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 Bob Carney of GotBob4Homes , FocusOnFrederick and Bob's Brain Dump knows internet marketing for real estate. I was fortunate enough to "meet" Bob via our shared social networking addiction, Twitter . We struck up a friendship... and then a partnership when we reworked his Advanced Access website and converted it to Joomla . It was Bob's first time working with a Virtual Assistant and he was kind enough to allow us to interview him about the process.
Tell us a
little about yourself and your history in real estate.
I have been in the Real Estate
industry for the last few years. I have lived in the Frederick Maryland
area for the past 8 years. When I bought my first house, the agent I had
made it look so easy…I thought that’s something I can do. Drive people
around looking at houses…we looked at like 25 houses. Now I know what
torture we caused him. When my job as an Operation Manger went through
some “reorganization” I thought that this would be an opportune time to pursue
my Real Estate career. Yeah, opportune…right on the tail end of the
wave. It’s time to work for what you want.
How did you
hear about Virtual Assistants?
The first time I heard of a Virtual Assistant was on Active Rain . I found
that there were people out there that could do what I was doing without any
training. But I never used them. At the time I have more time on my
hands than I needed.
How did you
begin your search for a VA and what was the process like?
Most recently, my search was
unique. Social Networking can offer some of the best advice around.
Word of mouth marketing if far superior to any google search or payperclick
around. Twitter fills that void…I like to think of Twitter as a Creative
Think tank with people just like you. Early adopters have tried
everything and share their wisdom on a regular basis. I was twittering
about the desire to use an open source CMS software to manage my next
website. I was looking for simple but flexible solutions. Of
course, when you talk on Twitter, people listen. I was getting advice
from all across the globe. Some were in support and some were wondering
why I would put myself through the torture of trying to learn Mambo or
Joomla. I settled in on Joomla and racked my brain around with it for
awhile. Then someone jumped in and said they were a master (don’t quote
me on that exact word) but really really good at Joomla.
What made
you decide to work with us?
The need for a Joomla expert. And you proved yourself right away.
Tell us what
it’s been like working with VirtuAllin so far – the best and the worst (it’s
okay, be honest!) How has the reality compared to your initial concepts of how
it would work?
The
initial creation was simply amazing. The site was full of useful content
rather quick. No complaints with competency with speed and
creativity. Very knowledgeable. The only unfortunate
circumstances and one can’t control it…she caught pneumonia and it took her out
for a extended period of time… Now, time on line in today’s world is like years
in real life. She recovered from her Hospital hiatus and was behind on
her clients. Seemed the assistant needed an assistant. But this is
the problem with being your own business, even in real estate. When you
go down…there needs to be a backup. That would be the only downfall of
our transaction.
Yes, that was a truly miserable three weeks - the worst of my life. It was quite a shock to get so sick and have no staff to fall back on. As many of my clients know, my knowledge is rather specialized and it's difficult to find good help. I make you guys delegate, but can't seem to do it myself. LOL
What advice
do you have for prospective Virtual Assistant users who are sitting on the
fence?
Know specifically
what you want. Outline your expectations and set up a communication
calendar. When will you talk about current projects and progress.
Excellent advice! Any parting
shots? Additional comments you would like to add?
The hardest part about using a Virtual Assistant is
letting go of the tasks that you feel you have to have total control
over. Your time as an agent should be creating new business…not
maintaining it. Virtual Assistants remove the mundane tasks for you with
very little training or guidance.
I want to thank Bob for taking time out of his busy day to talk with us about his experiences working with a Real Estate Virtual Assistant. Be sure to check out Bob's many websites, his Active Rain blog and follow him on Twitter and let us know what you think in the comments!
Do you have questions about Virtual Assistance or tips for other readers? Please comment below!
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