MI: How long
have you been a VA, and why did you decide to
become a VA?
KM: I have been a VA
since August 1999 when I graduated from AssistU.
I have a varied background in sales and
marketing, retail management, law, mortgage
processing, and admin work in numerous
industries which has proven to be priceless in
working with my clients. After viewing a
LifeTime channel program about virtual
assistance with Stacy Brice of AssistU, I
decided to take the plunge and begin training.
After graduation I was still working full-time
as Marketing Director for a construction
material supplier and doing part-time VA work.
After six months I had two part time clients and
two that wanted to be full time clients so I
gave notice and never looked back. I am a CPVA
(Certified Professional Virtual Assistant)
through AssistU. To become certified and stay
certified, you must be a graduate of the AssistU
training, you must prove that you have an active
business and have remained knowledgeable with
training, trends and learning new things.
MI: At what
point did you begin working with real estate
clients?
KM: I began working
with real estate professionals two+ years ago. A
Realtor® in southern Missouri had applied on the
client registry, exclusive to AssistU, and I
approached her about working together. This was
my first virtual relationship in this industry.
During this time I also began working with a
business/life coach to help me discover “what I
want to be when I grow up.” She and I did a lot
of work together and discovered my passion for
decorating. I had been decorating on a volunteer
basis forever and with training through I.R.I.S.
(Interior Redesign Industry Specialists-weredesign.com)
I became an interior redesigner and home stager.
I have been able to incorporate both virtual
assistance and home staging into a great package
that I offer to real estate professionals. I am
also studying to be a business coach and
incorporating coaching with staging, virtual
assistance and virtual decorating. Great things
to come!
MI: Not all VAs
also have clients that are local, as you do.
Does this present challenges in trying to keep
the relationship virtual?
KM: At first yes,
but now that they understand my business and how
I work, there really have not been any problems.
I will physically visit my local clients once or
twice a week to either check in, drop off
something or a preset appointment. It works
really well to have them schedule an appointment
and I can meet them at their office. Believe me,
scheduling is everything! They can always call
me and some do after hours and just leave
messages. I follow up the next day. I think they
really like using email and I have encouraged
this more and more by providing them with
certain reports and information via email.
MI: What kinds
of services do you provide for your real estate
clients?
KM: Actually mostly
marketing. I find that real estate professionals
are more likely to enjoy the selling or working
with the customer aspect of their job and are
more than willing to delegate the marketing to
you. They just want to be able to do what they
do best or enjoy the most, which is selling. So
I do a lot of mail outs of postcards,
newsletters, updating websites, creating
marketing pieces, developing marketing plans,
and developing electronic newsletters. I have
one local client that is 45 minutes from my
house and we have never met, so they are
actually virtual. They/we have developed
a terrific listing follow up that touches the
client on at least a weekly basis with
information about selling their home.
As far as follow up, I also
do teleservice which involves making phone calls
to get feedback from agents and cold
calls-scripted and unscripted. I have one client
in Austin, Texas that I receive email through her
website and follow up with inquiries etc. Also
the creation and maintenance of databases in Top
Producer, ACT, and Outlook to name a few. Most
agents have some sort of website and usually
these are template situations. Templates are so
easy to work with and are a lot like working
with Publisher or PageMaker and making changes
is very easy. Also the great part is if you have
any questions, the customer service is
excellent. I also provide services to brokers.
MI: Since you
focus on marketing with many of your clients,
when a new client comes to you asking for help
with marketing, where do you start?
KM: Developing a
simple but effective marketing plan is what most
agents are looking for. I first go through what
they have done or are presently using and then
see what they have found works for them. Some
agents will say “I have customers that will call
if they do not receive (blank).” This is
probably something that they want to
continue to do since they have developed a brand
with this piece. I then do a calendar
spreadsheet that breaks each month into four
segments (or 4 weeks) and focus on a different
segment of their market each week. One week we
might focus on farming, FSBO’s, or past clients.
I also try to work in something new that I might
have come across via research. All of this is
also weighed against their marketing budget and
some things are thrown out or modified.
Basically, consistency is the key and delegating
this to your VA is a perfect match.
MI: Once you
develop a marketing plan with a client, how do
you set things up to maintain the plan on an
ongoing basis?
KM: The calendar
scheduling is the key. I have a marketing task
that I complete each week for each of my
clients. Real estate agents are just like anyone
else so sometimes things are delayed or skipped
for the month but at least they are provided
with a reminder that something is due to go out
to their market. The cost of items is always a
consideration and some agents I check
with before I do a mailing. Others give me an
idea of what they want to spend and I take it
from there. A reminder system is also integral
in this procedure. To remind me I use TurboNote
, along with each agent’s marketing calendar.
MI: You
mentioned working with a broker client; what
kind of services have you assisted this client
with that are a bit different from what you
typically provide?
KM: The services are
similar but a different market. Prospecting for
new agents and developing a database for
prospecting is an integral task. We have a
postcard campaign and letters, but we also look
at unique ways to reach this market. We usually
touch this market on a monthly basis versus
weekly. Brokers usually belong to their local
board or association and there are some duties
that I help the broker with such as letter
writing, and distribution. Development of
PowerPoint presentations for talks or lectures
is always fun and creative. Most brokers have
office managers but they also get overloaded so
I help out. Since I do belong to several online
lists, I keep an eye out for anything new or
unusual that I think might help the broker or
his office. It might be a new marketing idea,
computer tool, or sometimes something that comes
from another type of business can be translated
and used in the real estate business.
MI: You have
some skills in areas that aren’t typical with
VAs: re-design and home staging. What’s the
difference between the two?
KM: Interior
re-design is the art of taking what you already
have in your home and making it look pulled
together or custom. This service is an
affordable alternative to working with an
interior designer. It’s usually for people who
are not selling their home. Real estate staging
is for the home that is for sale. The home can
be either vacant or occupied. In an occupied
home, the stager will simplify accessories and
furniture, remove clutter, and depersonalize.
Whereas, with a vacant home you would bring in
furniture and accessories to make the home more
inviting. A thorough assessment will provide the
homeowner with a to-do list to get started.
After completing items on the assessment they
would invite the stager back for the staging of
rooms. With staging you are achieving a
de-personalization of the home so the
prospective buyers can “see” themselves living
there. The goal with real estate staging is to
get the best price for your home.
MI: How does
your interest in and training in these areas
enhance the work you do with real estate
clients?
KM: Becoming
accredited as an interior re-designer and home
stager has made a tremendous change in my VA
practice. I can now offer my clients more
marketing information by consulting with them or
their clients as to what would help sell the
home. Most agents create a close personal
relationship with their customers and don’t want
to provide the criticism involved with making
the house the best “saleable” house it can be.
They bring me in to do a two hour assessment
with the homeowner to provide them with some
ideas and guidance to get the home ready to sell
for the best possible price. I end up being the
“bad guy” and the agent looks like a “star.” I
not only provide this service in person but can
also do this virtually. The agent can send me
pictures of the home or the link to the MLS
listing and I can provide a written assessment.
From there we can do a conference call with the
homeowner, the agent and the assessment. This
can be a Do It Yourself project with the
guidance of the professional home stager.
MI: You’ve
worked with Realtors® for a number of years.
What would you say are the biggest changes
you’ve seen in the industry that affect your
work as a VA?
KM: Definitely
technology. The advancements are daily with new
ways to communicate with virtual clients and
accomplish tasks. Also, just the fact that
people are recognizing the business of virtual
assistance is a tremendous stride. Six years ago
when I started people would look at me and say
“what?” Now they say “what can you do for
my business?” It’s much more feasible in their
minds than before.
MI: What is your
best advice to agents who are wanting to work
with a VA for the first time?
KM: It’s a lot like
buying a house. When you get that first
impression or gut feeling that this is the one,
it probably is. If you have certain tasks that
you want to delegate, then find someone that is
proficient in this area. Make sure that they
like doing certain tasks because like you, if
they enjoy it, they will be better at it.
Develop a list or description of your “ideal”
virtual assistant and look for that. Again, just
like buying a house, don’t make the mistake of
looking at too many at one time. It gets a bit
confusing and they all meld together. Keep
copious notes and then before making your final
decision go back to that gut feeling. It’s easy!
MI: Kim, I’ve
enjoyed having you share your experiences with
my readers.
KM: Thank you for
this opportunity. I love working within the real
estate industry and look forward to the
challenges ahead.
To learn more about Kim and
her services just send her an email at
Kim@ClutterCutt.com or call her at
816-252-5002. Always remember to do a
thorough due-diligence before hiring any kind of
assistant. This interview is part of an ongoing
series of VA profiles designed to help you find
the perfect VA or VA team to help you get
organized, profitable, and in control of your
business.
