The Real Estate Contact Management & Marketing Blog

The Abundance Myth Dispelled

Rich Gaasenbeek (IXACT Contact Real Estate CRM) — Thu, 16 May 2013 12:19:47 -0700

I particularly like the post below from real estate coach and trainer Richard Robbins because of how it highlights the importance of adding value to your sphere of influence (SOI) over time. Many REALTORS® understand the value of keeping in touch with past clients but don’t realize the significance of actually “adding value.”

Here’s how to add value to your relationships with clients and past clients:

1. Send out a monthly real estate newsletter that’s packed with great tips and advice for homeowners. The best real estate contact management software, such as IXACT Contact, will come with a professionally written and designed monthly e-Newsletter that’s complete and ready to send.

2. Invite clients to a “home expert seminar.” This is where you ask a professional, such as an interior designer or landscape architect to come in and speak to a group of people about how to remodel their kitchen or tips for boosting curb appeal, for example. Usually these professionals are happy to give a talk to a group of people as it means new leads for them. It’s easy to plan and schedule home expert seminars in your real estate contact management software.

3. Schedule drip marketing email campaigns in your real estate contact management software. These campaigns consist of emails that automatically go out at various times. Each email provides a useful tip that will help to position you as the ultimate real estate authority (as a true “home expert”).

Enjoy this post from Richard Robbins:

We learn early in life to seek abundance–to want more as a way of ensuring our safety and success. From a young age, though, we’re taught that abundance is entirely about getting. Getting richer. Getting more stuff. Getting ahead. Getting the deal. Getting the sale. Getting a break. Getting a leg up. Getting it done. As a culture, we’re obsessed with getting. Click here to read more…

Do you agree with Richard? Please leave a comment below.

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Rich Gaasenbeek| Vice-President, Sales and Marketing| IXACT Contact

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Fun 30 Second Quiz: What’s Your Time Management IQ?

Rich Gaasenbeek (IXACT Contact Real Estate CRM) — Tue, 14 May 2013 07:45:33 -0700

Take this fun quiz to see how well you’re doing at staying organized and managing your time effectively. It’ll take less than 30 seconds to complete. Circle either true or false and at the end of the quiz add up all your “true” answers.

I follow a daily calendar and task list. T/F
I use drip marketing programs to automate some of my “keep in touch” work. T/F
I use listing and closing Activity Plans so nothing falls through the cracks. T/F
I set up automatic prompts so important meetings, commitments, and activities are not forgotten. T/F
All of my contacts are managed in one centralized real estate database. T/F
I manage all of my transactions and active buyers from one centralized location. T/F
I prioritize my tasks and activities based on level of importance. T/F
I regularly run reports to understand my business better and define areas of improvement. T/F
I have the right technology systems in place to help me manage and organize my business. T/F
I plan ahead. T/F
I have weekly or monthly goals that I work to achieve. T/F
I carve out different portions of my day to accomplish different tasks and activities (when possible). T/F
I record and keep track of the communication history between myself and my clients and prospects. T/F

How well did you do?

9-13 true answers: You’re doing very well when it comes to organization and time management. You’re proactive and have your business under control. Great job! However, unless you got all 13 answers correctly, there’s still some room for improvement.

8-5 true answers: You’re doing some things right when it comes to organization and time management, and you likely have a lot under control. Try to review the statements you answered “false” to and see what changes you can make to improve.

Less than 5 true answers: There’s still a lot of work that needs to be done, but don’t fret! It’s easy to make needed changes to get more organized. Start with using a good CRM for REALTORS®. It’s the foundation to getting and staying organized and managing your time effectively. It’s also the basis for building that coveted referrals and repeat business.

Check out this fun quiz from @IXACTContact: What’s Your Time-Management IQ?” [ Tweet this]

How many “true” answers did you circle? What do you do to stay organized? Please leave a comment below!

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Rich Gaasenbeek| Vice-President, Sales and Marketing| IXACT Contact

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Getting Busy? Seize the Opportunity to Care For Your Clients!

Rich Gaasenbeek (IXACT Contact Real Estate CRM) — Thu, 09 May 2013 07:03:12 -0700

This great blog post below, from IXACT Contact partner, real estate trainer, and author of “Sell With Soul,” Jennifer Allan-Hagedorn, is a good reminder to focus on servicing the loyal client base that you already have, and doing what you can to ensure you benefit from their referrals and repeat business.

The best source of future business is current business and if you’re not building on the relationships you currently have and, as Jennifer puts, it “knocking their sox off with your service,” you’re missing out on great opportunities down the road.

Here’s how you can use your IXACT Contact real estate contact management system to provide exceptional, world-class service to current and past clients:

1. Take advantage of the “Keep In Touch” feature to plan and schedule quarterly keep in touch calls, a round of golf, a coffee meeting, a pumpkin giveaway, and/ or anything else you’d like to do to stay in touch.

Your real estate contact management system will automatically remind you via email at the appropriate times. With IXACT Contact’s Keep In Touch functionality, you can even plan out the various tasks associated with a keep in touch event. If you’re strapped for time, it doesn’t get much easier than that!

2. Make sure you have drip marketing Activity Plans assigned to clients as soon as the transaction is finished.

3. Use the built-in Business Directory in your real estate contact management system to manage a list of home-related professionals so you can easily recommend a competent designer, florist, home inspector, etc., when asked.

When these businesses see that you’re recommending their services, they’ll be more inclined to return the favor and recommend you to their clients. And remember, when clients know they can call you for help, they become more loyal.

Here is Jennifer’s blog post:

A lot of agents I’m talking to are seeing a glimmer of hope – that is – they’re busy! The phone is ringing! The email’s jangling! Listing contracts are being signed and buyers are getting approved! Woo hoo!

I always say that when you’re busy… Click here to read more…

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Rich Gaasenbeek| Vice-President, Sales and Marketing| IXACT Contact

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4 Super Fast Ways to Build Your Real Estate CRM Database

Rich Gaasenbeek (IXACT Contact Real Estate CRM) — Tue, 07 May 2013 09:02:42 -0700

A REALTORS® most valuable business asset is their real estate CRM database. In fact, it’s the only tangible asset an agent has. Things like experience and track record are intangible assets.

The more quality contacts in your real estate CRM database, the more repeat client transactions and referrals will likely come your way. Of course, you need to keep in touch with these contacts over time and do so in the right ways.

But perhaps you’re just starting out in real estate sales and don’t have a lot of people in your real estate sphere of influence (SOI). Or, maybe you’ve been in the business a while but don’t have as many contacts (leads, clients, business-to-business referral sources etc.) as you’d like. If this is the case, this blog post is for you!

4 Ways to Grow Your Real Estate CRM Database:

1. Do an inventory of your professional and personal network

If you take the time to think of everyone you know who are not currently in your database, you’ll probably realize that you know a lot more people than you think.

Think of your friends, colleagues, neighbors, family members, and business professionals you’ve come in contact with, such as contractors, mortgage brokers, attorneys, florists, and so on. Then, add them to your real estate CRM, where appropriate.

2. Host client appreciation parties

Client appreciation events (such as a wine and cheese party, a cooking class, or a hot air balloon ride) are a great way to build client loyalty and meet new people to add to your real estate database.

These events should be an ongoing part of your real estate marketing plan. They take less than 5 minutes to schedule in your real estate CRM using the system’s Keep in Touch dashboard. You can also send out personalized email invitations with your CRM in a very short amount of time.

3. Introduce yourself to businesses

Other business professionals, such as contractors, movers, and designers, can be a great source of referrals for you. Make an effort to introduce yourself to those who don’t know you yet. One new business-to-business referral source can generate dozens of referrals over the coming years.

“Other business professionals can be a great source of referrals” [Tweet this]

When you reach out to other professionals, make sure the conversation with them isn’t all about you. Ask how you can help them and make a concerted effort to learn about what they do.

4. Long-lost contacts

Take the initiative to call those you’ve lost contact with. Here is a great script to use when calling these people. If they agree to re-start the relationship with you, make sure you take advantage of your real estate CRM’s drip marketing programs and professionally designed and written monthly e-Newsletter to keep in touch over time.

The takeaway here is to always be on the lookout for ways you can build your SOI and add quality contacts to your real estate database.

Did you find this post helpful? Please let me know by leaving a comment below.

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Rich Gaasenbeek| Vice-President, Sales and Marketing| IXACT Contact

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May I have Lousy Service, Please?

Rich Gaasenbeek (IXACT Contact Real Estate CRM) — Thu, 02 May 2013 08:28:48 -0700

Here’s a great article by vice president of marketing for NewPoint Media Group, Rebecca Chandler, on ways you, as a real estate sales professional, can provide amazing customer service.

As you’ll read, Rebecca discusses the importance of following up with every lead and proactively calling your real estate leads and clients versus hoping they’ll call you. A great tip is to use your CRM for Realtors to a) set-up automatic prompts and reminders so you never forget to make an important phone call and b) set-up every lead on an automated drip marketing campaign so while you’re busy on the road showing homes, you’re marketing to and keeping in touch with hot leads at the same time.

Enjoy the article:

Have you ever bought a product or hired a company and said, “May I have lousy service, please? I’d like to be frustrated by the experience of doing business with you.” Doubtful.

We’ve all experienced lousy service – whether that’s due to long lines at the checkout, a botched order at a restaurant, over promises that were under delivered, or just a crummy attitude. Certainly nothing you’d ask for. Click here to read more…

What other ways are you demonstrating over-the-top service? How is that helping you to build your business? Please share!

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Rich Gaasenbeek| Vice-President, Sales and Marketing| IXACT Contact

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Infographic: Effective Real Estate Email Marketing

Rich Gaasenbeek (IXACT Contact Real Estate CRM) — Tue, 30 Apr 2013 08:53:29 -0700

Have you ever wondered how you could get involved (or more involved) with email marketing? Weary of the benefits that it’ll bring to your business?

IXACT Contact created the infographic, below, to answer these questions. It outlines all the components of an effective email marketing plan for REALTORS®; a monthly e-Newsletter, personalized and targeted mass emails, and drip email nurture campaigns.

Once you send out marketing emails from your real estate CRM, you can use IXACT Contact’s innovative Email Campaign Reporting funtionality to identify leads and optimize your campaigns.

If email marketing is done right, it’ll pay off big time in the form of more referrals and repeat business. According to The Canadian Marketing Association, on average, you’ll get $39 of revenue for every $1 invested in email.

Take a look at the pyramid at the end of the infographic to view the complete list of potential benefits that we see our customers reap every day from email marketing.

With a great real estate CRM, email marketing is truly a breeze. The CRM will come with pre-loaded templates and drip campaigns. And you’ll be able to automate your emails so you don’t have to spend any time sending them out.

Enjoy the infographic:

Are you currently sending out an e-Newsletter? Making use of drip marketing campaigns? Please leave a comment below! And be sure to share this infographic with anyone you think may find it helpful.

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Rich Gaasenbeek| Vice-President, Sales and Marketing| IXACT Contact

T: 1-866-665-0018 ext.2| Email: rich.gaasenbeek@ixactcontact.com | Sign up for a FREE 5-week free trial now at www.ixactcontact.com

3 Reports in Your Real Estate Contact Management Software That Deliver Real Business Value

Rich Gaasenbeek (IXACT Contact Real Estate CRM) — Thu, 25 Apr 2013 07:34:24 -0700

If you’re using a real estate contact management software, you’re likely aware of the importance of using the software to generate key reports. These reports help you glean important insight into your business so you can make smarter business decisions moving forward.

You may be thinking, “Which reports are the most popular? Which ones should I make sure I view on a consistent basis to make certain that I’m fully understanding all aspects of my business and maximizing the effectiveness of my business-building efforts? In this blog post, I'll explain.

3 High Value Reports in Your Real Estate Contact Management Software

1. Original Source of Contact Summary

This report will give you an overview of how people are hearing about you. You’ll understand where your clients, prospects, personal, and business-to-business contacts are coming from. This will help you to determine where you should be investing more and less money.

Perhaps you see that you’re getting a lot of real estate leads and clients from a particular magazine ad, or from cold calling, and very few from Trulia. You’ll then know to go ahead and adjust your budget for these various lead sources.

2. Referral History

Do you know the number of times each person in your real estate contact management software has referred your services? From this report, you can see your best referrers and if the people they referred turned into clients or not.

This information is important because you’ll immediately know your “VIP” clients and can make a plan to give these people special treatment moving forward so they’ll continue to think highly of you and refer you to others.

3. Transaction Summary

This report lets you see an overview of your transactions, including asking price, selling price, days on the market, percent of asking price each property sold for, your commission, and averages. Let’s face it; if you sell homes fast for a good percentage of the asking price (or more), then that’s good marketing data you need to know about and promote to leads.

It’s also good to know average percentage of asking price and average days on the market of your listings so you can see if you need to make changes to your listing strategy to improve these numbers.

Run a report in your real estate contact management software right now and start making smarter business decisions today!

Do you run any of the reports I've discussed? Please leave a comment below!

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Rich Gaasenbeek| Vice-President, Sales and Marketing| IXACT Contact

T: 1-866-665-0018 ext.2| Email: rich.gaasenbeek@ixactcontact.com | Sign up for a FREE 5-week free trial now at www.ixactcontact.com

Great Experiences Trump All in Pursuit of Client Loyalty

Rich Gaasenbeek (IXACT Contact Real Estate CRM) — Tue, 23 Apr 2013 07:40:35 -0700

Today I'm re-blogging an article in Inman News written by Austin Allison, CEO of dotloop. We like the article because it’s very in-line with what we tell people here at IXACT Contact every day: relationships are everything and you need to focus on strengthening those relationships and providing your existing clients with a top-notch experience.

Austin says that “…great experiences are the best way to grow a business” and as we’ve seen with the most successful businesses, you need to focus on connecting personally with your clients so you can keep them for life.

If you’re not using a real estate contact management software to forge lifelong relationships with your real estate sphere of influence (SOI), you’re missing out on potentially very lucrative opportunities for referrals and repeat client transactions.

Enjoy the article:

Real estate has changed dramatically during the past decade. The stream of property information now available online — largely through companies such as Trulia and Zillow — has eliminated agents’ monopoly on access to information and, in doing so, transferred power to every consumer with an Internet connection. Click here to read more…

What do you do to provide an amazing customer experience? Please leave a comment below.

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Rich Gaasenbeek| Vice-President, Sales and Marketing| IXACT Contact

T: 1-866-665-0018 ext.2| Email: rich.gaasenbeek@ixactcontact.com | Sign up for a FREE 5-week free trial now at www.ixactcontact.com

Why You Should Be Planting the “Referral Seed”

Rich Gaasenbeek (IXACT Contact Real Estate CRM) — Thu, 18 Apr 2013 12:25:42 -0700

There is a myth among many REALTORS^® that clients will recommend you to friends and colleagues if they are happy with your services. “Why wouldn’t they give me a referral?” a real estate agent might ask. “I did a great job for them! I’ve been keeping in touch thanks to my real estate CRM.”

Unfortunately, it just doesn’t work that way.

A recent survey in a similar industry (financial planning) showed that the majority of clients do not proactively recommend their advisors — even though they are happy with the service they receive. The reason? They didn’t know their advisor wanted any referrals.

This may seem strange. But, unless you let your clients know that you would appreciate having them refer you, they may never do so.

You must plant the referral seed. And cultivate that seed often.

“You must plant the referral seed. And cultivate that seed often” [Tweet this]

How to Plant the Referral Seed in Real Estate

Let clients know each time you speak with them and each time you send a mass email from your real estate CRM, that you build your business through referrals. For example:

“John, as you may know, the majority of my business comes from referrals from satisfied clients like yourself. If you have a friend, neighbour or colleague that needs any real estate help, please give them my name. I promise I’ll do a great job for them.”

Remember that the basis of getting referrals is providing great service and maintaining the right frequency of contact (as explained in The Referral & Repeat Marketing Book). The e-Newsletter and drip marketing features in your real estate CRM will help you maintain contact with little time commitment on your end.

But, assuming you’re doing everything else right in your Referral & Repeat Marketing, reminding clients that you appreciate referrals will get you more of these high quality real estate leads.

And when a client does recommend you, be sure to thank them with a real estate thank you card or a phone call. A client can potentially provide you with three to five referrals per year. Showing your appreciation encourages them to recommend you more often.

Takeaway point: Don’t assume that a happy client will automatically recommend you. Plant the referral seed!

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Rich Gaasenbeek| Vice-President, Sales and Marketing| IXACT Contact

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Top 5 Tips for Making Better Use of Your Contact Management System for REALTORS®

Rich Gaasenbeek (IXACT Contact Real Estate CRM) — Tue, 16 Apr 2013 09:36:00 -0700

If you have a contact management system for Realtors but feel that you’re not making the most of it, this article is for you! In this blog post I outline my top five tips for making better use of your real estate CRM.

1. Set up your monthly real estate newsletter

IXACT Contact’s contact management system for Realtors comes with a professionally written and designed monthly e-Newsletter. All you have to do to set it up is choose your distribution list and date for it to go out. A monthly real estate newsletter is a great way to stay “top of mind” with prospects and clients. And because we write and design one for you, you have no excuse not to send one out!

2. Assign all of your real estate leads to drip marketing campaigns

New real estate leads are great, especially when you get a lot of them. But if you’re not nurturing your leads properly, the likelihood of them converting into clients is slim. A top-notch contact management system for Realtors, such as IXACT Contact, has pre-designed drip marketing campaigns (Activity Plans) for different types of leads, for example, for-sale-by-owner (FSBO) leads, buyers, sellers, and more. If you’re not assigning all of your leads to drip marketing campaigns, you’re missing out!

3. Use listing and closing Activity Plans

Listing and closing Activity Plans help you manage all the to-dos associated with listings and closings. You get automatic prompts/ reminders so nothing falls through the cracks when you go to list or close a home. You’ll be able to stay organized and in control, no matter how busy you are.

4. Send out Just Listed and Just Sold e-Cards/e-Flyers

IXACT Contact comes with pre-designed Just Listed and Just Sold e-Card and e-Flyer templates. Simply insert text and images in the appropriate places and voila, you’re done! These flyer templates are great for letting your real estate database know of new listings and sold homes in their area. It’s a fantastic way to get some new business!

5. Set-up wireless sync to your smartphone

If you’re using IXACT Contact, our smartphone sync is free. Just call our Customer Support Team at 1-866-265-6990 and they will set it up for you (it takes approximately five minutes). IXACT Contact syncs with the native address book, calendar and task list built into your smartphone. There’s no need to learn a separate app and the sync is instantaneous.

If you’re not using your contact management system for Realtors to its fullest, I hope that these tips will help. Good luck!

Do you already use some or all of the features discussed in this article? Please leave a comment below.

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Rich Gaasenbeek| Vice-President, Sales and Marketing| IXACT Contact

T: 1-866-665-0018 ext.2| Email: rich.gaasenbeek@ixactcontact.com | Sign up for a FREE 5-week free trial now at www.ixactcontact.com

The Evolution of Real Estate Lead Generation

Rich Gaasenbeek (IXACT Contact Real Estate CRM) — Thu, 11 Apr 2013 09:28:49 -0700

Today’s blog post is a video by Chris Leader, President of Leader’s Edge Training and IXACT Contact affiliate. Chris says that when you’re starting out your real estate sales career, you need to prospect for business and make cold calls (what he calls “proactive prospecting”) to build up a list of leads and clients.

Once you have a few years in the business under your belt, you can cut back on the prospecting and focus on relationship-building with your current database, your sphere of influence (SOI). This is precisely where a CRM for REALTORS® comes into play.

If you have clients you’ve worked with in the past and leads sitting in your database, you need to stay “top of mind” with those clients and nurture your leads. This is how you can get new business, time and again, without having to “prospect” for business.

A CRM for Realtors has all the tools you need to easily stay in touch with clients and turn leads into listings. Send out a professionally designed and written monthly e-Newsletter, get started with drip marketing campaigns, and much, much more.

Enjoy the video:

Do you use a CRM for Realtors? If so, has it helped you to grow your business?

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Rich Gaasenbeek| Vice-President, Sales and Marketing| IXACT Contact

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Sitting down with Alistair Powell, Broker/Owner of Engel & Völkers, The Villages

Rich Gaasenbeek (IXACT Contact Real Estate CRM) — Tue, 09 Apr 2013 12:35:51 -0700

Alistair Powell is the Managing Broker and owner of Engel & Völkers, The Villages, a global luxury real estate firm. Originally from the United Kingdom, Alistair joined Hamptons International realty to become the youngest ever sales manager. He owned his own brokerage at the age of 21 and established locations in Panama, the Middle East, London, Shanghai and Manila.

He arrived in Florida in 2009 to be closer to family and to see what kind of success he could achieve in the U.S. He joined Sotheby’s International Realty in Miami where he was the recipient of several awards including the “Young Guns Entrepreneur of the Year” award in 2008. He was most recently recognized as being an entrepreneur and marketer to watch in 2012 as one of Miami’s “Power 30 Under 30.” In 2012, he joined Engel & Völkers to extend his global reach and to support the high level of service that his brokerage is committed to to providing for its clients.

IXACT Contact recently sat down with Alistair for a special Q&A blog post. “Forget about the noise and trying to get rich quick. Put yourself out there and network. And build your real estate database based on everyone you’ve met no matter how meaningless it might seem to be at first” he says.

IXACT Contact: Hi Alistair, thanks for speaking with us today.

Alistair: I’m glad to!

IXACT Contact: Great! You’ve had an amazing real estate sales career. What has been the “secret” to your success?

Alistair: I was at a Young Professional Network meeting recently and they asked the question, “What makes one successful?” When it came my turn, I answered that it was me. And I don’t mean that arrogantly.

But for me, it hasn’t been about the tools. It’s been about being myself and reaching out and being transparent about who I am. When you put yourself out there in the public eye, and that’s what we do in real estate every day, or should be doing, good things will happen and some bad things too. You just can’t worry about the bad things. You have to be fearless and know that the more successful you become the more of both will happen. But as a result, I have very meaningful relationships and the results have been great on both a professional and a personal level.

Of course, technology tools help. A real estate contact management system, for instance, helps me to stay organized and ensure I’m building those meaningful relationships over time.

IXACT Contact: Absolutely. We agree that mentality plays a big factor in one’s success. Why do you believe a real estate contact management system is so important for agents?

Alistair: It is invaluable and you can’t live without it. If you think you can keep track of all the information that is available, that you should keep track of, without a real estate CRM, you will fail. There are only a few things you can remember. The technology exists to keep track of a much wider base of knowledge and data, which allows you to do more and achieve more.

IXACT Contact: As you know, a real estate contact management system also helps Realtors stay organized. Do you see poor time-management and/ or organization a common barrier to success in the field?

Alistair: Yes. Realtors spend a lot of unnecessary time acting on opportunities that may or may not happen. Taking the time to know whether it’s 100 percent saves time down the road. If you’re not sure you should go for it, you shouldn’t.

It’s important to also mention that agents need a real estate contact management system to manage their daily tasks, get automatic reminders, and make sure nothing falls through the cracks when listing and closing homes.

IXACT Contact: How do you recommend Realtors keep in touch with and market to their clients better?

Alistair: Ask the client how they want to be communicated with. If they want to use email, use email. If they want to be snail mailed weekly, then that’s what you should do. You shouldn’t expect for a client to join your communications channels. Ask and find out what their preference is, what part of the day and how often and then maintain it.

That being said, you need to make sure you’re somehow communicating to your real estate sphere of influence (SOI) over time and building relationships. This is how you’ll get referrals and repeat business down the road. Being time constrained is a factor for many agents, but the best real estate CRMs, such as IXACT Contact and Engel & Völkers’ own platform, let you automatically send out a professionally designed and written real estate newsletter every month. No work is involved on your end.

IXACT Contact: What’s one piece of advice you give to new agents?

Alistair: Be yourself. Forget about the noise and trying to get rich quick. Put yourself out there and network. And build your real estate database, based on everyone you’ve met, no matter how meaningless it might seem to be at first. It could be valuable later on.

IXACT Contact: When you’re not thinking and talking real estate, what do you enjoy doing on your time off?

Alistair: Everyone should be active in the things they are passionate about. Don’t just join a networking group for the sake of networking. Make it a group that meets on a subject or activity that you are passionate about and you will get more out of it on so many different levels. When I need a break and need to get away from it all, I go to Disney so I can feel like a kid again.

IXACT Contact: Thanks for speaking with us today, Alistair!

Alistair: My pleasure.

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Rich Gaasenbeek| Vice-President, Sales and Marketing| IXACT Contact

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How Real Estate Success Stories Will Help You Win More Clients

Rich Gaasenbeek (IXACT Contact Real Estate CRM) — Thu, 04 Apr 2013 09:33:46 -0700

Today I'm going to share with you how to use success stories to help turn your real estate leads into clients. I'll talk about what “success stories” are, below, and how you can properly use them.

Remember to capture all of your new leads in your CRM for REALTORS® and assign them to the appropriate drip marketing campaign. Also be sure to use your CRM for Realtors to keep track of your communication history with each of your leads.

The Power of Success Stories in Real Estate

Stories are easier to remember, and often have much more impact, than facts and figures.

Let’s say, for example, that you’re talking with a salesperson from a lawn care company. He provides you with a compelling recitation of his company’s program, from the environmentally friendly fertilizers they use to the number of treatments your lawn receives each year.

It’s a good presentation. But you’re still not convinced. After all, there is no shortage of lawncare companies to choose from!

Then he says, “Your neighbor around the corner had a similar problem with his front lawn. He was skeptical, but he decided to try our service for just one season. In less than two months his lawn was so noticeably greener than his neighbors thought he had the house painted, too! His entire property looked better.”

That’s the power of a success story. It ignites the imagination — letting us “see” the benefits.

Preparing Yourself

Many Realtors are good at explaining their track records and how the buying and selling process works. However, most don’t use success stories nearly as often as they should.

You should have at least ten success stories ready to use when the need arises. For example, you might have one story for dealing with clients who want to price their houses too high, another story dramatizing the importance of staging, and so forth.

How do you build your repertoire of success stories? The best way is to write them down as soon as they happen. Don’t rely on your memory. Get your success stories down on paper.

If you can get permission to use a client’s name, that’s ideal. But it’s not necessary. Using an alias is fine.

And never embellish a success story. Clients, in general, have an extraordinary ability to discern reality from fiction. So keep it real.

Takeaway Point: Write down your most compelling success stories so that you’ll be able to share them with real estate leads and clients.

Do you currently use success stories? Please leave a comment below!

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Rich Gaasenbeek| Vice-President, Sales and Marketing| IXACT Contact

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Get More Organized: The Ultimate List of Resources

Rich Gaasenbeek (IXACT Contact Real Estate CRM) — Tue, 02 Apr 2013 08:19:30 -0700

Today I'll share with you my ultimate list of resources for getting more organized in your real estate sales business. Of course, when you’re organized, proactive, and in-control, you’ll be more effective in converting your real estate leads into listings and building stronger relationships with your sphere of influence (SOI). As you’ll read in many of the articles/ resources below, a real estate contact management software can be a godsend when it comes to helping you better manage and organize your business (and reduce your stress!).

Make sure you bookmark this page so you have quick access to the list. Also, be sure to share this list with others by clicking on one of social media buttons at the top of this blog post.

1. 5 Ways Agents Can Become More Organized and In Control

If you’re currently using a real estate contact management software, this article shows you five things you can do within the system to ramp-up your level of organization. If you’ve just signed up for a real estate contact management software and aren’t sure how to make the most of it, this is a must-read!

2. The Ultimate Checklist to Getting More Organized

Go through this great checklist and make sure you’re completely covered off. Doing everything in this checklist alone will help leaps and bounds in getting more organized!

3. The Paperless Real Estate Office

We’ve chosen to include this article in our ultimate list of resources as running a “paperless office” is a key step to getting more organized. Learn what other REALTORS® have done to streamline their business and which technologies have helped.

4. 3 Ways Realtors Can Stay Organized

This is a great article on staying organized that appeared in the real estate publication AGBeat. We particularly like how this article discusses tracking communication history and “keep in touch” activities with real estate leads and clients.

5. 10 Ways to Fight Being Overwhelmed in Real Estate

Let’s face it; the life of a Realtor can be very overwhelming at times – especially if you’re not organized. In this article, professional and personal business coach, Sandy Newman, shares great tips that will be sure to help.

Which article on this list did you enjoy the most? Do you have any tips for becoming better organized? Please leave a comment below.

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Rich Gaasenbeek| Vice-President, Sales and Marketing| IXACT Contact

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7 Tips for Following Up Effectively After an Event

Rich Gaasenbeek (IXACT Contact Real Estate CRM) — Thu, 28 Mar 2013 14:04:18 -0700

Today I'm re-blogging a great article by Katie Lance, chief strategist for Inman News and CEO/Owner of Katie Lance Consulting. Katie discusses how REALTORS® can make the most of the relationships they form at the various events, conferences, and parties they attend.

Enjoy!

I have the good fortune of attending dozens of real estate events and conferences throughout the year – usually two or more per month. After I leave each event, I always have a stash of business cards, receipts, photos on my iPhone and more “stuff” to go through. I am a firm believer that there is a small window of opportunity after an event to follow up, cement new business relationships and new friendships.

Here are a few things I do to really make the most out of each event I attend:

1. Make notes about who you met during the event. While the event is still in progress, I make it a point to jot notes down on the back of the cards (where I met them, and any other notes about the conversation). Or, if I don’t have time for that, I will snap a photo of each card, put them into an Evernote notebook that I have created for the event, and type out a couple quick notes about who I met.

Note from IXACT Contact: Once you get home/ back to the office, be sure to add everyone you’ve met to your real estate CRM so you can ensure you’re following up with them and keeping in touch. The “Original Source of Contact” field in IXACT Contact lets you to keep track of how you met each person. Use the “Log Call/Note” section within the contact’s profile to add any notes you’ve jotted down during the event.

2. Follow up with each business card I received within 72 hours. After each event, I make it a point to go through each card that was handed to me and send them a personal email to follow up on the conversation we had. Sometimes the email may be something as simple as, “It was great meeting you at ____ event. Looking forward to getting to know you better!”

I also recommend entering people into your real estate CRM and making notes about who they are, the market area they serve and any other details about your conversation with them. That being said, make sure you don’t add them to a marketing email list without their permission. If you’d like to add them to your marketing lists, simply add in the personal email you send them something like, “I will add you to my email list and may email you periodically with information you may find useful. If you’d prefer to not be added just let me know!”

Note from IXACT Contact: a good idea is to assign each contact to one of the pre-designed drip marketing campaigns in your real estate CRM. Or, create a drip marketing campaign just for the contacts you met at this specific event! You may want to send them an email first with the verbiage that Katie suggests above.You may also want to schedule prompts so the CRM automatically reminds you to give these people a call at various times.

3. Connect with each person on social. Depending on the conversation – if it was brief then I may look them up on LinkedIn or Twitter and connect with them there. If I had a longer conversation where I really got to know them, I may look them up on Facebook and send them a friend request.

Personally, I do not friend request everyone I meet at an event. For me, I try very hard to keep Facebook to people I have at least met and had a conversation with. But, by connecting on LinkedIn or Twitter, it will help me to get to know them and then perhaps in the future I will connect with them. If I do connect with them on Facebook, I put them into a list. I have all of the Realtors I am connected to in lists (i.e. Realtor – NYC, Realtor – SF Bay Area). This helps in the future when I am looking for a Realtor in a specific area, or if I have information that I just want to share with that specific list.

4. Post an album of favorite photos on Facebook. Going to an event allows you an opportunity to promote that you are taking time out of your busy schedule to better improve you and your business. Here is a great opportunity to talk about real estate, without talking about it. I recommend posting your top 10-20 photos in an album to your Facebook personal profile or business page and make sure to tag any friends or colleagues. I would then tweet out the link to that album – making sure to use the conference hashtag.

5. Send a personal note to 3-5 people. Take the time to reach out and send a handwritten note to 3-5 people that you really connected with and/or the conference organizers. It’s a lot of work putting on an event – and a small gesture goes a very long way!

Note from IXACT Contact: handwritten notes are a fantastic idea. If you’d like to send handwritten real estate Thank You cards, be sure to check out this great article!

6. Take care of receipts and expenses right away (before the next trip!). There are a number of great apps to help with this. Three that I recommend are:

7. Unpack right away. I have done it both ways – unpacked right away or waited (and waited, and waited) and I will tell you it is good to unpack immediately. Make sure you go through all of your conference materials – keep what looks interesting and toss what you do not want to keep. Be ruthless, I don’t keep any handouts or flyers unless I am going to do something with it – follow up, call, etc.

So where am I headed to next? My next trip will be at the end of the month for Agent Reboot Seattle. If you live in the Pacific Northwest, I’d love to see you there!

The original article by Katie Lance can be found here.

Did you find this article helpful? Do you currently do anything that Katie suggests?

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Rich Gaasenbeek| Vice-President, Sales and Marketing| IXACT Contact

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6 Frequently Asked Real Estate CRM Questions

Rich Gaasenbeek (IXACT Contact Real Estate CRM) — Tue, 26 Mar 2013 08:11:41 -0700

In today’s blog post, I answer six of our most frequently asked questions at IXACT Contact. Enjoy!

1. What does CRM stand for?

CRM is an acronym that stands for “Customer Relationship Management.”

2. How does a real estate CRM benefit me?

The benefits of integrating a CRM system into your business are more referrals, more repeat business, the ability to be proactive rather than reactive, and the ability to stay 100% organized. A great real estate CRM is like having your very own personal assistant who reminds you of key dates and tasks, sends out emails on your behalf, gives you key insight into your business, and more.

3. What sets you apart from your competition? What are some key features of your CRM?

IXACT Contact is known to be a robust, feature-rich system that’s exceptionally easy to learn and use. The system is user-friendly and doesn’t require agents to be very tech savvy. The learning curve is hours or days, versus weeks or months with other systems.

IXACT Contact’s real estate CRM has two innovative features that set it apart. One is its monthly real estate specific e-Newsletter that is professionally designed and written every month on your behalf.

The other is Email Campaign Reporting. This is a feature that lets you identify hot leads. You can get a report at any time on who has opened your email, what the bounce back and click-through rates are, as well as other key information on emails sent from the system. This gives you great insight on how to improve your marketing moving forward.

4. Does your monthly real estate newsletter go out automatically? What kinds of content does it contain?

The monthly e-Newsletter is automatically sent out on your behalf. As we mentioned earlier, it’s professionally designed and written so all you have to do is choose what day of the month you would like it to go out and who you’d like to send it to (you have the option of selecting just a specific group).

The real estate newsletter is packed with useful tips and advice for homeowners. It’s designed to position you as a true expert in your field. Examples of articles include tips for boosting curb appeal, ways to assess the value of one’s home, and how to choose a reliable tradesperson. The beginning of the e-Newsletter can be customized, so you can add in market data and/ or a customized personal message if you wish.

5. Will IXACT Contact work on my Mac and iPad?

IXACT Contact is a CRM for Mac and iPad so it will absolutely work on your Mac (as well as your PC). It’s also fully optimized for the iPad so you can use the full system right from the device!

6. How does your system work with teams?

Small teams of two to three people can share IXACT Contact for the single account fee of $34.95 per month. Every member of the team can be logged into the system at the same time on different computers, and the account can be synched to any number of smartphones.

At the end of April 2013, we will be releasing our TEAMS version, which has been designed to meet the needs of even the largest teams. This version of IXACT Contact will be loaded with advanced features such as a calendar and task list for each team member, the ability to have different visibility/ security settings, the ability to assign tasks and leads to members of the team, and more. The cost will be $34.95 a month for the team leader and $24.95 a month for each team member.

Share a single account or move up to our TEAMS version – the choice will be yours!

I hope that this resource has been helpful. Of course, if you have any questions not listed here, you can reach us at 1-866-665-0018. We’ll be more than happy to speak with you to discuss your requirements.

Please feel free to share this blog post with anyone you think may find it useful. Click on one of the icons to the left of this page to share it on one of your social media pages.

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Rich Gaasenbeek| Vice-President, Sales and Marketing| IXACT Contact

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Infographic: 3 Key Facts Every REALTOR® Should Know

Rich Gaasenbeek (IXACT Contact Real Estate CRM) — Thu, 21 Mar 2013 07:34:05 -0700

The great infographic, below, was created by the team here at IXACT Contact. We’ve summarized key research by the National Association of REALTORS® (NAR) and the implications for real estate agents.

Make sure to pay attention to the key takeaways at the bottom of the graphic. You’ll quickly realize the importance of a real estate CRM in helping you keep in touch and build strong relationships with your past clients. This is precisely how you’ll build that coveted referrals-based business.

Has this infographic been an eye-opener or were you already well aware of NAR’s findings?

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Rich Gaasenbeek| Vice-President, Sales and Marketing| IXACT Contact

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4 Key Things Real Estate Leads Look For on Your Website

Rich Gaasenbeek (IXACT Contact Real Estate CRM) — Tue, 19 Mar 2013 09:12:57 -0700

The reason your real estate leads search the Internet is to find information, answers, and advice.

Will they find what they are looking for on YOUR website? That’s an important question because, if they don’t, they may click away and wind up using someone else’s services. Even if they were referred to you!

That’s why it’s so important to make sure your website has all the information a real estate prospect may be seeking. Ideally, a lead will go to your site and think, “Yes, I’m definitely at the right place.”

So what kind of information should your website contain?

What Real Estate Leads Look For On Your Website

1. A “contact me” form. Oftentimes, it’s easier for your website visitors to contact you right there and then while they’re on your website versus sending you an email or picking up the phone and giving you a call. If you want to encourage people to contact you, make sure you have a contact form and that it’s very visible.

A good real estate contact management software, like IXACT Contact, will let you quickly and easily insert a lead capture form on your website. When a real estate lead fills out the form, their contact details get automatically transferred into your real estate database. You’ll be notified right away and can give the prospect a call and/ or set them up on a drip marketing campaign.

2. Your contact information – such as phone numbers and email address. Ideally, this information should be at the top of every page. Make it easy for clients to reach you!

3. Your credentials – including an overview of your track record. If you typically sell faster and at a higher price than the market averages, highlight this fact.

4. Your approach. What should a client expect when using your services? How do you make sure homes you list sell quickly and at the best price? How do you make sure all your clients find their dream homes at the right price?

Next Steps

What’s the process? What should a potential client do in order to start working with you?

Your website should also contain valuable resources, such as tips and articles, links to local government sponsored community sites, a list of other industry professionals you recommend, a portfolio of your current listings, and mortgage and affordability calculators.

Load your website with lots of valuable information. Make it “bookmark worthy” as the internet marketers say.

And don’t forget to mention that you build your business on referrals from satisfied clients! This will often be the clincher that will move a buyer or seller from website visitor to your hot prospect.

Do you have all of the above on your website? Feel free to share your website URL in the comments section.

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Rich Gaasenbeek| Vice-President, Sales and Marketing| IXACT Contact

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Real Estate Sales Best Practice: Do More Than Just Return Calls

Rich Gaasenbeek (IXACT Contact Real Estate CRM) — Fri, 15 Mar 2013 07:40:36 -0700

I always return my phone calls,” a real estate sales professional insists. “I get back to my clients and real estate leads as soon as I can — usually the same day.”

Does that sound like great service to you? Most REALTORS® would think so.

Surprisingly, however, leads and clients waiting for a call-back don’t always see it the same way.

That’s why, when you return a call — even promptly — the person can sometimes sound frustrated or even irritated with you.

What’s happening? Look at it from your client’s perspective. While real estate may be everyday business for you, buying or selling a home can be an emotional rollercoaster ride for your clients. So when something happens — an interest rate hike, a need to reschedule a viewing, a rumor of a hot new property on the market — they need your help right away.

Of course, most clients are realistic. They don’t expect you to answer your phone every time they call, or take their calls on demand. The problem is, they just don’t know for sure when you will call them back.

The Solution

What you need to do is tell them! Always let your clients and real estate leads know exactly when they can expect to hear from you. And the best way to let them know is through a message right on your voicemail system.

“Always let your clients and real estate leads know exactly when they can expect to hear from you” [Tweet this]

Each morning, record a new voicemail greeting that lets callers know, specifically, when you will be returning calls. Here’s an example:

“…sorry I missed your call. I’m out of the office right now. I’ll be returning calls from noon to two today, and again from six to eight this evening. I promise to get back to you during those times.”

Why It’s So Important

If clients know when you’re going to get back to them, they feel reassured. Even if they have to wait a few hours, at least they know that you will return their call, and exactly when you will do so.

This simple technique significantly increases the level of service clients experience from you ..which ultimately leads to more referrals and repeat business. For the extra couple of minutes it takes to record a new voicemail message each day, it’s more than worth the effort.

Takeaway point: Record a new voicemail message each day to let clients know when you’ll be returning calls. And remember, if you’d like to remind yourself to make a phone call or to call a particular person or group every so often, make sure to schedule that in your CRM for Realtors so you can get automatic reminders.

Do you let people know on your voicemail when you’ll call them back?

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Rich Gaasenbeek| Vice-President, Sales and Marketing| IXACT Contact

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Take this Fun Real Estate CRM Poll!

Rich Gaasenbeek (IXACT Contact Real Estate CRM) — Tue, 12 Mar 2013 08:07:02 -0700

Take this fun, interactive poll now. Do you agree that the automatic prompts in your real estate CRM help keep you organized?

Quipol

Did you give a thumbs up or down? Let me know by leaving a comment below!

Rich Gaasenbeek| Vice-President, Sales and Marketing| IXACT Contact

T: 1-866-665-0018 ext.2| Email: rich.gaasenbeek@ixactcontact.com | Sign up for a FREE 5-week free trial now at www.ixactcontact.com

5 Ideas for Compelling Real Estate Marketing Emails

Rich Gaasenbeek (IXACT Contact Real Estate CRM) — Thu, 07 Mar 2013 07:59:33 -0800

You may already be aware that email marketing is an important element to keeping in touch, building trust, and developing rapport with clients and prospects. But you may be thinking “What kinds of emails should I send to my clients? What should I include in the emails?”

Now, many real estate CRM systems, including IXACT Contact, have emails already created for you (in addition to drip marketing campaigns for different types of leads). However, I realize that many REALTORS® like to customize these emails or create their own new emails in their own voice. In this blog post I'll outline five ideas for compelling marketing emails.

Creating Compelling Real Estate Marketing Emails:

1. Inspire. Send an email with an inspiring and positive message or quote. People love receiving these types of things.

2. Tell a story. Maybe you just worked with a client who was very happy with your services. Or perhaps you had an experience recently that your clients and prospects may find interesting or helpful to hear about. Be sure to let them know!

3. Provide resources. Send an email with a list of resources that your leads or clients would find useful. It’s easy to go on Google and compile a list of great articles that you can forward on.

4. Become a news source. Share some timely real estate news or interesting market data. This will help position you as an expert and authority in your field.

5. Make predictions. How do you think the industry as a whole or your particular market will do in the future? What will home sales look like? Share your thoughts and opinions. People love getting predictions. You might get emails back asking your thoughts on something else or what their personal opinion is. This is great because you’re sparking engagement and discussion, and best of all, you’re making it easy for people to remember you.

I hope that these five ideas for compelling real estate marketing emails have given you some food for thought. I’d love you to try a couple of them out and then let me know the feedback you get from your recipients.

Have you sent any of these kinds of emails in the past? Please leave a comment below!

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Rich Gaasenbeek| Vice-President, Sales and Marketing| IXACT Contact

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How to Re-Connect with Clients Who’ve Slipped through the Cracks

Rich Gaasenbeek (IXACT Contact Real Estate CRM) — Tue, 05 Mar 2013 07:33:51 -0800

Nobody’s perfect. Despite your best intentions, you can lose contact with a past client or real estate lead. You may have a real estate contact management system and send out a monthly e-Newsletter, but have failed to make a phone call, pay a visit, or send an invitation to a seminar or event.

According to The Referral & Repeat Marketing Book, you should be staying in touch with past clients and referral sources — through a combination of direct mail, calls and personal contact — at least 17 times a year.

So what do you do when a client falls through the cracks?

The best way to re-establish contact is through a phone call. Here is a sample script:

“Hi Joan. This is John Smith calling, the REALTOR® who helped you purchase your new home a couple of years ago.”

“I’m calling to apologize. Although I’ve sent you my real estate newsletter each month, I’ve neglected to contact you personally to see how you and your family are doing. It’s important to me that you’re enjoying your home and that you are not having any problems.”

“So, how have you enjoyed living in Richmond Heights these past two years?”

Chances are, you’ll receive a very positive response from a call like this one.

As the conversation ensues, you can update the client profile and get a sense of your client’s future plans. But never ask whether he/she is interested in selling or buying a home at this time. The purpose of this call is to build the relationship, not make a sales pitch.

After the call, follow-up with a handwritten real estate Thank You card.

Then, of course, make sure you maintain the correct frequency of contact with the client in the future. Your real estate contact management system can help you easily keep in touch by giving you the ability to set-up contacts on drip marketing campaigns, schedule quarterly keep in touch calls, send out just listed and just sold e-cards, and much more.

Takeaway point: It’s never too late to re-establish contact with a past client. Use the script we’ve outlined above to re-connect and then ensure you take the necessary steps to keep in touch and stay “top of mind” in the future.

Do you plan on re-establishing contact with one or more clients?

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Rich Gaasenbeek| Vice-President, Sales and Marketing| IXACT Contact

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Using Your Real Estate Contact Management Software to Prioritize Your Leads

Rich Gaasenbeek (IXACT Contact Real Estate CRM) — Thu, 28 Feb 2013 10:36:20 -0800

Today’s blog post is a fantastic video by Chris Leader, President of Leader’s Edge Training and IXACT Contact affiliate. Chris discusses how you can prioritize the leads in your real estate contact management software by putting them into four separate groups: Group A, Group B, Group C, and Group D.

While you’re watching the video, keep in mind that IXACT Contact’s real estate contact management software makes it easy to categorize your leads into these four groups. In fact, Chris is a big supporter of IXACT Contact and recommends it to all of his coaching clients.

By grouping your database into distinct categories, you can easily send out targeted emails to different groups and know which people you should be calling more often and meeting with more to stay “top of mind.”

Enjoy the video (if you are unable to see the video due to receiving this blog post through email, please click on the title of the blog post):

Have you grouped your database contacts yet? Please leave a comment below!

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Rich Gaasenbeek| Vice-President, Sales and Marketing| IXACT Contact

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Come Meet Us In-Person at the Canadian Real Estate Professional Conference in Toronto

Rich Gaasenbeek (IXACT Contact Real Estate CRM) — Wed, 27 Feb 2013 06:55:16 -0800

IXACT Contact will be at the Canadian Real Estate Professional Conference in Toronto. If you live in the Toronto area, you can register now using promo code CRIXACT. This will entitle you to free admission ($97 value) and a copy of Canada’s Top 100 Neighborhoods report from Canadian Wealth Magazine.

We’ll be at the event answering questions about our real estate CRM and how you can use it to organize your business and take your real estate marketing to the next level.

This conference, researched and produced by Canadian Real Estate Wealth magazine, is the newest and most innovative event for real estate professionals. The event brings the real estate investment market to the forefront and provides premier education and training to professionals seeking new ways to increase their business through the very lucrative consumer segment of high net-worth real estate investors as well as through international lead referrals.

This is a great opportunity for REALTORS® to connect with investors and build their business.

You’ll learn how to supplement your income with lead referrals to top U.S. property dealers, find out where to refer clients in international markets for max pay-outs, and exponentially increase your income by working with investors.

To view the event flyer, click here.

Click here to register now. Be sure to enter in promo code CRIXACT.

See you there!

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Rich Gaasenbeek| Vice-President, Sales and Marketing| IXACT Contact

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Sitting Down with Ashley Verrill, CRM Analyst at SoftwareAdvice.com

Rich Gaasenbeek (IXACT Contact Real Estate CRM) — Tue, 26 Feb 2013 09:12:17 -0800

Ashley Verrill is a CRM analyst for Software Advice where she writes buyers’ guides and product reviews. She has spent the last seven years reporting and writing business features for print and radio. Her work has appeared or been cited in the New York Times, Inc., Forbes, CIO.com, the Austin Business Journal and the North Bay Business Journal, among others.

Ashley is an expert on CRM solutions and has extensive knowledge in this area. Currently, her research focuses on various topics related to CRM software, sales, customer service, and marketing strategy. She is well respected in the industry and has a wealth of knowledge to share.

IXACT Contact recently sat down with Ashley for a special Q&A blog post. Enjoy!

IXACT Contact: Hi Ashley, thanks for chatting with us today.

Ashley: My pleasure! Always glad to speak with you guys.

IXACT Contact: Tell us, why do you think a real estate CRM is a “must have” technology tool?

Ashley: CRM systems allow you to see what’s working and what’s not so you can constantly improve and grow your business. A CRM is also great for staying organized, building key relationships with your sphere, and maximizing your referrals.

IXACT Contact: Do you believe that REALTORS® should choose a CRM geared towards their specific industry (a real estate CRM)?

Ashley: I definitely think it should be an important purchase consideration. Obviously, Realtors have activities, verbiage and business processes that are unique to their industry. A standard CRM might cover some basic needs, but it wouldn’t necessarily leverage the full possibilities of automated workflow. And on the opposite end, a standard CRM might include functionalities that you would never need, so you end up paying for features you never use.

IXACT Contact: Makes sense, we completely agree! Now in terms of price, some people wonder if $30 or $40 dollars a month is too much to pay for a real estate CRM, regardless of how good it is. What are your thoughts?

Ashley: These people aren’t looking at the big return on investment. Without a CRM, you have no choice but to treat every lead the same. And as a result, lots of leads never become clients. CRM systems provide the mechanisms for identifying the kinds of leads that convert most often, and also the fastest. This means you can spend your time only on those contacts mostly likely to convert.

Also, you can make sure your communicating over time with these leads, so when they are ready to use your services, you’ll be the one they’ll call. At the end of the day, CRMs help you close more deals faster, while increasing total efficiency. When you look at it this way, $30 or $40 a month is nothing.

IXACT Contact: It’s true; people forget to look at the big picture and the return on investment of something like a CRM system.

What should people look for when shopping around for a CRM?

Ashley: A good CRM system needs to have robust contact management capabilities (for example, ability to easily group contacts and store detailed contact profiles), powerful transaction management capabilities to manage your listings, and fully featured email marketing (some systems even come with a professionally written and designed e-Newsletter). Ease of use is also a key consideration as well as the system being compatible with both Mac and PC and tablets like the iPad (a CRM for Mac and iPad is important).

Most systems offer risk-free trials so I recommend trying out a system you think might work for you and taking it from there. Often, free customer support is included with the trial so if you have any questions, you can always call a Customer Support Rep. for help.

IXACT Contact: Absolutely. Speaking of fully-featured email marketing, what do you think of CRM systems that come with the ability to do drip marketing? Are you a fan of drip campaigns?

Ashley: I think drip marketing campaigns are crucial for making the most of your leads and converting them into clients. And drip campaigns can save you a lot of time because you’re automating some of your real estate marketing.

That being said, the email content that’s part of your campaigns is key. No one is going to read your emails and click-through unless they feel like they are getting some value from you. So if you’re “selling” in your emails or it’s all “me, me, me!” then you’re probably not going to get the results you want.

“No one will read your emails and click-through unless they feel like they are getting some value from you.” [Tweet this]

A good CRM will come with drip campaigns pre-designed for you with emails already created. This will give you a good idea of the types of content you should be sending. You can then create new emails based on that content, customize the content that’s currently there, or send out the emails as is.

IXACT Contact: What kinds of business results have you seen as a result of folks integrating a good CRM into their business?

Ashley: Increased sales. Increased sales. Increased sales. I know it sounds super obvious. But when CRMs first came out, salespeople were extremely resistant. They wanted to spend all of their time selling, not entering data in a database. What they actually found was increased productivity and organization. Most people or businesses that implement a CRM see increase sales and recouped ROI in the first few quarters after implementation. Obviously, you need to invest the time to learn the system and you need to use it on a daily basis.

IXACT Contact: Yes, you bring up a great point when you say “you need to use it on a daily basis.” If you’re not committed to actually using a CRM and integrating it into your business, you’re simply not going to get the results you’re talking about.

You wrote a great article on the history of CRM software. How has CRM evolved over the years?

Ashley: The biggest change in CRMs over the years is SaaS, or software as a service. Basically, this just means the software is hosted in an external database and delivered via the Internet, rather than installed on anyone’s computer.

This has a few advantages. One, updates happen instantly. Two, they are far cheaper because you don’t have to maintain your own servers. And finally, probably most important, your CRM is available anywhere with an Internet connection. More and more work is taking place in the field. Cloud-based CRMs ensure you and your team have access to your database, whether that’s from a home computer or mobile device.

IXACT Contact: It’s interesting how technology evolves. Cloud-based systems are definitely the way to go these days.

We know you use a CRM yourself on a daily basis. Which parts of it do you enjoy the most?

Ashley: I feel like my brain moves a mile a minute. I used to find myself bouncing from one project to another in the middle of a task, then going back to it, then forgetting I need to follow up with this person on another project.

The tried and true task list in CRMs with associated due dates are my best friend during the workday. Whenever I find myself going down one rabbit hole or another and forget where I started, I always have something to refer back to and tell me what I should be working on right that minute.

When I was a sales manager, the reporting functionality was crucial. We were able to be constantly “in the know” of what was working and what wasn’t in our business. We knew exactly where our sales were coming from, who our best customers were, and what we should spend more and less time and money on.

IXACT Contact: That’s great, it’s clearly been a big help.

Enough CRM talk. Tell us, what do you enjoy doing on your time off?

Ashley: Well, true to my Austin roots, I spend a lot of time outside with my dog. I live on the river, so we run the trail, swim or canoe. Then of course, there’s tons of live music, so you’ll find me at a bar or music venue watching bands at least once a week.

IXACT Contact: Sounds nice. Thanks so much for speaking with us today. We know that our blog readers will really enjoy and benefit from what you’ve had to say.

Ashley: Thank you!

What did you think of our Q&A blog post with Ashley? Would you like to see more of these in the future?

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Rich Gaasenbeek| Vice-President, Sales and Marketing| IXACT Contact

T: 1-866-665-0018 ext.2| Email: rich.gaasenbeek@ixactcontact.com | Sign up for a FREE 5-week free trial now at www.ixactcontact.com