There are many advertisements for services that claim to optimize an agent’s business. Which one of them really works for what you need to do. Since your database is so important to your success as an agent, I’ll go over a few options for you. This is your real estate course for the day.
Regular contact with your database is the way to continually get referrals and repeat business. If you’re still using paper to keep track of everyone in your database, you’re surely missing out. There are several options that will help streamline your ability to contact each person in your database. The point of this is to make it systematic. That way you’ll always know what you’re doing and can track your results so you know how to improve.
Online services are very common now. Some examples include Top Producer, Wise Agent, and Sales Force. All of these services are designed to help you keep track of what you’re doing with each of your contacts. Whether it’s following up with a lead, serving a customer, or managing your finances. The hard part is choosing one. I have spent time with many of these services trying to find the answer to that question.
The most important thing to consider before you jump into paying for a database management solution is to determine your needs. You have to see how you are running your business. Examine your current systems to track and manage your contacts. Understanding where your needs are will help you decide what service to pay for.
These services vary greatly in the tasks they can perform. The most important thing is to know that they can automate many of your tasks. Who wouldn’t want a personal assistant that sends you emails, sends you mail, and reminds you when you need to call someone?
That is what these services do. To understand the power behind this automation of your tasks, you need to know a little about how it works. The real power comes from doing the work once and then automatically distributing that work as if there were multiple versions of you running.
These services house all the contacts in their database. You can keep them separated in different lists depending on the type of contact they are. For example, you can have lists of sellers, buyers, sellers, etc. Create a campaign for each of these lists. This is where you decide whether your contact will receive an email, a phone call, or printed material sent through the mail. You set it for months in the future. In this way, the service automatically performs these tasks for you. You create all the content at the same time that the service will deliver to your contacts in a systematic way. Your contacts will receive an email on the day you have selected. You will receive reminders to call people when you have selected to receive them. Your contacts will be mailed the printed material you created when you selected them to receive it.
Trying to keep track of who you called or emailed and when is difficult when you manage a lot of contacts. Using an automated system helps you save time on these tasks. It allows you to build relationships with your contacts with less effort on your part. All of this leads to more time to do what’s most important to your business. To generate more leads and close deals. Not to mention, you can have more time for you and your family.
Remember, consistency is the key to optimizing your business. And that’s your real estate course for today.
