Real estate CRMs don’t have to be for the tech-savvy folk anymore. In the past, they would give people heartburn. “A CRM – how do I use this?” These days, however, things have gotten a lot easier. Yes, there are tools to learn and processes to build. But imagine converting more leads. Retaining better agents. And measuring your success.

It’s one thing to feel good about your business. It’s another to see the $$$ grow. So, I’m going to show you what incentives a real estate CRM brings and how it impacts your business. By the end, there won’t be any fear in using a CRM — since the benefits speak for themselves.

1It’s Nearly a Virtual Assistant

Have you ever thought of a day where you don’t need to remember anything? There’s no to-do you forgot or lead you missed.

A real estate CRM covers the bases of an assistant. When you generate leads, a CRM can automate the follow-up communication. It can set reminders on your calendar to call the homebuyer (or seller). And it can route incoming leads to agents, equally.

Check out this real estate CRM tip:

 
It may be a little work to set up a process in the CRM, but it’s the same as if you hired someone. Except without the extra costs. Plus, it acts like a storage device. You can keep notes on homebuyers and set follow-up actions for later in the year — which is helpful considering most leads are 6-8 months from buying.

2Prioritize Who to Call

Real estate agents generate leads everyday. If you’ve been in the business for a few years, you probably have several hundred, if not thousands, of leads sitting in a spreadsheet. How do you know which ones are still active? Still searching?

A real estate CRM can tell you who is actively looking for a home and how often. You can even filter and segment your leads by who is active. Think about the time saved right there. Hours of prospecting reduced to a fraction of a second.

BoomTown’s real estate CRM easily filtering active leads:

Coupling this with a phone dialer, you can turn lead generation into one of real estate’s easiest exercises. No more time blocking hours for routine grunt work. You can focus on tasks that have a higher ROI, like showing houses for clients.

3Get Insights into Leads & Deliver Personalized Communication

Which statement do you think will have a longer, lasting impact?

1. Hi Jack, I saw you were looking to buy a house. How can I help you today?
2. Hi Jack, I noticed you were looking at homes in Lawton Harbor. It’s a beautiful neighborhood! Would you like to see some homes there today?

Number two sticks out, right? The best real estate CRMs — working with your website — will tell you what properties leads are looking at (and how many times). This allows you to send personalized communication bound to convert. BoomTown clients, for example, have seen a 450% increase in lead responses (based off our CRM tools).

It works particularly well for leads who are 6-8 months out. If you notice them looking at one specific property over and over (recorded by the CRM), then you can send them a quick text, saying, “Want me to schedule a showing for 1234 Bend Street this Saturday?”

Good real estate CRMs will expand on this behavior. They will match new (or updated) properties to your leads, using the data behind their home searches. It’s similar to how Google will offer better websites based on how you search. Then all you have to do is send out a group text or email, asking if anyone wants to see these “new” properties.

Lead insights allows personalized communication. That communication creates better conversions. More conversions equals more money. BoomTown calls that success.

4Increase Agent Performance

Well-performing teams have a business process. It’s a workflow for handling new leads and existing clients. Example: Brokers often tell agents to respond to new leads within the hour. But how do you know if agents are actually contacting new leads within the hour?

I’ve seen teams lose good agents because they believe the lead quality is bad. Turns out, it was just because the agent wasn’t contacting the leads in a reasonable amount of time. But they blamed it on the broker and lead generation team.

Holding agents accountable to a process isn’t easy. But a real estate CRM makes it effortless. By asking your team to contact leads through your CRM, it’ll leave a record of their actions. You can then pull up reports and see what they’re doing. It’s a good base for one-on-one discussions.

You can drill into how often they try to contact leads, when they contact them, and if there was a response. It allows you to improve agent performance, which creates better ROI for your business. Ultimately, it’ll allow you to recruit and retain the best agents.

5Measure Return on Investment (ROI)

For a large part of the blog post, we’ve talked about lead generation. Now, it’s time to chat about transactions. Closing the deal is where the work pays off, literally. Measuring this event is key to growing the business and to growing revenue.

Knowing what’s in your sales pipeline and which transactions are ready to close is paramount. From there, you can predict what your earnings will be for the month. You can increase your lead generation efforts if transactions are low. And you can see which agents are performing the best, i.e. bringing money into the business.

All of this is easily accomplished with a real estate CRM. Knowing where money is coming in and what you’ll have at your disposal moving forward allows you to operate a smarter business.

With this and the other benefits of a real estate CRM, I hope you see the impact it’ll have on your productivity. Saved time adds up to $$$ saved. Better conversions creates more $$$. This goes on and on. A good CRM may cost money, but the return investment is worth it.

The post 5 Business Benefits of a Real Estate CRM appeared first on BoomTown!.

If you’re shopping for a CRM based on features and price, stop. People are like moths attracted to light. We love shiny new features, and we love a good deal.

Is that healthy for your business? No. Definitely not. Hell no.

It’s how you get stuck with a real estate CRM containing bloated features. Ones you’re paying for, but not using. It’s how you frustrate team members. For example, agents don’t need dashboards if they’re not generating leads.

Choosing the best real estate CRM starts with 4 main categories. These should be the checkboxes you cross off as you shop for a CRM.

1Does it Create Tech-Enabled Agents?

The best real estate CRMs enable agents. Think in broad terms here. Enable agents to contact hundreds of leads in an hour. Enable agents to find ready-to-close opportunities. Enable agents to prioritize based on ROI (i.e. tasks more likely to generate $$$).

Tech-enabled agents are able to close 183% more deals. They see more responses from leads and convert on a faster timeline. Imagine taking a homebuyer from a 6-month window to 3 months. Go from getting 5 responses to 22 responses (from unconverted leads).

As you look at real estate CRMs, ask if they:

• Handle all aspects of lead nurture. Can the CRM automate the communication? That way, you don’t have to email and call every single lead yourself.
• Filter and categorize leads based on readiness (or likelihood to close). A good real estate CRM can match leads to properties and suggest they look at it.
• Give insights into website visitors. Can the CRM tell you which leads have visited the website in the last 30 days? Those could be hot opportunities to prioritize.

2Is Workload Reduced?

Technology like a real estate CRM should reduce work. Not add to it.

Yes, it might be a new process. In the beginning, it’ll take time getting acclimated. But in the end, you should be able to dump off routine, grunt work. Example: Responding to new leads. A CRM can automatically send an email you’ve programmed (versus you doing manually). Think about the time saved.

In real estate, time is money. Look for communication tools and the CRM’s ability to organize leads/tasks. Agents should be sharing their knowledge, not finding people to share their knowledge with.

BEWARE – Some real estate CRMs will have lots of features. They’ll promise to save time. But you need to examine how easy the system is to use. Does it take 20 minutes setting up CRM tools? Or does it take 2 minutes?

If the CRM isn’t easy to use, you’ll only add work for yourself. You’ll be busy trying to figure out a new software. And that’s something no one enjoys.

3Can it Work with Other Tools?

There’s no “all-in-one” tool for a real estate business. Anyone promising it is fooling you. A real estate CRM can do a lot, but you’ll still be using other software like showing apps and office management tools.

This is where you’ll want to ask about integrations. Can the real estate CRM work in sync with other tools? If so, which ones? A good example: BoomTown integrates with dotloop. A real estate CRM with a transaction management software.

You’ll want to make sure the CRM is flexible to your business. Not the other way around.

4Does the CRM go Beyond Organizing Leads?

For real estate agents looking to move beyond spreadsheets and rolodexes of leads, a CRM is a natural next-step. But we’re past 1999.

The best real estate CRMs do more than organize leads. They match leads to properties. A CRM should recognize that Jack Catterton is looking for colonial-style homes around ~$300k. It should see Jack is interested in San Diego properties. Then it should take that data and see what homes are available, and tell you: “Jack would be a good fit for these 27 properties.”

This allows you to look like an expert without having to ask homebuyers 20 questions. When a new properties hits the market, it allows you to instantly find homebuyers who would like it. That’s something especially helpful for large MLS markets.

Pricing and Features Aren’t Everything

Starting your real estate CRM search with the 4 questions (seen above), will help you find the best system. And though I said not to begin the search based on features and pricing, they still matter.

If you’re a small team, beginning to generate online leads (outside of referrals), you won’t need a large CRM with tons of features. You’ll need something basic that handles your current needs. Don’t feel obligated to get the “big, awesome machine.” Not everyone needs a designer laptop. They just need a regular one.

Evaluate what your pain points are and make the sure the CRM addresses those. As you grow and surface new needs, you can then upgrade the CRM.

If price is a concern, evaluate the ROI (return on investment). Paying cheaper is still throwing money away if the CRM isn’t helping you close deals. Look at the benefits and the $$$ it’ll bring back to your pocket versus how much it costs.

Want to See the Power of BoomTown’s CRM? Click Here >

The post How to Choose the Best Real Estate CRM appeared first on BoomTown!.

We don’t have to tell you how important it is to have a strong digital presence. Among nearly all generations of home buyers, the very first step is to look for properties online. In fact, 74% of buyers across all generations (and 92% of home buyers 37 and younger) frequently search the internet for their home in 2018. In addition, there are over 2.20 billion monthly active users on Facebook, with five new profiles created every second. That’s a lot of buying power.

Google and Facebook are easily the most impactful tools for digital advertising. BoomTown teamed up with our Google and Facebook Partners at BoomTown UNITE 2018, to share their insight on digital strategies that actually work .

Meet your panelists:
Tyler Johansson – Google Partner
Raya Khayat – Facebook Partner
Dotty Bell – BoomTown Digital Marketing Team Manager

Full-Funnel Strategy

Always have the “full-funnel” on the back of your mind when you run an ad campaign. Building brand awareness and getting exposure (top of the funnel), will align with Facebook Live and videos, whereas converting a lead (bottom of the funnel) will align with maybe a carousel ad, or a lead ad.
 

Raya: “There are two levers to the success of any campaign.

• Targeting – Making sure you’re targeting the right people. Either by using advanced targeting (custom and lookalike audiences), or just targeting geographically and making sure you have a broad reach.
• Creative – Users scroll at the average speed of 1.7 seconds on the user feed – this is extremely fast! Even if you’re targeting the best leads, you don’t want them to just keep on scrolling. We recommend engaging video. You have to catch them within the first 3 seconds.”

Behavioral and Advanced/Lookalike Targeting

Raya: “The lookalike audience is basically, you send in a list of your current leads, and the Facebook algorithm will find leads that “look” like them, with the current behaviors and behavioral traits that they have. You can definitely control that reach and frequency within our tools, to make sure that you’re not overwhelming them. The frequency that I recommend is 1-3 times.”
 
Keep the content fresh. Once you see that the ad has landed with your target audience, swap it out with a new video, or switch it up to a carousel ad or go live. You don’t want to hit you audience with the same ad over and over and over.
 
Always be Testing! Content works differently for different teams in different markets. We recommend that you test as much as possible. Try all different types of advertisements and see what works best for you.

Partner with Your CRM to Maximize Your Advertising Spend

If you have already begun digitally marketing for your business, you’ve likely explored Search Engine Marketing (SEM) through Google Adwords (Pay-Per-Click), as well as optimizing your website to get more organic traffic through Search Engine Optimization (SEO). In conjunction with Facebook advertisements, this is the bulk of your digital strategy. So how can you maximize the money that’s in your ad budget and get the lowest cost per lead (CPL)?
 

Learn More About Lead Generation with BoomTown. Click Here

Tyler: “When you’re just getting started out it’s not a bad idea to try to self-manage, get educated, and have a useful conversation with a partner such as BoomTown. But then you get to a certain size where the cost of those mistakes, or just the cost of your time, where your time is better spent bringing in the revenue and making the sale. It’s probably better at that point to look for outside help and leverage BoomTown and their partnerships to say… “help me invest my dollars.” Really that’s where the difference lays, when digital marketers take that leap, and they start to see digital marketing as a driver of revenue, rather than a cost source.”
 
Raya: “You guys already have so much on your plate, with calling leads, nurturing them – I think the stat was, 26 times to call – it’s a lot of calls, it’s a lot that you’re already doing. I consider BoomTown to be this additional hand… it’s this 1 + 1 = 3 approach.”
 
Furthermore, if you work with a CRM partner like BoomTown that has a digital marketing team, consult with them on the cost-per-lead (CPL) you’re looking for. At BoomTown, we work closely with you to reach your business goals. We can give insight into similar CPL’s in your area, as well as recommendations for how to allocate your budget.

Facebook Pixeling (What is it?)

Raya:
“Facebook Pixel, in short, is a piece of code that you place on the back end of your website. It tracks your funnel – going from the ad on Facebook or Instagram, when they convert on your website, and the steps that they take once they’re on your website. You can track people that actually view your properties, add to carts and products, or just search for different types of things.
 
The piece of code “fires” when someone takes an action. Facebook tracks it, but it also optimizes. Let’s say you want to optimize for people viewing your property. You can tell Pixel that that’s the ‘event’ that you want to optimize for, and then our algorithm will find the people that are most likely going to view the property based on the signals it gets from the website. Data that we learn from the system and your website, to optimize and get better leads are more efficient CPLs.”

Best Performing Ads for Real Estate

For real estate professionals, Facebook Live, video, and carousel ads are the best performers.

• Facebook Live: This is one of the best strategies for top-funnel marketing, which means getting brand recognition and getting face time with your leads. It personalizes you and helps leads feel connected to you as a trustworthy agent. Additionally, Facebook live has 10x more engagement than regular videos.

 

 

• Video: While Facebook live videos should be at the top of your list, don’t ditch regular recorded videos on Facebook! “Video is still one of the best things to use, because it’s super engaging, and your making sure that you’re really capturing peoples’ attention.”

 

• Carousel Ads: Carousel ads are one of the best ways to drive traffic to your website. This is for the bottom of your funnel, when leads are ready to convert. They are scrollable, engaging, and paired with good copy and photos, they can be invaluable.

 

Recycle Content Across Platforms

Content takes time. Every video or advertisement that you create was time out of your day, so why not get the most possible use out of it. While you need to continuously add fresh content onto one platform (don’t bore your audience with the same ad week after week on Facebook), you can share across platforms to maximize exposure.
 
Share on Instagram, Google+, YouTube, LinkedIn, your personal Facebook page, email blasts, the blog on your website, etc. This is improving your organic search on Google as well.
 
Additionally, keep a personal library of your content so that you can recycle anything that is still relevant down the road.

The post Google & Facebook: Digital Strategies that Actually Work appeared first on BoomTown!.

Do you ever feel like keeping track of people is hard work? And does it seem like your efforts aren’t quite paying off?

Imagine your phone without the Contacts list. No phone number, no email address, and so on. It’d be hard to remember everyone. Today, though, all we have to do is say, “Siri, call Bob!” Technology enables us to complete tasks with ease and in less time.

But an address book can only assist you until you’re managing dozens of client relationships. This is where a real estate CRM benefits agents and brokers. CRM software levels up your communication and service abilities. It’s almost like cloning yourself, so you can be that “individual expert” for all your clients without draining your mental stamina.

Let’s go into some details …

1What is a Real Estate CRM?

By definition, CRM stands for customer relationship management. It usually refers to software that is a contact and communication tool. It allows you to manage multiple relationships, but also handles the day-to-day work involved with those relationships. Examples include task reminders like to-do’s. It can send emails out automatically. Or it allows the more deeper tracking of your sales pipeline, so you can measure revenue (i.e. business/commission income).

In real estate, a CRM enables you to service individual people throughout the entire home shopping experience. From the moment they register as a lead on your website to the moment they sign their name on the bill of sale. That journey always has a few bumps, as you know. A CRM helps coordinate all those steps and free up your workload (via automation). It smooths out those bumps.

2Advantages of a Real Estate CRM

Let’s break down the advantages by agent and broker. Depending on your job role, you’ll care more about specific CRM features.

For Brokers:

• Accountability – Make sure your co-workers are getting work done. Example: If you’re spending money to generate leads, then you’ll want your agents calling and emailing those people. A CRM allows you to track their activity. Did they call/email their leads? Are they closing deals?
• Brand & Service Consistency – Let’s say you have built a reputation in your market. In a real estate CRM, you can establish the protocol and build the communication agents have to use (for lead follow-up, for example). This makes sure everyone is operating on the same page and not going off-script.
• Opportunity Finding – By leveraging filters and lead categories, you can prospect your database for “hot” opportunities, i.e. ready-to-buy shoppers. You can even nudge people out of “trash” categories with email nurture plans. And good CRMs allow you to track where leads are in the sales pipeline, mapping out your revenue potential.

For Agents:

• Ease of Use – Imagine texting 100 leads in 5 minutes. You can use templated messages and emails to simplify your follow-up tasks. You don’t have to organize your day, since the CRM will help lay out your to-do’s.
• Save Time – Using the example from above, imagine the time saved from not having to write 100 text messages by hand. You can get back to your other work quickly, like showing houses.
• Never Forget – A real estate CRM will remind you who to call and when. There’s no more jotting down notes to yourself. The software handles it all.
• Prioritization – Have you ever felt like you were being pulled in a million directions? CRMs can prioritize your lead follow-up, since they’ll identify who is more likely to act on a real estate property.

3How to Achieve ROI with a Real Estate CRM

There are plenty of free CRMs on the market, but they’re limited in ability. Oftentimes, agents and brokers will need to shop for a real estate CRM, weighing options. Whichever CRM you choose, it’s important to think about ROI. How will you make up the investment?

The answer is NOT to have big goals. You want small, achievable goals that build momentum. Real estate CRMs are built to handle a lot of business aspects. Tackling all those at one time is extremely difficult. Instead, start at your most critical pain point. Example: If you’re having a hard time closing deals (i.e. winning leads) or having issues with “lead quality,” then examine your lead follow-up.

Build out template emails, text messages, and phone scripts. Plug them into the CRM and have it automatically communicate to your leads. Then you can measure if you’re seeing progress. Don’t worry about the other features until you’ve graduated from your initial goal.

And lastly, the biggest hurdle to seeing any ROI with a real estate CRM is getting people to use it. Yes, adopting and using a CRM is more difficult than you think. If you’re a business leader, create rules for your co-workers. Everything goes into the CRM. Because if it doesn’t, there’s no way for you track ROI. All you’re doing is spending money without a clear picture. The best rule to use is: If it isn’t in the CRM, it means it doesn’t exist or you haven’t done your job. Typically then you’ll see your teammates adopting the product a lot faster.

4More Resources

If you’d like more resources about real estate CRMs, check out our articles on the 5 Business Benefits of a Real Estate CRM and How to Choose the Best Real Estate CRM.

Check Out BoomTown’s Real Estate CRM. Click Here >

The post What is a Real Estate CRM? appeared first on BoomTown!.

Calling all road warriors: we are channeling our inner Shannon King, and we’ve got some mission-critical apps for taking care of business when you’re out and about. Whether you’re in the car, waiting for a client or anywhere in between, these apps will keep you productive, efficient, and on top of it all.

Swap Your Crazy Inbox for Streamlined Field Notes

Situation: Sifting through that massive inbox and trying to find files, or action items is something that’s better left for the office. So when you’re not in the office important tasks can get sidelined.

Solution: When you’re combating inbox overload, it’s time for the Cloze app. After you set it up, it integrated with you email accounts (and your calendar, social media accounts, and Evernote) and starts creating handy dashboards. These dashboards include a daily agenda that aggregates your email inbox, contacts, calendars and to-do lists. It’ll even surface emails if they have mentions of specific follow-up activity you need to act on for a specific day. Not to mention it makes it a breeze to track related documents and files, and provides you with a clickable history of contact communication.

Maximizing Voicemail, Minimizing Effort

Situation: Have you ever needed to get in touch with a client, only have 3 minutes before your next appointment, and wished you could just leave them a message?

Solution: Well this is where Slydial comes into play. Simply dial 267-slydial, then after the prompt, dial your client’s phone number, and you’ll be directly sent to their voicemail. One, and, done! Now, you are able to make it to your appointment and your client receives the information they need in a timely manner.

Situation: And what about those tempting voicemails you would love to listen to, but the client you’re with might find it rude if you step away?

Solution: YouMail. A free app which offers a number of voicemail solutions. One of which transcribes your voicemails and texts them to your phone. You can then take a quick glance without taking significant attention away from the task at hand.

Have you given smart prospecting a second thought? Take a closer look.

Safe Travels: Driving and Responding to New Leads

Situation: It can be tempting to try and work while driving, but it’s critical to keep your safety in mind.

Solution: DriveSafe.ly is an app that will read your text messages and emails aloud as you drive. Just activate the app as you enter your car then toggle the app off as you exit.

Situation:  Feel a little unsure about a property or a new client? You can never be too cautious when meeting new people or traveling somewhere alone.

Solution: MyForce  can act as your mobile bodyguard. If you ever feel uneasy about a location or situation you only need to arm the app to place it in ready mode. If you feel threatened, with a click of a button, you can alert MyForce of your location. They’ll instantly listen to the audio from your mobile device should you be in a situation where you can not speak with the operator. Because you’re pre-registered, emergency personnel are aware of your description, emergency contacts, and known medical issues.

Track and Manage Expenses with Ease

Situation: You try to remember to grab receipts and save them to sort through once you return to your desk (whenever that may be!), but you usually leave yourself with a confusing mess.

Solutions: Track your mileage with Milog, a mobile app that keeps a record of your mileage for reimbursement or tax purposes.  They make it super-simple to log your miles and sort out trips so there’s no more estimating and calculating (and losing money!).

As for those pesky receipts, use your phone to scan receipts and the Expensify app will code and report the expense for you. It also keeps tabs on your spending, making it easy to itemize deductions when tax time rolls around. One click tells the app to track business miles through the GPS technology or odometer readings, which automatically records them for any kind of deductions or reimbursements.

Don’t Know What to Do With Down Time?

The BoomTown Library is Full of Quick Videos for Real Estate Tips & Tricks.

Start browsing. 

Go the Extra Mile to Turn Leads Into Listings

Situation: Trying to convince a prospective client that you’d make a great listing Agent?

Solution: Why not offer a free floor plan sketch? With Magic Plan, a free mobile app, anyone can create a floor plan drawing within minutes! Magic Plan measures a floor plan from the pictures you take then converts them into a PDF, HPG and DXF drawing.

Situation: Once you’re the listing agent, you know how important great photos, and even more so a high-end presentation can be. But how do you achieve this on the go?

Solution: Use Animoto to create photo stream videos set to music that can be used on listing pages and social sites. Have some time on your hands while the inspector is around? Your clients will love the video of their new house that Animoto helps you create. Make sure you use a picture of your Agency sign so their friends will know who sold them the home when they share the video.

Mobilize your Entire Business for On-the-Go Success

Situation: task-oriented apps are super helpful, but what about making it easy to run your day from your phone?

Solution: A CRM app that can handle it all. BoomTown’s native CRM app was designed by agents for agents with all the tools and features you need to handle it all-from anywhere.

• Keep your conversations going smoothly without dropping the ball
  • Critical First Hour categories help you know who needs your immediate attention. After the first hour, conversations are moved to the Waiting On You section. Easily look up communication history for all active conversations.
• Push notifications alert you the instant a lead takes an action, so you’ll always know who to contact, when to reach out, and why.
• Take immediate action with a tap of the finger. Call new leads right away or respond to existing leads the same way they reached out to you, whether by email, phone, or text.(mass texting too!)
• Stay on top of your tasks so nothing falls through the cracks
  • Easily check off your to-do’s scheduled to be done today- click a name to go to the lead record and complete the task.
  • Need More Time? Hit snooze to postpone tasks for an hour, a day, or a week.
  • Past Due tasks provide a chance to catch up on unfinished tasks from the past seven days, and upcoming tasks provide a preview of what’s coming up for the next 7 days.
• Easily manage everything. All actions, conversations, and response times are tracked and logged back in the main CRM to provide an accurate picture of accountability.

The post The Best Mobile Apps for Real Estate Agents On The Go appeared first on BoomTown!.

Like any powerful tool, a CRM is only as good as the person using it. It doesn’t matter how many hundreds or thousands of capabilities the CRM has, if the user doesn’t know what they’re doing – it’s about as useful as a phone with no battery.

Think about your CRM for a minute. Technology (especially robust platforms like CRMs) can feel overwhelming. So first let’s take a step back. Before we tackle some top strategies, consider these questions:

• Do you understand the full capabilities of your CRM?
• How much training have you/your team had with the CRM?
• What are your frustrations with it?
• Are there things you wish it could do that it doesn’t do?
• In what ways does it make your day easier? More difficult?

Make Sure You’re in the Right Relationship

Ideally this research will happen before you make a commitment with a CRM, but even if you’ve already invested time and energy into your CRM, you want to make sure it is the right one for you and your business. This takes more than just a Google search. Online comparative research is a good place to start, but we encourage taking it a few steps further. Here are a few ways to really get to know your CRM and discover if you’re a good match.

• Demo as much as possible.
• Make a list of features that are (1) essential, (2) nice-to-have, and (3) nonessential.
• Establish a budget. Remember that a CRM is an investment, and if used properly the ROI is worth it.
• Try to find customers of different platforms (through forums or networking), and ask them about their experience. What are their pain points? What do they like/dislike.

Take Advantage of Training

Aside from being on the right system for your business, this is perhaps the #1 most important strategy for getting the most out of your CRM. Do not underestimate the value of being well-trained! You can buy the most expensive, top-of-the-line tools, but if you don’t know how to use them, they’re a waste of your time.
 
What sort of training is offered from your CRM provider? Start there. Maybe they offer on-site training at their headquarters, or in-house training at your office. They might offer webinars, a virtual training series, or one-on-one phone calls. Take advantage of all of these capabilities, as it will be invaluable for your team.
 
One of the biggest mistakes that we see at BoomTown is when teams go through the initial training and onboarding and then they’re done. CRMs are very robust. They have a lot of capabilities and it can take a healthy chunk of time to conquer the learning curve and feel confident on the system. Schedule time within the year to make sure your team is up to speed with the newest features.

Training can be fun! Some of our most successful clients have BoomTown training nights periodically throughout the year. They get the team together and turn training into a game with food and prizes. This is a great way to keep the team up-to-speed on the system.

Be Diligent About Tracking & Measuring ROI

It’s not unusual for people to get a CRM just because they think it’s what they “should do.” Then, they take advantage of about 20% of the functionality, and use it as a virtual Rolodex. You don’t need an expensive contact list. There are iPhones and Excel spreadsheets for that. A CRM is meant to elevate your business in ways that simpler systems cannot. So be diligent about measuring your ROI so that you know you’re getting the most out of your CRM.

First, define how you measure success. It could be number of transactions, number of leads generated, number of hours saved by automating busy work. It could be a combination of all of the above! A good CRM will have tracking tools that will give you clear insights into all of these aspects.

We are big believers in “time is money,” especially in real estate. As an agent, you are always one conversation away from landing a new client. So having a few hours of down time for prospecting each week can result in $$$ over time. If your CRM has automated marketing capabilities, you can send emails to leads without even lifting a finger. BoomTown’s Smart Drip campaigns can save agents up to 36 hours a month.
 

Remember! You know how we mentioned before that a tool is only as good as the person using it? When considering your ROI, really think about the investment of time and energy that you’ve put into the CRM as well. Are you taking advantage of the full functionality? Additionally, give it a little time. In real estate success can be a slow rise while you build your lead database and farm your area.

Stay Organized

Ah, yes. Age old advice you’ve been hearing since grade school. And it still rings true.

With a real estate CRM, the most important thing to keep organized is your database of leads. We recommend segmenting and categorizing your leads into workable lists. Not only will this help keep your database manageable, but it will save you time while you’re prospecting. Set up a schedule to stay on top of organizing your database! This could be quarterly, or even once a month. Scan through and make sure that all of your leads are tagged appropriately, and that no opportunities have fallen through the cracks.

Is your CRM a mess? Time for a little spring cleaning.

Connect Everything to Your CRM

To get the most ROI out of your CRM, use it like your “home base,” or central hub for your business. Ask a representative from your CRM provider about their integrations. The more of your technology systems that are synced with your CRM, the more seamless your day-to-day operations will be.

BoomTown integrates with some of your favorite platforms, so you can use all of your best tools and keep everything organized. Take a peak at some of our integration partners to get a sense of how “syncing systems” can boost your productivity and profitability:

• Agent Legend: Lead Conversion
• BombBomb: Video Marketing
• Brokermint: Transaction Management
• CallAction: Lead Conversion
• dotloop: Transaction Management
• Google Calendar: Task Management
• Mojo: Phone Dialer
• RPR – Realtors Property Resource: Market Data
• Spacio: Open House Management
• Zapier: Integration Automation

Use Your CRM’s Accountability Tools to Improve Performance

When you commit to a real estate CRM, you are investing money with the expectation of getting more back in return. If agents don’t properly reach out to their leads (or follow up with them on time), that’s money out the window. Don’t let high quality leads that you are paying for fall through the cracks.

Depending on your CRM, you should have tools to help measure agent performance. Whether you are an agent on a team, or a broker in charge of a team, holding agents accountable for staying on top of their leads benefits everyone involved. The BoomTown CRM makes it super simple to see each agent’s report, as well as the team as a whole. Use these accountability tools to motivate agents to do their absolute best, and to give them a heads up when they’re falling behind.

The post CRM Strategies Top Real Estate Teams Leverage appeared first on BoomTown!.

If there’s one major theme in the real estate industry right now, it’s technology. With new tech companies popping up left and right, the consensus among most brokerages is to embrace it. But before you move forward with a CRM for your business, consider the investment that you’re making and whether or not it’s worth it for you right now.

What is a Real Estate CRM?

CRM traditionally stands for Customer Relationship Management, however the role of the CRM has grown and expanded, and many real estate technology companies offer a platform that extends beyond maintaining client relationships. The idea is to assist you in managing your leads “from click to close.” From the moment a lead registers on your site, you have tools to help you close the deal. From speeding up your follow-up, to improving the quality of your communication, to automating busy work so you can expand your sphere, the CRM acts as a second set of hands for your business.

How Can a Real Estate CRM Improve my Business?

The bottom line is that CRMs are robust. They are built from complex software, with nearly endless capabilities. Different tech companies will highlight a laundry list of features (some will be important to you, and some will not). Be sure you don’t get lost in a sea of micro features. Consider the overall benefit and top-level value for your business. Using BoomTown’s CRM as a model, here are just a few ways a CRM can improve your real estate business.

• Hold Agents Accountable: For brokers, the accountability tools in a CRM can be invaluable. Track agent performance by making sure they’re staying on top of lead follow-up and prospecting.
• Capture More Opportunities: With an organized database of leads (tags and segments), it is easier to keep track of where your leads are in the pipeline. Agents are alerted when follow-ups are needed, so no lead gets left behind.
• Generate More Leads: With a team of expert digital marketers, your brand is highlighted in the best quality advertisements on Google and Facebook, generating high quality leads.
• Reduce Busy Work: One of the most important benefits of a CRM is that it can automate busy work, like emailing and texting new prospects. This frees up time for agents to expand their sphere, spend more quality time with clients, or even just take a vacation.
• Be Smarter with Prospecting: At BoomTown we like to encourage “Smart Prospecting.” This means organizing your lead database into workable lists. You’re not just blinding scrolling through a rolodex of numbers, you’re working with targeted leads and you know what they want.
• Sync with Other Tools: There is no “one size fits all” tool in real estate. The best CRMs will offer different packages that can better fit your needs, but even then, there are other tools outside of the CRM that you’ll likely still want to use. This is why it’s important to have a CRM that integrates with other technology. BoomTown seamlessly integrates with companies like dotloop (transaction management software).
• Improve Agent Experience: At the end of the day, real estate is all about providing an excellent customer experience. A good CRM will assist agents in providing this experience, but will go even further and improve the agent experience as well. A CRM should be intuitive, easy and enjoyable to use. And the provider should include excellent training as well as customer support.

Is the Investment Really Worth it?

It’s all about that ROI! In order to be a good investment, the benefits need to ultimately outweigh the cost of your CRM. This can be measured in a few different ways.

Income from leads
If your CRM provider is helping you generate leads, keep track of the CRM-generated leads that turn into closings. Once you have that quarterly or annual data, consider that income in comparison to what you’re paying for your CRM. Remember two things when it comes to lead generation. (1) Quality lead generation doesn’t happen over night, it requires a little bit of a time investment, and (2) leads can only go so far. Agent follow-up and working the leads is important for closing the deal.

Time Saved
You’ve heard that time is money right? We believe in that mantra. Agents are busier than ever, and with technology that automates some of the grunt work, more time can be allocated towards generating more business. As an agent, you are always one conversation away from landing a new client. So having a few hours of down time for prospecting each week can result in $$$ over time. If your CRM has automated marketing capabilities, you can send emails to leads without even lifting a finger. BoomTown’s Smart Drip campaigns can save agents up to 36 hours a month.
 

Scaling a Business for Growth

If you want your real estate business to grow, technology is essential. As your book of business grows, so to will the need for more agents, potentially an ISA, assistants, lender partnerships, and even a marketing department. With a CRM your business can operate with one central hub, keeping everyone aligned, connected, and accountable. Not only will you save money over time by reducing admin costs, but you also reduce the need for dozens of different gadgets and tech platforms that only perform one unique task.

Want to See the Power of BoomTown’s CRM? Click Here >

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There is a lot of buzz around voice assistants and what robots can do for businesses in 2018. What could it mean for real estate? How much can Alexa (Amazon Echo) really do?

The tech is still very new. Will it completely transform the way you run your business, or even eliminate the need for agents at showings? Our guess is probably not. But there are certainly some advantages to using the tool, and we are always advocates of adapting new tech early. Using Alexa right now, could put you 10 steps ahead of the competition a few years down the road.

So let’s take a peek at how Alexa can be the most fruitful for your real estate business, at this stage in the game.

1. Generate More Leads

Alexa, set a timer for the oven…
Alexa, you remind me to pick up my dry-cleaning on Thursday…
Alexa, are there any new houses for sale in my neighborhood?

Hey, it’s not too far fetched. In fact, nearly 1 in 5 adults in the US have access to a smart speaker. (Almost 50 million users in just 2 years on the market!) And those numbers are skyrocketing by the minute.

So, how can you use Alexa to help generate more leads? There are apps on the market that connect with Alexa, allowing agents to get their names and listings in front of more homebuyers. When a user asks Alexa to help them find a house, Alexa will narrow down their search and pair them with an agent. (You!) The user gets details about the houses in their neighborhood, and also gets an email with your contact information.

If you’re looking to grow your business and generate more leads, it can’t hurt to explore new marketing opportunities. Utilizing Alexa may be the next big thing.

Check out AgentNEO, Talk to the House, and Voiceter to learn more.

Improve Consumer Experience

To be the best in 2018, what is the most important goal? Providing an amazing consumer experience. More is more when it comes to providing value. New technology with Alexa allows agents to have more flexibility with showings, and connect with more leads.

Imagine you’re hosting an open house in a high-volume area. Maybe dozens of people show up, and they’ve all got questions. What if Alexa was hanging out in the living room, ready to answer questions about the property? When Alexa is paired with the app AgentNeo, this is possible. This app is perfect for in-demand homes, and areas with booming markets. Essentially, it gives you a little clone of yourself – more questions answered, and more connections in the same amount of time!

Of course the name of the game is getting more leads, and connecting with more potential clients. But we don’t often think about the way we’re connecting with leads. Often it’s quite aggressive; mailers, door-knocking, cold-calling, or relentless emailing. While there is value in all of those strategies, what if you could connect with leads in a way that gives the lead the control – making them feel more at ease. Voiceter Pro asked the same question.
 

Maybe a user asks Alexa, “Hey Alexa, what is my home worth?” Alexa can give them an estimate in their area, and say, “This information was provided by [Agent Name].” This gives the lead the power to reach out to you. Which translates into, not only more leads, but the highest quality leads possible (the ones that truly want to talk to you.)

Use Alexa “Skills”

Alexa Skills allow users to take the technology to the next level. Think beyond questions and answers. If Alexa were your iPhone, Skills are the apps that make everything possible.

We’re always looking for ways to help make agents more successful, and to improve their lives. What if you could find out the weather conditions – down to the minute – at your next appointment, without lifting a finger? Or share your location with other agents for an added sense of security. How about a quick rundown of your appointments and meetings in the car on the way to the office?

 
Watch Tiffany McQuaid (McQuaid & Company Real Estate Services) discuss voice-activated tech at Inman Connect San Francisco 2018!
 

Remember that as an agent, time is money. Your time is invaluable, and when you streamline the busy work – that’s when the real magic happens.

Create Your Own Alexa “Skill”

We’ve been talking about ways you can stand out from the competition, as an agent. How can you add more value to your client experience? Or market your brand in a new and creative way? Creating an Alexa Skill could be a potential revenue stream for your business. Additionally it could help expand your reach with leads, or simply widen your network in the real estate community.

What’s your niche? If you have a strong niche market, that could be your ticket to a successful Alexa Skill. Here are a few ideas to get the ball rolling:

• Waterfront Properties 101: Everything you should know before buying
• Luxury Homes in Downtown Dallas
• Ultimate Guide for First Time Homebuyers
• Tips for Buying and selling a Condo
• DIY Tips for Home-Flippers
• The Craftsman-Style Home Expert

Think about content that you already have! Do you have a podcast, webinar series, or blog? All of these are great platforms for an Alexa skill. Learn more about how to create your own Alexa Skill.

Become a Better Agent (On-The-Go)

How much time do you spend per week in your car? Depending on the city it could be several hours! Don’t let that “down time” go to waste. Once you’re done with your follow-ups, why not use Alexa to help improve your performance? There are countless ways to learn while you’re on-the-go. Ask Alexa for some historical information about your city. Stay up on market trends and industry data. Maybe try, “Alexa, play me the top real estate TED Talk.” All of these questions are useful for you as an agent – and you can ask them hands-free!

The content available via Alexa is growing every day. Of course the technology is still relatively new, and not every question will be answered perfectly, but hey – it never hurts to ask, right?

The post Top 5 Ways to Use Alexa for Your Real Estate Business appeared first on BoomTown!.

Just a friendly reminder when it comes to CRMs: Buyer beware of the “complete CRM.” Unfortunately this is usually code for a company trying to create a beast-of-a-system from scratch. (And typically not succeeding.)

Instead, you should look for a system that has CRM integrations with other best-of-breed solutions. That way you can integrate all your favorite tools, pull info from everywhere, and connect everyone (your team, buyers, sellers, prospects, everyone.)

Now, here are the integrations you need to optimize every aspect of your business (and save so. much. time.):

Auto-Dialer CRM Integration

When an auto-dialer’s technology is directly integrated into your CRM, you can work much more efficiently, easily call prospects from your CRM database, and use one system for lead cultivation and call handling. Boom.

Automated dialers:

• Eliminate tedious tasks like manually dialing phone numbers and leaving voicemails
• Help you connect with more prospects
• Are proven to generate more conversations, and set more appointments.

By directly integrating this functionality into your CRM, you can enjoy conversations with cultivated opportunities from your database instead of wasting time calling uninterested prospects. This is what we like to call Smart Propsecting.

For example, BoomTown’s CRM integrates directly with Mojo dialer, and the streamlined call process provides detailed information from the CRM like communication history, contact information, and relevant lead profile details that are displayed for the agent handling the call. Calls and To-Dos are automatically logged and updated, and pre-recorded voicemails are instantly delivered so agents can quickly move from call to call without additional administrative tasks.

Paperless Contract Management CRM Integration

Ah, going paperless. No more messy files, no more lost paper or forms, all your data and tools housed digitally in one place for easy access and total transparency. When it comes to transaction management, there are so many moving parts and different players. Using a digital system replaces the mess with simple form creation, e-sign and a single end-to-end solution, while helping you streamline your business with real-time visibility into your transactions.

When this is seamlessly integrated into your CRM you can:

• Say goodbye to the security risks and hiccups that come with linking together multiple solutions.
• Stay on top of reviews with workflow tools
• Gain real-time visibility into your business, coach team members, and increase productivity.

BoomTown clients can easily connect their accounts with dotloop, the industry’s leading digital transaction management software. This integration provides a seamless hand-off from CRM to transaction management, and when synced, data silos and messy workflows get smoothed out between agents and transaction coordinators, you get extra time to focus on what matters to your business.

Video Email CRM Integration

It’s no secret that video is huge in marketing right now. It’s an easy way to put a face to your brand, humanize your marketing message and really connect with your prospects. Adding video to your emails can seriously boost your results too.

According to BombBomb, the industry’s leading video platform, of the people working in real estate who leverage video in their marketing:

81% get more replies
68% convert more leads
56% report more referrals.

When you have video technology integrate with your CRM it means you can leverage the power of video in your email marketing campaigns, drip plans, and bulk emails. You can also record a new video directly from the CRM that can be used in any way you choose (drop it in an email, text from the mobile app, share on social media, etc.).

In the BoomTown CRM, BombBomb’s video email technology is seamlessly integrated so users can create video campaigns, add videos to drip plans, and use the tool to build trust, convert leads, and get referrals by getting face to face more often.

Inbound Call Tracking CRM Integration

An inbound call is one of your most valuable leads. But in the chaos of the day it can be nearly impossible to make sure you answer every call. Unfortunately this means losing opportunities to the competition.

According to CallAction, 77 billion inbound calls were made by high-intent mobile consumers to local businesses in 2014. Mobile phones are everywhere, mobile use is exploding, and inbound call volume is predicted to grow 110% to 162 billion by 2019.

The conversion rate of inbound calls is between 30 to 50%, so these are HOT opportunities you don’t want to leave on the table. It’s crucial to use tools to help you track and manage them.

BoomTown’s CRM directly integrates with CallAction, bringing their cutting-edge offline lead generation directly into the platform. This means agents are further empowered to productively work their CallAction leads to conversion through BoomTown.

The technology even uses customs SMS text messages if an inbound call comes in unanswered, that way your leads are always engaged with you and won’t run off to the competition because you didn’t answer. And we know what a great channel text messaging can be for many prospects!

Google Calendar CRM Integration

Aside from nurturing your leads, and spinning up new opportunities, one of the biggest benefits to your real estate CRM is keeping you on top of it all. Your appointments, your to-dos, all of it.
So why work off of a separate calendar? Sync your Google Calendar with your CRM and feel like you’re truly running mission control.

• Create to-dos and appointments
• Leverage your CRM’s task management tools
• Sync it all with your Google Calendar

For example, in the BoomTown CRM, if you have a meeting on Sunday at 11:00 with a prospect, you create the event in your CRM via the Google Calendar, and your prospect will automatically be added to the event and emailed a calendar invitation. (Of course you also have the option to add more participants too!).

Bringing it All Together: Real Estate CRM Integrations

The point of technology is to streamline your workflow and help you offload menial tasks. But, it can get overwhelming with so many tools in different places. The future of real estate business optimization is integrating your favorite tools with your CRM, so you can enjoy fewer logins and better insights.

The post 5 Must-have CRM Integrations to Optimize your Real Estate Business appeared first on BoomTown!.

Video is hot. And for good reason. It’s an easy way to put a face to your brand, humanize your marketing message and really connect with your prospects. Adding video to your emails can seriously boost your results too. According to BombBomb, the industry’s leading video platform, of the people working in real estate who leverage video in their marketing:

81% get more replies
68% convert more leads
56% report more referrals

In the BoomTown CRM, BombBomb’s video email technology is seamlessly integrated so users can create video campaigns, add videos to drip plans, and use the tool to build trust, convert leads, and get referrals by getting “face-to-face” more often.

So what are some winning video strategies? Here’s how some of our clients are seeing success with video marketing.

Vary Your Video Content

Kyle Whissel, of Whissel Realty in San Diego, California, is no rookie when it comes to real estate video marketing. He was even BombBomb’s 2017 #1 Video Influencer. Kyle likes to work with a variety of content, covering everything from market reports, educational content, and thorough listing videos, to local dining and powerful community videos. This makes for some serious impact and reach.

Here’s a snapshot of Kyle’s video prowess:

• 500+ YouTube videos
• 225K+ YouTube views
• 500+ Facebook videos
• 100+ BombBomb videos

Brand your real estate videos for consistency and engagement

Kyle has a high-energy style, and appears in nearly every video. Some of his most popular videos are from his “Community Series.” He has branded a video series that is tailored to his community, highlighting places, events and happenings that people want to know about.

It’s also a prospecting gold mine. And, with its own hashtag, it’s easy for prospects and potential buyers and sellers to follow along and join in on the conversation.

Kyle also has a live show/podcast every Wednesday (#WhisselWednesdays) that are educational in their approach. For example, he offered a tour of smart home technology and walked viewers through the latest bells and whistles in the “connected home.” These helpful, general interest pieces are wonderful for building up an audience (read: database) and keeping them engaged with helpful and interesting content.

Liven up data and market updates with personal real estate video emails

His video marketing emails through BombBomb are usually simple, quick shots of him updating prospects on the housing market, sharing his own personal insights, and leveraging valuable information to connect with buyers, sellers, and past clients in a more personal way. (He’s recorded and sent over 100 video emails through BombBomb!).

Make real estate video emails a team effort

Ann Rudd, of the Ann Rudd Group in Charlotte, NC gets her whole team in on the fun. Even when team members balk at putting themselves on screen or they scrutinize their appearance, or the way they sound, and let insecurities distract them.

Ann’s advice? Just go for it. You need to do it. Ann’s words? “Just screw it and do it.” And it works.

Her team regularly incorporates video messages into their email campaigns. It’s a fresher way to present information and really drums up rapport between agents and prospects with the face-to-face experience.

Here are some of their tips to get the best results:

• Don’t Shoot Vertically – We live in a widescreen world — from laptops to social media sites — so turn your smartphone on its side and start filming.
• Leverage Good Lighting — The wrong light can cast shadows on your face. If the lighting in your office isn’t great, try facing a window and use the sun to gather some natural light.
• Speak with Energy — People naturally respond more when the person talking is enthusiastic. The emotion is contagious, in a sense.
• Minimize the “Ums” — Whenever we pause and think about something we say, “Um….” or “Uh…” or even “You know…” Eliminating this filler text as much as possible will make your video go smoother (and not cause disruption in the viewer’s mind).
• Film for a Headshot — Viewers don’t need to see all of you. But you also shouldn’t get too close to the camera.  Angle the shot to show a little bit of your upper torso and your face.

Create quick, tailored real estate video emails for prospects

They also easily spin up one-off video messages tailored to specific people. When it’s so simple to create, it almost becomes simpler than drafting and proofing a lengthy message. Not to mention it’s a more personal experience that they can still digest on their own time. A win-win for the consumer experience.

Ann had an online lead come in this week in her typical price range. They began a text conversation, and set a phone appointment for later on. “I ended the conversation by asking them what type of information they’d like me to gather. Once I had the info, I sent them a BombBomb video through BoomTown that answered all their questions.”

Track your real estate video engagement

When these videos are integrated with your CRM, there’s no guesswork when it comes to tracking follow up and engagement. Ann saw that her prospect viewed her video 35 times. (We think this story will probably end happily.) The team monitors video performance and plans their marketing accordingly.

Just starting a video marketing strategy?

• Try different topics and content forms and track their performance religiously
• See what types of videos are resonating with prospects (and do more of that!) and keep an eye out for things that may not be working well with your team or your particular market
• Once you find a sweet spot, leverage branding and consistency (a hashtag, a dedicated day/time, appearance in a newsletter, etc.) to build your following

Integrate your real estate video emails with your CRM

The right technology and marketing tools couples with the top CRM means you can leverage things like the power of video in your email marketing campaigns, drip plans, and bulk emails. You can also record a new video directly from the CRM that can be used in any way you choose (drop it in an email, text from the mobile app, share on social media, etc.). And most importantly, the data is housed in one system, served up in clear reports, so you can make better decisions based on real insights.

The post How Top Agents Use Video Emails to Convert Real Estate Leads appeared first on BoomTown!.