If the thought of keeping up with social media, blogging, web upgrades, and general administration causes you to reach for the panadol, its time to think about outsourcing some of these tasks, and it may well save you money as well as time.
Technology is supposed to save us time, make our lives easier and cut down on paper. It is also supposed to end up a whole lot more efficient and make us more profitable. Except that technology has moved forward at a rapid rate, and now we now have to do all that we had to do before for example prospect for new business, list properties for sale, sell, follow up, manage staff, prepare reports, and now we’re expected to master social media, internet lead generation, write blogs and create videos.
When I first talk to clients, they are often overwhelmed at everything that is on their plate already, and most agents are left wondering how they can still keep on top of all of this new technology and still list and sell.
The solution, my friends, is outsourcing.
Have you ever thought that you need “some help” but really don’t have enough work to keep one person busy full time?
Outsourcing is obtaining someone off site, away from your current workplace, to perform designated duties for you or your company. Think of it this way. Have you ever thought that you need “some help” but really don’t have enough work to keep one person busy full time? You might just need someone to help you start to manage your time better, and therefore create a better lifestyle (yes they can help organise your child’s birthday party as well).
So many tasks can be outsourced. For example, managing your database, collecting emails, following up clients, prospecting, and many others. For those that say it’s taking jobs from Australia, think of it this way: not only can you choose to hire virtual assistants located in Australia or anywhere in the world, you can also choose which ones you would like to hire. You can also stipulate how much you would like to pay for their services.
Alternatively, outsource what you do not like doing and the things you can get others to do for you.
In the Philippines, you can hire a virtual assistant for around $6 an hour. If you compare that to a permanent assistant in house, their wage could be upwards of $50k to $60k.
“You could theoretically have 10 people out there working for you, for the price of one.”
Recently, I interviewed best selling author, Dale Beaumont. He made the point that using outsourcing, with the example wage of $60,000, “you could theoretically have 10 people out there working for you, for the price of one”.
HOW DOES OUTSOURCING WORK?
You can hire virtual assistants in a number of ways.
You can hire on a “per-project” basis. There are a number of sites where you can post tasks or projects online and get people with different skills to quote – these are more suited to one off projects. Some of these sites include www.elance.com or www.odesk.com.
You can hire these people part-time at four hours a day or you can employ them full time.
The other way is to hire a permanent assistant located off shore. You can hire these people part-time at four hours a day or you can employ them full time. These people become an extension of your existing business – see www.remotestaff.com.au for more details.
Now, before you grab your keyboard, and start typing, the best thing to do is to categorise your business into departments. For example:
- Admin
- Accounting
- Search engine optimization
- Prospecting
- Sales
- Website development
- Property management
The areas or departments would no doubt be separate people with different skill sets. Therefore, you will need to ensure that your potential candidate has the right competencies.
While you are at it, make a list of everything that you do every day. Out of this list, move to another list, the things that someone else could be doing. Then begin to focus on getting those duties systemised and outsourced.
With so many opportunities available, outsourcing gives you the best opportunity to free up your time and to focus on income producing tasks. That should be your priority.
