An assistant, whether full time, part time, virtual, or
temporary can help make your real estate business more productive, less
stressful and ultimately more enjoyable.
If you are trying to do it all on
your own, here are 5 reasons why you should consider investing in an assistant.
# 1. A good assistant will help you double or triple your
business in half the time it would take you to do it on your own.
Professional administrative assistants
make it a top priority to create systems and organization within their
offices. With your office workflow under
control, your focus can be placed solely on generating new business, which will
in turn bring in more deals and allow you to grow. A good
assistant will pay for themselves at least twice over each year – so you can
look at it as great “return on investment” with the bonus of having someone to
bounce ideas off of as well!
#2. The skill set and personality of a top performing agent
is very different from that of a talented assistant. Both
skill sets are required to successfully run a real estate business.
Agents tend to be social, outgoing,
risk takers - they like the rush they get when pursuing and locking in a
deal. They also tend to lack the
discipline to create systems and organization in their office because building
business and showing property always take precedent. Assistants, on the other hand, like structure
and stability. They want order in their
lives and tend to be good at anticipating the needs of others. In a successful real estate office, homes
must be sold, but all of the paperwork and details that go into operating an
office must also be attended to. If you
are trying to wear both hats, chances are parts of your business are not
running as efficiently as they could and as a result, you are limiting your
earning potential.
#3 Agents need assistants even more in a slow market
because an even larger part of an agent’s day must be spent prospecting and
networking.
With an assistant in your office capturing
incoming calls, coordinating your marketing program, managing your escrows and
managing your calendar, you will have far fewer distractions to keep you from
reaching your daily prospecting goals. Assistants are also excellent
motivators. Unlike your business coach
who may check in with you once per week, your assistant knows whether you are
on task and working on priorities throughout the day, everyday. A good assistant makes it their #1 job to
make sure you have the necessary resources and time to do your job well
– to focus on building business.
#4 Assistants help agents avoid burn out.
You can’t
be a 7-day wonder forever. Eventually
the enthusiasm…and adrenalin will wear off. Everyone (even real estate
agents) needs at least one full day off each
week. Having an assistant (even a part
time one) will allow you to get the rest
you need so you can perform at your best.
#5 An assistant gives you the freedom to do more of the
things you want.
Real estate is a wonderful
business. Your earning potential is
limited only by your imagination, and you have absolute flexibility with your
time – if you choose to. An assistant
makes it possible for you to balance real estate with family, to take the
vacations you have always wanted, and to earn much more money than you could
earn on your own.
Experienced business coaches and office managers will often tell
agents to get an assistant before they think they need one, and before they
think they can afford it. That is
how valuable an assistant is to your business. If you can’t afford full time;
get someone part time. If you can’t
afford part time; hire someone temporarily or virtually. The more time you spend generating new
business and the less time you spend on administrative tasks, the happier, more
relaxed and successful you will ultimately be!
So true! When I finally hired an assistant part time I was able to double my prospecting efforts and within 6 months my sales went from 1 per month to 3 per month!
Posted by: Larry | January 13, 2009 at 03:33 PM