Realtors have become very familiar with contact managers to organize their leads, clients, vendors, etc. Everyone has some way of organizing this information even if it is as simple as using Outlook or Gmail. We all keep a digital address book with everyones information to make it easier to access and use. And while most Realtors have heard of the term customer relationship manager or CRM, many don’t understand the difference between what a CRM will do for you verses a simple contact manager. For anyone who doesn’t know, here is the scoop!
A customer relationship manager does so much more than manage your contacts phone numbers and emails. It is a strategy for managing not just information but your interactions with your contacts. According to Wikipedia, a customer relationship manager:
“involves using technology to organize, automate, and synchronize business processes... The overall goals are to find, attract, and win new clients, nurture and retain those the company already has, entice former clients back into the fold, and reduce the costs of marketing and client service.”
With this in mind, a Real Estate specific CRM should do a number of things to save you time and make your business more automated and efficient. Here are some examples of what a CRM should include:
- Lead generating tools to bring in more clients. This can include everything from social media tools to PPC management and other types of online marketing.
- Lead monitoring tools so that you know exactly what your leads have been looking for and what they need. This way you can respond more effectively to each person. You also should be able to keep notes of all interactions that don’t necessarily occur online (such as phone calls, showings, etc.) so that all the information on your interactions is in the same place.
- Automated follow up such as drip campaigns. Having scheduled emails that automatically get sent to your contacts is a great way to take the pressure off of you while continuing to nurture your relationship with prospects.
- File storage and organization. Keeping your files online and connected to the contact they are associated with is a huge time saver.
- An integrated calendar will store all your appointments and events while keeping you as well as any other participants in the loop.
- Transaction management. Once an lead has turned into a sale you shouldn’t have to move their information out of one system and into another. Having a CRM with a transaction manager keeps all their information, including the end of the sales process, in one place.
- And of course, every CRM should have everything a good contact manager has such as a great email client and contact information management.
If you are ready to switch from a contact manager to a CRM and start implementing this strategy for your business, give us a call at Quicksilver Real Estate Solutions to find out how we can help!
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