Sales is a vital part of a business. A startup or small business heavily relies on it to withstand the market as well as to grow and scale up. That’s why you need a good team to help you with your sales tasks so you can have more time for core business functions.
Building a virtual sales team is a low-cost and practical way to streamline your sales pipeline and boost profits. A virtual sales assistant will take on the administrative side of sales to ramp up its driving force in your business success.
What is a Virtual Sales Assistant?
A virtual sales assistant is a remote worker you can hire on an hourly or project basis to help you with routine sales and administrative tasks. This includes lead generation, data scrubbing, and business development.
When properly integrated into your sales team, a virtual assistant will be advantageous in increasing sales. You can also build a virtual sales team to handle your sales process so you can focus more on closing business deals.
How a Virtual Sales Team Can Help Boost Sales
Delegating work leads to higher productivity and quality which will open up growth opportunities for your business. Make the most of your team of virtual sales assistants by knowing which tasks you can delegate to them.
1. Handle Cold Calling
Lead generation is the first step in the sales process and cold calling is a tried and true way to get sales leads, however; it can be a tedious process, especially if you want to nurture them into actual buyers.
A cold calling virtual assistant will reach out to potential customers to boost brand awareness and kickstart their buyer’s journey. This way, you can create a steady stream of prospects and deliver more to your current clients.
2. Qualify Sales Leads
While getting more leads is good, you have to ensure their quality for better chances of closing business deals. From all the leads you’ve gained, a sales virtual assistant can sift through and assess which are most likely to make a purchase.
To do so, your VA can adjust to a lead scoring model, produce research and data profiles, and use the appropriate framework. Then they can turn over warm leads to your sales reps to nurture them into customers.
3. Set Appointments
Get your potential customers to set a meeting with you or your sales team. This approach is ideal for B2B commerce.
Appointment setting allows you to prepare a sales pitch and answer their queries to potentially close a deal. Leave this admin work to a virtual sales assistant who can also set reminders and help you prepare your pitch.
4. Follow Up on Leads
A lead follow-up is an outreach method where a business reaches out to potential customers from referrals or other marketing channels.
A virtual assistant for sales will reach out to your current clients or personal network to start off this task. They will ask them about their experience with your product or service, as well as their family and friends who may benefit.
A point of contact will be established with the leads through either phone, email, or social media. Your VA will then organize these referrals as warm leads and cold leads based on the initial contact.
5. Manage Inbound and Outbound Calls
Make sure you’re always in contact with your prospects and current customers. Let a virtual assistant handle your inbound and outbound sales calls to build and maintain a relationship with your clients. This includes:
- Answering phone calls from clients, partners, and other third parties
- Doing regular care calls to ensure customer satisfaction
- Building your personal network
- Sending helpful information and reminders
- Connecting leads to the right sales rep
6. Research and Prepare Documents
Data-driven sales efforts deliver measurable and scalable results that can drive growth and profits. Your virtual sales team can conduct market research to keep you informed about the latest trends and competition.
They can also do surveys and polls, find market gaps, and track sales metrics. All of which can give you insight into your target market and how to plan accordingly.
7. Organize and Update Data on CRMs
Keep your sales data organized and accurate on your customer relationship management software by delegating it to a virtual assistant. This makes for more efficient and effective decision-making for you and your team.
A remote sales assistant can clean, fix, and manage records using your preferred sales tools and software such as:
- Salesforce
- Hubspot
- ClickFunnels
- LinkedIn Sales Navigator
- Oracle E-Business Suite
Customize Your Virtual Team Based on Your Needs
Is Hiring a Virtual Sales Assistant Worth It?
As a business owner, you have to make the most out of your resources—be it your time, money, or workers. A remote sales assistant is a great alternative to a full-time employee as they get work done efficiently and for a low cost.
In Deloitte’s Global Outsourcing Survey, the most perceived benefit of outsourcing is cost-cutting as companies don’t need to spend on office space, equipment, benefits packages, and the like. Another great benefit is being able to focus on core business functions.
As VAs take away repetitive tasks, they boost productivity within the business and even improve employee retention. They have flexible working hours that can be a business operations opportunity, especially if they’re in a different time zone.
VAs also provide the flexibility to delegate work without making a larger commitment first. This gives you the results you want, as well as the ease to scale up or down based on your business needs.
Hiring is also easier and quicker, especially when you hire from a virtual assistant company. You’ll get access to a global talent pool that can provide you with a multicultural perspective to serve international clients.
All in all, it’s totally worth hiring a virtual assistant! A virtual sales assistant will be a valuable asset to help you grow and scale your business but keep in mind that your hiring process will be crucial in finding the best match.
How to Hire a Sales Virtual Assistant for Your Business
There are many ways to hire a virtual assistant for sales. You can hire one to support your team or build your own virtual sales team to reap great benefits. Here are the top hiring methods you can use:
1. Ask Your Network for Referrals
A practical way to start your hiring process is through referrals. Reach out to your personal network to see if they can refer potential candidates to you. Because they are your friends and family, you can ensure that the candidates are trustworthy and reliable.
You will also have more insights when screening remote sales assistants by asking your network about their experience working with them.
2. Put Up a Virtual Assistant Job Post
Use freelancing platforms like Upwork and Fiverr to find a virtual assistant for sales. Post a job ad with the virtual assistant job description and other relevant details. This lets you reach more potential candidates that you can review and choose from.
You can also directly reach out to contractors to lessen the noise in the hiring process. This way, you can just look into their profile, pick the ones you prefer the most, and interview them to learn more about them.
3. Hire from a Third Party Employment
Bypass a lengthy hiring process with the help of an outsourcing agency. Usually, you just give them the set of requirements for the job and they will hire a sales virtual assistant on your behalf.
They will fill in for your in-house HR department in tasks such as recruitment, payroll and employee relations. This lets you hire the best talent for your business without losing time for your core functions.
4. Add Magic to Your Sales Efforts
Get started with your remote workforce with Magic! It’s an easy and cost-effective remote hiring service that lets you integrate virtual employees for your sales efforts or other business functions. All you need to do is book a call with us and we’ll handle the rest!
Taking into your requirements and business needs, we’ll source and screen from our pool of qualified and trained VAs. Within 72 hours, you can onboard a virtual sales assistant or an entire virtual sales team into your workflow. You can also refine your preference if you feel the recommended candidate isn’t the right match.
Multiply sales and gather more leads with Magic Virtual Sales Assistants. This way, you can put more focus on what matters most without worrying about tasks falling through the cracks. Scale however and whenever your business needs it using the pricing plan that suits you the most.
Match With a Vetted Virtual Assistant in 72 Hours!
