In Part 1: How to Hire a Virtual Assistant, we guided you how to find quality candidates.

At this point, you’re ready to move forward with hiring. In this second part of the 3-part series, we'll explain how to train a virtual assistant.

Click here for part 1: How to Hire a VA

Click here for part 3: How to Manage a VA

The first 30-90 days will be a probationary period. It's up to you to decide how long that will be.

Like any new job, expect to invest much time to make sure all company expectations are clear, your company’s best practices are adhered to, and the VA has consistent work performance.

Tools you’ll need:

1. DocuSign or some platform for eSignature
2. Google Drive or some cloud based server to save personnel documents
3. Ensure you have a good understanding of how your CRM works. (We recommend REI Reply.)
4. Ensure you have all necessary subscriptions for lead generation, e.g. email, SMS, social media profiles, etc.
5. High quality skip traced data about homeowners
6. Propstream (Click here to subscribe)
7. Your own documentation about your company, company objectives, and communication channels
8. Method of payment to the VA, e.g. PayPal or other
9. WhatsApp
10. Cold calling, SMS, and email scripts

Keep in mind that without proper setup of your company’s systems, your lead pipeline will be hindered. Reason is because you didn’t spend time setting up your foundation first. We recommend investing effort in setting up systems to ensure they're working properly.

Create a contract and send it to the candidate for eSignature to accept. Include rate of payment, method of payment, terms and conditions, non-disclosure, start and end date, payroll calendar, and so on. Keep documents saved on your server.

Set the expectation that this contract is for a probationary period. At the completion of it and depending on work delivered, this has the potential to yield a longer work contract. Also set the expectation that the VA will go onto your Calendly to schedule 2-3 one-on-one meetings per week during the probationary period.

It is of utmost importance you invest time to ensure the VA (and your systems) are set up for success. That success in turn will consistently drive leads. Do not be like some investors who hire a VA and let them train themselves; you’ll want to maintain control of the quality of work every step of the way.

As a business owner, you’ll want a spreadsheet that maps out over the course of the probationary period what key performance indicators (KPI’s) should be met by the end of each week. The spreadsheet should also have an area where the VA can document # of hours worked broken down by task. That way, you can ensure work is being completed within the appropriate time frame. It will also justify your payment to them. Moreover, it also alerts you if workload should be adjusted.

During the one-on-one meetings, you’ll walk them through all systems, training videos, resources, and KPIs. You’ll also troubleshoot any issues, like logins or other technical difficulties. You'll also role play and review calls to look for areas of improvement. Lastly, you’ll want to set realistic and progressive expectations. SMART goals if you will. For example, don’t expect 5 appointments a day in their first week when they’re still simultaneously learning the nuances of your CRM. Rather, set an expectation of 1 a day by the 2nd or 3rd week. Troubleshoot the training program if the KPI is not met. By the end of the program, the VA should be able to make at least 2 appointments a day consistently.

Allow some buffer time in training to accommodate last minute, urgent projects. Or there may be times where additional training is needed.

Always be available via WhatsApp for the VA if they have immediate questions. For example, be ready for the VA to be effective in cold calling, but not necessarily an expert in running comps in PropStream for your specific market. Any learning that is niche related does require a learning curve.

Set the expectations of daily check-ins and status updates.

Also, be clear of your buy box and/or what type of leads and what information you want from the homeowner before the lead is escalated to you.

Give the VA your cold calling scripts and ensure they have the basic understanding on how to explain various acquisitions options. Also give the VA your templates for emails and SMS follow ups. The VA will record their calls in your CRM. You’ll want documentation saved on your server to reference. If there are any deviation between their actual work performance and what your expectations were, you have something to look back upon.

Be sure to abide by a payroll calendar that is clear between the VA and you. It will be up to you to decide on how you want to handle the PayPal fee and exchange rate.

You do the initial bulk uploads of contacts in your CRM. The remaining upload should be done by the VA. The VA will need you to walk them through the instructions so they can practice. Do not assign the VA to figure things out without your demonstration first. You will also want to understand tagging and workflows yourself before you delegate those concepts out to the VA. You’ll want to know how to troubleshoot and QA if any steps are not followed through.

As you can tell, there is a lot of set up. All the above information rarely gets discussed in the context of hiring a VA. The training and onboarding can be just as laborious and time consuming - if not more - than hiring.

One big oversight investors almost always overlook is explaining the quality of the list to the VA. We advise you invest time in educating the VA on the list, how it was stacked, and what would constitute an effective cold call. For example, if the data you pulled was tired landlords, there will be some verbiage inserted in the script to make calls more effective. That verbiage may not necessarily be effective if said to a probate or tax delinquent list because those homeowners have a different need.

That’s just one small tweak that can make a big difference when strategizing your marketing.

It’s also one reason why at Perfect Skip, we offer free resources. We know how paralyzing overwhelm can be. We also know what obstacles lies ahead.

We advise you to download your FREE EBook "Marketing Simplified: How to Decrease Marketing Overwhelm" and reserve your FREE business consultation. Click on the book cover below.

We specialize in marketing - from data to business partnerships and everything in between. Let's talk.

Click here for part 1: How to Hire a VA

Click here for part 3: How to Manage a VA