Welcome back! In Part One of this article, we talked about how you have issues & need some serious help. No, I’m not getting personal with you. I say this because if you’re the one doing everything in your business, you probably won’t be in business for long because you’re most likely going to get burnt out or work yourself to death. Not good. So that’s what the last article was all about, remember?

Then I left you with a cliffhanger: HOW to solve this massive problem. Well, I said I was going to come through with the goods, and I aim to deliver, so here we go…

How to Get the Help You Need in Order to Be Successful & Keep Your Sanity (or what’s left of it)

The answer is…

Technology and Teamwork! (or T & T for short)

Do you like that title? No? I stayed up all night thinking of that! :)

Ok, the concept is simple… Write this down:

• Use existing TECHNOLOGY to AUTOMATE as many of the tasks you need done, then…
• HIRE someone to do as much of the rest of the stuff FOR you.
  Depending on what you need done, you might have to hire a FEW ‘someones.’
  Don’t let that bother you.

Let’s Start With the Technology.

A few examples of things you should get and start using immediately include:

Websites. One for sellers. One for buyers. And one for raising capital to do the deals that need it. I’ve already written articles about how to build websites, but it’s important that your websites are clear, engage your visitor, and push them to take a certain action on each page. An example of an action you want them to take is: Callingyou. Or filling out a form. You get the idea. It’s also very important that your website look good on a cell phone, because everyone is getting online with their phone these days.

Voicemail and Phone Systems. I don’t understand how you could be in business without these invaluable tools. That is, if you value your sanity. Trust me, you don’t want to be one of those people who is always tethered to their cell phone, constantly picking it up in the middle of whatever they’re doing. If you have a family and are doing this, I’ll personally smack you.

Various Internet Tools. This is such a wide-open topic, that I’ll have to leave it for another series of articles. So just start with those first two above, ok?

Now Let’s Talk Teamwork

When it comes to TEAMWORK, or hiring the right people, here are a few strong suggestions of the positions you’ll need filled:

Virtual Assistant. Wow. How did we ever do business without them? These gifts from God can do some amazing things for you. They can call and prescreen sellers. They can continuously run and post your ads, and follow up on the leads that your marketing generates. They can run comps for you. Find contractors. Line up wholesale buyers. Post your properties on your website (see above), Coordinate closings… and much, much more! Best of all, they can work from virtually (pun intended) anywhere, and are dirt cheap. They quickly pay for themselves.

Personal Assistant. While Virtual Assistants (VAs) can work from anywhere, your Personal Assistant should be someone local. Some of the tasks they can do for you include: Putting up signs, organizing your office, picking up your dry cleaning, walking your dog, shopping for gifts for people, and anything else you need done where you live. No, your spouse doesn’t count. Well, maybe sometimes. :)

How and when should you hire them? Like anything else, it all comes down to time and money. If you have more time than money, I’d suggest you start off with a Virtual Assistant. They’re cheap, and once you get them trained and pointed in the right direction, they’ll more than pay for themselves… making the cost of having one (or more) insignificant.

As soon as you can, you should then get yourself an excellent Personal Assistant. The right one can make your life incredible! Of course, the wrong one can make you insane. Sorry to say it, but you’ll probably have to go through a bad one… or two… or three before you find that perfect match. Of course, if you find it on your first try, I hate you for being so lucky. Just kidding.

It goes without saying that whenever you do business with anyone, they should ideally be someone you: Know, Like, and Trust.

To get to know a potential hire, you should interview them. If it’s a VA you’re hiring, you can use TECHNOLOGY to conduct the interview. That’s why God created Skype & Google Hangouts!

Like Them: You don’t have to fall in love with this person (dangerous if you’re married), but you should enjoy talking to them – or at least not dread the thought of any possible communication. Chances are you’re going to be talking to them. A lot. So that helps.

Trust: This should be obvious. You’re going to need to trust this person, because they’ll have access to some important information, depending on their function. They’ll have deep, intimate knowledge of your business, including passwords, account information, contacts, etc. So you might want to get some information about them as well. For your Personal Assistant, I highly suggest you at least run a background check.

Finally, it’s imperative that they do good/excellent work. Here’s a trick: When interviewing them, give them a few related tasks to do. Test their skills. Push them a bit and see how they respond. A good attitude & thick skin are pretty important to have. Oh, and a sense of humor is a MUST! (At least for me. I don’t know about you).

So there you have it! You now know what you need to do if you want to grow professionally and still keep some semblance of sanity. If you’ve been going crazy trying to balance everything & juggle all those balls in the air… Dude, you need help!

Go out and get yourself some T&T… Technology and Teamwork.
(Not to be confused w/ T&A, which stands for… never mind)

Six months from now, you’ll wonder how you ever got along without it.

Have fun & good luck!

To Your Success (and Sanity),

Tony Pearl