, living room, etc. People with their own apartment suddenly wanted a backyard and a garage to call their own. Hence, the migration from rented spaces to owned properties. Owners and agents saw this exodus coming, and now the market is reflecting this amplified desire to own our own spaces.
But will it last? Are we in a bubble, and if so when will it burst? Or will it just keep growing and there will never be a better time to buy? We can’t answer these questions with certainty because there are too many other questions. Is COVID going away for good? Will things return to how they once were or is this truly “the new normal”? And what of those rumors of an impending financial crisis? Our own president has recently warned of inevitable hardships. The stock market and its effect on our economy have never been so publicly scrutinized. How will all of these factors affect the housing market in the months and years to come? It’s easy to say time will tell. But as Bob Dylan once said, “the times they are a-changin’”.
If your business is experiencing growth, despite these wild times, you may want to make yourself future proof. The real estate industry is on fire right now, and brokers are feeling the heat. Overworked, stressed, questioning everything, and trying to keep up! They need support. One of the best ways to support a professional is by hiring a virtual assistant. When we’re not reporting and discussing important topics like the growing housing market, we’re supporting growing businesses. With proven, reliable, highly skilled virtual assistants at competitive prices. To learn more simply follow the link below, and request a free one-on-one consultation. We’ll hear you out and understand what you need, and discuss how we might be able to help.
Experience The Difference
MyOutDesk can save you up to 70% on employment costs
Claim a free business strategy consultation & ‘Grow Virtual’ Guide
If you frequently use WordPress blogging, you’re probably wondering how a virtual assistant can streamline the process for you. Here’s how!
[Grab a FREE Strategy Call Here]
Don’t have enough time to handle the intricacies of WordPress blogging?
Blogging is a great way to attract new customers to your site and to keep your existing ones interested, too. However, it’s not as simple as typing away your thoughts and sharing your expertise.
It’s not something you can do on a whim; you need to be consistent in churning out content after content. You can’t, however, spend all your time doing this.
A virtual assistant is a great solution to your blogging problems. Here are five ways a virtual assistant can help you streamline the blogging process:
You can spend time writing the content yourself or delegate the task. Either way, a virtual assistant will help you stay organized and take some of the tedious work from you.
Regular blog publishing can result in a significant increase in page visitors. A virtual assistant (VA) can help you with the following:
This way, you won’t have to worry about having a day where you missed uploading content to your blog. It’s a good way to stay consistent for your readers.
The WordPress platform releases regular updates to keep sites secure. Even themes and plugins must be up to date. Spending time to do these technical aspects can place overhead on your time.
A virtual assistant can help you upgrade these components. They can even delete obsolete plugins that are slowing down your site.
Your VA can perform regular backups for your entire site. In case of unforeseen events, you’ll be able to restore from the latest backup. This will also result in increased uptime for your site.
A virtual assistant can also help with market your blog. They can do so through different means, but social media is often the best. This is because there are at least 3.5 billion people on social media at any given moment.
They’ll help by promoting your blogs to the right people or groups. This way, you can generate more traffic to your blog site.
When they love your content, readers usually leave notes on your post. Reader interaction is essential to help build loyal followers and potential clients.
However, as your content grows, it can become harder to respond to all these comments. Your VA can help you stay connected with your readers by handling this task.
Making your blog content stand out on social media platforms is not enough. You also need to make your posts visible in search engines.
Getting your articles to rank on page one will yield a lot of organic traffic. Specific techniques can optimize your content so that it will rank higher.
Finding a qualified VA that can help you with this ensures the longevity of your blog. They can help by researching keywords for you to implement into your content. You can also have them optimize on-site page elements, increasing your organic search rate.
A highly-qualified virtual assistant can be effective in boosting your online presence. You’ll be able to grow your business faster without burnout. Improve your WordPress blogging with the help of a virtual assistant service today!
Do you want to hire a virtual assistant that can perform all these tasks? Contact us and we’ll help you find the VA that’s perfect for you.
Experience The Difference
MyOutDesk can save you up to 70% on employment costs
Claim a free business strategy consultation & ‘Grow Virtual’ Guide
It’s safe to say that a lot of professionals would love to have a personal assistant. Having someone you personally employ, there to make sure your day-to-day runs as smoothly as possible sounds like a dream. But not everyone knows just how attainable, and truly helpful, having your own personal assistant really is. They often get caught up in a couple of reasons why they think they shouldn’t, or can’t hire an assistant. Well, this here is a short and to the point breakdown of why you should, and how you can, hire your very own virtual personal assistant. The keyword there being “virtual”.
[Grab a FREE Strategy Call Here]
There are two big reasons why hiring a virtual assistant to be your personal assistant is an absolute no-brainer…
Of course, there are many reasons why a VA(virtual assistant) makes the perfect PA(personal assistant). In fact, we’ve covered that in previous articles that went more in-depth. But to boil it all down to the most important and undeniable facts, you’d end up with the cost and the reliability. Over the years, our customers have reported up to 70% in savings by hiring a VA compared to if they had hired a traditional, local employee. This is because a majority of the financial responsibilities associated with hiring an employee fall on us, being as our VA’s are still technically our employees. You just pay a flat rate monthly, per assistant. We handle PTO, insurance, benefits, etc.
Then there is the reliability factor. We only hire true professionals, who bring their own experience and skills. We test their knowledge and then categorize them based on industry/skillset. Meaning we always have the right person for the right job. Someone who will join your team with the necessary tools to understand what you need and hit the ground running. That’s not to say you don’t have to train them though, of course. As with any new hire, you’ll need to give them a rundown of what you do and what you expect them to do. So you can expect some time at the start spent getting them up to speed and established in your new processes. But the offset here is you didn’t have to waste time posting, searching, interviewing, and evaluating candidates. You just came to us, and we gave you what you needed.
“When you onboard a virtual assistant to be your personal assistant, obviously you’re going to train them on their duties right away. But I suggest you run them through the same training again, 6 months later. By then they’ll have a better understanding of not just how to do it all, but why they’re doing it. What they’re doing effects, what it means and to who. This will serve to strengthen their performance, increase productivity, and you’ll notice the improvement. Do it again after a year and see the difference.”
So you may be wondering how a personal assistant can be so valuable, then they’re remote. It’s quite simple, being as the professional world is becoming increasingly remote these days. More and more offices are embracing remote or at least hybrid work models, as systems and technologies evolve to support that culture. On top of that, most of the things you really need a truly professional personal assistant for can be done online anyways. Digital applications like Google Suite, and OneNote are the most popular around our offices. Not only are they free, but they can be catered to fit just about any organizational need. Here are just a couple tips from Daniel on how to get super organized and efficient with both Gmail and OneNote…
[Grab a FREE Strategy Call Here]
“My personal process is I have my virtual assistant keeping track of all activity in my inbox. They record where every email comes from; is it a client with a concern, a potential business relation, or something high level that I need to personally respond to. They will start writing the reply for me, after categorizing and assessing what’s most appropriate. Then they keep it saved under my Drafts. When I log in the first thing I do is go to the Drafts, and go down the list. Review everything my assistant prepared for me, make edits as needed, and send off. This saves me so much time.”
“Context has to be given when you have a personal assistant. The better understanding they have of what’s going on, and where it falls in your ongoing hierarchy, the better they can work for you. I love OneNote because of how organized it makes all of this for us. I have five categories that fit all of my needs. “
I hope this little advice piece is enough to help you consider utilizing a virtual assistant as your personal assistant. Because it’s not about what you have to do, it’s about what you won’t have to do anymore. Hiring a remote working personal assistant is fast becoming the norm, and we’d hate to see any serious professional get left behind. Save money and save time, when you hire a virtual assistant like ours. If you have more questions, or just want to hear even more details about how this can work for you… follow the link below. We’ll do a FREE one-on-one consultation with you, and see how we can get you started.
Experience The Difference
MyOutDesk can save you up to 70% on employment costs
Claim a free business strategy consultation & ‘Grow Virtual’ Guide
If you could sit down with someone you really admire and interview them about whatever you wanted, how do you think it’d go? Would it flow like a casual conversation between two friends? Or would it be fast-moving and direct, with a series of specific questions? What would you hope to walk away having learned, after this interview? These are things you should be considering before you try to pick the brain of someone you look up to, or they may end up looking down on you. Talking to someone whom you hope to learn from isn’t as simple as just reading off a list of questions; there is actually a professional way to go about it that will benefit not only you but that expert you’re trying to learn from. Andrew Warner is an accomplished entrepreneur who wants to give other entrepreneurs something he wished he had years ago; an easy way of talking to each other. Because when you’re building something yourself, few things are more valuable than talking to someone else who already built something successful. And why stop here? Talk to several people who did what you’re trying to do, because different success stories have different beginnings.
In this podcast our CEO Daniel Ramsey sat down with the highly successful Andrew Warner, to talk about the art of, well, talking! And to plug his amazing new book, Stop Asking Questions, which drops on October 18. Watch above, or read the breakdown below…
[Grab a FREE Strategy Call Here]
Andrew Warner got his big break when he founded a successful electronic greeting card company which he later sold for millions. After doing so, he learned a valuable lesson that is worth passing on here: don’t be afraid to take a break. The entire experience of managing an exit from a successful business completely wore Andrew out. He had been operating at 100% around the clock, constantly in that mindset of “the hustle never sleeps”. They say if a shark stops swimming it dies; he was in the mindset of some kind of entrepreneur great white! But that isn’t the way. Taking time to yourself, to reflect and grow outside of the daily grind is incredibly important. So after closing that sale he finally had the opportunity to step away. Andrew took the time to ride his bike all over, read more, and travel. He came back from this time-off refreshed, energized, and with a whole new idea. An idea for something he wished he had back when he was getting his start.
“Life is full of moments that have more value than we can imagine.”
Enter his new venture, Mixergy. A platform he started in 2004, specifically for entrepreneurs to get together with other entrepreneurs and help each other. The business had its ups and downs, it wasn’t an overnight success. But it found its footing eventually, ironically with a bit of helpful advice from a fellow entrepreneur. Today it’s a place for successful entrepreneurs to teach other ambitious upstarts. They do remote interviews, podcasts, and even teach courses. It’s a stark contrast from those entrepreneur coaches that often leave a lot to be desired. Andrew recalls paying one of those business coaches for lessons in how to grow a million-dollar business. He didn’t find it as helpful as he’d hoped, largely in part because this coach had never made a million-dollar business themself! How can you teach how to do something that you’ve never done yourself? If you wanted to learn how to rock climb, would you pay someone to teach you if all they’d ever done was learn about it on YouTube? Heck no. The future of your business is no different from climbing that mountain, so don’t trust it to someone who’s never even gone hiking.
Another interview tip Andrew mentioned, was actually something he noticed Daniel was already doing himself! And that is being prepared, with a clear direction and goal for your interview. This doesn’t simply mean having your questions written out in a list. While that helps, if you rely on that too much then the interview starts to feel mechanical. This leads to people feeling bored, and might be less forthcoming and natural with their discussions. It’s good to know what you’re going to ask, but you should also know how you’re going to ask it. You sound needy and come across as whiney if you keep pestering your mentor with questions. For example, instead of “How can I grow my sales team?”, reword that to something like “How did you grow such a successful sales team?”. You’ll get virtually the same answer, except it’ll probably be even more informative and helpful. A simple rephrasing can go a long way towards getting the answer you need, not the answer you think you want. It should be clear from the start what you hope to accomplish from this talk. Where is this conversation going? What are we teaching each other and possibly others with this discussion? Who benefits from this and why? If the conversation feels aimless, or robotic, you’re not gonna have a good time. Motivate this person to want to engage with you and give you the answers and content you want. An entrepreneur who’s hustled their way to the top of their respective business doesn’t want to sit and answer 21 questions to give some other entrepreneur a shortcut. Give them that “motivated moment”. They have to have a reason to want to be there, answering your questions and talking it out with you.
There you have it! Pro tips from actual pros. We hope this advice anyone out there, entrepreneur to otherwise. Sitting down and talking to someone in a professional capacity is something almost everyone has to do at some point. Be it an interview for a job, a podcast, business research, etc. No matter the case, these tips should prove beneficial to all. We at MyOutDesk love opportunities like this, to talk to other experienced professionals and learn from them. And in some cases just simply validate what we already know! We pass this knowledge onto our followers, our customers, and even our own employees. Because offering a wide variety of virtual assistants means having a wide variety of skill sets and knowledge. If a company wanted to hire a virtual assistant to help them conduct interviews of any kind, these very lessons would be common knowledge to any VA we provided them. If you’d like to talk more with us about how virtual assistants fit into this, and how they could benefit your own business, follow the link below. We’ll schedule a FREE one-on-one consultation whenever is convenient for you. Thanks for reading!
Experience The Difference
MyOutDesk can save you up to 70% on employment costs
Claim a free business strategy consultation & ‘Grow Virtual’ Guide
There are so many Real Estate apps out there and some of them can be expensive. How do you know which ones are essential? How do you choose those that will be helpful for your business and your remote team? We’ve put together this list of free and affordable Real Estate apps to help in your research. Let’s dive in!
Trello is one of the most popular projects management tools for real estate for many reasons. It has a free version which would be adequate for most teams but for bigger teams, it has upgraded tools that can scale with any size. Philadelphia Realtor, Jennifer Geddes, uses Trello to streamline her transactions. You customize your Trello board to fit your business processes and gives everyone on your team the ability to see where the project is at and what needs to be done next. She talks about it here:
With over 30,000 customers in 91 countries, HubSpot is one of the most widely used free CRMs real estate apps and sales tools on the planet. The best part? It’s FREE. HubSpot is a CRM that also offers marketing and sales tools. Furthermore, with the free version of HubSpot’s software, it offers contact management, deal and task pipelines, email scheduling, email templates, and more. Hubspot reported a 100% traffic increase in the first three months for Rever.VN.
Custom checklists that keep you (and your team) on track. Elegant calendars to keep your clients informed and engaged. All in one central place. A starter account is free! Realtors usually go for Clozio to stay organized. Additionally, it allows you to keep clients on the same page for all the dates and to-dos that come along with a typical real estate transaction.
Broker Assist is the on-demand agent-to-agent referral network real estate app and collaborative marketplace for real estate professionals. BrokerAssist connects agents and brokers in real-time on their outbound referrals and notifies them of inbound referral opportunities in their area. As well, BrokerAssist offers a marketplace solution for agents and brokers to collaborate on fractional assistance for deal-specific tasks (showings, open houses, inspections, etc). Broker assist is Free to sign up, free to request & assist, free referral networking.
Spacio helps you maximize open house lead generation opportunities and increase ROI by automating lead capture for 100% follow-up. Make the best first impression at your open house by inviting visitors to check-in by filling out Spacio’s professional and elegant digital sign-in form. Accurately collect visitor information and automatically send follow-up emails after your open house ends. No more unreadable handwriting no more lost leads. Spacio offers a 30-day free trial and offers affordable packages for as low as $25 a month depending on your needs.
Propertybase is a powerful website builder website / CRM combo for advanced lead generation and nurture. Its well-equipped CRM does pretty much everything a Realtor could need from managing projects, opportunities, and contacts. It makes lead and pipeline management easy with a customizable lead scoring platform. You can request a demo and decide how you want to proceed after that.
Folio attaches to your Gmail account and automatically organizes transactions, documents, and deal timelines. This gives you the ability to share with your clients. You can also sync calendars, set reminders, and even loop in service providers to make sure everyone is on the same page. It automatically detects a real estate professional’s transactions and organizes them in real-time into Smart Folders. Sign-up is free.
Zillow Premier Agent offers a surprisingly robust free CRM real estate app that lets you import leads from Boomtown! or Realtor.com through Gmail. You can set up tasks, reminders, texts, and emails like any good CRM. Additionally, it also gives you a granular look at what your leads are searching for on Zillow in detail if you sign up for their My Agent program that makes you the only buyer’s agent your leads see on Zillow.
Pro Agent Solutions is a real estate app that works with you to help automatically reach out to realtors who have shown your listings. Additionally, it can get relevant timely feedback from them that you can read and pass on to your clients. You can also have Pro Agent Solutions send it along for you. If you use Supra or another electronic lockbox service, you can link your account, further automating the feedback solicitation process. Lastly, with a 30-day free trial, this is a tool that everyone should check out and see if it is worth the cost, which ranges from $3 to $50 monthly a month (paid annually).
Working from home can make you feel isolated or like you can’t get everything that you needed to be done. Luckily, with the help of these apps and all the amazing online tools that are available. Thankfully, you are now given the ability to stay on top of all the things you need to do remotely, on your smartphone. In conclusion, now all you have to do is choose whether to completely handle these apps yourself or delegate them to your team, or a combination of both.
MyOutDesk is the leading provider of virtual assistants in real estate, generating massive GCI while cutting costs. We have white-glove service and an astringently vetted talent pool. Our virtual assistants can manage your real estate apps, keep you up to date, and research upcoming technology that can give you a competitive edge in the market.
It costs up to 70% less than a traditional employee, yes you heard that right. Realtors can access IPC and GPDR compliant productivity tracking software through the MyOutDesk Client Portal with MyTimeIn timesheets. MyOutDesk Virtual Assistants have professional experience in sales, marketing, transaction coordination, operations, general administrative management, and more.
Experience The Difference
MyOutDesk can save you up to 70% on employment costs
Claim a free business strategy consultation & ‘Grow Virtual’ Guide
Working with a professionally vetted virtual assistant from MyOutDesk is one of the easiest things a growing business can try. But did you know that the Microsoft Team app can make working with a remote virtual assistant even easier? Learn 5 tips for getting the most out of MS Teams and your VA!
[Grab a FREE Strategy Call Here]
Microsoft Teams has been around for several years but the rise in remote work due to the COVID pandemic drove major growth. The number of active users increased by 50 percent from April 2020 to October 2020.
Because of Teams’ popularity, Microsoft is constantly adding new features, making the Microsoft Team app a perfect solution for working with a virtual assistant.
Let’s look at 5 tips for getting the most out of Teams.
If you’re not already using all of the apps available in Microsoft’s Office 365 suite, consider switching from whatever platform you’re currently on.
Teams works better with Microsoft’s own applications than any other office suite, giving you a much stronger integration between your documents and communication.
While Teams integrates tightly with Office 365, that doesn’t mean you can only use it with Microsoft applications.
Microsoft provides a large selection of apps for MS Teams that integrate with other services. You can connect Teams to tools like Trello for project management or Twitter for customer service, for example.
While Teams can work like a chat tool or email, it’s best not to treat it as a “social” tool. Set expectations for your virtual assistants upfront and treat virtual meetings through Teams the same way you would treat in-person meetings.
Expect people to be on time, to be on camera, to present themselves professionally, and anything else you would expect of an employee working in your office.
Learning how to use the Microsoft Team app effectively gives you all kinds of options for working with your VA. It offers a lot of powerful features, not all of which are obvious.
For example, you can use the screen sharing feature in Teams to show your virtual assistant what you want them to do. And if you use the meeting recording feature to create a recording of that session, they’ll have a training video they can refer back to while they’re getting up to speed with your processes.
The Planner feature in MS Teams is a perfect way to break down a project when you’re working with virtual assistant services. You can set up “buckets” which are essentially projects, each with a list of tasks to be completed.
You can assign those tasks to different people, including your virtual assistant, and get notifications as they complete their assigned tasks. You can also chart the project’s progress with the built-in reporting features in Planner.
The Microsoft Team app will help you communicate with your virtual assistant as well as plan and track the progress of any projects they’re working on. This gives you a better picture of your business and helps your VA have a clear idea of your expectations.
If you’re looking for a virtual assistant to help grow your business, MyOutDesk can help. We offer a range of virtual assistant services for businesses of all sizes.
Get in touch with us today to schedule a 1-on-1 consultation.
Experience The Difference
MyOutDesk can save you up to 70% on employment costs
Claim a free business strategy consultation & ‘Grow Virtual’ Guide
One of the most common questions regarding virtual assistants is about their schedule. Specifically for those virtual assistants who live on another continent, and thus in a completely different timezone. How do you make that work? In the case of MyOutDesk virtual assistants, it’s actually quite simple and easy. As the company employing our virtual assistants, we have procedures in place to designate and assure their availability for clients in any timezone. We also track their activity during scheduled work hours, to ensure transparency for both us and whichever client of ours is utilizing them. Not to mention we just pick the right people for this kind of job. People who recognize the opportunity, appreciate the luxury of working from home and are passionate about having a stable career. There’s a degree of real commitment present in their ability to shape their daily life around this job. Let’s talk about a day in the life of the average virtual assistant at MyOutDesk. Maybe it’ll paint a reassuring picture for anyone on the fence about how this dynamic truly works!
[Grab a FREE Strategy Call Here]
Being as our VA’s(virtual assistants) are in the Philippines, a lot of them work night shifts. Not all of them though; some are assistants for companies that don’t require interaction during the day, US time. So the VA is free to complete their assignments and submit logs of work done during their own day time, while their boss in the US sleeps. But of course, some companies prefer having their VA available during the day, stateside. This is when a willing VA is assigned to work opposite hours; sleeping during most of their day, and working during what is their night time. We asked one of our VA’s about their daily routine, to get a more detailed idea of their work/life balance. Let’s check it out…
9 am – Around this time the VA has finished their night shift. They’ve clocked out and prepared “breakfast”, then relax with a book or watch something before going to sleep.
3 pm – Around 6 hours later the VA wakes up in the afternoon. They spend a few hours hanging out with family/friends, run some errands, do chores, etc.
7 pm – At this point in the evening they often take a short nap, to recharge their batteries before beginning their night shift.
It may be strange to read, from our viewpoint in the states. We’re so used to waking up when the sun rises and being up all day until after the sunset. Our work/life schedule tends to coincide with the day/night cycle. But plenty of people here locally work night shifts too! Lots of businesses are 24/7, and thus require someone to work that late-night shift. The same goes overseas for these VA’s, looking for steady, reliable work. Part of our hiring process is evaluating not just the experience and skill set that someone brings to the job, but their personality. We only accept folks who are clearly hard workers, passionate about their careers, and excited to be a part of the opportunity.
These folks make themselves available to the company they serve, at whatever schedule is agreed upon at hiring. So if you want an assistant to work the same hours as you, so they’re available throughout the day; we have plenty of VA’s working all night for exactly that. Even if you don’t need to interact with them throughout the day, and maybe just need some tasks handled after hours, we have VA’s for that too. They can get the work done for you, while you sleep and it’s their day, so you wake up to a job well done. That’s the name of the game when you go with a MyOutDesk virtual assistant; flexibility, reliability, and results. So if you’re at all curious how a VA might help your growing company, don’t hesitate to follow the link below. You can request a free one-on-one consultation with us, to evaluate your needs and discuss some options. Day or night, we have a professional for your needs.
Experience The Difference
MyOutDesk can save you up to 70% on employment costs
Claim a free business strategy consultation & ‘Grow Virtual’ Guide
More often than not, unfortunately, people running a growing business don’t realize they need something until they needed it yesterday. Like assistance; you realize something isn’t working the way it should and hasn’t been long enough to eventually get your attention. That’s when you know you need that assistance, immediately. However, finding help is another task in itself. And tasks equal time. So how about you have fewer tasks to worry about and more time on your hands? It’s possible with virtual assistants.
[Grab a FREE Strategy Call Here]
Did you know that the average length of the hiring process here in the US is 23 days? That’s almost a month of your professional time, spent trying to find someone to help you have more time. Silly. The average length of time to go from requesting a MyOutDesk VA(virtual assistant) to having one at your disposal, ready to work; is 14 days or less. That’s essentially 1 to 2 weeks, or, almost half the time as the other way. Correct me if I’m wrong, but you aren’t in the business of wasting your own time. You’re in the business of growing your business, and we’re in the business of helping you do exactly that. So now let’s go over why letting MyOutDesk find the perfect match for you is the most efficient and effective way to get help.
As you can see our hiring process is very in-depth, despite the fact that we receive an average of 150 applicants per day. We’re also not just evaluating them based on their hard skills and experience but on other factors that have a meaningful effect on their eventual job placement. Like their personality, character, and perceived commitment and passions. We want to ensure that everyone we hire into our assistant pool is not just a skilled professional with relevant experience, but a good person who’s eager to work and excited to be a part of something. People with the drive to be rockstars at their job, commitment to their responsibilities, and a positive, outgoing attitude that will mesh well with any office environment. We’re not just throwing assistants into any role at any business, simply because they can manage a spreadsheet or answer a phone. We’re placing hard-working, wonderful people with other hard-working, wonderful people. Because each and every assistant we assign to a company is a direct reflection of us.
[Grab a FREE Strategy Call Here]
As you can see, MyOutDesk takes the brunt of the hiring process so that you don’t have to. We take care of all the evaluating, testing, and verifying so that when you come to us for help, you know exactly what you’re getting, and fast. Not to mention, a lot of our assistants are graduates of a 4-year university, on top of years of relevant industry experience. These aren’t rookies coming in blind. On top of all that there is, of course, the matter of insurance, benefits, PTO, etc. We take care of all of that too. No need to worry about the cost of providing your virtual assistant with things like healthcare and time-off. That is all handled by us and through us. You just pay the agreed-upon flat rate for their services, ultimately saving you up to 70% of the cost if you had hired on your own. Not to toot our own horn or anything, but that’s a pretty sweet deal.
In short; if your growing business needs help, then the quickest, most efficient way to get exactly the kind of help you need is via MyOutDesk virtual assistants. We handle all the parts of hiring(and supporting) professional talent so that you can focus on the other part; utilizing them to your benefit. So if you’re thinking that your growing business could use some extra hands and eyes, save yourself some time and money by reaching out to us. Be it administrative tasks, front-desk services, billing, marketing, customer support, you name it; we have proven professionals ready to dive in. You can count on them because we count on them. Follow the link below for a free one-on-one consultation, so we can discuss your needs and how we might be able to help.
Experience The Difference
MyOutDesk can save you up to 70% on employment costs
Claim a free business strategy consultation & ‘Grow Virtual’ Guide
Stop chasing and begin attracting the right customers. Here is how to get attraction marketing in four simple steps.
It’s simple, attraction marketing is where people or businesses seek out products or services that could add value to their life or business on their own, by referral, or by search.
[Grab a FREE Strategy Call Here]
Remember, this isn’t about you. If you are out there in the world shouting from the rooftops about “Me, myself, and I”, this is your first mistake.
“How you attract people is by making it about them and what you can do for them. Or how you can make their life or business better or what problem you can solve. That’s how you attract people.” – Cari Heibel-Briner, President of Freedom Coaching
It’s all about what you can do for others. Rather, how can you help your people?
You must figure out the problems you solve, how it benefits them, and develop messaging that communicates this that anyone can understand.
Master the message and how you can be consistent with this message is essentially for attraction marketing as it tells people who you are, what you do and how it benefits others very quckly.
Let’s take a real estate company for example. A fantastic value proposition for a real estate professional who focuses on seller clients would be: “I help people get more money in less time when selling their home”. Conclusively, this is an extremely simple and powerful way to tell people what you do and how you can help in less than 10 seconds.
Here is a quick and easy formula, “I help (who is your ideal customer), to get this benefit (the client wins), doing what for the client (industry/product/service)?
Pool Construction Company: I help homeowners create their dream backyards, with energy-efficient pools.
What are the key elements of a Value Proposition?
Your ideal client should be climbing over the table to say, “I want it”, “where do I sign”, “how can I get some”, or “I’m ready!”
If that isn’t their response, you’ve gotta go back to the drawing board.
[Grab a FREE Strategy Call Here]
If you haven’t achieved good levels of attraction marketing, it may be because you are trying to speak to everyone and are not being true to your authentic self. Unfortunately, not enough people know who you are and that’s why some entrepreneurs are forced to go out and chase business.
Find your tribe.
Facebook groups, Clubhouse clubs, Linkedin groups, Telegram groups, there are many places where people go to be a part of something that piques their interest. Thus, your people are out there! You just have to find them.
Start building the relationships that will be the bedrock for attraction marketing for your business.
What are some habits that can help you be consistent in continuing to deliver on these?
As you transition from chaser to attractor, there is also a personal transformation that needs to happen. Indeed, the transformation to attraction marketing is going from ‘Entrepreneurial’ to ‘Strategic’.
You need a strategy in place that can allow you to be consistent in delivering your message week after week. Secondly, building a schedule that fits your lifestyle and business needs for weekly planning, messaging, and measuring success.
Once attraction marketing has begun to build and results are coming in, it then becomes about managing and improving the process. It’s vitally important to create standard operating procedure documentation around this process. Furthermore, you can identify which parts, or the entirety of this process, to delegate to an employee.
When that happens, you are ready to hire a Marketing Virtual Assistant to manage these procedures.
This will free up time to focus on other important aspects of business or life while your revenues continue to grow.
We have a ton of awesome (and free) resources to help any entrepreneur scale up their business, you can access that by clicking this link.
Are you ready to double your business? Sign up for a 100% free “double your business strategy call” to see how we can tailor a plan to help elevate your business with Virtual Assistants today!
Experience The Difference
MyOutDesk can save you up to 70% on employment costs
Claim a free business strategy consultation & ‘Grow Virtual’ Guide
If you’ve used one lead generation service, then you’ve used them all. Except that’s not true in the case of Likeable Agent. They’re a lead generation company that goes the extra mile for their clients, and they couldn’t do it without virtual assistants. In this testimonial our CEO, Daniel Ramsey had a very insightful chat with John Reh, the founder of Likeable Agent. John has been utilizing virtual assistants since 2016, to help him and his team with a wide variety of tasks. Ranging from simple inbox management to conducting research, his VA’s(virtual assistants) have become happy, productive members of his team. Read on, and watch above, to learn exactly how he was able to find so much success employing professionals halfway around the world.
[Grab a FREE Strategy Call Here]
John had years of experience as a recruiter before he founded his own business. That experience came in handy when turning to MyOutDesk for some virtual assistants. We talent match our people to fit specific business needs, but finding the right person goes way beyond just skills on paper. John actually finds more value in finding the right personality first, then building up the necessary skills. Because anyone can learn how to do just about anything, but not everyone is reliable, friendly, passionate or motivated. And John wanted someone he could count on as well as get along with before he trusted them with valuable business duties. Luckily we value personality as well when we hire. Every VA we’ve assigned has not only got the job done well but got along great doing it.
“Consider where you can use help. What can I do and what should I do? Those are often different things; could I be doing something that’s more productive?”
What brought John to MyOutDesk was the realization that he was spending too much time doing work that should be delegated out. He needed reliable help with the busy work so that he could focus his experienced time on more dollar-productive tasks. Like focusing more on client relations, personally. Onboarding his new VA’s was easy because his company already had created templates for most of the tasks they’d be handing over. One such task was able to exist because of the VA’s; customer support. They created an inbox and a text message line specifically for existing customers to reach out to for help. The VA managed incoming questions and resolved issues accordingly.
[Grab a FREE Strategy Call Here]
One of the ways Likeable Agent sets itself apart from other lead generation companies is the quality of leads they provide. They don’t just hand over a list of cold calls, they take time to curate those leads and organize them based on viability. This is another area that our VA’s came in handy; doing the research needed to better understand those leads. They do the homework to learn about every lead and determine who is warm and who is cold. This frees up people like John to focus their time on those warm leads, so they can be sure the leads they provide are truly valuable. And on the flip side, they have VA’s handling new customer intake. Building up the accounts of new clients, welcome them to LikeableAgent while local employees focus on getting more clients. It’s a beautiful cycle.
“They show up early and stay late. Very, very dedicated and I appreciate that a lot.”
It’s now been several years since John and his team at Likeable Agent started using our VA’s, and the success continues. All of the busy work is handled in an organized, efficient manner. Meanwhile, John is free to focus on building relationships and save money while he’s at it. He claims his income quintupled in the first year after onboarding a couple of VA’s. That’s wild! If you’re at all interested in a similarly wild story of success for your growing business, don’t hesitate to reach out. The link is below, it takes seconds to schedule a free one-on-one consultation. We’ll discuss the problems you’re facing and determine if a VA might help solve them.
Experience The Difference
MyOutDesk can save you up to 70% on employment costs
Claim a free business strategy consultation & ‘Grow Virtual’ Guide
If you’re a small business owner just starting, you may not have the resources to hire a full-time assistant. In this case, you may end up doing tasks that take you away from growing your presence in the marketplace.
A great solution is a virtual assistant service. It’s growing as technology makes it easier to work remotely.
This article will cover the top reasons why hiring a virtual assistant (VA) is the best option for your business. Keep reading to learn the benefits of virtual assistants.
[Considering a Virtual Assistant?]
Virtual assistant services come in different forms. You can hire a company that outsources VA services, a talent agency that provides virtual assistants. Or you can hire an independent assistant.
The skills offered by VAs are wide-ranging. The skillsets can be as simple as someone who perform basic clerical duties and answers calls. You can also find VAs who can perform accounting duties, marketing, and social media management.
To find a virtual assistant, enter “virtual assistant near me” in your Google search. If you do not find a local agency, it’s okay.
The VA doesn’t have to be in your area, city, or state. With the internet, the person you hire can reside anywhere.
Regardless of what your individual needs are, the cost to hire a remote assistant will most likely cost less than a full-time employee. Because their skill levels are diverse, you can cover multiple requirements with a single assistant.
In addition, there are no benefits to pay. Plus, VAs are independent contractors, so you don’t have to worry about payroll taxes. If you go with a virtual assistant service, you pay the agency a fee, and they take care of the rest.
The best virtual assistant services can help you grow your business. There’s no longer a need to bypass the essential functions of running a business. These one-stop shops have everything you need.
Services include:
With the money you’ll save, you can invest in ways to grow your business and remain competitive.
The flexibility offered with hiring a virtual assistant is immeasurable. One of the important factors to consider is the ability to extend your business accessibility to clients.
Customer service features often come with either business hours that go late into the evening or 24-hours. You’ll also have someone to answer calls, allowing you to focus on more pressing issues.
Plus, you can finally take a much-needed vacation without closing your business.
A virtual assistant service is beneficial to many businesses. Determine the specific needs of your company and measure them against the services offered by a virtual assistant.
When you’re ready to take the first step in increasing the efficiency of your business operations, we’re here to help. Schedule a free “double your business strategy” call today.
Experience The Difference
MyOutDesk can save you up to 70% on employment costs
Claim a free business strategy consultation & ‘Grow Virtual’ Guide
How would you like some high-quality, name-brand marketing, for free? If you’re not utilizing Google My Business(GMB) then you’re essentially answering “No, thanks” to that question. And why would you ever turn down free marketing!? You wouldn’t! Because GMB is an incredibly valuable and easy-to-use, free service. With a business page on Google, you can control and display important information, interact with the community and manage your reputation, curate photos, and videos, and gather helpful insight on your customer base. You just need some pointers on how to get started. So that’s exactly what I’m going to discuss here. It’s easy, it’s quick, and it’s effective. Especially when you have a headstart thanks to an informative writeup like this one! And an even bigger bonus is when you let a skilled virtual assistant take over all of this for you! But we’ll talk about that part later; for now, let’s discuss why you should be using Google My Business…
[Grab a FREE Strategy Call Here]
According to Net Marketshare, approximately 80% of all searches happen on Google. To put things into perspective, there are 3.5 billion searches per day. With stats like that, you can’t afford NOT to utilize a Google My Business page!
First things first; Google My Business is where you’ll get started. You’ll be asked to enter basic, essential information about your business. Such as the name, phone number, address, website, etc. Once that’s done, you’ll be asked to verify your account by submitting a code that Google sends to your business via postcard. It shouldn’t take long, and once you get that postcard you should immediately follow the instructions to enter it on Google. Because once this final authentication step is done, your account is verified and you’ll have access to all of the GMB features we’re about to go over.
Okay so you’re verified and your My Business account on Google is ready for use! Here are a few tips to keep in mind when it comes to entering and managing your business information from the beginning and going forward…
So your business is live on Google! All of your information is entered and accurate and you’ve got some pretty photos to catch their eyes. From here the car is driving down the information highway, but it’s up to you to steer, watch the gauges and manage accordingly. So now I’m going to go over what you should be proactive about going forward. Because if you leave your business page in the dust and expect it to do everything for you, you’re shooting yourself in the foot. It mostly will be fine, but you don’t want “fine”. You want great. So you should be checking in, updating information, sharing content, and engaging with your community. These things help keep your business a step above the rest. So let’s go over what that looks like.
[Grab a FREE Strategy Call Here]
Google allows business pages to create and share content via Posts. It’s just like posting something on Facebook, except a GMB post expires and deletes itself after 7 days by default(you can schedule it to expire sooner). Use these Posts to share content with potential and existing customers, like company news, product announcements, and upcoming events. It’s a simple and quick way to show the community that you’re an active business they can’t help but notice. You’ll also want to curate a healthy gallery of photos and videos about your business. You can upload professional photos of your product and location, as well as video clips from promotional events or a little commercial. User-uploaded photos can be highlighted and organized as well, making it easy to show off the very best of your business in the most organic way possible.
Community reviews are a fantastic way of engaging with your customers. A study showed that 90% of people read reviews before purchasing. You should be responding to every review you can, and I don’t just mean one or the other. If it’s a glowing review; reply with a thank you and appreciation. If it’s kind of a neutral review, reply and ask what it would take to improve that score for next time. Lastly, if it’s a bad review; reply with sincere apologies and try to fix it. Don’t get salty about negative reviews; use the opportunity to make it right. And if you’re not getting enough reviews, don’t be afraid to ask for them! Google encourages that actually. Here’s how…
A study found that 90% of business leads would rather receive a text message than a phone call. Luckily, GMB has a messaging feature that you can easily enable, and of course, it’s free. Simply go to your Business dashboard and click “turn on messaging” to start. You’ll be asked to enter a phone number, but don’t worry, this number isn’t shared anywhere with the public. It’s only as a means of routing messages for you. To really keep things organized and simple, set up a Google phone number associated with your business email and use that for the messaging. Then you can keep up with customer questions, and use it to reach out to leads. Maintaining a form of direct communication can increase customer engagement, and ultimately help close the deal.
I saved the best for last; analytics. Not the sexiest stuff to talk about, but it is incredibly important when running a business that has any kind of online presence. Luckily GMB has built-in analytic reporting features, called Insights. So, familiarize yourself with the Insights section of your dashboard, and use that information wisely. You can track the entire customer path and use that knowledge to better understand your strengths and weaknesses. Like, how they found your business(direct VS discovery), where they found you(search VS maps), and even what area they live in. Because demographics are important! You can also track what actions customers are taking on your business page; clicking your phone number, viewing your photos, or just reading reviews. To clarify a previous point; a direct search means the customer already knows your business and looked for you specifically. A discovery search means they were looking for the service/product you offer in general terms and came upon your business. Keep this in mind when going over the analytics.
You should be using Google My Business and using it appropriately. The above guide should be all you need to get going and keep going. It’s literally free marketing that you have complete control over. It will help with your SEO(search engine optimization), provides data about your customers and potential customers, and gives you multiple means of engaging with the community. There arent many means of advertising a business in ways that genuinely help you earn money, while not spending any money at all. And if you really want to make this an incredibly valuable experience for you and your business, you can take it one step further and hire a virtual assistant to handle all of this for you! Yes, we have experienced professionals who can log in and manage everything I talked about above while you focus on the big league stuff yourself. Follow the link below to request a one-on-one consultation! We’ll talk about how the freedom of a Google My Business page coupled with a virtual assistant can be lightning in a bottle for just about any business.
Experience The Difference
MyOutDesk can save you up to 70% on employment costs
Claim a free business strategy consultation & ‘Grow Virtual’ Guide
“I have a day off now!”, is just one of the proclamations made by a very satisfied customer of ours. His name is Aaron Shishilla, and having a real day off is exciting for him because he has two jobs! He’s the Marketing Lead and Owner of WolfPack Advising; a marketing company that Aaron started as a side hustle. His primary gig is that of Marketing Manager at Waypoint Property Inspection, based out of Tampa, Florida. Clearly, he has a lot on his plate, juggling two major roles at two successful and still growing companies. The vision Aaron and his team share are that of empowering businesses with the tools necessary to grow. All while being a thought leader themselves, who uses their experiences to elevate everyone. Basically, both companies he works at are in the business of helping other businesses see calculated, positive results. But what about their own growth? Who’s helping them see successful results? Virtual assistants are.
[Grab a FREE Strategy Call Here]
Aaron had heard about MyOutDesk via word of mouth, from other connections who spoke highly of their experience using our VA’s(virtual assistants). He found himself spending too much time juggling non-dollar-generating tasks while trying to fit in his higher-level responsibilities as a leader in two different marketing roles. This was proving a major speedbump while they were trying to grow the company beyond their local region. It was time to seek assistance from the outside, which led him to follow his colleague’s advice and seek remote help. A little over six months ago Aaron came to MyOutDesk and we matched him with a couple of VA’s hand-picked to help him and his team with those side-tasks that were bogging them down. The experience was immediately satisfying.
“I’m so incredibly impressed because I can say something to her and she knows to take notes, and add it to her guidebook. And the next week she’s on it. And I’m like this is amazing!”
Aaron is a very organized, and forward-thinking person. So he knew before our VA even started that they would need the proper guidance and toolset to ensure they were set up for success. He took the time to prepare a guide using Google Docs, with a list of tasks, timelines, etc for the VA to use as a reference once they started. This ensured the person we assigned had everything they needed from the get-go, and the support from Aaron to hit the ground running. From there it was just a matter of checking in with them over Slack when necessary. Because our VA’s are educated in the English language, coupled with opposite work hours than ours, it makes for perfect professional synergy.
“They speak better English than I do! They are just perfect, their grammar is better than ours because they have studied it for so long.”
Now Aaron and his colleagues have more time to focus on important duties that run the business, like focusing on the service they provide their clients. Meanwhile, our VA has been handling administrative tasks and social media duties. This has been a great help while they expand their brand outside their region, and focus on customer relationships. All while saving money! The average all-inclusive cost of a VA from MyOutDesk is roughly $21,000 a year. Aaron says had they gone with a local specialist to assist them, they’d easily be paying double that.
“There is stuff that you do every day that is repetitive. That you can easily scale, having a VA handling it for you, so that you can focus on something else.”
Aaron Shishilla came to MyOutDesk seeking virtual assistants to help his two growing companies. It ended up being the kind of success for him that just drives us to keep at it. Our mission is to help grow other businesses, be they small and getting started or huge and well established. Your success is our success. So if you’re at all curious about utilizing a VA for your own business scaling, don’t hesitate to reach out. Follow the link below to request a free one-on-one consultation where we’ll evaluate your needs and determine how we might be able to help.
Experience The Difference
MyOutDesk can save you up to 70% on employment costs
Claim a free business strategy consultation & ‘Grow Virtual’ Guide
If you’re a busy entrepreneur, then you know that sometimes there are not enough hours in a day. How does one perpetually juggle all the ins and outs of a business, let alone a personal life?
Enter the Virtual Receptionist.
A Virtual Receptionist or Virtual Assistant can help you grow your business. We’re talking about making more money, having more time for yourself, and cutting overhead costs.
Read on, and we’ll tell you how to find the best virtual receptionist for your business.
[Grab a FREE Strategy Call Here]
First off, how do you know when you need a Virtual Receptionist?
Ask yourself the following questions:
1. Do you regularly work long hours?
2. Is there a lag in your response time costing you customers/clients?
3. Are low-level tasks eating up your time?
4. Do you dislike your work?
Did you answer yes to any of those questions? If so, you might benefit from some administrative help.
But what kind of help do you need?
Should you bring someone on board in person? Or, can you recruit professional services remotely?
Both options are viable. But, as the Covid-19 crisis showed us, remote work is here to stay. And the benefits are vast.
Virtual receptionist services can reduce your operational costs by up to 78%.
Further, a Stanford study found that virtual assistants increased productivity by 13%.
Yes, we are saying that virtual receptionists save you money and increase productivity. Once you make the move you’ll wonder how you ever managed without one.
[Grab a FREE Strategy Call Here]
You have some options when it comes to the type of services offered virtually. The following is a general overview of some of them.
This type of service uses a computerized call system. Options for callers are limited to pre-recorded options.
Options include checking balances, making payments, or answering simple questions like operating hours. All without speaking to anyone.
These services can have a human operator. But, they can also just use prerecorded messages.
If they have live operators, messages are usually written like in live chat offerings.
Some virtual receptionists can answer and transfer calls.
Transfers could go to a different internal extension, a landline, or a mobile phone. You can choose to have live operators or automated options on those lines.
Just like it sounds, this gives you an actual person on the line.
Some virtual receptionist companies will guarantee the same representatives each time. Others opt to use a rotating list of operators to handle incoming calls
These can include scripted call centers and specialized centers. Great if you operate in a specific niche and need someone with industry insights.
Today, there are many companies and skilled contractors who offer virtual receptionist services.
These people are often highly skilled, working full-time on their terms. In short, they have skills and are satisfied with their work.
We recommend first getting clear on what tasks you need help with. Armed with that personalized needs list, you can figure out who offers what you need. And where you can get it for the price point you want.
There is money to be made and time to be saved! Hiring the best virtual receptionist is your ticket there.
Why wait another minute trudging through work that isn’t bringing you joy? Reach out today, and learn what creative solutions MyOutDesk can offer you.
Experience The Difference
MyOutDesk can save you up to 70% on employment costs
Claim a free business strategy consultation & ‘Grow Virtual’ Guide
Copyright © 2021 MyOutDesk, LLC
