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Making the Most Out of Quarantine Time: 3 Steps into Applying 80-20 Principle

The pandemic and restrictions that are being implemented left and right has freed some time for most entrepreneurs to engage into more productive activities. It is, however, tempting to forget all about the 80-20 rule when we’re given this much free time.

For those who are not familiar, the 80-20 rule otherwise known as the Pareto Principle, says that 80% of the yield is caused by 20% of the overall resources. This principle is observed in economics and is being applied in business.

Taking the 80-20 rule, we can say that out of all the functions in play in doing business, there’s a 20% that brings in 80% of the income. This 20% is what you should be focusing on. What about the other resources outside of this 20%? You can hire someone to do it or outsource it while you focus on the 20 that matter.

Now, applying this principle would be a bit tricky especially if you’re a workaholic and a control freak. Are you still taking in calls? Are you still sending out proposal messages? Don’t tell me you’re still doing the cold calls! Now, doing all these and being a one-man band is especially tempting with all the extra time you have brought by Pandemic regulations, but that’s not how it’s supposed to be!

Here are three steps to get started in applying this principle into your business:

  1. List down all of your company’s resources and processes.

Sometimes, this is going to end up being the list of things you do because you do everything. If you’re a real estate investor or realtor your list might look something like this:

  • Talking to clients
  • Showing a house
  • Developing an investment strategy
  • Closing deals
  • Signing up new clients
  • Exploring new territories
  • Doing Research
  • Checking email inbox
  • Checking voice messages
  • Curating your CRM
  • Doing cold calls
  • Doing follow ups on clients
  • Updating your website
  • Posting on social media
  • Growing your LinkedIn network
  • Posting ads
  • Putting up signs

Now, applying the 80-20 principle, you’re going to have to check which of these processes are the top 20% that brings in money. You will end up having

 

  • Talking to clients
  • Showing a house
  • Developing an investment strategy
  • Closing deals

 

  1. Focus on the twenty

Now that you’ve identified your best processes or resources, you need to clear out your schedules and take the rest off your plate. No excuses! Hire someone who can do that for you. As the head of the business, your time is too valuable to be spent on making cold calls for 20 hours a week. Do you really have to spend two hour everyday sending connection requests on LinkedIn? Hire someone to do this for you. You can hire a Virtual Assistant for a few dollars an hour to take care of these for you.

  1. Be Consistent

Have extra time? Don’t even think about drowning yourself into sending out Facebook messages, or sending out emails to everyone on your contact list and ending up spending half the week doing it. Keep your focus on the 20%. Let your staff or your Virtual Assistant take care of the rest. Wanna do something in that area? Develop a new script for your VA’s cold calling, compose a new email you want them to send out, devise a new sales funnel for your VA to execute; that’s where your talent is better spent. Focus on the twenty that brings in plenty.

This principle has been in play for years. It is a phenomenon that  is seen in economics and it has been proven to be an effective tool in maximizing profits.

Do you wish to learn more about how a Virtual Assistant can take other tasks off your plate? Email us at Marketing@LinkosGlobalBusinessSolutions.com or call us at +1 (626) 566-8381.

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What Makes Filipinos Excellent Global Communicators

The Philippines is now referred to as the Capital of the World. In today’s outsourcing trends, it can also be said that the Philippines is also the ideal target to hire Virtual Assistants from. What makes Filipinos such good candidates to be call center representatives is their good communication skills and fluency in the English Language.

Most would attribute Filipinos’ internationally competent communication skills to the United States’ colonization of the country. We can indeed trace their fluency in English to that point of Philippine History, but there are more factors why they make good telesales and customer service agents.

It’s In the Filipino Culture

The Filipino is known for its culture of hospitality. With this hospitable culture is the Filipinos’ natural knack to engage in meaningful conversation. Explaining things to another person is never considered bothersome and most actually enjoy it, something that can again be traced back into the Filipino culture that is also behind the people’s high regard for teachers and the consistent number of young Filipinos aspiring to be one.

So, if you need someone who can stay with customers on the phone and efficiently walk them through the process while efficiently performing, you know you can rely on a Filipino customer service representative.

It can also be noted that they are good listeners.

They Are Naturally Skilled

Not only are Filipinos skilled, they also have a knack for being fast and eager learners. You can give them a job they have zero knowledge or experience on and they will take every resource possible to make sure they can have mastery as soon as possible.

Mastery on something would always prompt a Filipino into applying them.

They  are Passionate

Filipinos can be really passionate about the product and services they represent as sales people. In fact, they would be so into the product that their passion for it would resonate on their sales talk, something that would make their pitch really effective.

As customer service representatives you can really feel the emotion in their voice and it can be really reassuring.

Expand Your Team Now

Linkos Global Business Solutions is a call center company based in the Philippines that cater to businesses of all shapes and sizes.

Call us now and expand your business with an offshore extension of your growing team!

Email: linkos@linkosglobalbusinesssolutions.com

Phone: 626-566-8381

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Maximizing Leads for Realtors and Real Estate Professionals

As with any other line of business, efficiency is essential in boosting your business as a Realtor or Real Estate investor and inside sales is the name of the game. It’s a process that works best as a continuous operation; the more the gears work in inside sales, the better the chances to grow your business.

What is Inside Sales?

To put it simply, inside sales is the process of nurturing leads and turning them into interested prospects ready for the closing. This means walking prospects through the stages down the sales funnel, undergoing steps while giving having a personalized approach.

Another way to put it is, inside sales turns cold leads to hot leads so that the closing sales person can go in for the taking.

Inside Sales vs. Cold Calling

Many confuse inside sales with making cold calls, thinking they’re one and the same thing. Actually, cold calling could just be a part of the inside sales process especially when it comes to b2b sales and large transactions like real estate.

Some transactions can go from cold call to closed deals in as short as an hour, while others can take months before closing. Inside sales also fill in the gaps after initial contact, taking time to do follow ups and stay connected with prospects while they are not yet ready to do the closing.

Affordable Inside Sales Options

Having an inside sales associate would mean you have to hire someone or a team full time. Many would think it’s too costly. Well, Virtual Assistants and outsourcing in general are a cost-effective way of boosting your sales. Hiring a call center company like Linkos is a great way to develop or expand sales and inside sales process.

  • Telemarketing Campaigns – Lead generation through cold calling never gets old. The phone is still an effective way to have a personal touch on the first contact with prospects in your target market. Getting raw data is easy and cheap, you need only provide the data to a telemarketing team and we would do the rest.
  • Virtual Assistants – More and more real estate professionals are discovering the benefits of having one or a team of virtual assistants.

Hire one virtual assistant or hire one telemarketing rep. Hire as many as 50 reps. We provide customized solutions that best fit your needs.

Contact us now for more information. Email us at linkos@linkosglobalbusinesssolutions.com.

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I am a working student and I am proud of it!

A few years back, I used to be a BSN student. But since we are in the middle of having financial difficulties, I had to make way for my other siblings spending less for college so we can make ends meet and not lose much of the investment by our parents. I worked in the metro city for some BPO companies and managed to somehow not become a burden to my family.

 

(I must say..) I have faced a lot of challenges which made me competitive and helped me become a stronger person that I am now.

 

Luckily, my siblings were all graduates and are doing well. My parents (especially my Mom), doesn’t want to see me being left behind without getting my own degree. Though I am doing well as an agent for an advertising platform for a big company, I have made a decision to follow my parents and continue with my studies.

 

Even though my parents have the ability to send me to school unlike before, I still made my decision to work while I attend college as I feel uncomfortable completely depending on my parents for financial matters. I am grateful to one of my professors who helped me locate a BPO company around the city. I have struggled so hard in managing my time and energy attending school by day and going to work at night. But, thanks to the people I work with most especially to the management for their strong support in helping me to have a working schedule.

 

Now, I am taking the last school year (claiming!) looking forward to getting my degree thanks to the help and support from my family and to LINKOS where I have found a second home with incredible 2nd family!

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News and Events

DONALD: From Pizza Guy, Construction Worker, to ROCKSTAR in Real Estate Inside Sales

Rockstar Real Estate ISA!

Having his heart broken, struggling with jobs that stretched him, and being far from home, all these didn’t keep Donald from having a positive outlook in life. “Tatay Donald” as he is fondly called by other members of the Linkos family is one of the jolliest and funny persons you will ever meet. He stands out in the crowd being surrounded by fellow agents who are from younger generations, but that doesn’t stop him from being a fun member of the Linkos Fam. His light personality is paired with memorable anecdotes, making him someone one would never forget.

But there is something more about him that makes him an inspiration to call center professionals and those who aspire for a call center career. Before becoming a part of Linkos and being one of our best telemarketing agents, Donald went through other adventures that were also filled with struggles.

Challenges with Previous Jobs

After finishing high school in the US, Donald recalls hopping from one job to another to make ends meet. One of the most challenging jobs he had was when he worked for a Domino’s Pizza. Donald recalls having to do everything in the ordering process, he took the calls to take the orders, he makes the pizza, and he delivers them! That’s a stretch!

When asked if this was job he struggled with most, he says no! He proceeds to tell us that he had a job that had him peeling grapes. Yes, he had to peel grapes for processing!

Away From Home

After a bad relationship that ended up with him returning to the city where his mother lives, Donald ventured into entrepreneurship. After some time, having not much success in the trade, he decides to fly back home to the Philippines where he meets the woman who is now his wife.

Though back in the Philippines, Donald can be considered away from home because he is half the world away from his family.

He had to work hard in the Philippines. He recalls having a job as a construction worker and working under the unforgiving summer heat.

Venture into the Call Center

Donald learned about Linkos through a friend who encouraged him to try taking on a call center career because of his fluency in English.  But that didn’t mean it was easy for him. At this point, it seems like Donald hasn’t applied for a job for quite some time, he tells us about how his interview almost didn’t push through because he brought the old-fashioned bio-data instead of a resume.

He had a lot of catching up to do in the new working environment. Donald remembers that his greatest challenge was working the computer.

New Challenges and Learning

Though it’s a challenge, Donald was able to adapt eventually with the help of the Linkos Training Academy (now referred to as the Linkos Fundamental Skills Training Program). With the help of the program facilitated by Ms. Tanya Molano, the Learning Manager, and Ms. Ezra Mendoza of the Marketing Team, Donald was able to secure a position as an inside sales associate for a business partner in his real estate company and his learning continues.

At first, he found navigation through the different tools a challenge, but with the help of his determination to learn, and the guidance of his supervisor, he was producing results in no time.

Now, Donald is one of the best inside sales associates there is. He produces results that help him earn bonuses on top of his pay.

A Second Home

When asked what Donald loves most about Linkos, he was quick to answer that he describes it as a family. He points out that even though he is far from home, he has Linkos as his second family.

A Message from Donald

Donald has a simple message to call center professionals and those who aspire to be one: Be yourself and be responsible. According to Donald, you have to be true to who you are while being responsible for your actions and what you are about to do. “When you are responsible,” Donald reflects, “everything else will follow.”

 

Truly, Donald is one unique and inspiring individual that makes up the Linkos family. Withi his work attitude and skills, he is able to deliver the results expected of him as a Real Estate ISA. His story is a testimony that having  a positive attitude and mindset, combined with having the right people around you, nothing is impossible.

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Teamwork Divides the Task and Doubles the Results

article by Necito Langit

Having Fun

A team is more than a collection of people; this concept is proven during the Docs Prep team building held last May 5th 2019, different back stories, different personalities and different reasons come together to build a strong foundation to boost their efficiency and coordination as a team on one of the biggest account at Linkos Global, many of which have been needing a break from their usual workflow to get to know each other in a more personal level.

“If one fails, we all fail,” Niel said, the account’s Senior quality analyst, he also expects the team to work as a cohesive unit by taking care of each other’s stats and they know everyone in the team should have each other’s back.

“Everyone has a voice in the team” stated by Lhydhan, one of the Subject account experts, this targets the more personal side of things addressing other teammates’ endeavors “We need to rely on each other” this spoke volumes during the time there were at the market place where the environment was very hectic and busy, yet they finish the task successfully by taking up different task in order to finish the task faster.

Rising to the challenge being the biggest account at Linkos, everyone sat down in front of a bonfire and answered questions, which was everyone’s favorite part of the day as they got to know each other in different aspects of their lives, their career choices, their biggest influence and things in that nature, At the end of the day they learned to rely on one another on their strengths and help each other on their weakness; Team Docs Prep Team 32 players, one heartbeat.

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Magnitude 6.1  Earthquake Hits Luzon: 11 Death Toll and Damage Experienced

MANILA – The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology recorded a magnitude 6.1 earthquake yesterday, April 22, 2019 a few minutes past 5:00 PM leaving damaged infrastructure and reported deaths of up to 11 people as of this writing.

Damages include collapsed buildings and damaged terminals at the Clark international airport causing the cancellation of over 100 flights. The earthquake also caused power interruption making rescue efforts to collapsed building more difficult and tedious.

In Manila, skyscrapers are caught on camera swaying as if in a breeze. One notable video shows how the skyscraper’s rooftop pool spill over like a waterfall during the quake.

See the below video:

Renato Solidum of PHIVOLCS reported that the epicenter of the earthquake in Zambales in the area of the town of Castillejos.

One is well to remember that the Philippines nests on what is called the Pacific Ring of Fire where fault lines and volcanoes sit on the edges of the Pacific Ocean.

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How We Developed a Simple Tool to Help a Sales Rep Go from Zero to Hero

Just last month, I was training a new sales rep a client hired through us. When the rep was endorsed to my department for deployment, I was told he was experienced in phone sales and I naturally expected much from him. During our one on one training, however, I couldn’t help but feel disappointed. It was apparent in his body language that he was so confused.

He didn’t do well AT ALL during the training. I had to repeat some points over and over. It came to a point where I just had to stop in the middle of a roleplay and say we have to break for five minutes.

I quickly approached my department head to let her know that I don’t feel the rep would be a great fit for the position and should be endorsed to extensive training. “I thought this guy did sales before,” I said to my manager. You see, we also hire newbies but we have them undergo a more extensive training.

During our training, his most notable weaknesses were:

  • His tone was weak. It lacked the power and charisma of a sales machine.
  • There were parts of the script he couldn’t deliver right.
  • It took him way too much time to crunch numbers.

I was told not to give up just yet. So I didn’t.

I got the rep’s would-be supervisor to back me up with his training and her initial reaction was the same as me. We ended up breaking again after less than an hour because it was apparent that he’s getting rattled and nervous.

The coach and I talked about our observations. We also went through his resume and saw that he has indeed worked as a call center sales rep before.

We then looked at the script again and figured it out! It was in front of us ALL ALONG! The dude was afraid of numbers! All his confusion and nervousness stem from that one part in the flow of the call where he has to use a calculator. It wasn’t at all too complex, he just needed to compare the advertised price less any major repairs and the asking price.

Of course, we can’t judge him for sucking at math, or just simply being afraid of maths. I went over the concept and explained to him. He understood it very well, but his head just naturally spins when he sees more than three digits on the screen.

We tweaked the training for a little bit to fix the problem. What we did is had him roleplay a similar script sans the calculations. He did WAY better and he was able to showcase his sales skills.

We developed a simple tool for him using MS Excel where he just had to input the numbers so he wouldn’t have to worry with the operations. We then had him go through a list of set figures to practice on the tool.

We had him go on live dialing the next day. The client has stayed with us ever since and is generally happy about the services.

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AM I A SCAMMER? The Existential Crisis in Call Center Reps

“Do you guys think we’re a scam?”

A colleague from a previous call center company once said those words after getting screamed at by a caller. I was a new customer service rep at that time and believe me, I’ve pondered on the thought at that time as well. Each rep was getting a huge amount of customer complaints on a daily basis.

The client company we were working with wasn’t known at all. It was a small company but has growing operations. It wasn’t as big as the telecommunications or credit card companies major call centers in the Philippines usually cater. It mostly relied on online ads and sold through the website and phone sales.

After some time, the thought of the client company being a scam just went away.

As it turns out, this crisis among call center reps might be more common than I have expected. Only recently, a new hire hit me with a question, “is this product legit?” This was during an orientation we are giving them.

Now, I looked deeper into the issue, put myself back in the shoes of customer service and reflected.

Here’s what I think are the major reasons why reps would doubt the product or services:

  1. The product and company is new to them
  2. They find the complaints and objections overwhelming
  3. They empathize with the customer in the wrong way

Now, if you are a small to medium sized company who manages a sales or customer support team, you might have this issue within your team. BUT, there’s a simple solution to avoid these problems.

There are three things you must have in your team to be able to combat this and raise the morale of your members:

  1. Know the Product Well –Whenever we’re signing up a new client for our call center services, especially if the product is new to us, we always make sure to ask if they are willing to have a training session with the team themselves. Not every client has the time though. If that’s the case, we simply ask if they can provide or recommend training materials, if there are none, we go the extra mile to do more research in addition to what we have already learned. This is to help us train the agents ourselves. Whenever I’m the one who gets to do the training I always say that the key to being effective over the phone, whether it’s selling or support, is product knowledge. I believe it all boils down to product knowledge.
  2. Make sure the team has a proper mindset –Once everyone knows the product, the key is to believe in the product. We can’t expect to have our employees actually love what they are selling. I mean come on, can you really expect someone to love documents preparation services or airline tickets? What matters is they believe, believe that the product they sell or service is and can be of value to the customer.
  3. Have a culture of customer service –Customer service isn’t just for customer service reps. Customer service is not a process. It should be a culture. This is where the team’s conviction for the product would manifest. Did you know that a lot of leading companies in very competitive industries keep ahead of their competitors because of their customer service? That’s a fact.

Being aware of this problem and being prepared to solve it could make the difference for the success of your customer service or phone sales team. In fact, we can consider the three elements of the solution to be the foundation of having a successful phone team.

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How Small to Medium-Sized Enterprises  are Leveraging Outsourcing and Making the Most Out of It

Outsourcing is always at the top of to-do lists when it comes to saving on cost and virtual assistants are the next big thing. More and more small to medium-sized enterprises are now leveraging this new sub-sector of outsourcing.

This new trend in outsourcing is considered revolutionary since it paves way for even the smallest of businesses to get the perks of outsourcing. It is both cost-effective and efficient and many bear witness to how working with a virtual assistant helped grow their businesses.

Myths About VAs

  1. They are Freelancers

This is the most common misconception about virtual assistants. VAs have more things to offer than freelancers who work on projects and job orders. Most companies, entrepreneurs and practicing professionals who hire virtual professionals actually hire them with long-term commitments.

Most successful VA employers even trust theirs with the position of being their personal assistants.

  1. They can only do contact center tasks

Though more and more practicing professionals (like Realtors, accountants, lawyers, etc.,) are hiring appointment-setters (which are under the contact center sub-sector), these are not to be confused with VAs. Virtual professionals can do more than just dial number on listings. They can manage your websites, social media profile, your CRM’s, and a lot more.

  1. Hiring One is Too Risky

Most Virtual Assistants work through agencies or centers who make sure they are provided with all the necessary equipment and facilities. Hiring through a center guarantees that you are not scammed and your VA won’t just disappear for no apparent reason. When you work through a center, you are actually working with a whole team, They support your VA with proper monitoring, feedback, and additional training if necessary.

Is Hiring a VA a Difficult Process?

Not at all! There are only three steps in hiring a VA.

  1. Know What You Need and Make a List – Most employers make snap decisions in hiring a VA mainly because the offer is just too good. But you need some time to give it more thought. If you’re really not sure, see the next step.
  2. Discuss it With a Center—A center is the best place to learn more about what a VA can do. Contact a center and the experts would be able to help you out.
  3. Interview– Schedule an interview with candidates. It’s just like a regular interview except you can do it via Skype video call or over the phone. Avoid rescheduling interview appointments; virtual professionals are working in a different time zone, so your 10:00 AM could be three in the morning where the candidates live.
  4. Hire and Delegate Tasks – Deploy the virtual professional of your choice and give him the tasks and tools necessary to accomplish them.

Now you can focus on the bigger picture while saving on costs. You only need to check on your VA once a day. You can also have them give you weekly or daily reports. For more information about virtual assistants and outsourcing for SMEs, check out our website.