Watch the Full Carrot Coaching Call with Max Maxwell. Learn More About His Real Estate Investor Virtual Assistant Process
Naturally, you want a VA that’s going to become a vital part of your business — not some email-sending, spreadsheet-creating robot.
Of course, that doesn’t have to be the case. Brian Miles at Entrepreneur writes that “a virtual assistant is one of the fastest tickets to growth in 2017 and beyond.”
How, though, do you make sure that you hire the right person?
Well, you need to take the virtual assistant hiring role seriously — build systems, create solid training, and hire someone who can become a part of your business’ bigger picture. Ultimately, hire someone that fits your business.
Three Mindset Shifts To Make Before Hiring a Real Estate Investor Virtual Assistant
Many people have the wrong mindset when hiring a virtual assistant — or anyone, for that matter. Think to themselves, “I need to hire someone to work X amount of hours every week and get this job done. Other than that, it doesn’t really matter.”
Of course, you’re smart enough to know that’s a lie.
Every single person you hire will change the culture of your business because those people are the culture. Which means that you need to think long and hard about who you’re going to hire rather than speed-hiring out of blind necessity.
Recently, we had special guest Max Maxwell on a Carrot Coaching Call to talk about his highs and low and eventually how he built a solid strategy for hiring virtual assistants.
Finding success with a virtual assistant isn’t easy. As with hiring anyone, you must give them the skills to be successful. Sure, you want to hire talented people — but that doesn’t mean you can ignore the training phase of their onboarding altogether.
Here are three key takeaways from Max’s strategy.
Build a car so all you’re in charge of doing is putting gas in. – Max Maxwell
1. Be Sure You’re Ready to Hire a Virtual Assistant
One thing that Max realized after taking a shot with a VA (like many other Investors who hire VAs) is that if you’re not prepared, it can be more trouble than it’s worth. And you’re not hiring a VA to make things more complicated. You’re hiring a VA to make things less complicated.
Still, for many unprepared employers, hiring a VA ends up hurting their business rather than helping it.
Max learned that lesson through first-hand experience. Instead of asking himself the right questions — What is it that the virtual assistant will really be doing? What do I really need help with? — he hired before he was totally prepared.
And the last thing you want is for your virtual assistant to start off feeling lost because you didn’t prepare.
Before hiring your first virtual assistant, document a very clear picture of your needs and what tasks they will be covering for you. Keep a running list for a few months, documenting every time you feel like a VA would have helped in that situation.
Also, consider how much you can pay. Virtual assistants are typically a bargain, but if you have a little more to pay them, it’s possible that you can retain them for the long-term if they work out. Plus, you often get what you pay for.
2. You Need Systems and Processes
Max found success when he created a system, mastered the system himself, created a training process for that system, and then handed it off to his VA. But, he didn’t get that right the first time. It was a learning process for him.
For example, Max has created a specific CalRail number just to use for a mock phone call. When considering a VA, he’ll call them to hear how they interact over the phone. If they speak well and have good people skills, they can move on to the next step of his hiring process.
He’s trained himself to know exactly what he’s looking for when considering someone to manage outbound calls.
Too many employers hire their VA because they need something done and they need it done now. They don’t take the time to consider how valuable that VA can be if they actually create systems and processes to empower the VA to do the best work that they can.
Take time to create a hiring process. Create job descriptions. List the key responsibilities and areas the VA will be working in. Utilize applicant tracking software to streamline the hiring process. If you don’t want to create a written version, simply shoot a quick video that lays out the role you’re looking to hire for.
3. Treat Your Real Estate Investor Virtual Assistant Like an Actual Employee
If you take the time to get to know your virtual assistant, the less likely the situation is going to be a bad one. Take the time to treat them as if they were in the office right next to you. Treat them like the human that they are. You wouldn’t hire an office manager and then never get to know what their dreams and goals are. So, why would you treat a virtual assistant any different?
Exactly.
Their job is just as important (if not more important) as any and they should be treated that way.
Treat your virtual assistant’s role as any other within your business. You’ll build loyalty and a stronger worker from that meaningful relationship.
Get to know their culture, their goals, the dreams.
Conclusion
Before looking for a virtual assistant, build your systems, create your training strategy and set the right expectations. You need to set them up for success rather than blame them for failures. Remember, you must be an expert first. Then, and only then, will you be able to successfully hire and train your first virtual assistant.