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/