The Power Of Brand

Brand is a powerful thing. Yet, many real estate brokerages underestimate its power in attracting consumers.  A successful brand can be leveraged to establish trust, credibility, and ultimately, success. Many successful owners have worked hard to build a name for their company, which has helped lead them to where they are today. However, for many brokers, building a brand that people instantly trust and want to engage with, can be challenging. Where do you start? How do you compete? How do you make yourself memorable?

Customer Service: What Does It Really Mean?

It is not news to anyone that customer service is a top priority to consumers, but in real estate, it’s all about customer service. So what exactly defines quality customer service for real estate agents and brokers? While many brokers agree on some key elements of this, it’s surprising how many different answers you get. According to NAR, buyers and sellers have named honesty, technology, and regular communication as their top priorities in terms of customer service. No matter how you define it, it’s what the customer values that’s important.  Take a look at your company. How would you rate your brokerage and your agents in these areas? If they’ve not been a priority, make them priority in your operations. By focusing on these areas, you’ll be on the path to delivering the best service possible in your market. But consistency is also critical. Good brands deliver consistent experiences. It’s why customers keep going back. Define and post your unique definition of customer service for everyone to see and make sure your entire team trains on it and keeps it top of mind. When everyone defines service in the same way, using the same tools, that’s the beginning of building a real brand experience that means something to people.

Effect on Lead Generation

It’s a simple fact. The strength of your brand has a direct impact on your ability to generate inbound leads, which can directly affect the success of your company.  As a broker, you want to ultimately build a brand that magnetically attracts buyers and sellers which you can hand-off to your agents. That makes you valuable in the eyes of your agents. The struggle for many independent brokers is that they simply can’t invest the kind of money in branding and lead generation that large, national real estate companies do. At Weichert, the lead generation challenge is one of the biggest reasons that independent brokers turn to us for help.  The Weichert national lead generation strategy creates a constant stream of quality leads, by leveraging both digital marketing and technology. Not only does Weichert cultivate leads inside your market through our lead network, but it provides lead opportunities from our rental company, relocation company, and referrals from our network of over 500 offices across the country.

Brand Touch Points

A silent brand is no brand at all. You can’t build a brand that generates leads and recruits new agents without implementing a system of regularly reaching out and touching your community with events, ads, content, volunteering…and yes, even Open Houses. In fact, the more that you get your brand in front of consumers in your service area, the more brand recognition and credibility you will achieve. It is human nature to feel comfortable with things you are exposed to repeatedly, but make sure it looks consistent. These touch points create a connection and understanding with your brand that makes doing business easier down the line. The brokerages that are able to touch their community the most will be the one buyers and sellers think of when it’s time. As a broker your job is to use all your knowledge and skills and all the media and personal channels at your disposal to get your brand out in the world, and keep it there.

Independent Broker Independence VS. Big Brand

Many independent brokers feel like affiliation means giving up their identity, their independence, and everything they’ve built and learned over time.
But what if that wasn’t true?

What if you could maintain your independent operating style and culture, while plugging into the benefits of national branding, lead generation, recruiting systems, agent education systems, technology, coaching and more? What if someone could really show you how to do this in a proven way that has taken others like you to the next level of success?

If that sounds like the kind of brand you’d like to be part of, give us a call today to find out more: 877-567-3350, or visit us at weichertfranchising.com.

Original content posted on https://www.weichertfranchise.com/blog/the-power-of-brand/

Content Marketing Strategies For Real Estate Brokerages

As an experienced and savvy real estate broker, you already understand that building a powerful web presence for yourself is essential for forming new connections, generating leads, and attracting valuable agents to your brokerage. However, as the web becomes continuously louder, it becomes more challenging to earn organic traffic lead to your brokerage’s website and convert that traffic into leads. As you probably already know, content marketing is touted as one of the most powerful ways of earning and converting that targeted traffic your brokerage requires to continue to grow. To help you better understand the content marketing universe, here are three types of content that have proven results for generating the kind of interest and interaction that makes all your sales efforts, more effective.

Written Content

Written content, such as blog posts, newsletters, market updates, and just listed/sold are the most traditional types of content produced on the internet by real estate professionals. Just because it is common however, doesn’t make it any less effective. The key to being successful with written content is to optimize it to get it on Google’s radar and other search engines, and to make sure that it is written with your target audience’s goals and challenges in mind. By anticipating buyer and seller pain points, your topics will resonate with more people. The more you tailor your content to have both technical and human appeal, the more it will generate both credibility for your local brand, and of course, leads.

Video Content

Video marketing has been viewed as one of the most powerful forms of content marketing for the last decade thanks to the success of platforms like YouTube and Facebook.  Many people find video content easier to consume than written content.  This along with the ease of producing good quality videos on an iPhone today, has led to a boom in video content consumption. Real estate brokers and agents have been using video for years of course, to show house tours and related content online, but this is not the only subject matter you should use. If you already have a blog, simply convert those topics into videos which you can use to grow your presence on YouTube, social media platforms, and your website.

Audio Content

Audio content is now surpassing video content in both results and popularity because people now consider audio even easier to consume than video. In fact, Salesforce reports that in 2017 the average consumer was listening to more than 5 hours of podcasts each week! Therefore, it goes without saying that progressive brokers are making a move towards audio platforms like iTunes and SoundCloud to reach their audience. For those of you that have been creating videos for the last several years, this is great news because many free and inexpensive software programs will allow you to extract the audio portion of your videos and use those files for podcasts.

Another consideration is that companies like Google are transitioning to “voice search” and search results will begin to include more audio-only results especially on mobile devices. As a broker, being ahead of this curve is sure to give you a leg up on the competition. Plus, if you don’t like being on video, this now gives you options!

How Content Marketing Has Proven Itself Valuable

As a real estate broker, you already know the value of earning the trust of the public. In fact, trust is the biggest obstacle for most businesses in any industry. Content marketing allows you to break down those barriers and earn people’s trust passively. An Easy Agent Pro study conducted recently found that 90% of consumers find custom content useful and 78% believe that companies behind content are interested in building good relationships with their customers.

From the beginning, Jim Weichert sought to create and build upon his connections with the members of his community, which continues to this day. That means knowing where your clients spend their time and making sure you are where they are.  It also means interacting with them the way they want to receive information, no matter how that changes over time. These are the types of core beliefs that have grown a single real estate office into one of the largest providers of real estate related services in the country.

To learn more about the Weichert formula for brokerage growth, please contact us or visit our site at https://www.weichertfranchise.com/weichert-real-estate-franchise/ or call 877-567-3350.

Original content posted on https://www.weichertfranchise.com/real-estate-lead-generation/content-marketing-strategies-for-real-estate-brokerages/

Recruiting Strategies For 2019

As 2018 draws to an end, you and the rest of the real estate broker universe are actively thinking about how to make 2019 your best year yet. A big part of that plan is sure to be how you will attract more sales associates to your brokerage. If you’ve hit a plateau or feel like you need new tactics, it may be time to take a fresh approach to your recruiting strategy in the new year. Here are a few thoughts on recruiting strategies for 2019.

Get Serious About Instagram & Facebook

Yes, you have heard for some time that Instagram and Facebook are important platforms for real estate professionals, but are you using them actively for something other than home sales? It turns out that these portals have a role to play in recruiting agents, as well as buyers and sellers, but unless you are consistent about staying active and engaged on each of them, you won’t see results. By having the right connections, and being active on these portals, agents will see your brand as dynamic and active and you will increase the number of touchpoints you have with other professionals. When using these portals for recruiting, here’s a few things to keep in mind.

• Start and grow a FB group to engage the agent community that’s different from your general group for consumers.
• Use 10-20 hashtags on every Instagram post to increase your reach.
• Take the initiative by commenting on other’s agent posts, asking questions, and sharing valuable content relevant to the people you hope to recruit.

The key here is to be helpful. Both your content and your comments should give people real and valuable information. What you give freely, you will receive in return tenfold.

Get Yourself in Front of the Right People

While there is no dispute that technology has earned its place in real estate recruiting, face-to-face connections will never lose their value. The more you can get yourself, your name, and your brand in front of interested recruits, the faster you will grow. One way in which Weichert affiliate brokerages have achieved recruiting success is hosting a weekly career night at their offices. With careful promotion and consistent scheduling, this activity helps each of our brokers shake hands with interested candidates and take that first step to bringing them onboard or into the industry.

Get A Buzz Going

One thing experienced agents will evaluate is what value your brokerage brings to their business. That can take many forms, one of which is lead gen. At Weichert for instance, we invest in a national lead network from generation to qualification to distribution, which is an extremely powerful recruiting tool. We cultivate leads from Weichert.com with over 3 million visitors a month, which supplements an agents’ own activity. Another is tools and resources. Weichert, for example offers one of the best Listing Presentation tools in the industry. Still another is your company culture. Creating an environment of support and open communication empowers agents to do their best.  Agents talk to each other and if they love where they work, they talk about it. That kind of talk can ignite a fire of interest around your brokerage that will attract agents like moths to a flame.  It’s these kinds of dynamics that makes working for a Weichert brokerage so popular.

Recruiting Isn’t Easy, but Weichert Makes it Easier

Have you done a check-up of your recruiting strategy lately? If there’s one story our brokers tell us over and over, it’s how much easier recruiting was once they affiliated with Weichert. Sustained agent recruiting is one of the keys to achieving your brokerage dream, and no one does more to give you the right recruiting tools and strategies than Weichert.

If your brokerage could benefit from better recruiting systems, contact us to see how we can help. For more information about the Weichert system, go to https://www.weichertfranchise.com or call 877-567-3350.

Original content posted on https://www.weichertfranchise.com/blog/recruiting-strategies-for-2019/

Don’t Let Your Brokerage Get Caught In “The Shiny Penny Syndrome”

There’s one thing for certain about the real estate industry–there is no shortage of gadgets, downloads, software tools, or marketing services targeted to brokerages. And as a broker, it’s easy to get distracted – you’re afraid you’ll be left behind if you don’t take advantage of the latest and greatest thing out there. At Weichert®, we call this “The Shiny Penny Syndrome”.

Essentially, this occurs when a company jumps to chase a shiny, new opportunity, service or product instead of focusing on mastering the basics of running a business. Often, these products and services offer to make your lives easier by saving time, helping to maximize efficiency, effectively marketing your brokerage, getting more listings or even helping your business survive the latest economic crisis.

It’s important to learn to navigate this minefield, if you are a broker looking to grow in a challenging housing market. There are so many shiny pennies out there that it’s easy to end up jumping from one promising new real estate tool or marketing idea to the next in an increasingly rapid and costly cycle, while the core elements of the business like how to recruit, write an effective business plan, maximize agent production and monitor key performance indicators get less attention than they deserve.

These shiny pennies are marketed so well and with such urgency that brokers often forget to ask pivotal questions like “How will it fit in with my current business goals?”, “What real results will it bring?”, “Where will I go for support?” and “What operational changes will be required in order to actually get the benefits of the product?”. Most Brokers know they must adapt and innovate to stay current and effective in an ever changing landscape.  The real challenge is knowing how to balance innovation with the basic activities and systems needed to run a successful brokerage and build a business.

Innovation With Purpose

A key to successful innovation is to focus on the benefits to your core customer and core operations, rather than innovating for multiple seemingly attractive, trendy options. Important questions to ask when considering a new product, technology or marketing service include:

• Will this help me achieve the business goals I’ve set for myself this year?
• Will this help me or my agents better service and communicate with our customers?
• Will its use enhance the credibility of my brokerage or my agents?
• How can I measure the effectiveness of this investment in 3 months, 6 months, a year?
• Am I committed to doing the work and training necessary to use the tool or process effectively and consistently?

Strategic growth through planned and proven marketing for brokers

One of the things an affiliation with a credible Real Estate Franchise Company can provide is a guide who can steer you to the best of real estate innovations while keeping your business plan on track. The Weichert System gives you proven, productive systems, technology and activities to implement for nearly every aspect of your real estate business, including real estate marketing, selling systems, recruiting, a lead system and business management. With comprehensive training, ongoing support and expert coaching from our real estate professionals and a parent company with first-hand brokerage experience, you’ll feel relieved knowing you have people in your corner. You’ll never have to go it alone again. Our support staff will work with you to map out a road to growth.

At Weichert, we’ve already paved a road for success. All you have to do is take it. Visit us today at https://www.weichertfranchise.com.

Original content posted on https://www.weichertfranchise.com/real-estate-broker-marketing/dont-let-brokerage-get-caught-shiny-penny-syndrome/

Franchise Success Spotlight: Weichert® Affiliate Brenda Elliott Weichert, Realtors® – The Space Place

Huntsville, Alabama may be the one city in the country where the expression “it’s not rocket science” doesn’t apply. In Huntsville, it kind of is all about rocket science. It’s home to the U.S. Space and Rocket Center, NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center, and the Army Aviation’s Space and Missile Command.

Weichert Affiliate Brenda Elliott, owner of Weichert, Realtors® – The Space Place, is well acquainted with the ever-present missile, spacecraft and rocket themes that run deep throughout the city. Indeed, the word “Space” in her brokerage name isn’t just referring to square footage. Though now an Alabama native, she lived in Georgia most of her life and still calls it home, graduating from the University of Georgia with a BFA in interior design. Her husband Paul graduated Georgia Tech with a degree in Industrial Management and their three daughters went to Auburn University.  Now a Huntsville resident for over 20 years, Brenda is intimately familiar with her local real estate market and her passion for real estate is clear.

Life as an Independent Broker

Brenda’s career in real estate actually started in Northern Virginia, in the early 90’s while Paul was stationed at the Pentagon. Brenda decided she wanted to know the real estate side of interior design and went to work for none other than Weichert, Realtors® in Burke, Virginia. The experience of working inside a Weichert Brokerage stayed with Brenda, even though she eventually started as an independent broker when her family moved back to Alabama.

“My family and I were blessed with moving to Huntsville, Alabama in 1999, where I helped start the Executive Group Realtors, an independent real estate company, with three other partners,” notes Brenda. “As we got going, I actually modeled some of our processes after what I had seen at Weichert.”

Brenda became the broker of record for the agency in 2002 and by 2005 helped build the agency to 56 agents working out of one office. Despite her success, with her increasing business responsibilities came the occasional desire for a partner who could provide guidance and help with the recruiting, branding, and lead generation challenges common to independent brokers.

Still when Weichert approached Brenda’s team in 2005, she told them she was too busy to consider an affiliation. “But their follow up impressed me,” remembers Brenda. “After months of small conversations in fits and starts I agreed to go to New Jersey to hear the full pitch.”

Deciding to Partner with Weichert

For Brenda the decision to partner was not easy. Brenda and her team had concerns about affiliation with a national brand in general, as well as affiliation with Weichert specifically. What would that mean for her existing business and how would her agents react? Brenda and her team had heard all the positives about proven processes, coaching and support and lead generation, but frankly, not enough straight talk about the downside of becoming an affiliate.
Brenda decided to make some calls. But rather than call the list of brokers the Weichert team in NJ gave her, Brenda called other Weichert brokers that she selected arbitrarily, from across the country. In fact, inside Weichert Corporate Offices, it is well known that Brenda set a record by calling 29 other Weichert brokers to try and find someone who would say something substantively negative about their Weichert affiliation. On the 29th call Brenda reached a Weichert Broker in Florida who finally gave Brenda what she needed to hear.
He said, “The downside of becoming a Weichert Broker was realizing that I had wasted so much time and money by not doing this years ago.”
Brenda was done. She began her affiliation with Weichert in 2006.

Everyone’s Path to Success is Different

Those who know Brenda, know she is all about her agents. According to Brenda “I didn’t sleep for about two weeks before the Weichert announcement.” Yet Brenda did not lose a single agent once she impacted. “I very quickly showed them the tools, training, and systems that were now at their disposal,” says Brenda. “Having this level of support for my team was great for me as well.”

Consistent with the Weichert philosophy, Brenda was able to pick and choose the benefits that she wanted to roll out in her brokerage. The Weichert processes allowed her to craft a strategy that worked best for her brokerage and that respected her independent style. That meant that agents could continue using the existing methods that worked for them and implement Weichert tools and systems where they needed them. And everyone was able to benefit from the increased recognition that a brand like Weichert brought to the entire brokerage.

During the market crash of 2008, Brenda watched other local brokers go out of business on a regular basis. Brenda credits her Weichert affiliation 100% for her agency survival. “Due to the advantages of being a recognized brand and having good systems and lead generation, we weathered the storm.”  In 2011, Brenda finally bought out her business partners and made the decision to go all in on the Weichert Model. “We had been implementing parts of the Weichert Model, but when I became the sole owner, I felt the time was right to really be ALL IN on the Weichert Systems,” says Brenda. “We hired many new agents who fully embraced the model from day one, and that has made all the difference.”

Weichert, Realtors® – The Space Place in 2018

Today Brenda’s team is firmly rooted in the methodology presented by Weichert, while still running things in a way that is appropriate for her local market. Weichert, Realtors® – The Space Places does a little commercial, a little relocation, some property management, but its primary focus is on residential sales.

From one office and 38 agents in 2011, Brenda has grown her team to 3 offices and over 125 agents covering a good portion of northern Alabama. Brenda credits things like the Weichert DOORS™ listing presentation and their recruiting system, which includes “career nights”. Brenda sells at least 2-3 houses a month using their open house process and embraces the WeichertPro CRM for marketing campaigns, and more. “I especially love that while I get amazing support inside the Weichert model, I’m still free to build the systems that work in my area. This is an active and creative partnership with real experts at the other end.”

The Weichert Model

At Weichert Real Estate Affiliates, Inc., we exist to help you make the most of what you’ve already built and learned. Brenda is right about partnership we strive for with our affiliates. It’s the kind of partner support you won’t get from any other national real estate brand. When you affiliate, you become part of a supportive family where you’ll never have to wonder what to do next.
For more information, contact the Weichert Affiliates team today at 877-567-3350 or visit weichertfranchise.com.

Original content posted on https://www.weichertfranchise.com/blog/franchise-success-spotlight-weichert-affiliate-brenda-elliott-weichert-realtors-the-space-place/

Why Track Leads Through CRM

As an experienced and well-educated real estate broker, you already know that a CRM can do many things for you like automating your follow-up and increasing your production. However, despite their popularity, many brokers are struggling to realize the full value of using a CRM or haven’t figured out the best way to implement one into their business yet. If you fall into one of those two categories, this article is for you!

Review the Rewards

While there are many real estate CRM’s out there, it seems that no two are exactly the same. This can make finding the right one for your business a bit tricky. However, if you take the time to prioritize the rewards and results you hope to reap from your real estate CRM, the selection process becomes simplified. To help you sort through all the bells and whistles, look for a CRM that provides the following benefits:

Lead Tracking – When a CRM enables your agents to track their leads, it also enables you to be able to track their performance and offer coaching in areas where they may be hitting roadblocks.
Automation – There are few real estate agents and brokers out there saying that they have too much time on their hands. The promise of a properly managed CRM is that it will free up precious time by automating or simplifying many common client management tasks.

Regular Reminders – As an experienced broker, you understand that most agents can benefit from regular reminders to follow-up, tackle important tasks, and implement best practices into their routine. When they do, the result is more closings for them and more income for you.

Just Listed/Sold – Communications around just listed and just sold are one of the best opportunities you have to reach out to your sphere of influence with interesting content that puts your local brand in front of people. A good CRM makes this easy by giving you a professionally designed template and managing the list of client email addresses for you, so you can send it to those who may be most interested.

Know All That It Can Do for You

In many cases, brokers that purchase a CRM fail to get all of their money’s worth out of the software because they are unaware of all that it can actually do for them. The Weichert Pro CRM, for example, does a whole lot more than just store all of an agent’s prospects, leads, and past clients. It also provides agents and brokers with integration to the Weichert lead network, templates for automated email marketing, and tools for complete open house management before, during, and after the event. This is a proprietary CRM which is provided to all Weichert affiliates.

Choose a System With Flexibility

Just as all real estate CRM’s are unique in their own way, agents and brokers are also unique. You and your agents may have different styles of running your businesses that work best for each of you. It’s important that whatever CRM you use that it allows people to work in ways most comfortable and productive for them. For example, you may prefer to time-block all of your CRM data entry and put it in once each day. Others may prefer the convenience of mobile, like the Weichert Pro CRM mobile app, that allows them to update and use their CRM as they go.

Managing technology in your brokerage is an octopus with many heads. The way in which you choose to implement processes and procedures around this plays a big role in how efficient and effective your business can be.

A CRM is just a tool, what really counts is how you use it. This is an area where Weichert can help. Through training, best practices and tips from peers, we help our affiliates leverage our technology to its fullest potential. To learn about other tools and systems available to Weichert affiliates, click here.

Original content posted on https://www.weichertfranchise.com/blog/why-track-leads-through-crm/

Recruiting Top Real Estate Agents

Recruiting agents is the lifeblood of building your real estate brokerage. Agents will come and go and often it can feel like a roller coaster, but if you are constantly recruiting, you will keep your pipeline full and that will help minimize the ups and downs. It’s important to continually recruit a good mix of new and experienced agents. Above all, you want them to be productive and in alignment with the goals of your brokerage.  To keep them, you need to continually provide value that they will have a tough time getting anywhere else. Having a good group of experienced agents helps maintain continuous production, while newer agents get up to speed. They can also serve as role models.

How Will You Attract Experienced Agents?

As a savvy broker and business owner, you already understand the value of having a comprehensive business plan in place, but how often do you update and revisit it? It is helpful to create or update your business plan each year to help you stay on track, move the needle forward, and keep your goals front of mind. This plan should certainly outline how you intend to attract high-quality agents to your team and how many of them you need each year. At Weichert this is part of “knowing your numbers”. Here are a few ideas to consider:

1. Create a Powerful Brand That Will Act as a Recruiting Magnet. For independent brokers, having a big brand presence in your local market is particularly important when trying to compete for seasoned agents. One story we hear over and over again from our brokers, is that recruiting got a whole lot easier the day they put the Weichert sign on their building. A big brand also helps with lead generation which is always a concern of established agents looking to change affiliation.
2. Lead with Lead Generation. Even senior agents who have a good network are attracted to the possibility of quality leads that can come their way with little or no effort on their part. To the extent that you can show them a ready pipeline of these leads that come into your brokerage, you can demonstrate an advantage over where they are now. This is perhaps one of the strongest recruiting assets Weichert has, thanks to the Weichert Lead Network, a national system of advertising and technology that delivers online leads to live agents within minutes.
3. Tools That Work. Then provide things like a CRM, listing presentation, professional personal branding and marketing materials that they don’t need to spend time creating themselves. Now you’ve now positioned your brokerage as a place that provides value. Weichert, for example, provides its agents with a proprietary CRM, as well as listing and selling tools like our DOORS™ listing presentation, unique Price Trend Analysis,” and “Getting to Know You” workbook, plus libraries of professionally designed marketing brochures and customizable templates for attracting clients and listing and selling homes.

The Power of a Brand In Recruiting

Part of the reason for the see-saw of agent headcount is often recruiting gets a lot of attention one week, then none for the rest of the month! What do you need to have a successful recruiting program? Here are some things to consider:

• An annual recruiting plan
• Defined recruiting activities
• Professional marketing and presentation materials to use with recruits that presents your value
• Consistent execution
• Training to get agents up and running and productive fast

At Weichert, we believe recruiting is one of the key pillars to brokerage success.  This is why we provide our affiliates with guidance and support in each of the areas above. In addition, by providing agents with a full suite of selling systems, technology and marketing materials to support their business, we help our affiliates retain their agents by creating ongoing value. To learn more about the Weichert systems and the benefits they provide brokerages across the country, contact us at 877-567-3350 or view weichertfranchise.com.

Original content posted on https://www.weichertfranchise.com/blog/recruiting-top-real-estate-agents/

The Three A’s For Building Brand Credibility With Millennials

With Millennials surpassing Baby Boomers as the largest segment of our country’s population, it is more important than ever to build a brand and a business that appeals to them. Especially since Millennials are approximately one-third of all home buyers and sellers. With these numbers in mind, it is clear that establishing and maintaining a real estate brand that wins over 21-35-year-olds is now mandatory. The question is, how does one create such a brand?

Dispelling the Millennial Myth

When you think about Millennials and building a brand that will earn their trust, you probably think that technology needs to be at the forefront of your messaging. This is the most common millennial marketing myth out there today. Although technology is a priority to them, Millennials care far more about authenticity, altruism, and accountability, the three A’s of Millennial marketing. The biggest way that companies lose their footing with this lucrative sector is that they lead with their tools, rather than their hearts. Even more than Baby Boomers and their parents, Millennials want to see and need to believe deep down that you care about them before they will buy into you.

Natural Authenticity & Altruism

While everyone is out there telling Millennials that they care about their needs, a better approach is to create content that is in the best interest of this demographic and offer it up for free on a consistent basis. This shows that you authentically care about the community and are willing to earn their business. The more content that you create, and the more valuable it is, the more powerful your brand will be at attracting all the right people, whether they be buyers and sellers, agents, or referral partners. Give your knowledge and content freely without expecting anything in return, and the returns will come.

Another very powerful way that you can show off your authenticity is through customer service, which happens to be another major priority of Millennials. Don’t claim to be dedicated to providing quality service and then drop the ball down the line. Instead, go above and beyond the call of duty and create content around how you help people achieve the results they crave. When Millennials talk, they will talk passionately about those that helped them and showed them that they really cared.

Accountability for the Win

There are moments in every business when things don’t go as planned and that is okay. Most Millennials are extremely forgiving when it comes to human errors with one caveat: you must hold yourself accountable. Let’s say that you made a promise to a young couple that you would meet with them for an hour to help them prepare an offer, but something comes up causing you to miss or forget your appointment. Don’t just shrug off the missed appointment or try to make excuses. Instead, use it as an opportunity to prove you are accountable by apologizing and providing even more time and assistance than you originally promised. Every mistake or human error can be transformed into an opportunity for advancement with Millennials if you prove that you are accountable for your actions.

Weichert^® Brokers Live the Three “A”s

It is easy for Weichert to talk about the three A’s because these are similar to the values that have been part of our culture since before there were Millennials. Those are Integrity, Professional Standards, Added Value, Personal Service and Relationships for Life. These values not only apply to how you can better appeal to buyers and sellers, but also how you appeal to new agents and how you make your brokerage the place to be.  As Jim Weichert has said since starting his business in 1969, “People buy people before they buy products or services.”

For more information on the Weichert approach to real estate and the tools and resources we offer to help you market your brokerage call us today at 877-567-3350 or visit weichertfranchising.com.

Original content posted on https://www.weichertfranchise.com/blog/the-three-as-for-building-brand-credibility-with-millennials/

Tech Is Great for Getting Them, But It’s Still Your Sales Skills That Close Them

We live in a world of distractions. The media, news, entertainment, technology tools and social media are constantly bombarding us from all directions. It’s easy to get sucked in to all the cool, shiny new ways to attract leads. While tech is great for attracting leads, don’t become so distracted that you forget to practice the skills and habits that close them. In this highly connected world, it’s more important than ever to hone your relationships and your personal selling techniques.  Lots of people can use the same lead technology, but there is only one you. Use that to set yourself apart.

Use Technology To Stay Connected

Make sure you have a good CRM. This is the best way to keep your contacts organized and keep track of your communications with them so you don’t lose touch. If you stay out of touch too long, it opens the door for a client to become connected with someone else and call on them when they need something. A good CRM is the perfect example of a tech application that blends automation and good sales techniques. Use the automation and calendaring features to:

• Send personal notes celebrating birthdays or anniversaries or just to see how they are doing or if they or someone they know are ready to make a move.
• Disseminate useful information related to their home or friendly updates about your business.
• Invite guests to your Open Houses and keep track of your visitors.
• Keep track of your phone call outreach.
• Automatically receive leads from your lead gen source.

Successful business owners understand that it takes some effort to learn these tools, but they use them regularly and teach and encourage their agents to do the same. The use of these tools actually helps you automate your business and have more freedom to spend one-on-one time forging new connections. Use technology to replace functions of your business that give you and your team more time and opportunity to make great connections within the community.

Use Technology That Showcases Your Personality

It’s no secret. People want to do business with people they feel a connection with and can trust. That is especially true when it comes to one of their biggest assets – buying or selling their home. The best way to stand out is to utilize technology that allows your personality to shine. Use video to share real estate tips or your knowledge about the neighborhoods you work in. Post them on Facebook or use a video email service, such as BombBomb to communicate. This will help humanize you and make you more memorable than a static post or email.

Don’t Forget Your Hustle

Lead generation sources are focused on one thing…selling leads. And they are happy to sell the same lead to you and the 10 other agents in town if you are willing to buy them. Customers typically work with the first agent they speak with. So make sure that agent is you. This means picking up the phone when it rings and not waiting to respond to that email. Don’t be so busy that you don’t have time to be responsive. Yes, you may have to speak with a few frogs, but you never know when that awesome lead is going to come to you and you need to be ready.

Be Smart About Lead Gen Options

Make sure the lead gen options you choose are truly productive for your business. How qualified are the leads you are receiving? Do you have to pay for them up front? What is your close rate on the leads you do receive? If it’s not good or you don’t know, you may be spinning your wheels and wasting valuable time and money. This can distract you and make you unavailable when the quality leads do come to you. Make sure you are spending your time and money on the right things.

Always Keep It Personal

No matter what technology and lead sources you use, don’t lose sight of the personal touch. Don’t let the technology do all the work. Find ways to use it to reach your customers in personal ways or use those applications that allow your personality to shine through. You are your product and people can’t buy if they don’t know you. As Jim Weichert always says, “People buy people, before buying a product or service.”

Conviction & Consistency Are King

At Weichert, we believe that tech is critical, but must be complemented by proven and successful sales activities. From a technology and lead generation perspective, Weichert associates and affiliates are automatically provided with its proprietary CRM and can qualify to receive leads from its lead center. Weichert invests heavily to attract online leads that are then screened by its call center. This helps connect the most qualified prospects to its agents. Those leads feed automatically into the Weichert CRM. Additionally, Weichert provides a blueprint of best prospecting and sales practices, together with qualified suppliers to help its offices and agents stay connected with prospects.
When you approach tech with the right frame of mind, stay true to your mission statement and core values and deliver value to your community, you will never have to worry about how fast tech changes or its impact on the industry. Don’t be concerned with change, as much as you are maintaining consistency and staying connected with your clients.

For more information on how Weichert systems can set you up for technology and beyond, go to https://www.weichertfranchise.com or call 877-567-33350.

Original content posted on https://www.weichertfranchise.com/blog/tech-is-great-for-getting-them-but-its-still-your-sales-skills-that-close-them/

Phone Not Ringing? Learn to Generate Real Estate Leads in Unexpected Ways

There is nothing more stressful to a real estate agent as the sound of silence while waiting for the phone to ring with calls from clients, referral partners, and prospects. If your phone is not ringing as often as you’d like, try augmenting your traditional avenues with something new. Thanks to technology, there are more creative ways to connect with your sphere and drum up business than ever before. Here are a few cutting-edge ways you can generate new leads to complement tried and true door-knocking and direct mail.

Social Influencers

Social media influencers aren’t just for selling makeup and music, they’re also great for selling real estate and promoting your content. Reach out to local influencers in your area via Instagram and ask if they would be willing to collaborate with you to help you gain exposure with your local market. Many of them will be willing to do this for little to no cost but the impact can be tremendous.

Amazon Alexa Flash Briefing Skills

Statistics are proving that more and more people are turning to voice and AI for their information needs. In fact, it is predicted that by 2019, at least 50% of all online searches will be done using voice assistants like Siri, and Alexa. To capitalize on this trend, develop your own Amazon Alexa Flash Briefing skill so you can deliver daily doses of real estate tips, local happenings, stories, and market updates to your sphere. This will allow you to stay in touch every day in a valuable way and positively position yourself as the local real estate expert.

Webinars

People love to learn through webinars! They allow you to get the information you crave without having to leave the comfort of your home. They also allow business owners like you to build an audience of trusting followers. Webinars on topics like first-time homebuyers, how to prepare your home for listing, and financing options offer you a valuable way to get people into your sales funnel in a concentrated way. To make the most out of your webinars, build an automated funnel that will cycle your students through the webinar and send follow-up emails that nurtured them until they are ready to buy or list with you.

Use Video

Video is a great way to get your face in front of consumers and cover a large area. It provides a more intimate form of contact than an email or standard social media post. If you do it often enough, people will feel as if they know you, even if you have never met. Take quick selfie videos of yourself with real estate tips or community insights to establish your credibility not only as an agent, but as a neighborhood expert. Consider a video email service like BombBomb to record and send regular video communications to your sphere of influence, instead of regular emails. These services integrate video right into your email and often have CRM capabilities so you can see who is engaging so you can target them for further follow-up.

Find Your Train Station: New Spins On Proven Strategies

Jim Weichert jump-started his business at the local train station by consistently handing out cards, shaking hands, and getting in front of the community in a way people hadn’t tried. He knew that if he wanted to earn clients, he would have to reach them in a creative and interactive way. He understood that with connections comes clients. His consistency with connections paid off. Now you don’t have to stand at a train station (although you could) to initiate consistent contact with your farm. Think of the internet as your train station and use its many platforms to creatively engage with your connections on a consistent basis and that phone will start to ring.

For more information about tools and systems that can help you maintain consistent contact and transform your connections into clients, go to https://www.weichertfranchise.com or call 877-746-2067.

Original content posted on https://www.weichertfranchise.com/blog/phone-not-ringing-learn-to-generate-real-estate-leads-in-unexpected-ways/

Don’t Forget About The Baby Boomers

With all the attention being showered on Millennials, it’s very easy to forget about the largest generational market that existed before them – Baby Boomers. Baby Boomers are still out there and still own plenty of real estate.  Members of this generation are retiring or are approaching retirement age, which is when many choose to purchase a vacation home or move out of their existing home for a variety of reasons—a more favorable tax area, better climate, be closer to family or amenities, downsize or a need to move to a facility with care. In many cases, the listings for downsizing Boomers tend to be much larger and more expensive than average. Will you be the one they buy and list with?

Many of these consumers are considering moving from the homes and communities where they raised their families and it can be a complex transition. But if you’ve nurtured your relationships with Boomer clients, there is a good chance you will get the call. Good customer service is going to be extra valuable to this segment, as they will likely have lots of questions and be in need a of a good source for information and guidance beyond just how to list their home. They are also very loyal to those who go the extra mile and provide value-added service. The reward is that they are great for referrals. Provide a positive experience and it is sure to be shared with their friends, families and neighbors tenfold. If this demographic is missing from your sphere, here are some tips to help you make connections:

What Are The Best Ways To Target Baby Boomers?

Digital Marketing & Social Media

You might think that social media and digital marketing efforts are best used for younger client segments. Not so! There is a very high percentage of Boomers on the internet and social media platforms like Facebook, making them readily accessible. However, they behave differently online than their Millennial counterparts, just as they do offline. With that in mind, here are a few ways agents can reach out to form meaningful relationships with them that lead to repeat business.
Here are a few statistics:

• 3% of baby Boomers belong to at least one social media site. (Source DMN3)
• Baby Boomers spend 27 hours per week online, which is two hours more per week than those who are between 16 and 34. (Source Colorado University)
• Baby Boomers take action based on what they see on social media, and most of the time it’s focused on finding more information. (Source DMN3)
• Baby Boomers are 19% more likely to share content compared to any other generation, reinforcing the notion that Facebook’s demographic is trending slightly older. (Source Digital Trends)

In fact, because of their high level of web-based activity Baby Boomers have now earned the name “Silver Surfers”! Aside from their very real presence online, this niche is by far one of the most valuable of all.

Direct Mail

Baby Boomers grew up on traditional mail and trust it as a source of valuable information. Direct mail is a perfect fit to do regular outreach and stay in touch with this market segment or invite them to events sponsored by your office.

Host or Sponsor Relevant Events

A valuable way to build your database, give back, create storytelling content, and form more personal relationships with Boomers and their families is to host or sponsor events that matter to them. This could be something like a charity-related walk, or a seminar tied to a local community group that they are involved with, such as a local Senior Center or YMCA. Topics could include sessions on decluttering, how to downsize, financial planning or even keeping up with technology. To maximize the impact of this effort, talk to as many people as you can and document the event to share on your website, newsletter, and social media. Then input your new connections into your CRM so that you can continue to build upon those relationships.

Create Informative Longform Content

According to QuickSprout, videos that are slower paced and have a great deal of information are more likely to appeal to Baby Boomers than faster-paced videos with too many visuals. Remember that your audience will have a thirst for content that helps solve their problems, without overwhelming them. Therefore, you should be diligent about producing long-form content with detailed instructions and examples. Also, be sure to make any audio or visual content easy for aging eyes and ears to consume by optimizing the sound and video quality as much as possible.

Make Contacts Within The Community

It’s always who you know, so having connections with organizations in the community can go a long way in getting Baby Boomer business. Senior living communities are great groups to partner with as well as Financial planners. Get to know the key managers of these organizations or join networking groups that they are part of. They can all be a great source for referrals!

Leading With Trust

All consumers, but especially Baby Boomers, place tremendous value on partners they can trust. This is not something built overnight. It’s a principle which Jim Weichert held near and dear to his heart from the moment he started the Weichert brand. He knew that no matter how the business changed, or the customers changed, one thing that would always stay the same is the value of a real relationship.

To learn more about how you can build stronger relationships with your agents and empower them to do the same with their clients of all marketing segments, go to https://www.weichertfranchise.com

Original content posted on https://www.weichertfranchise.com/blog/dont-forget-about-the-baby-boomers/

Best Way To Get Full Commission? Know Your Value.

In the ultra-competitive market for local home listings, the pressure to discount commissions is ever present. Some brands in your market may even make the discounted commission their primary marketing differentiator while selling themselves as full service agents. How do you compete with that?

Is discounting simply devaluing your services or something you have to do to survive? Here is some insight from the online real estate marketing specialists at Weichert.

Educating Clients About the Value of your Services

If you want to keep your full commission, you have to sell the value of what you do for it, plain and simple. A 4% commission from the other guy may sound great, but we all know he’s cutting corners somewhere to do that. Yet for clients, cutting broker commission seems to be the easiest route to saving money – and in their heads, this makes sense because they often lack the insight into what it is that real estate agents actually do. Taking the time to keep the client informed of the services you will provide at every step of the way is key. These include, but are not limited to:

• Start with a great listing presentation and local market analysis. If you impress them with the professionalism and thoughtfulness of your competitive research, you’ve immediately set yourself apart as a professional who is deserving of full compensation.
• Do the legwork – Scheduling multiple open houses, tours, inspections, re-inspections, conducting follow up, recommending small changes to make the house more sellable, running ads in local real estate publications, posting in supermarkets, mailings… the list goes on and you should be able to tell prospective home sellers exactly what they won’t get when they go to a discount brokerage.
• Most people hate to negotiate – It’s a fact, but as an agent negotiating deals is your bread and butter. Agents can spend hours presenting, convincing, and following up on an offer – and only their experience and negotiating expertise maximize the seller’s chance of selling quickly at the price they want.
• Expanded Property Marketing Exposure – This is achieved by accessing your real estate agent’s branding and MLS platforms, the most important of which is its online space. Buyers predominantly search the Internet for housing choices, and it’s almost impossible to get the same visibility and access to buyers through a discount realtor.
• Accurate pricing – There are always properties that are overvalued by owners and may stay on the market for months or even years, just as there are undervalued properties that are rapidly sold for far less than what the owner deserved. Accurate pricing ensures a good result for owner and buyer, as well as a faster selling process.
• Executing the sale – Completing a sale is a complex process that is made far easier, faster and more reliable when taken on by an experienced professional agent and broker. A full service agent will often have a real estate crm system to help them stay on top of potential buyers and a transaction management system to manage the transaction in a way that for-sale-by-owners, or discount brokers will not.

Technology plays a vital role in achieving this and is another area where you can show the value you add at full commission. As an agent, you have access to expert online marketing tools for real estate agents, a broker who is able to properly leverage the full power of their local brand and reputation, as well as a network of financing, legal, and construction professionals who you can recommend and help manage for your client.

Transform the way you sell with industry-leading real estate coaching programs 

Built on the expertise of experienced brokers, technology specialists and real estate industry leaders, Weichert is focused on providing effective answers to the challenges faced by today’s real estate agents. From marketing strategies for agents and a cutting-edge lead generation system to the best real estate coaching programs in the industry, we provide all the solutions you need to build your business and succeed in even the most competitive climate.

If these tools and solutions sound like a good fit for your brokerage or you would like to find out more about the Weichert system, please contact us today.

Original content posted on https://www.weichertfranchise.com/blog/best-way-get-full-commission-2/

Franchise Success Spotlight: Weichert Affiliate Dennis Murphy—Weichert, Realtors® – Donahue Partners

A Harvard University education has long been associated with some of the most extraordinary individuals in American Society. Harvard Alumni names read like a who’s who of American history, including global business leaders, politicians, diplomats and presidents.

To those distinguished alumni we add one more name: Cape Cod based Weichert® Broker, Dennis Murphy, owner of Weichert, Realtors® – Donahue Partners.

While a history degree from Harvard is not a requirement for success as a real estate broker, in the Cape Cod market it doesn’t exactly hurt either. It certainly speaks to his lifelong love of Massachusetts and his decision to settle in the Cape Cod Area. For Dennis, the path to real estate had more to do with Marge Donahue, Dennis’ grandmother. Marge was a beloved figure around the Cape who founded her own agency in 1963, which she ran until her passing in 1998.

“My grandmother was an inspiration to me,” says Dennis. After a stint doing advertising and marketing in New York City and being National Sales Director for America’s #1 market share television station, Dennis took over the independent agency in 1998.

The Road To Weichert

The 2008 recession hit Dennis’ brokerage hard. In 2009 he built out a new office but he was struggling to recruit and train agents. Dennis began to realize that he could use help. Dennis continued forward but in 2015 he met with Bill Scavone from Weichert and began to think seriously about an affiliation.

“I was very interested in their lead network,” says Dennis, “We actually did a test where we acted as a customer and used competitor websites to initiate contact, which were actually two other franchisors we were considering. In each case we never got a call back at all despite multiple attempts. But inquiries made on the Weichert site were rock solid at 3 minutes per response.”

This coupled with the clear and well developed systems Weichert showed Dennis really sealed the deal. In 2015, Dennis and his three agents signed with Weichert and became “Weichert, Realtors® – Donahue Partners”.

The Weichert Experience

The biggest difference Dennis felt after his affiliation was an overwhelming sense of relief. As Dennis puts it, “No more Dennis island.” At last he did not feel like he was in this alone.
With a full support team, Dennis suddenly felt like the wind was at his back. There were regular training sessions, such as “Sharpen the Saw” which are two-day management-level seminars for training and networking that Dennis still considers invaluable. There were regional Broker Council meetings right near Boston 3 times a year where he could interact with his peers.

Then there were the tools and systems. A full Fast Track training program to get new agents up and running and productive fast?  Done. A step by step program for recruiting? Done. A program for promoting open houses that actually works? Done. A completely elevated and professional looking listing presentation that could be customized though an online digital platform? Done. In fact the DOORS listing presentation was so effective and liked by his agents that he saw his closing rate rise significantly as agents used it and became more comfortable delivering it.

Another favorite benefit of affiliation for Dennis is simply the peer to peer relationships in the Weichert network. Both formal and informal meetings give Dennis access to a wide network of individuals inside and outside his market who are willing to help. That is the very culture of Weichert.

The Future With Weichert

Dennis only needs to look at his bottom line to know that some good things are happening. With a team now of close to 20 agents, Dennis has seen his GCI triple in 2 years and has met his entire previous year GCI in only 3 quarters in 2018. Dennis has his eyes on a second office in the mid-Cape area and is looking to hire 10 more agents in 2018.

But the best part for Dennis is that whatever the future may bring, he knows that Weichert has his back.

The Weichert Culture of Support

Being a Weichert affiliate is a partnership, a collaboration, done with great respect for what you’ve already achieved and learned.

After all, you’ve already built a successful business. We can help you do more.

For more information on becoming a Weichert Affiliate, call 877-567-3350  or visit weichertfranchise.com.



Original content posted on https://www.weichertfranchise.com/blog/franchise-success-spotlight-weichert-affiliate-dennis-murphy-weichert-realtors-donahue-partners/

From Casual Connection To Client; Helping Your Agents Get There

There is no denying that the way that brokers, agents, and clients form their relationships has undergone major changes in recent years. Now, more than ever, as buyers and sellers turn to the internet for their real estate needs, lead farming is being done on social media, blogs, through digital advertising, and on platforms like YouTube. However, while you may understand the importance of driving your agents to create valuable content for brand awareness, your agents may be wondering how to take the next steps to transform their connections into actual clients. Here are a few ways you can encourage your agents to take the next steps and leverage those casual connections into business connections and beyond.

Actively Engage Your Casual Connections

In your quest to draw prospects on the outer edge of your sphere deeper into the fold, you’ll need to turn your focus to increasing their engagement with your content and your engagement with them. In other words, don’t just post engagement-worthy content like questions and polls, but actually look at who is responding to your content and take the time to reach out to them to say thank you, ask what they liked or didn’t like, or simply continue the conversation on a deeper level.

Furthermore, if you have people that have stopped engaging with your content or never have (perhaps someone in your FB group) reach out to say hello and draw them back in. Touching base with dormant followers or subscribers could offer valuable insights into your content, message, and approach that you can apply to other relationships. This will also show people that you genuinely care about them, fostering a deeper sense of trust which leads to repeat sales and referrals.

Host Events To Bring Them Out From Behind The Screen

One of the most common complaints is that it is difficult to motivate online connections to meet with agents in person. Charity events offer a dynamic solution. Hosting a charity event to benefit a worthy cause is a fantastic way to get your followers to come out and interact with you in person over a common interest. Even better if you can set it up to bring them to the office. Organize a charity drive to collect toys, coats, food or toiletries and make your office the drop off point. Not only will you be able to create a story around your involvement in the cause, but you’ll have the chance to build a deeper connection with your prospects through your mutual beliefs and values. Once you’ve made a connection with those people in person, you will notice your engagement rates with them increase because they will have a better sense of who you are, how you operate, and what you have in common. Make sure that you have systems and tools, like a CRM in place to help your office and agents manage relationships efficiently as they develop from a loose connection into a client and don’t become lost in the crowd.

More Than A Handshake

There is nothing more powerful or valuable in real estate than a personal connection. Although technology may be shifting into the forefront as the way that we first connect with someone, our desire for human connections and personal relationships remains the same. Comments, likes, and shares should be viewed as opportunities for cultivating connections and nurturing those relationships, rather than as a way of replacing them.

The key here is that you must be able to properly manage and maintain those relationships once they are formed through regular follow-up, valuable content, and personal touches. If you don’t have the systems and training in place to cultivate and nurture your casual connections, they will never transform into clients. At Weichert, those resources are a major part of each franchisee’s success as a broker. From our social content, direct mail and client follow-up programs to our proprietary CRM, Weichert supplies its affiliates and agents with the tools to move connections through the conversion cycle. If you would like to learn more about how to implement systems and training for your agents to help them convert their connections into long-term clients, go to https://www.weichertfranchise.com or call 877-746-2067.

Original content posted on https://www.weichertfranchise.com/blog/from-casual-connection-to-client-helping-your-agents-get-there/

How To Keep It Personal In A High Tech World

Technology continues to transform the way we do everything from how we communicate to how we buy and sell real estate and everything in between. At its most extreme, technology is even being offered as a replacement for a real estate agent. One has to sometimes wonder whether tech is really working for or against the industry. Digital technology is cool and shiny and the next new thing is always so tempting to try. But it should not distract or replace the personal activities needed to succeed in this business. It will never replace a handshake or the trust built through conversation and making eye contact. A real estate transaction is typically a complex, expensive, and highly personal transaction. Your challenge as a broker is to strike that critical balance between using technology to find your clients and the personal touch to win over and keep them. This approach is the right one, for both buyers and sellers, and for you.

Leveraging Tech Is Good

There is no denying that many of the tools and resources available to real estate agents and brokers have helped make doing business easier. There’s also nothing wrong with utilizing tools like a real estate CRM or lead generation software to help drum up business and manage it more efficiently. However, certain pieces of technology that we often rely upon today, like email and text messaging are routinely keeping agents, brokers, and clients at more of a distance than they once were. For example, if you have a quick question for your client that only requires a simple answer, you’re probably more likely to shoot them a speedy text or email. While this might seem easier, it cuts out the chance to casually chat about their day and build that friendly rapport that instills trust and garners future business.

But Building Real Relationships Is Better

Although people can move to technology, technology fails to move people in the way human-to-human contact does. Unlike some businesses where you can get away with keeping clients at an arm’s length, real estate is a contact business and requires you to develop your relationships beyond a superficial business exchange. Consumers are driven by emotions and loyalty; two things that can’t be found in an app or a website. Don’t be tempted to wait for the business to be delivered to your doorstep from that slick new lead gen program you just invested in. Seize every opportunity to nurture your relationships with personal contact.

Easy Ways To Foster A More Personal Relationship With Clients

The more that you invest into nurturing your relationships with your clients, the more loyal they will be to you in the years to come with their transactions and with referrals. Here are easy ways to help you take your relationships to the next level:

• Call or stop-by without needing a reason – Remember birthdays, anniversaries and other significant milestones. Consider keeping a box of small gifts or treats like a bottle of wine in the car that you can give to clients if you happen to be in the neighborhood.
• Bond over activities – Do your prospects or clients have a hobby that they’re passionate about like golf? Send them a link to an article they may have interest in or offer to take them out for a fun and relaxing day on the links but keep the conversation casual and fun.
• Break some bread – Sharing a meal is one of the oldest forms of human bonding and most original signs of trust. Meet up for a cup of coffee or take them out to celebrate the anniversary of their closing, rather than sending a generic card, text, or email.
• Make a routine – Regularly call your entire database just to chat and see how things are going. The conversations don’t need to be long. However, if they happen to share something special like a referral, personal preference, or special event in their life you can input that into your real estate CRM for future use. It’s best to block this time off on your calendar every month to hold yourself accountable to maintaining the routine.

In a world where technology drives functionality, it can be all too easy to rely entirely upon it. However, one must remember that the business of buying and selling real estate was built on the value of real relationships and real people. Although technology can certainly drive us forward and help reduce busy work or trivial tasks, there is nothing that can replace the value of shaking someone’s hand, looking them in the eye, or laughing over a meal together. It is important to find a healthy balance between leveraging technology and taking every opportunity for valuable personal contact.

A Brokerage Built By Real People For Real Relationships

Since Jim Weichert began his real estate career in 1969, he inherently understood the value of a handshake. He knew that people wanted to buy from people and made it a priority. As he built the Weichert brokerage one handshake at a time, he made sure to empower his team with the tools and technology they needed to work smarter. Yet, he always made sure they understood the power of that personal touch; a core value of the Weichert brand.

If you believe in the value of building lasting relationships, Weichert may be a great fit for your business. To learn more about how you can plug in and be a part of a franchise that will provide you with systems that balance technology with personal touch points, go to https://www.weichertfranchise.com.

Original content posted on https://www.weichertfranchise.com/blog/how-to-keep-it-personal-in-a-high-tech-world/

Real Estate CRM Options Making Your Head Spin? Here’s How to Choose.

In this, increasingly digital era, more and more real estate leads are acquired online. Managing all of those online leads, in addition to those coming in from more traditional sources has become the Achilles heel of real estate agents. If your agents are not automating their follow-up, your brokerage is at a disadvantage. Enter the real estate CRM. In recent years, real estate CRM’s have become a dime a dozen and while all promise to simplify the path to success, some may not be the best match for your needs. Brokers are busy and it’s hard to find time to hunt for that diamond-in- the-rough CRM to help their agents be more productive. Here are some ins and outs of selecting one that will help your agents make the most of their time and never miss an opportunity.

The Not So Obvious Value Of Real Estate CRM’s

At this stage in your career, you realize that a CRM is invaluable when it comes to agents keeping track of leads, clients and referrals. You also expect that a CRM will help them manage their to-do list, calendar, and progress of their transactions. Obviously, this is all important because it helps prevent them from dropping the ball and losing business. What you may not realize is that the capabilities of a truly valuable real estate CRM will reach far beyond those basics. Here are some not so obvious benefits of an ideal CRM:

• A smart CRM can reduce the need for an assistant or virtual assistant and help administrative costs.
• Good CRM reporting makes it easier to keeping priorities straight and goals in sight.
• Ability to personalize messages by keeping track of individual details like birthdays, anniversaries, hobbies, preferences, etc. BoomTown reports that using these details can increase lead response by 450%.
• Increased consistency around how your brokerage brand is presented by having shared email and newsletter templates, designed with your brand look and feel.
• Systems and processes can become easier to implement, which leads to improved performance by the team.
• ROI tracking becomes possible because agents can organize leads by groups defined by each lead source. Knowing which lead generators are paying off and which are not is essential in the management of your business.

What To Look For In Your Real Estate CRM

One of the biggest problems with real estate CRM’s is that there are so many of them out there with varying features and benefits. It can make choosing one a bit overwhelming! But investing time in selecting a CRM can pay off for your business in the end. To end up with a successful solution, it’s important that you study what they have to offer and how easy it will be to implement and use. Opt for a free trial if one is available and see if it can work in harmony with your business. But before you even start your search, develop a clear cut list of what you want to get out of the software. Here’s what capabilities we suggest you prioritize in your search:

• Action plans that automatically trigger your activity and give you reminders.
• Contact management which helps you track everyone in your sphere and access them easily.
• Mobile capabilities so you can access the system from anywhere using your phone or tablet.
• Automated marketing capabilities like beautifully branded email campaigns you can use on holidays or to highlight listings.
• A sophisticated tool for open house management that organizes and cultivates these valuable leads.

Final Thoughts on Real Estate CRM’s

Offering your agents a way to organize and manage their leads will help them be more productive and your brokerage be more successful. No time to vet them? A CRM is often one of the many benefits your brokerage receives by affiliating with a larger brand. When Weichert looked at the world of real estate CRM’s many years ago for its agents, for example, no one off-the-shelf CRM addressed all the follow-up processes and systems that Weichert felt its agents needed to be most productive. So it developed its own proprietary CRM, WeichertPro. Not only does it contain all of the capabilities mentioned above but goes a few steps further:

1. Leads received by our call center and transferred to an agent are pushed directly into the agent’s CRM avoiding manual data entry and improving response times.
2. Branded email templates make staying in touch and promoting events both beautiful and easy with reminders and automation available.
3. An advanced open house management system, that includes for the agent promote, capture guest information and send out follow-ups to make contact handling a breeze.
4. Overall the tool supports all the proven processes for brokerage success that Weichert has designed, making it the perfect fit for your operations.

WeichertPro CRM is just one of the many tools offered to our affiliates that support their growth and success. If you’re interested in plugging your business into the suite of tools and resources that Weichert offers, contact our team at  https://www.weichertfranchise.com or 877-746-2067.

Original content posted on https://www.weichertfranchise.com/blog/real-estate-crm-options-making-your-head-spin-heres-how-to-choose/

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/real-estate-franchise/is-franchising-a-fit-for-you-2/