I came across an interesting article  in the Realty Times today explaining what many city officials from Washington D.C. to California are doing to combat the spread of the West Nile virus due to unattended swimming pools in foreclosed homes.  As mosquitoes can lay eggs in only a few inches of stagnant water, abandoned swimming pools with large surface areas have become a big health problem for many cities.

[caption id="attachment_245" align="alignleft" width="150" caption="Mosquito"][/caption]

The answer is rather logical…release mosquito-eating minnows in vacated swimming pools to consume mosquito larvae.  

 

Cities such as Phoenix, AZ have seen an increase in foreclosed homes with abandoned pools rise from 6,000 in 2007 to 14,000 this year. And, as many warm weather foreclosed homes often have swimming pools the mosquito population has increased congruently.

 It seems that many swimming pools cannot be drained as the weight of the water is what keeps the pool shells in the ground.

The article states, “Some cities are pulling old swim pool construction permits and checking the addresses against foreclosure records to get a better handle on the number of abandoned pools.”

Using minnows is an interesting and clever solution.  (I would not want to be the owner, though, who has to clean the dead minnows out of the pool!)

I am often amazed at how really far this foreclosure disaster has permeated so many areas of our daily lives.

 

 

Janine Gregor

 

When a business owner is need of a virtual assistant, the protocol is to submit a Request for Proposal (RFP).  This online document format varies from posting-site to posting-site but the main components are:

*Software or Hardware needed?

*Expected date of completion if one-time project work

*What do you expect from a virtual assistant?

 

 

 

Here are 5 basic recommendations I have compiled when submitting an RFP to better help the virtual assistant assess your needs:

1)    Unless the proposal is anonymous, submitting your website address is helpful to the virtual assistant choosing to respond.  Even if the online format does not ask for your company URL, consider adding this information.  I prefer to research the company for which I am submitting a proposal beforehand, so any industry information will only help the virtual assistant send an informative introductory letter to the potential client.

Janine Gregor

 

 

 

Plenty of information is available on the ‘net about becoming a virtual assistant, but do you know what the nitty-gritty parts of the job really entail?  You may not want to become a VA because you may find that a good amount of your own time is spent on the periphery of the job itself.

It is important to understand first, that a VA does not simply perform an administrative task and then bill for that task.  If you are contracted to do bookkeeping, then you are a bookkeeper.  If you are contracted to write articles, then you are a writer.  A virtual worker bills for those tasks and then moves on to the next. (There is certainly nothing wrong with this business model.)  But a virtual assistant is a right-hand person; a collaborator working daily with a small business owner to help grow their business.  Virtual assistance is not a solely task-oriented job. It takes time and endurance to get to that collaborative point with a client.

Based upon my experience as a Virtual Assistant (VA) I have listed 8 reasons why you may not want to become a virtual assistant.

1)  The job requires responding to many client questions which will be answered on your own time. Expect to spend a lot of time getting to know your client; to be the best partner available, with a good portion of that time being ‘off the clock’.

2)  Expect that even on your ‘off time’ you will be thinking about the client’s work.  Often I will come upon an article or an idea to help improve a process while I am doing something else. Expect that as a virtual assistant, your client’s business will become as important as your own.  I spend much time reading newsletters, books, watching videos and going to the library to educate myself about a client’s industry.  All done on my own time but well worth the effort when I can make a suggestion to a client that will positively affect his bottom line.

3)  Some tasks, such as invoicing are generally not billable and as a new VA or even when starting with a new client, you may spend a lot of time getting your invoicing correctly established, setting up passwords, adding sites to your favorites, checking out the competition…all on your own time.  There are weeks that I work 40 hours but I bill only for 10 or 20 for actual work completed.

4)  Expect that your client may need you after regular office hours.  This does not happen too often, but I have received emails from a client on a Sunday afternoon asking to put real estate listings online asap. Some items can wait until Monday morning, and it is certainly a personal preference as to whether you can drop everything and complete the work but I feel that if I can do it, I will.  Now that is not to say that I do not charge a rush fee for some projects that come in late on a Friday afternoon or that I do not make it clear from the start what my office hours will be, but in my opinion, it is better to be as flexible as possible in this business if you want to survive. 

5)  Expect that some tasks will not go on as seamlessly as anticipated and that you will just need to ‘eat’ the downtime.  The job can be daunting if you succumb to computer errors or if a website is slow to process but if you cannot be patient and move on with a clear head, then being a VA is not the job for you.  Expect to switch between tasks if a site gives you trouble or call support (on your own) to inquire about the problem.  Clients only pay for the work you complete so it is important to have up-to-date software and hardware, know how and where to go to solve problems quickly and above all else, be patient.

8  Expect that potential clients will contact you to inquire about working with a VA but are either unwilling to commit or just want to ‘pick your brain’. Expect that you will work hard to gain a potential client’s trust through responding to questions via email and may even spend the time phone conferencing with them only to be told that they will ‘contact you in a few months’.  Some may never call you back others may ignore your correspondence. It happens, when it does, move on but keep that client in your database. Do not get discouraged.

If you are sure that becoming a virtual assistant is the right job for you, start with a good business plan. Join a peer-to-peer group such as Virtual Assistant Forums.  Here you will find a vast document library to help you get started and an opportunity to post questions and find support from other virtual assistants just like you. 

Janine Gregor

I’ve had it with pool contractors, dealers and salesman. The entire pool buying experience has been a nightmare.

We (husband and I) have been trying to build an in-ground pool for more than a year and a half. We have exhausted nearly every dealer in our area.

What We are Looking For

I’m a virtual assistant and I work with real estate agents regularly. I did my due diligence in deciding whether the addition of a pool to our 2005 Florida home would be a valuable asset to the resale of the property. We live in a small, slightly upscale subdivision with larger lots but no amenities. Nearly every neighbor has a pool and when I calculated the potential resale value of the home (with the help of an appraiser), we would definitely gain significant value in the home as well as attract more buyers in a year-round warm-seasoned climate. Additionally, since most in-ground pools in my area are installed with a cage (fancy name, lanai) this outdoor, enclosed space becomes a value-added addition to any warm climate home. So my search for a pool quote included cage, pool and deck.

Looking for Quotes to Compare

I’m also a business owner dealing in client-VA contracts and quotes regularly. This is the 3rd home we have owned and the 2nd we built from scratch. I’m all about quotes and comparing amenities. I want to know what I am buying. However, that is not what the pool industry, from my perspective is all about. In fact, I’ve lost the interest of a number of pool contractors simply because I shop around and I question pricing.

Look at the Details

It is nearly impossible to compare quotes from one pool contractor/designer to another. If the homeowner does not know what it is that is being quoted many important quality construction details may slip by undetected. For example, I noticed one pool dealer quote included 3500 psi ShotKrete (the cement that is blown into a concrete pool after it is formed with rebar supports) while another was 4000 psi and yet another quoted 5000 psi. The higher number in the pressure per square inch (psi) ShotKrete, the denser the cement will be therefore, it will be more durable over time. This does not always mean that the 5000 psi pool contractor will charge more for denser cement either! But the 3500 psi pool quotes were often more expensive than the 5000 psi quotes. Another example in crafty pricing is the difference in handrail costs. I added a handrail to the quote, and the same pool handrail can vary in price from $150 to $350 as well. Same handrail design, same manufacturer, bigger markup. Sometimes the markup was so extravagant that it bordered on pure greed.

Our pool design request is very basic. We are not installing any pavers, fountains, planters, etc. We are planning a simple concrete deck but every single dealer I have encountered tries to sell you the extras no matter how hard (and loud) you state that this is a basic pool. It is very annoying and pushy and creates a tenuous relationship. No consumer wants to feel pressured into making a decision.

Unprofessional Behavior

Last week a pool dealer emailed me that prices were increasing April 1st and after that date the pool would cost $2000 more. The original quote was offered for less than 30 days. Most quotes are ‘good’ for one month. Abominable.

When I have asked dealers to itemize the quote, I have either been brushed off or have had to wait months for the information. They simply do not want to itemize but there is no other way to compare apples to apples. When I asked several dealers if they would modify the contract many pulled out before I could finish my sentence. For example, I wanted to add some type of safeguard clause that if the pool was not finished in a reasonable amount of time (I did not specify any timeframe) barring the rainy season (or mother nature in general) that there would be some type of penalty. I never heard from that dealer again after working with him for over 3 months on a pool design!

I Want to Know You are Paying the Subcontractors

Same dealer also did not want to add to the contract my request that I receive copies of the payment receipts made to the subcontractors. With so many pool dealers closing down due to the poor housing economy, it’s imperative that contractors pay the subs because if they are not paid, then a lien can be placed on the homeowner even though the homeowner made payment to the contractor. I never heard from this guy again. Actually, his salesman sent an email (he could not even call me) offering stale rhetoric that he was unable to reach a mutual agreement and that they terminated all negotiations. Crummy way to do business. Why not talk to me? I do not bite. In fact I wanted to develop a relationship with the dealer and build trust.

Use the Opportunity to Educate the Consumer

Being a good sales person involves educating the consumer. When potential clients question my virtual assistance per hour fee, I educate them on the benefits of working with a VA as opposed to hiring a part-time employee in-house. I show them my VA calculator. I explain that business owners do not have to pay for vacation, coffee breaks, downtime, social security, equipment or sick time. Why is it that not one of the dealers could explain to me from his perspective why my requests were being denied? Perhaps I might have understood. I am willing to listen.

References Do Help

I checked references but you know pool dealers are only going to give references for the folks that they did a good job for. (In fact it was one homeowner reference I checked out that advised me to get the paid receipts for the subcontractors.) So I take the references from other homeowners lightly. But I did listen carefully to other homeowners because sometimes a reference will say something that the dealer was not expecting the homeowner to say.  Some dealers do not use the Better Business Bureau as the fees are too expensive. That was bothersome. The only real credence I received was from the local county building permit department and the state, which is a must-check for anyone looking to build anything using a contractor.

Show Me Updated Pool Design Technology

One particular pool designer/salesman came to our home…now as I mentioned I run a virtual company and I use a laptop; this man travelled with the same. He came with a really slow Dell, and no battery so he had to hook-up in my home (not really a big problem, but I do look for updated technology) and a pool design program that he struggled to work with. He thought that creating the pool in front of us in 3-D would make us excited to sign the contract on the spot but I already knew what we wanted. I was unimpressed. I had 10 quotes and plans. He wasted our time. The computer was as slow as molasses. I could have drawn the pool faster on paper.

Another contractor sent me the plans using Microsoft Works, a program that is a pain to work in. He did not send me any pdfs or attachments. Everything had to be faxed, which is a pill as often the information I received was not dated (references need to be dated by the last few pools installed…not references from 2004 when pools were installed a plenty and construction was good). Often the faxed documents came through illegible. I was surprised at how many quotes, reference sheets, copies of workman’s comp and liability insurance were sent to potential customers either illegible or unable to open in most common document attachment software programs. Has this industry not updated its technology at all?

Pricing is All Over the Board

My last beef has to do with pricing. It was all over the board. This was a basic pool with a basic cage and deck. Nothing fancy and no extra cage supports to purchase to fit in an irregular square space. The space is simple and square. And yet, quotes for the same sized pool and cage ranged from a $1000 difference to over $5,000 difference.

I had to pick through the quotes to see what products they were offering. Some offered cartridge pool filters (be careful, replacement cartridges can be $130 or more) or diamaceous earth filters, which are less expensive to operate but are more expensive to sell. Bigger filters does not always mean better. When I mentioned my budget and what I wanted included such as Pebble Tec (colored pebbles that are blown into the ShotKrete) and a handrail, some could conveniently fit that into our budgeted price, while others charged extra. One dealer fit those items into the budget but got around that by telling us that he would dump the fill dirt into our yard (over the sod) instead of hauling that away. That was not on the quote. He only mentioned that in passing.

This is not one or two pool dealers I am referring to…this is many. Nearly all had some issue in pricing or quality or professionalism.

Buyer Beware.

Final thoughts of what I learned:

• Most contractors do not want to deal with anyone asking too many questions. If you ask too many questions, the assumption is that the homeowner does not want to work with you.
  
• If there were any questions about price, most pulled out the ‘…we have a good reputation…’ speech instead of taking the time to educate me on why their price was as stated.

 

• Most contractors make their money from the extras so any small-time pools projects are considered insignificant. Expect to be pushed a bill of goods and stacks of slick brochures.
  
• If contractors know you are working on other pool quotes, they will drop you in heartbeat.

 

• Most homeowners do not shop around for quotes so when a dealer shows up, they expect that you will sign the contract. When I called the references, nearly every homeowner stated they did not shop for quotes. That actually surprised me.
  

We have one last pool contractor appointment this Friday, as I have exhausted every dealer who is still open for business in our area. I’ll follow-up this blog with a final assessment. Perhaps this pool dealer might be the one. If not, then another hot, Florida summer will be spent indoors…
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Janine Gregor