Sarah Reiter, owner of Creative Agent Solutions in Phoenix, specializes in working with a team of hand picked and highly trained VAs to offer services ranging from transaction coordination to custom database management. Here's how she does it.

MI: What was your background prior to becoming a VA?

SR: I have always been interested in sales and real estate. Also, my mother and father are both entrepreneurs so I naturally gravitate toward the same independent mindset. I was a student majoring in Communications at the Arizona State University when I answered an ad in the school newspaper to work as an assistant to a realtor/lender team. I actually started working as a freelancer for them virtually before I even heard of the term ‘Virtual’ Assistant. I mainly assisted them with lead generation, along with contact database management and direct mail marketing. Eventually, through networking I met other agents that wanted me to perform similar activities including transaction coordination. This is what first sparked my interest in starting a business around these requests.

MI: When did you start officially calling yourself a VA, and how did that come about?

SR: I was propositioned by other real estate professionals in the industry to work for them in addition to the realtor/lender team I started with, so I began to research just what services I should offer and stumbled upon Transaction Management software and the Virtual Assistant industry as a whole. I immediately obtained a website and various designations and officially started operating as a Virtual Assistant about 4 years ago. My company was officially incorporated a little over 2 years ago.

MI: What type of clients do you work with?

SR: I work with all types of agents. Some are brand new and they need a website, CRM system, and consulting on types of lead generating sources and/or marketing strategies, etc. Other agents are so swamped with business by the time they contact me, that helping them with organization and time management techniques becomes more of our initial focus.

MI: What are the primary services that your company provides?

SR: Our three signature services are Lead Management (specifically Phone Lead Follow-Up), Online Transaction Coordination (OTC), and Contact Database Management (CDM). We also offer software/website customization, desktop publishing, drip email maintenance, direct mail farming, and can also assist with special projects and campaigns.

MI: Why did you decide to focus on transaction coordination services?

SR: It’s obvious to me that with the technology available Online Transaction Coordination will be the industry standard. Offering an agent the ability to transition to a paperless process will be in high demand. Not to mention the time that an agent spends on administrative tasks during a transaction is much better spent in the field generating deals.

MI: How would you describe a typical transaction that you would manage for a client?

SR: I don’t know about typical. Transactions are sort of like snowflakes…no two are alike. I can say that the ‘ideal’ transaction would involve two transaction coordinators representing each party with loan officers and title reps that are responsive and offer timely feedback. This would yield the smoothest closings.

MI: Are there transaction related services you provide that you don't consider typical?

SR: Yes, we allow agents to add marketing tasks to their transaction ‘task list’ when they submit a new listing. Typical tasks may include designing virtual tours, uploading listings to their website, creating listing flyers, optimizing realtor.com profiles, creating and placing ad copy, facilitating just listed direct mail campaigns, etc. Some services such as performing a geo-farm will include an upgraded fee but most of the marketing tasks are included in the cost of the transaction.

MI: What types of tasks are involved in your lead management services for clients?

SR: The core of our lead management service is our Phone Lead Follow-Up & Tracking. We do not do cold calling but we perform what we refer to as ‘warm calling’, which means we will follow-up with leads that were generated through a lead source such as a website, 800# call capture system, drip email campaign, print advertisement, etc. We operate off of a custom script and lead sheet designed around the agents’ individual business. Our call times are in the evenings and Saturday afternoons. We route all hot leads directly to the agent immediately via email or text message. Our phone service includes lead mapping, which means we will enter all warm or hot leads directly into the agents’ database. In the event the prospect turns out not to be ready when we talk to them, we will follow-up with the prospect at a later date per their request and issue the agent a monthly pipeline report.

MI: Database management is another service you mentioned. What does this look like in your company?

SR: I have created a variety of custom designed postcards that fit into a campaign series. Each series consists of 12 designs and focuses on a certain target market, i.e. past clients, 1st time home buyers, potential sellers, etc. When an agent signs up for our Contact Database Management (CDM) service we set them up on a strategy plan based on their budget. This is where they pick how many times per year they want to touch their database. Once they decide if they want to perform a ‘touch’ on a monthly, bi-monthly, or quarterly basis all they have to do is pick the campaign series and they are done.

MI: What are the primary benefits of an agent using this type of database management strategy?

SR: There are so many! It really is just a simple 1, 2, 3 sign-up process. It takes literally about 20 minutes of their time up front and that’s it. The postcards themselves are excellent quality and full color, while the concepts of the various campaign series are unique, innovative, and available in Spanish! It is important to note that while our campaigns combine useful information with a splash of humor, they also communicate how important their relationship is to the agent and when appropriate (like in the past clients campaign) asks for referrals!! This service is just one tool agents can utilize to grow a repeat and referral based business effortlessly!

MI: You have teams of VAs within your company. What is your primary role and how do you manage the client work with your teams?

SR: My primary role can best be described as an operations and project manager. I decided almost as soon as I started working officially as a Virtual Assistant that I did not want to be a one woman shop, so I began setting up the foundation for a team oriented organization. Which team member I assign to an agent's account is determined by the service they sign up for, personality types, and the agent's specific needs. For example, if an agent signs up for online transaction management I assign one coordinator to the agent's account and that is the only coordinator the agent will work with.

MI: What do you see as the primary benefits of this team approach?

SR: From the agents’ perspective they can rest assure that their support system does not rest solely on the shoulders of one person. If a team member is sick, goes on vacation, or has an emergency another team member can step in so their service remains uninterrupted. From my perspective, I can obviously sufficiently support more clients and effectively leverage my time as well which makes me happy too.

MI: You've worked in this industry for several years as a VA. What trends or recent developments do you see that are affecting the role of real estate VAs?

SR: Technology in general. With all of the PDA’s, electronic faxing and filing systems, along with the variety of software that all sync together everything is really at your fingertips 24/7 . Being a real estate VA allows me to travel and be completely mobile.

MI: Sarah, thanks for sharing your VA experiences with our readers.

SR: Thank you so much for your time and considering me as a VA to highlight in your newsletter.

To learn more about Sarah and her services just send her an email at Info@VirtualCAS.com or call her at 866-585-3433

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.

(NOTE: Mr. Internet, his company and staff receive no compensation whatsoever from any third party vendors or service providers. Also any virtual assistant or consultant mentioned in this publication is not to be construed as an endorsement of their services by Mr. Internet or his company. Always remember to do a thorough due-diligence before hiring any kind of assistant.)