Franchise Vs. Independent Real Estate Brokerage – Finding the Right Fit

Running your own real estate agency and brokerage is a big step for most real estate agents, and one of the biggest decisions you’ll need to make along the way is whether to  partner with a real estate franchise or go at it alone. Here’s some insight on your options.

What are the benefits and drawbacks of maintaining an independent brokerage? 

Choosing to go the independent route has both pros and cons for brokers. The main attraction is having complete autonomy – you aren’t answerable to anyone other than yourself. You can control the development of your own brand, find your own clients and you don’t have to pay any franchise fees.

Sounds great, but being autonomous means that the burden of your success is entirely on your shoulders. All training, marketing strategies, recruitment, retention and growth is up to you. You are the deal doctor, the office counselor, the janitor, the first to arrive and the last to leave at night. It’s also up to you to research the latest and greatest lead gen technology or CRM and build and maintain your brand – a big task in a tough economy and a competitive property market. Trying to keep up can leave you feeling burned out and the investment required to stay ahead can end up costing you much more than a franchise fee in the end.

What are the benefits and drawbacks of a real estate franchise? 

As you might expect, this can depend a lot on who you choose to partner with. While there will always be tradeoffs, affiliating does not have to mean “selling out” or giving up your business to big brother. With the right brand, you can tap into the power of a national system, but hold on to the great things you are already doing in your local market.

Yes, affiliating with an established real estate brand usually means sharing your individual brand with the brand of the franchisor. In most cases this is a benefit, as the brand of a good franchisor will be more powerful and far-reaching than that of an independent agency. Our experience is that most brokers welcome this as part of the other benefits they receive by affiliating. You will still do business with the people who know you, but you will be able to open the doors to people who don’t. Control of your business typically remains in your hands, depending on the policies of your franchise agreement. A system like Weichert’s for example, was conceived by an independent broker, for brokers. It offers a full buffet of training, systems, sales and marketing tools that have been used successfully by hundreds of offices across the country. They are available for you to plug into your business to help you grow. We know they work, but at the end of the day it is up to you how to integrate our programs and systems into your business.

Of course there are inevitably franchise fees, ranging from 6 to 10 percent depending on who you sign with. In the end, you must weigh the opportunity to improve and grow your brokerage vs. the time and dollar investment it will take to do it on your own. Ask yourself these questions: Can I get where I want to be on my own? How do the costs compare? How long will it take me to do it myself? Am I happy with my work/life balance? Am I effectively competing in my market? Can affiliation help me stay ahead? Can it help me reach my goal faster?

Is The Weichert Franchising System The Right Opportunity For You And Your Brokerage? 

Critical to getting the most benefits out your affiliation with a real estate franchise is committing to the right franchise partner. Different franchise opportunities offer different operating models which can lead to different results. Some large, well known real estate brands for example, offer little more than their logo and branding to their affiliates. The Weichert Franchise System couldn’t be more different. Our affiliates are taught a system for success which includes all the elements of the modern brokerage including lead generation and technology for example. The Weichert system is a real estate franchise opportunity developed by real estate agents and brokers with the flexibility to work within each brokerage’s needs, rather than offering a less effective one-size-fits-all solution. We offer access to the most sophisticated national lead collection and screening technologies in the country to support high-value lead generation for your brokerage. Our formula for growth combines effective online and offline marketing tools with expert, one-on-one real estate coaching and training, and even a proprietary real estate CRM which integrates your brokerage and fosters our complete lead lifecycle methodology. This franchise offering is part of a practical, hands-on partnership that brings continual innovation and support to each franchisee and keeps your business moving towards your goals even in the toughest times.

For more information on The Weichert Franchising System or the benefits of partnering with us through our real estate franchise opportunities, please visit our website: https://www.weichertfranchise.com/

Original content posted on https://www.weichertfranchise.com/blog/franchise-vs-independent-real-estate-brokerage-finding-right-fit/ 

4 Reasons Why Using A Real Estate Contact Management System (CRM) Helps With Your Lead Management Strategy

In the real estate industry, leads are everything. They’re what can build your business, help you grow, expand your team and increase profits – but too often, promising leads can get lost in the day to day frenzy of activity. This is where a real estate CRM system comes into play. These software systems are developed specifically for the real estate industry in order to help your team make the most of their leads.  Here’s how:

• Better management of leads by agents on the go:

Productive real estate agents are often out of the office, whether it’s going door-to-door finding prospective clients, making listing presentations or closing deals. However, it’s equally important for agents to effectively and efficiently follow up on leads while conducting these day-to-day business tasks. Prompt and consistent follow-up is crucial in closing a lead and a CRM system allows agents to respond, track and follow up on leads wherever they are through smartphone, laptop or tablet.

• Fewer missed opportunities:

In a tech-savvy industry, potential clients and leads can come from a multitude of sources: from your existing book of business, website and social media pages as well as through phone calls and emails. Checking up on these manually can quickly become a nightmare and being unable to manage leads or stay in front of client needs effectively means missing out on opportunities. CRM systems make it easy to collect and respond to these queries through automated tracking, customized management and even automated responses. An agents’ leads and business contacts can be organized in a user-friendly interface and they can set reminders for follow-ups.

• Convenient integration with lead flow sources:

If you are fortunate to have a good source of incoming leads, the best real estate CRM systems will integrate with those resources, making it easy to follow-up on and manage the lead from receipt until close. For example, Weichert attracts more than 3 million web visits every month to its website, driving leads to its call center where they are screened, qualified and transferred to an agent in minutes. Those lead details are then transferred into the agent’s profile in WeichertPro, a proprietary CRM, where the agent can then use the software’s tools to follow up and manage the lead to close.

• Boosts customer service:

Customer service excellence is essential for any company looking to make a positive impression and get a leg up on its competition. CRM systems ensure that no queries go unanswered – which can be a real differentiator in the real estate industry. With innovative contact management, all your contacts are available at your fingertips and grouped to your specific requirements. CRM systems can even send timely, personalized emails on your behalf, without you needing to do a thing. These are the small touches that can make a big difference in your bottom line.

Get the Most Out of Real Estate Lead Generation with the Weichert® CRM System 

The Weichert Franchising System combines decades of real estate experience and expertise with cutting-edge technology, real estate coaching programs and tools, including an innovative, easy-to-use real estate CRM system. Designed to support real estate agents and agencies that want to grow and succeed in a tech-savvy market, this system focuses on combining high-quality lead generation resources with streamlined customer service and real estate business management tools.

For more information, please contact us today and see if the Weichert Franchise is a good fit for your brokerage.

Original content posted on https://www.weichertfranchise.com/real-estate-crm/4-reasons-using-real-estate-contact-management-system-crm-helps-lead-management-strategy/

Real Estate Marketing – Get Your Agency Online and Growing

Marketing to today’s homebuyers and building a business is one of the toughest challenges facing today’s real estate sales teams. Not only are homebuyers faced with more housing options than ever before and a tough economic climate, they’ve also changed the way they search for, evaluate and purchase products and services. Flyers and print advertisements are decreasing in effectiveness, while online activity continues to increase. In this digital-first reality, the success of your real estate business comes down to one essential factor – is your agency’s online marketing up to the challenge? Here’s some insight into effective online real estate marketing.

Know Where Your Real Estate Agency’s Online Marketing Weaknesses Are 

Not having an online marketing strategy means missing out on sales – it’s just that simple. Many agencies find this to be a difficult pill to swallow, but if you’re struggling to connect meaningfully with potential new clients, having a strong and attractive online presence is key to correcting it.

Common weaknesses in online marketing strategies may include:

• Having a basic website that is not up to modern design standards, is not up-to-date or is not mobile-friendly.
• Not having social media pages, or never posting on the pages that have been set up for your business.
• Not forming a balanced marketing strategy that utilizes and integrates traditional and online marketing media.
• Managing your online marketing strategy internally through staff with little or no digital marketing expertise.
• Doing your online marketing when you have spare time, if you have spare time.

Understanding Why Online Marketing Matters 

For a long time, online marketing was treated as a fad that could never replace traditional and print marketing. However, this industry has taken off in a way that has impacted advertising and marketing for almost every business across the country and the globe. This is because it offers the one thing that modern consumers demand – instant accessibility. Being able to see listings as they are loaded over tablets and smartphones, viewing detailed tours of homes and apartments over Facebook and Instagram, being able to contact agents immediately about a listing and get answers to questions – these things are invaluable to today’s market. It also allows consumers to “check you out” before doing business with you and if your online presence is outdated or not up to snuff, you won’t be getting their call.

It is important to realize that feeding the need for instant, accessible and detailed information is a powerful way for growing a business. By developing online marketing expertise and implementing effective campaigns, your agency can tap into the market of today’s homebuyers on a level that they understand and respond to, through tools they are familiar with. Your clients are already on these platforms, so why aren’t you?

Speak to Weichert Experts for The Best Real Estate Marketing Tools, Training and Techniques 

The Weichert Real Estate Franchising System was developed specifically to assist real estate agents and agencies to not only overcome the challenges that face the property market, but also to transform these challenges into opportunities for growth and success.

Developed through decades of experience and expertise, our unique system offers the right combination of one-on-one training and support, industry insight, access to high-value resources, and real estate-specific CRM and marketing tools to access the modern consumer market.

For more information, please contact us today and see if a Weichert Franchise is a fit for your brokerage.

Original content posted on https://www.weichertfranchise.com/blog/real-estate-marketing-get-agency-online-growing/

The Benefits of Real Estate Coaching

Business coaching is an essential investment for anyone looking for that competitive edge in their market, whether you’re a Fortune 500 company or an entrepreneur looking to break into the industry. Real estate agents are no different. In fact, due to the pressures this industry faces and an increasingly tough market, coaching is crucial to the success and growth of individual associates as well as agencies. Here are just some of the benefits that real estate coaching offers you and your business:

• Tap into experience:

The best real estate coaching programs are developed by industry specialists with decades of experience behind them. They know what challenges you and your business are up against, and they know exactly how to deal with them because they’ve done it before.

• Hone your skills:

Management skills are essential to any successful business, but staying on the top of your game means constantly refining your approach, discovering new opportunities and strategizing on how to close them. A real estate coach acts as your personal trainer, helps evaluate your performance, introduces new ways of thinking and streamlines your game.

• Discover effective new tools:

There are plenty of tools and programs to help small businesses, but it’s important to invest in ones that are specific to real estate. Real estate marketing tools must address the challenges that real estate agents face day by day and month by month. The average broker will be faced with costly choices related to lead generation, real estate  marketing, real estate CRM systems, open house management, direct mail initiatives, social media and other comprehensive property marketing resources—not to mention understanding the latest technology available. These tools can be expensive and it is often difficult to vet and assess potential performance. Careful consultation with experienced experts is a wise choice.

• Put Systems In Place:

Many brokers have exactly what it takes to run their own business, but simply don’t have the training to put the right systems in place to build business, recruit effectively and manage day-to-day administration. Real estate coaching gives you the resources, training and expertise you need to transition from being bogged down to running a well-oiled property selling machine.

• Opportunities:

While access to real estate marketing tools is designed to increase high-value lead generation and increase sales, real estate coaching also opens you up to new learning opportunities. From access to local broker council meetings and regional rallies, to growth-orientated national conferences and teambuilding events your real estate business gets the opportunities it needs to network, receive valuable support, an ultimately harness your full potential.

Want the Best Real Estate Coaching Program in The Country? We’ve Got It!

The Weichert Real Estate Franchise System is more than just a brand for real estate agencies – it’s a comprehensive solution that combines decades of specialist experience with cutting-edge technology and up-to-date insight. With over 500 corporate and affiliate offices in 39 states, Weichert franchisees are proving the effectiveness of our system every day by transforming the way people buy and sell property. Joining the Weichert brand means access to essential resources for growing your business successfully, including expert, one-one-one real estate coaching, our real estate agent-specific CRM system, and industry-specific marketing and management tools.

For more information, please contact us today and see if a Weichert Franchise is a fit for your brokerage.

Original content posted on https://www.weichertfranchise.com/real-estate-coaching/benefits-real-estate-coaching/