During the 17 years of his real estate career, Jon Beckner of RE/MAX Ocean Realty on the Outer Banks has trained several onsite assistants who eventually became his competition and big producers. Here’s how Jon put an end to that insanity by teaming up with REVA Teams in a Virtual Assistance partnership.

Hi Michael,

Having attended several of your seminars over the years, I have to tell you that the recent seminar in Chicago was absolutely the best you’ve ever done. And I want to share how my experience with virtual assistance has helped me really understand the importance of this tool in taking my business to the next level.

I had a little prior experience with virtual projects through Elance, but I was feeling overwhelmed in my business and I recognized that working virtually is a more efficient way of doing business. I became a REVA Teams client in August and the results have been fantastic. I love the level of security I feel with having a team of professionals who offer specialized services using VAs who are already familiar with vendors and programs to meet my needs.

It’s definitely a cost savings for me to use virtual assistance. As a RE/MAX agent in an independent contractor/broker relationship I have to rent space. With three onsite team members already sharing space, it would be too expensive to pay the cost for additional space on top of paying for employee salary and related personnel expenses if I hired an onsite assistant.

My strategy is to be very hands on in this process for the first 6 months, working closely with my Team Lead. I include my onsite team members in our meetings and strategy sessions because I want all of us to really understand the process. We’re all learning to communicate and build the relationship, and I’ll be able to gradually remove myself from the necessity of being involved in all the projects.

I’ve found that what’s key to making this work is understanding that it’s a process of learning to communicate and build a strong relationship. You’ve always said that the end result of a project is only as good as the planning that goes into it. Learning to communicate the details to a VA takes practice. First you make a commitment to the process, then you work on putting the support mechanisms into place. The responsibility steadily flows to the other side in a gradual process as you get into a groove. If you take it too fast then there may be problems because the depth of understanding is less. Limiting projects to 1 or 2 at a time when first starting out seems to me the best way to make sure there will be great results.

The main project we’ve focused on so far is setting up my email drip marketing campaigns – it’s great to know that this marketing is being done without my continued direct involvement. My Team Lead has also helped me identify and focus on my target market; we’re constantly brainstorming ideas. My new website will help me develop this market and I see my virtual team taking more responsibility in managing that process.

The only way to fully realize what it can mean to your business to implement e-Productivity strategies and understand the role virtual assistance plays in this approach is to just do it. I can no longer imagine doing it any other way.

Jon

Jon Beckner
RE/MAX Ocean Realty
2503 Croaton Hwy.
Kill Devil Hills NC 27949
Phone: (252) 202-4854
Fax: (252) 480-0117
Email: jon@jonbeckner.com
Web: www.jonbeckner.com

Thank you Jon – you’re an outstanding example of how to take action and transform your business by putting innovative, customized principles into action with awesome results!

To explore the possibility of whether your business is ready to be supported by a Virtual Team, simply CLICK HERE to complete the free online business assessment —it will likely be the most important thing you ever do for your career.

EDITOR'S NOTE:
Because Jon is our success story of the month, he will receive his choice of the three valuable tools below: (BTW, he selected Transform Your Business With Virtual Assistants so his onsite team members can learn more about this innovative way of working – a terrific idea for getting all team members on board).
 

Remember, even if your story isn't chosen you still win because you get to see how other top performers do it. Besides, you can always try again!