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/