Tossing around the idea of working with virtual assistant and not quite sure how to best utilize the service? Sit back for a second…or two, and learn how a professional virtual assistant can help you with your business.
There are quite a few ways a virtual assistant can help you with your business, from web site design, following up on pending requirements, prospecting, to managing your calendar. You can find a listing of how a virtual assistant works with financial planners on my web site. For this blog post, I want to tell you more about the “benefits” versus “what” we do for our financial services clients.
- Training. Most, if not all virtual assistants who work in this industry has some sort of training and experience in the field. They may possess a selling license, have designations from LOMA or The College For Financial Planning, or have worked for a company or an agent. A virtual assistant having this type of experience will not need to reinvent the entire wheel to learn how to work with you.
- Understanding. The virtual assistant will understand industry language. For example, on the life insurance side, they can tell the difference between a whole life policy versus a term life policy. They will have an understanding of what it means if a client is “rated” and may have experience running illustrations or requesting illustrations from various carriers.
- Rules and Regs. For example, a virtual assistant in this industry will understand that most written materials, if not all materials that are made for consumption will need to be compliance ready. This means that any marketing materials or web site verbiage must be approved before its release. The virtual assistant can work with the compliance department to be sure those materials get the green light for distribution.
- Skills. Picking up the phone is not going to scare a virtual assistant in this industry. Making warm calls to scheduling client reviews is not unheard of when it comes to working in this industry.
- Business Mindset. The virtual assistant is not going to maintain the “9 – 5” or the “j-o-b” mindset. They will a keen understanding of what it’s like to focus on client retention, increasing business, manage first impressions and be in it for the long haul because they themselves have done the same thing for their business!