There are a lot of advertisements for services claiming to streamline an agent’s business. Which of them really work for what you need to do. Since your database is so important to your success as an agent, I’ll go over some options for you. This is your real estate course for the day.
Regular contact with your database is the way to continually get referrals and repeat business. If you are still using paper to keep track of everyone in your database, you are surely missing out. There are several options that will help streamline your ability to contact each person in your database. The point to this is to make it systematic. That way you always know what you are doing and you can track your results to know how to improve.
Online services are very common now. Some examples include Top Producer, Wise Agent, and Sales Force. These services are all designed to help you track what you’re doing with each of your contacts. Whether it be following up with a lead, servicing a client, or managing your finances. The hard part is choosing one. I’ve spent time with many of these services trying to figure out the answer to that question.
The most important thing to consider before leaping in to paying for a database management solution is to determine your needs. You have to look at how you are running your business. Examine your current systems for tracking and managing your contacts. Understanding where your needs are will help you decide on what service to pay for.
These services vary greatly in the tasks they can perform. The most important thing is to know they can automate many of your tasks. Who wouldn’t like a personal assistant to make emails for you, send mailers, and remind you when you needed to call someone.
That’s what these services do. To understand the power behind this automation of your tasks you need to know a little about how it works. The real power comes from doing work once and then having that work automatically distributed as though there were multiple versions of you running around.
These services house all the contacts in your database. You can keep them separated into different lists according to the type of contact they are. For example you might have lists for sellers, buyers, vendors, etc. You create a campaign for each of these lists. This is where you decide if your contact will get an email, phone call, or mailed printed material. You set it up for months into the future. This way these tasks are automatically done by the service for you. You create the content all at one time that will be delivered to your contacts systematically by the service. Your contacts will be emailed on the day you selected. You’ll get reminders to call people when you selected to get them. Your contacts will be mailed the printed material you created when you selected for them to get it.
Trying to keep track of who you called or emailed and when is difficult when you are managing a lot of contacts. Using an automated system helps you save time on these tasks. It allows you to build relationships with your contacts with less effort on your part. This all leads to more time for you to do what is most important for your business. To generate more leads and close deals. Not to mention you can have more time for yourself and your family.
Remember, systematic is the key to streamline your business. And that’s your real estate course for today.