Having a bit of extra help goes a long way in the success of your small business. This is particularly true for real estate agents who work in one of the most fast-paced industries. But, whatever field you work in, a virtual assistant with relevant skills can greatly boost your success as a small business owner.
The demand for virtual assistants results from their invaluable work and the increase in remote jobs. They can help scale your business and take tedious tasks off your hands.
Because there are many abilities that an assistant can bring to the table, we’ve made a rundown of a few of the most important ones.
Technical virtual assistant skills
You don’t have to be a computer whiz to be a successful entrepreneur in the digital age. One of the smartest moves you can make is hiring a VA with technical talent. Although this isn’t a virtual assistant requirement, it’s vital for the more creative business owners who may not be as tech-savvy or familiar with certain software programs.
Computer
Because all VA jobs are performed remotely via a computer, an excellent assistant will have more than just rudimentary computer skills. In today’s cyberspace world, it simply isn’t enough to be able to power up a laptop and send emails. A strong assistant will have a keen understanding of common software applications like Excel, Microsoft 365, and Powerpoint.
Likewise, if you need a VA to help with website development or updates, it’ll be worth your while to hire someone experienced with WordPress or Wix.
Administrative virtual assistant skills
Admin abilities are typically seen as basic virtual assistant skills. This is because when most people start outsourcing tasks, administrative duties are usually at the top of the list. Tedious and time-consuming, admin work can eat up a chunk of valuable time that could otherwise be spent growing your business.
Data entry
An assistant with excellent VA skills will demonstrate sharp attention to detail when checking data entry. Your VA should be able to gather and update information in a quick and organized manner. A few general data entry tasks involve updating company activity reports, transaction management, and inputting competitors’ data.
Scheduling
If you’re an entrepreneur, you know what it’s like to be on the go all the time. Especially in the real estate business, where you have to keep up with the evolving market and many client relationships. This is where a VA with strong scheduling abilities can be a lifesaver. Outsourcing calendar management is critical to ensuring you don’t miss out on showings or listing presentations.
Communication virtual assistant skills
Good communication is the core of any successful relationship. Thus, having a VA with solid communication skills is essential to your business’s success.
In-house
In-house conversations include the communication you have with your VA. Since they’ll be working remotely, you’ll need to make sure you can count on them for clear and prompt responses. Whether you chat through Slack, Skype, or plain old email, you’ll want them to have strong oral and writing skills for communications.
Outside business
Great communication is also an absolute necessity for making connections with customers; and in turn, establishing a credible reputation for your business. So, if your VA will be dealing with your clients or customers, they’ll need to be an excellent communicator.
This is particularly true in the world of real estate, where social skills and charisma go a long way in closing a deal. Even though your VA won’t be the one doing showings, you’ll still need to count on them to excite potential buyers who inquire about your listings.
Marketing virtual assistant skills
Marketing is arguably one of the best skills for a virtual assistant to have. Without marketing, a business falls– it’s that simple. Promoting your company’s unique selling points leads to client retention, which is the lifeblood of any business.
Industry knowledge
Entrepreneurs in the real estate business know just how vital it is to stay on top of current market trends and industry development. But, that can be an overwhelming responsibility when you have more pertinent issues at hand, like getting deals done and securing new lease-ups. Thus, virtual assistant duties that include online research on competitors and new buildings going up can help you strategize marketing campaigns. The research your VA finds can also influence how you perform lead generation.
Let’s face it, the most in-demand skills are the ones that make your business money. And email marketing is a money-making skill. Launching effective email campaigns with honest and clever copywriting has a huge impact on the evolution of any modern business. So, if you opt for a VA with a strong sense of marketing, make sure they’re skilled in email copy and any relevant platforms you use such as MailChimp or Active Campaign.
Social media
There’s no doubt that social media rules the marketing landscape of today’s small business. Social media tasks you may outsource to a VA are curating content, cross-promoting, engaging with potential clients, and optimizing social pages.
Writing
Writing is an important virtual assistant skill under the marketing umbrella because words alone can convert a lead into a customer. Creative writing that’s informative and engaging boosts the value of your blogs, emails, web copy, and social media content.
So, if your VA is going to help with any of these types of marketing content, make sure they can make words pop on a page!
Personal virtual assistant skills
Personal strengths easily mark the top of the list for virtual assistant required skills. This is because these are skills that you simply cannot teach. A VA with exceptional IT abilities won’t do you any good if they’re lazy or unreliable. Thus, look for candidates who are self-motivated and self-reliant. This will ensure that you’re outsourcing tasks to someone who will help scale your business and reduce your everyday stress.
Self-motivated
There’s no question that remote work demands motivation and time management skills. VAs must be able to hold themselves accountable for meeting deadlines and prioritizing tasks.
An excellent VA will be motivated to get work done on time. Likewise, they’ll also be motivated to continuously learn and better themselves at their work.
Self-reliant
Working remotely means not always having a manager around to answer questions that arise while performing tasks. Thus, a reliable virtual assistant will be one who can make good, quick judgment calls on their own.
Ultimately, every entrepreneur wants to reach the point where they can focus on more important work while their VA works under minimum supervision.
Real estate virtual assistant skills
If you’re a real estate professional, you know just how critical it is to retain clients and maintain consistency in lead generation. And, it can be tough to find an assistant who not only has excellent marketing skills but knowledge of the real estate industry as well.
This is why it’s important to find an assistant who’s competent in current market trends, activity reports for listings and showings, and closing worksheets.
A steady source of virtual talent
At Rocket Station, we support your business process optimization efforts by providing talented, reliable VAs. We’ll hand you a virtual assistant with all the desired skills you’re looking for to support your small real estate business.
Our specialty lies in making teams of VAs suited for assisting real estate professionals. Thus, you won’t have to worry about training and managing your new assistant. We’ll make sure they’re the perfect fit and affordable for your business.
So, if you’re ready to find out how much your business could grow with the help of an excellent VA, chat with us today!
