Is Franchising a Fit for You?

Don’t be so fast to say “no”.  If there’s one thing we’ve learned at Weichert, it’s that every brokerage is unique and that success is found in surprising places.  So many of our most successful franchisees first told us they weren’t looking to franchise. It’s not always experience, knowledge, or having some great agents that makes a brokerage successful: it’s also the ability to develop, follow and execute a well-thought out and strategic plan. This is the key to making franchising with the right partner a successful, profitable and rewarding business choice.

Analyzing Your Readiness for Real Estate Franchising

If you’re running your own business, you probably set certain goals for yourself. How have you been progressing toward those goals? Are you getting there as fast as you’d like? Or maybe you feel like you’ve plateaued and are looking for a solution to get you to the next milestone. If you fall into either of those categories, you might be ready to consider a franchise. It’s important to evaluate different franchise options and find out exactly how the process will work for your business.  Will the services they offer meet your brokerage’s needs and align with your company’s goals and values.


Another thing to consider is that no two franchise systems are created equal. Some, like Weichert, offer a high level of support, while others offer little more than their logo. Certain franchises ask for a significant investment, while others require less capital to become part of their brand. It’s all about understanding what you as a brokerage are getting for your part in the specific franchise that you are considering, and that means plenty of research. Not only should you be certain that you are going to get the growth you want, you should have a clear understanding of their services as they continue after your partnership, the expectations on both sides, and the reputation of the brand and franchising system itself.


Finally, you need make sure your new brand will support you in your market. The best real estate franchises will respect what independent brokers have built and the following they’ve developed. These opportunities offer high level support, ongoing services and a level of security in challenging real estate markets. This kind of support has often meant the difference between surviving and not surviving for many businesses. From real estate CRM and marketing tools to real estate coaching, Weichert in particular, has always been a franchise ahead of the curve when it comes to offering brokerages effective tools and support designed specifically for business growth.

To Join, or Not To Join a Real Estate Franchise

Tying your wagon to a real estate franchise is a big decision that demands serious consideration on the part of any broker. But if you have a vision for your success that includes listening, learning, and working differently than your competitors, you just might be next Weichert Real Estate Franchise success story. Contact us at https://www.weichertfranchise.com  for more information.

Original content posted on https://www.weichertfranchise.com/blog/is-franchising-a-fit-for-you/

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Open Houses Go High Tech With Today’s CRMs Are You Missing Lead Opportunities?

The Open House has been around a long time. However, most agents don’t work this opportunity as much as they should. And if they are new to the industry, this marketing system offers an excellent opportunity to grow their book of business. Not only are agents selling their current listing, but they are potentially meeting their next clients!  To get the most out of it, though, requires organized prep work and follow up. However, without it, there’s a good chance the agent will be sitting by themselves hoping someone will show up–and when no one does, it’s easy for agents to get discouraged.

The truth is, when you implement a formal Open House plan in your office and your agents do it right, it can be one of the most lucrative prospecting activities in your brokerage’s repertoire. In fact, Weichert reports that 1 in every 3 sales by their agents result from open houses. This is why this sales system is one of many tactics included in the core training provided to all Weichert Real Estate Affiliates, Inc. offices. Offices are coached on best practices, together with the tools and technology needed to lead to successful results. And in a market short on listings, wouldn’t you want to leverage every opportunity?

Using Technology To Attract & Manage Open House Leads

Technology is making a significant impact on the real estate industry in many areas, especially on how brokerages and real estate agents market their listings and find new buyers/sellers. But it can also make open houses easier to plan than ever before while being more effective with more efficient follow-up, so fewer opportunities slip through the cracks.

Most real estate CRM tools are a perfect fit to handle the open house management process. For example, Weichert uses their proprietary CRM, WeichertPRO, to manage the event from pre-planning invitations to post-event follow-ups. By leveraging technology, it makes it easier to plan the event and see successful results.

What Should A Good Open House Management System Include?

The open house management functionality of a good real estate CRM can help with a number of related tasks from marketing to follow up.  Again, using WeichertPRO as an example, a good CRM can help real estate agents promote open houses and streamline the selling process:

• Send branded emails to all their contacts advertising the open house with the click of a button.
• Advertise the Open house on Facebook and boost posts to all connections on both their Facebook page, and the office Facebook page.
• Track all buyer and seller contacts and queries from the open house right in the CRM, along with critical information.
• Prioritize these contacts for timely and individualized follow up.
• Add these individuals to the agent’s mailing lists to stay top of mind.

There are many more small and large tasks associated with agents getting the most out of  open houses, but the good news is that the reminders, content creation and communication can indeed be automated by a good real estate CRM tool, such as WeichertPRO.  When you partner powerful technology with great marketing materials such as door hangers, property flyers and brochures, and open house signage, you create a winning combination that is sure to attract new clients into your brokerage.

It helps when your sales activities produce results and this is just one example. If you are a growth-minded broker looking for other ways to make your brokerage more productive and get to the next level of results, talk to the Weichert franchise team today.

Original content posted on https://www.weichertfranchise.com/blog/open-houses-go-high-tech-todays-crms-missing-lead-opportunities/

Manage Your Real Estate Office’s Brand On Social Media

Social media networks present a powerful opportunity for real estate brokers and agents to grow their business, but like all marketing efforts, it’s not a medium where you can just “wing it”. By managing your brand effectively and approaching this sphere of marketing with a clear plan, you can position yourself for optimal brand development, exposure, and lead generation with minimal financial expense.

ALWAYS HAVE A STRATEGY

We’ve all heard the saying that “failing to plan is planning to fail”. This is exactly the case with managing your business on social media. It simply isn’t enough to create accounts on several different social networks and then post content a couple of times a year when you remember. In fact, this can do more harm than good, as it shows viewers that you are not engaged with the social world.

Having a strategy in place before you take action, will help you define what you are trying to achieve through social media marketing and help you accomplish goals in manageable chunks. Are you trying to increase followers? Are you trying to attract recruits or sellers? Are you trying to increase brand awareness? Are you trying to stay top of mind with your followers? Having specific goals will prevent your business from becoming overwhelmed with different options, keep you on track and focused, and ensure that you are connecting with optimal results for the time you have to spend on it.

DON’T SPREAD YOURSELF TOO THIN

Social networks are incredibly popular! It seems like there’s a new one launching every week! But this doesn’t mean that your brokerage should be on it. Instead of taking up valuable time and resources by trying to be on every single trending network, limit your choices to the ones that suit your business and are likely to yield the best results. If you’re unsure of what platforms to choose, here are the top three most effective for real estate professionals.

• Facebook. Both agents and brokerages should have a presence on Facebook and work to create a following. If you only have time for one, this is the one to start with.
• Instagram. While owned by Facebook, Instagram reaches more Millennials.
• Twitter. This can be better for professional to professional communication (recruiting, networking) than buyer/seller engagement.

DEVELOP YOUR VOICE AND STYLE

Before starting your social media campaign, think about the voice of your brand and how you can express this online. Are you trendy and quirky? Are you looking to appeal to Millennials? Are you targeting upscale clients? Depending on how you want to be perceived should shape the voice in which you communicate to the world. All your content should have a voice that appeals to your target market: use media that prioritizes this group and engage directly with their interests, concerns, and priorities.

PROFESSIONALISM AND CONSISTENCY

All social media content, from videos and blogs to comments on posts, should be delivered consistently and with professionalism at all times. Stay away from posts regarding political, religious or social issues. Three recommendations:

• Posts should be made regularly (at least once a week),
• Messages should be replied to, and
• Any negative feedback dealt with sensitively and in line with company policies.

REALIZE THE POTENTIAL FOR BUSINESS GROWTH THROUGH SOCIAL MEDIA MARKETING

Social media represents one of the most effective channels for real estate agent marketing and, when approached correctly, can attract agents as well as buyers/sellers. Don’t let this opportunity pass your business by, and remember, slow and steady wins the race. At Weichert®, we stress the importance of social media to our offices and real estate agents as part of a balanced marketing plan and provide support through real estate coaching and training, our approved supplier network, content, listings promotion and more.

To learn about other ways Weichert can help your brokerage get to the next level, contact a member of our team for more information at weichertfranchise.com or 877-746-2067.

Original content posted on https://www.weichertfranchise.com/blog/manage-real-estate-offices-brand-social-media/