The world of real estate moves at a rapid pace. As an agent or broker, you are constantly looking for homes to sell and for people to buy them. The proper categorization of your leads is critical to your ability to find the ones you need quickly and easily at a moment’s notice. The days of the traditional Rolodex are long gone. You absolutely need to organize yourself with a quality CRM software system in order to keep up with the industry’s ups and downs.
Setting Daily Routines
Have you ever heard of the concept of the “daily five?” In real estate, this concept involves following up with five people per day, five days per week. Even if they aren’t actively looking for a home, anyone who has expressed interest in the past should be considered a potential future lead. Touching base from time to time, for just five minutes, keeps you relevant. You should end up touching base with each of your leads several times per year as you rotate through your list.
CRM makes this easier by scheduling these contacts and reminding you of when to make the call. Even during your busiest days, you won’t forget.
To-Do List Tracking
In addition to your regular routines, your CRM system should have the ability to help you keep track of your ongoing, neverending to-do list. Did you tell a client or prospect you’ll call him back on Tuesday? If so, you should have that client’s file tagged in your to-do list so that a reminder to make that call appears on Tuesday. A lot of people think they’ll remember to make return calls, but it’s easy to lose track of who you need to call and when in today’s fast-paced world.
Task Automation & Management
A lot of your follow-up tasks can be automated directly from your CRM system. For example, if your client’s home purchase date is saved in the system, your CRM can automatically send an anniversary email. All you’ll have to do is write an email template and set your system to automatically send it. You can set up similar automations for birthdays, work anniversaries, personal anniversaries, and any other important date you might want to acknowledge in your quest to regularly keep in touch with clients.
Contact Database
Every time you speak with a client or lead you should be collecting information about their wants and needs. Every little detail counts. Cabinet styles, color preferences, and the number of bedrooms or bathrooms should be listed. Do they want hardwood floors or rugs? Do they want a multi-story home or a rancher? What kind of neighborhood would they like? Is there a specific price range?
Ask as many questions as possible. Then, write it all down in your CRM. The more you know, the easier it will be for you to look at a home you’re putting on the market and identify someone in your database who might really want to see it.
Client Retention
Working with a client isn’t a one-off experience. Happy clients will return to you for future needs and those who feel you haven’t forgotten about them will be quick to refer their friends and family members your way. Staying in touch includes not only automated marketing tactics, like newsletters, but birthday cards and other more personalized pieces of communication as well. Call to check in about how they’re settling into their new home, or to ask about a work event or child’s sporting event. Strong relationships tend to be profitable.
Referral Strategies for Customer Acquisition
Having a clearly organized CRM system helps you to develop partnerships with related industry professionals. Knowing who does what will give you the ability to toss referrals to people you’ve worked with in the past.
Does Client A own a home painting business? Is Client M buying a house that needs a little love? You may be able to connect the two. You should also be establishing relationships with lenders, insurance agents, landscapers, roofers, electricians, plumbers, and anyone else that may offer a service that a home or business owner may need in the future. Those you help will remember you when someone they know has a need you can meet.
All-in-One Real Estate CRM Software Solution
If you own an agency or brokerage, more advanced CRM systems will allow you to assign leads to different agents while tracking their performances. If you are an investor, you’ll be able to track the leads each of your agents is receiving to see who is moving the fastest to close leads before another investor gets to them.
This type of system gives you the ability to send and attach documents to your buyers and sellers, set up automatic reminders and emails, and even integrate with third-party email marketing systems like MailChimp or Constant Contact.
Social Media Integration
Social media is a huge part of every real estate agent’s marketing plan, but coming up with regular content can be quite a challenge. A quality CRM system will include the ability to curate images, infographics, and links that you can embed or post across your channels. Set yourself up with a regular social schedule to keep your online presence fresh.
You can also use your social media presence to find reasons to touch base – birthdays, anniversaries, and special occasions you may not have already had on file. Remember, your more mature clients may prefer email and phone for contact, but your younger clients love social media and text. Learn their preferences and include them in your CRM and customer profiles for each client.
Consistency is key to the success of any real estate professional. Use your CRM system to automate as many tasks as possible, to keep track of as many details as you can, to manage the status of your leads, and to stay on top of your business. Agents who use CRM systems tend to earn far more each year than those who don’t, mainly because of their ability to maintain stronger relationships. It’s up to you to utilize your system to its fullest potential, but you will be pleasantly surprised at the change in your business if you do.
President and founder of DVI, Aaron Boerger realized early in life that he had a unique combination of x-ray vision and business acumen for seeing the weaknesses that held businesses back – and the ability to define the right tools, technology and strategy to make them stronger.
From founding a successful technology support business in his early teens, to serving as Chief Operating Officer for several companies in the financial, technology and marketing industries, Aaron has developed a reputation for reinventing technology implementation tactics – and the willingness to tell people not what they want to hear, but what they need to hear, in order to achieve success without overwhelm.
Aaron will always go the extra mile to provide the accountability and support his clients need to achieve their goals, yet isn’t afraid to tell them when they are doing something wrong.