Why You Need a Virtual Assistant-with Bob Lachance-EP65

During this episode of the Lab Coat Agents Podcast, host Jeff Pfitzer speaks with Bob Lachance, a remote hiring expert and the owner of REVA Global. Bob shares the top three tasks a Virtual Assistant (VA) could be doing for you right now, three reasons to use a VA for transaction coordination, and why hiring an assistant is the key to scaling your business affordably.  Episode Highlights:  After an eight-year professional hockey career, Bob Lachance became a realtor. He did not finish his college degree because he was offered a contract with the NHL. The first deal he did was a rehab property. He realized quickly he had zero systems and processes so he joined the local real estate investment association. He then jumped into short sales. In 2005 he jumped into the backend of a coaching program. Then they started a large coaching program on the investment sale. Bob recognized that many investors wanted more time in their day. In 2013 he learned about virtual assistants. He hired his VA to build a buyer's list and to bring in leads on the selling side. Realtors can offload many time-consuming tasks to someone else and get their lives back. One of the top reasons realtors hire VAs is lead generation on the front end. The other main reasons are consistent follow up and transaction coordination. Every day in Connecticut there's a new pre-foreclosure list that's provided, and Bob’s VA goes through those and tracks them. Most of the time there's a phone number attached to that client. This can also be done with probates, tax liens, evictions, and code violations. Figure out the system in your state if you want to follow this strategy. As an agent, Bob is beating the banks and the courts to the foreclosure and trying to sell the house to clear the seller of the black mark. REVA provides a whole month of training on tasks that real estate professionals do. Bob describes how he creates training videos for VAs. Always remember that a VA is a human being. Have realistic expectations. Look at your calendar. Jot down each task and document how long they take you to complete. Then your expectations can be met. In the Philippines, there's a twelve-hour difference. They work the night shift. Bob shares why he chose the Philippines for his business. They have a neutral accent and place a high value on education. A full-time VA through REVA is $9.60/hour with no hidden fees. For part-time, it's $10.60/hour. This is competitive pay for them. An assistant with a four-year degree in the U.S. costs an average of $48k per year. They use VAs for follow up tasks because they see more closings when the human touch is involved. Teach your VAs how to use the CRM as well. Many of the virtual assistants on their team do transaction coordination. Hiring a VA to do transaction coordination saves you time and allows you to focus on income-producing activities. VAs also can be used for brand-building activities. Bob describes what his VAs do for their clients on social media. They post every day. They edit video, create content, and more. Remember that hiring a VA will allow you to scale your business affordably. 3 Key Points: Virtual assistants can be trained to focus on lead generation, follow up, transaction coordination, brand-building, and more.  Hiring an overseas VA will often save you money, making scaling your business more affordable.  Hiring a VA will allow you to take back your time so you can focus on what matters to you.  Resources Mentioned: LCA Marketing Center: LCAmarketingcenter.com Lab Coat Agents: LabCoatAgents.com Bob Lachance LinkedIn, Facebook Contact Bob at bob@revaglobal.com REVA Global website Rich Dad Poor Dad (book) Friday Coffee Break Connect with Lab Coat Agents: Lab Coat Agents on Facebook Lab Coat Agents on Twitter Lab Coat Agents on Instagram Lab Coat Agents Facebook Group