If you're so busy you need an assistant, yet you don't want the hassle of dealing with an employee, keeping track of employment records, and paying out a full-time salary, a virtual assistant may be the answer for you.

My marketing coordinator, Amy, lives several states away, yet she is able to handle all of my advertising, design, and web site management – things that would take away too much time from what I need to be doing, namely listing and selling houses. We communicate every day through email and occasionally the telephone. All work passes through the Internet or a fax machine. This arrangement has been extremely rewarding, both for me and for Amy.

Below are just a few of the things handled by Amy:

• Tips for newspaper
• Weekly classified ads
• Weekly display ads
• Weekly flyer for radio show
• Weekly flyer for BNI leads club
• Weekly flyer (4 up) of listings faxed to Realtors
• Monthly ad for real estate books
• Monthly newsletter
• Monthly prospecting from real estate books
• Flyers for listings
• Just listed/Just sold postcards
• Develop new FSBO programs
• Marketing pieces for Expired listings
• Create marketing material for open house parties new to the neighborhood for buyer reps)
• Relocation packets
• All web sites updated
• Press releases
• E-zine articles

The advantage to me is that I don't have to provide office space for her, I don't have to pay her a fixed salary – she works on commission, based on the number of closings we have each month – and I don't have to file a lot of complicated tax paperwork on her. I also don't have to provide insurance, vacation pay, or sick pay.

The advantage to her is that she gets to work at home. She doesn't have to fight traffic going to and from work, she doesn't have to buy a fancy wardrobe, and she doesn't have to abide by a rigid, 9 to 5 schedule. Many people enjoy having a flexible work schedule. While I don't pay her an enormous salary, Amy can handle work from several agents, so she's still able to enjoy a nice paycheck every month. And even though, as a freelancer, she doesn't draw vacation pay, she still takes vacations thanks to her laptop computer. Amy says this arrangement has been more fun and stress-free than any office job she's ever held.

When we first started our virtual office, it was a relatively new concept. There were dozens of minor glitches we had to resolve: how to transfer large files over the Internet, software compatibility, that sort of thing. With persistence and patience we were able to devise a smooth operation that we are constantly tweaking to make it even better.

If you'd like to set up a virtual office, here are some of the things you need to consider:

• Finding the right person
• Defining their responsibilities
• Setting up a system
• Paying your assistant

Finding the Right Person

For the virtual office system to work, you need someone who can work comfortably and productively outside the regimented infrastructure of an office environment. Some people lack the organizational skills and motivation to work at home. You also want someone who is comfortable with technology. As we all know, computers can be complicated and quirky. Your assistant needs to know how to resolve any minor complications and get your work to you on time. Third, you need someone who is creative and who has a thorough understanding of the written word. My marketing coordinator had operated a successful graphic design business and had years of experience as a copyeditor before she started work for me, so I knew she could work at home, that she was comfortable with computers, and that she had the aptitude for the work.

Defining Responsibilities

Probably even before you start looking for an assistant, you need to decide what you'll have them do. Amy writes my newspaper ads, magazine ads and newsletter. She also edits my daily real estate tips, which I post on my web site every day, and articles that I write. Since I contribute articles fairly frequently to a number of publications, Amy's editorial experience has been a tremendous boon to me. She designs my mail-outs and other special advertisements. She manages the listings on my web sites. She designs property flyers. What you have your assistant do will depend on what types of marketing you do.

Setting up a System

Setting up your system means having the right software and hardware, instituting a reliable reporting procedure, and determining the best communications system. Smooth data transfer and frequent communication between the agent and the assistant are the keys to a successful system. We use a variety of software packages including Microsoft Word, Microsoft Publisher, Microsoft Power Point, Top Producer, and Win Fax. Amy and I both have lap top computers, color printers, and mobile phones. I have a digital camera. We also employ high-speed data transfer links – ISDN for Amy and DSL for me. And we email each other like crazy.

Paying Your Assistant

As I mentioned earlier, Amy and I worked out a payment arrangement where she gets paid a flat rate for every closing we have. There are dozens of ways to set this up. You might want to pay your assistant a percentage of listings that close, a flat monthly rate, or a minimum flat rate with a built-in bonus when you reach certain production levels. It really depends on the volume of work you do and the amount of work you have your assistant do. With the flat-rate commission system, however, you're assured that no matter how many or how few closings you have in any given month, you have enough funds on hand to pay your assistant.

If you'd like more detailed information on setting up your own virtual office, you can email me at mail@jerryfowler.com. No matter what your production level, I think you'll find that letting an expert handle the busy work of real estate will give you more time to meet with buyers and sellers, which can't help but improve your bottom line.

Published: March 30, 2000

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Jerry Fowler, Real Estate Broker, CRS, CBR - The Results Team REALTORS®, Columbia, SC 29210. Email: mail@jerryfowler.com or visit my web site: http://www.jerryfowler.com - We get results that "Move You".