How to Build your Real Estate CRM Database and Why you Want to
Dear Readers,
IXACT Contact is my preferred Contact Relationship Manager (as some of you have known over the years). Rich Gaasenbeek, from Toronto, Ontario, a Co-Founder of IXACT Contact, presents a thorough explanation of how one's Database can be a road to success. Rich posts on his ActiveRain Blog often - highlighting new feature after new feature as IXACT Contact added them.
Until opportunity knocked at his door, Rich worked in several high-level corporate jobs. Invited to consider a new project in 2007, Rich liked it and proceeded to make IXACT Contact the powerhouse it is today - a CRM designed for and focused on Real Estate professionals and their needs.
Rich is the embodiment of IXACT Contact's goal:
"... a team of professionals who are dedicated to helping you succeed.
Today. Tomorrow. And throughout your entire career."
By watching when Rich visited with Grant Findlay-Shirras, I came to know a bit more about his career. They discussed sales, marketing and developing a success plan for a company. Actually, the YouTube interview was very inspiring. I hadn't thought I'd watch the entire video but I did! Lots of learning on a wide base of business topics and strategies.
During the interview, Rich suggested a book that he believes guided him towards success. The New Strategic Selling, (Miller, Heiman, Tuleja) describes “long-term success in sales as all about building relationships, satisfying your customers and identifying the key factors that influence the sale.”
Want to try complete system access in a FREE TRIAL* of IXACT Contact?
1. If you want to investigate IXACT Contact before signing up for your free two-month trial, you may do so by clicking above.
2. Want to start a full TWO-MONTH FREE TRIAL immediately? Use this link.
Alone or as part of a team - a free trial awaits you.
* In the interest of full disclosure, as an affiliate of IXACT Contact, I am entitled to receive a commission each time others sign up via my links above. However, since I am so exuberant about the CRM, I decided not take any commission personally. Instead, my entire IXACT Contact earning is donated to a charity at the end of each year. Lynn
As a real estate agent, there are a lot of things you “should” do that you hear over and over again. You should keep in touch with past clients. You should have a
responsive website. You should up your database. But that isn’t very helpful if no one is telling you how or why. So we’re going to help you with that last one.
The why of building your real estate CRM database is two simple parts. First, if you build your database you have more people to reach out to. Even if they aren’t currently looking to buy or sell a home, they may very well know someone who is. Instantly you have increased your potential new business. Second, when the day comes that you want to retire, a robust real estate CRM database will be valuable. Getting you more business now and creating a nest egg of sorts for you later – now you see why it is so important to build your database!
Understanding why you need to build your database is only half the battle – now you need to know how to actually do it. We’ve broken it down into 4 steps.
1. Hold events for your clients
Not only does hosting an event for your clients make them feel special and appreciated, it allows them to bring other guests. You can then add these new faces to your database, but in a laidback environment that doesn’t feel pushy or too sales-y.
The kind of event depends greatly on your personality. You could host a large barbecue and make the rounds to every person in attendance. If you are quieter, you could host a movie morning where most of the time is spent in quiet enjoyment. The possibilities are endless, and your database will thank you for the effort.
2. Write down everyone in your personal and professional networks
Take the time to write down the name of every single person you can think of that you know. This can include friends, colleagues, neighbors, family members, business associates, or even people you have worked with in the past such as contractors, mortgage brokers, florists, caterers, etc.
You might be surprised by how many people you actually know that you weren’t including in your database! Each and every one has the potential to bring you more business, so add them in.
3. Reach out to local businesses
Not only will this step help you to build your database, but it will also establish you as someone who truly knows their neighborhood/town/city. Building a rapport with a few local businesses can be a great source of referrals for you.
Make sure you return the favor by recommending them when clients ask for a great plumber or interior decorator, or just asking if there is way for you to help them in return. You can manage all of these relationships by using IXACT Contact’s Business Directory. This will allow you to easily refer to any of them when you are asked for a recommendation!
4. Re-establish contact with forgotten contacts
It’s happened to everyone in the real estate business – things get too busy and contacts get forgotten. The good news is it is never too late to reconnect with them. Take the time to make a quick phone call, apologize for losing touch, and ask them for their updated contact information.
Once you’ve done this, set them up to receive your monthly eNewsletter, and set keep in touch reminders in your database so you never lose touch again. Re-establishing these connections can be very critical in generating some referrals or repeat business.
To be a successful real estate agent, you want your database to be constantly be growing. Think outside the box for people you can add, and make it a habit to add new contacts regularly. If you set a simple goal like “Add one new contact every day” the task feels less daunting, but at the end of a year you’ll have 365 new contacts in your database! Small efforts really add up, both in the short and long term.
Once you have all these new contacts coming in, make sure you keep them organized with a real estate CRM such as IXACT Contact. You don’t want all of your hard work to go to waste!
Start your FREE 5 week trial of IXACT Contact now.
IXACT Contact - Real Estate CRM and Marketing Made Easy
Call us at 1-866-665-0018 or email us at info@ixactcontact.com.
Comments(3)