CRM Hacks for the Agent On-The-Go

The world has changed. Software platforms are now a staple in every industry, changing our processes and pushing us to adapt to new schools of thought. This has created a divide throughout the Real Estate profession, with some agents settling down behind the computer, spending the time to leverage their digital database, while others cling to their traditions, avoiding the office at all costs to maximise their time spent face-to-face with prospects.

There is a way to combine these worlds, bringing the value of modern day database technology to the agent that refuses to sit behind a desk.

Present potential buyers to prospects & show tangible opportunities.

CRM Databases provide real time value for agents in so many ways, but for the agent on the go, one of the most powerful applications of that database is to leverage the information stored, to present tangible opportunities for prospects. The ability to pull up a list of available buyers or tenants at a moments notice is an incredible tool to have at your fingertips and is now more accessible than ever.

Consider for a moment presenting a list of buyers that exactly match a vendors property and being able to manipulate that result in real time to show buyers looking in different price ranges, giving your prospect a no-nonsense look at the current state of the market for their property. With the market taking a turn, many agents are looking to maximise the ways they can communicate that reality to their leads. Leveraging the strength of your database is one of the most effective ways to convey real opportunities to your prospect. The current state of CRM Technology means that this transparency can easily be achieved on a tablet before your clients eyes, directing them to it via your online communication or by providing them with the tools to educate themselves on just how much value you can bring to the table. For a great example, click here for an article from my colleague Trevor Bragg that outlines the return on investment for having these tools on your website.

Automate your communications.

Being on the road does not mean that your sales process needs to fall behind in a world of consistent communication. Neither do you need to rely on your memory to prompt intermittent phone calls between in-person meetings. Embracing the mobility of your CRM can give you all of the advantages of modern technology layered on top of old-school face-to-face practices. By now you are no doubt aware of the current climate of automatic communication and where many resist is on notion that there is more value in personal communication. That is where you are right! The most effective use of automatic follow up is to supplement the work you are already doing.

Many agents will stay in great contact with the two or three hottest leads for a property but fall short of hours in the day to touch base with everyone, it’s just the nature of the business. Having templates of your common communication sequences available to fall back on while you are out and about means that everyone who you have dealt with receives a minimum level of service and it can bring leads out of the woodwork that you never expected to be interested. An interesting side note on this point, is that we are transitioning into a world in which many leads from a younger demographic are more comfortable communicating via email and SMS than they are picking up a phone call. The previous schools of thought surrounding a lead not being interested if they don’t answer your calls are going out the window as a result and automatic communication can be the saving grace for agents that don’t want to spend their day behind a keyboard.

You can easily add another layer to your existing work ethic, automatically notifying people of key events like upcoming inspections, price reductions, new listings in their price range, etc. Create a baseline for your communication and establish that you are the agent that never misses a beat.

Optimise your Open Homes.

If you find yourself fiddling around with pen and paper in your Open Homes only to sit in front of the computer on a Monday to record all of your notes and send out communications then you are already more than one step behind. Recording notes directly into your CRM on site by logging attendees in an App via your phone or tablet not only frees up your Monday for more productive tasks, but allows for you to get a jump on the competition when it comes to converting those leads. Documents loaded into your CRM for that listing can be instantly distributed as you speak with leads, whether that be a contract, application form or building information. Allowing you to ramp up the time frame of conversion in a climate in which speed is everything and time is money. This same principle applies to communicating with your vendors or landlords post-inspection. Whether that be conducting a quick call and recording the notes on the spot or immediately distributing a report of the open that has been building for you in the background.

The end result is a situation in which by the time you get back in your car to leave, everything has been completed. Attendees recorded, notes saved, documents sent, owners notified and if you have embraced automatic communications, the process of seducing that lead has already begun behind the scenes. By the time you sit down at the office on Monday, your leads can have already received a series of communications from you distributing further information that brings them value and establishes you as an agent that is there to deliver for them.