Humans are a complex bunch. Many of us are attracted to what is new, exciting and fun. In the current climate of new tech platforms, software solutions and applications, it’s easy to get caught up in shiny new tech offerings.
Yet we often lose focus on the technology at the centre of our business.
That’s right, I am referring to the humble CRM. As a coach, I am becoming increasingly alarmed at the number of agents who are still operating without a robust CRM.
A web-based CRM is a power bank of future business and the best way to maximise business growth year-on-year.
With many new tech offerings designed to integrate with a CRM to give it even more power – why are you holding back?
It’s a simple equation.
If your business is not growing reliably, evidence shows it’s most likely because you are not unlocking the capabilities of your CRM.
You don’t need the perfect CRM, you just need to use the CRM you have in the best possible way.
The quality and consistency of the data you put in will directly affect the quality of the business opportunities you get out.
Here are the five key advantages of building your CRM power bank:
1. Your entire business in one place
If you are still running spreadsheets, Outlook tasks and manual lists, you are losing time.
Your CRM mobile site or app means you can access all of your contacts, scheduled tasks, listings, appraisals, and notes on the run.
How can you better take advantage of time in the car, waiting at appointments or updating your notes after a conversation with a prospect?
Everything in your CRM can be linked; the person, the property, buying requirements, past activities and your communication trail.
It eliminates the risk of losing information and keeps it simple, clean and efficient.
2. Leverage
The best way to nurture prospects is to keep them informed with information and potential opportunities off the back of your listings and sales.
Think of all of the appraisals you have done over the past two to five years. Where are they? Often in folders, in piles and in drawers.
If you are not linking your appraisals with property type, configuration and price to your contact in your CRM, you are missing a major part of your listing leverage process.
With this data in your CRM, every time you, a colleague or a competitor, list a property you can pull a list of relevant appraisals in less than 30 seconds.
3. Remove the guesswork
Say goodbye once and for all to random outbound calls without purpose or relevance.
Replace that with daily scheduled tasks and follow through with your contacts based on the last conversation you had and the appropriate timeframe.
You might do well with notes or a rough idea of who you could ring based on a random list, but timely and relevant contact will always be more impactful.
Not only will the automation give you purpose, it will provide certainty that no-one will slip through the cracks.
4. Bulk communications
What’s the easiest way to contact a large group of people relevant to a key prospecting initiative? Pull the list from your CRM.
With email templates and SMS capability, in just a few minutes you can target hundreds of people with a direct message straight to their inbox or mobile phone.
Not only can you reach out to many all at once, but you can also measure engagement via the analytics your CRM provides.
5. The other type of KPI
You cannot keep in touch with every person you meet through your real estate career. Nor should you.
It’s time to get specific on your KPIs – Key Persons of Interest – and ensure you have five or six clear categories that identify the people you should be spending time on.
Once you have clarity on your KPIs and assigned categories, your CRM will be dedicated to strategic relationships.
Whether it’s past clients, current clients, future clients, buyers, landlords, investors, anniversary calls or neighbourhood calls, your CRM is much more than a database of names and numbers.
Evidence shows that the quality of your CRM power bank is the determining factor of the quality of your business.
Sometimes the old is better than the new, so why not finally master it?
