Yesterday I blabbed about focusing your technology as a Realtor and figuring out what works and what does not work. After writing that I needed to follow up and maybe give explanation to examples of great technology and ones that may not be necessary or a time consumer. There are literally thousands of apps, softwares and tools available to those on the go and Realtors seeking a “better” way of doing things. So below are a few suggestions for each including a couple of clear suggestions of things to get rid of. I understand that everyone is different and your needs may be different then my needs depending on skill set and experience, but hopefully this is a guide or a start to you streamlining your tech to become that medium tech agent we should be.
- CRM – Lets start with my favorite tool to give a hard time. CRM’s are developed to organize leads and customers as well as managing follow up and sales as you go from a new contact to closing a deal. Ick! I am serious. In Real Estate laziness is not rewarded and if you have so many deals going that you need a CRM may I suggest hiring a licensed assistant to help out. Here is what I do. I rely 100% on my Google tools like Gmail, Calendar and Numbers. I keep a spreadsheet going that is loaded on Drive with names and deals attached. I contact them through Gmail or Google phone and make notes and follow up times in calendar. All while sitting at my laptop working the phones and email. Its all in one place and I rarely have to stop and spend time entering data into a CRM. The best part for an agent is the broker does not own your contacts and you are not dumping their info into a company system to be pilfered. These are you contacts and your stream of business. Its really that easy if you want it to be.
- If you must rely on a CRM I suggest you choose one that is simple and transaction management driven.
- If you are going to use Google stuff, I suggest taking pictures of notes and properties and attached to calendar notes to speed up recollection.
- Mobile Apps – I have too many of them on my phone currently but use 3 or 4 of them religiously.
- Calendar. Its easy to use and has space for notes and can connect to contacts and locations
- RPR. Realtor Property Resource is what I think that stands for but as a Real Estate mobile app its pretty powerful. Pull up listings by search or map along with historical data and tax info on homes. Our local board app is difficult to use and when I am looking for quick accurate information RPR is my go to. I also like that I can setup auto searches and it stores recent properties to look back at they I may have looked at in the field.
- Docusign. Zipforms is our boards document management system and is connected to Docusign if you allow. Docusign mobile app is fantastic for obtaining signatures from anywhere and sharing with associated parties. It can be tricky to get dialed in on a phone but once setup there is nothing more powerful when it comes to signing and sending.
- Zillow Mortgage. I know I am supposed to hate anything Zillow produces but in my mind they make my life easier. The mobile mortgage calculator they offer has a tone of options like refinance, affordability and payment functions. Meeting with clients requires some quick numbers if they are just starting out and having them download the app or you having it handy can answer many questions up front.
3. The Phone – The phone to this day is the most important tool you need for selling real estate. I am confident that if all I had was a phone in my pocket or computer, I could do just as much business as with or without any of the apps or tech available. Learning to use the phone strategically and often is a salesperson key to success. How many times have you heard “they won’t answer their phone” and wondered why someone would not answer a customer call. Or how nice is it to have a productive chat with a new client and make plans to go look at new properties with a quick phone call? Its the ultimate tool for selling and most people have forgotten how great it is. I suggest scheduling phone time whether its daily to respond to missed calls or weekly for prospecting . Get on your phone and dial those numbers and I guarantee you that the sales will come with it.
I understand that everyone has their way of doing business and that my tips mean nothing to many. What I am encouraging is that we look at our day and our business and instead of creating more work to manage the system to lead to sales, why don’t we just streamline everything and get back to focusing on selling and building a business. Good Luck!
Curt has been in the Indianapolis Real Estate business for over 10 years and spent his first years learning all aspects of commercial management and brokerage. He has had great success in managing existing commercial projects and new retail and office developments. Curt specializes in building owner representation and purchases in the Westfield Indiana market as well throughout the Indianapolis Metro area. Curt is passionate about growing the local Westfield community and in his free time volunteers with Westfield Youth Assistance and raising 2 children with his wife Jennifer.