5 Reasons You Should Use a Showing Service

Let's face it: being a real estate professional is not for the faint of heart. As an agent, you're juggling many of the responsibilities and tasks across the buying/selling continuum -- from lead generation to post-closing follow-up. It takes a lot of time, effort, and sheer grit to successfully navigate all the moving parts that go into building a flourishing real estate career. Having the proper focus and the right tools to manage your business can make all the difference.

Here are five ways a showing service – a software application that coordinates and schedules residential showing appointments – can streamline your efforts and make you more successful.

No. 5: A showing service creates a better work/life balance.

So many people enter real estate because they want to be their own boss. The challenge is that clients are demanding and expect you to be at their beck and call. You're in a service business with little boundary between work hours and personal hours. If you want to be successful, especially in today's competitive market, you have to be available to proactively guide your clients' journey and accommodate their needs. This on-call situation makes it extremely difficult to set healthy boundaries between work life and home life.

A showing service can give you more time back in your day by automating tedious and time-consuming tasks such as scheduling, confirming, canceling, and rescheduling appointments. This alone makes a showing service worth using, because it allows you to step away from your laptop or mobile device and really focus when you're spending time with family and friends. Knowing that your business is being managed for you when you're "off the clock" can give you real peace of mind—and the healthier work/life balance that you deserve.

No. 4: A showing service makes scheduling and conducting showings less complicated.

Getting ready to head to a showing but have to print out or download all the details for your busy day? Need to schedule four appointments for a client on one day? Need to plot your driving directions for that client's multi-showing route? These tasks can all be done within a showing service solution.

Besides the obvious benefit of automated scheduling, a showing service integrates seamlessly with the MLS so you can access listing details from wherever you are. All the information you need – property notifications, alarm codes, and special instructions for entering properties – is available on your mobile device. And, it can get you from point A to points B, C, and D by letting you build a daily itinerary for each client, complete with driving directions. It's a simple and stress-free way to uncomplicate your business.

No. 3: A showing service helps you stay organized.

So much of the real estate process is manual, time-consuming, and conducted on the go, with change being the only constant. Even the most organized real estate professional can become overwhelmed and have difficulty keeping track of all the moving pieces. At any given time, you may be relying on six or more different technologies and systems.

So, how can a showing service help? A cloud-based, at-a-glance showing service calendar is key to helping you stay on track, especially if it's available to your office team and team members, too. Likewise, built-in CSM functions help you manage your client roster, track client feedback and activity, and more. It's like having an efficient personal assistant with you at all times.

No. 2: A showing service gives you the power to wow your buyers and sellers at the moment of truth.

It's easy to get so caught up in the tasks of keeping your business moving forward that the bigger picture – delivering a great client experience – can take a back seat to what's calling for your immediate attention. Yet, your clients' satisfaction is the most important deliverable. Happy clients means more referrals, which ultimately means more sales.

The expertise and care you bring to the showing process set you apart and establishes your credibility and reputation in your community. A showing service solution supports your efforts and streamlines tasks for you, including client communication, feedback, and activities. This enables you to focus on guiding your buyers and sellers through one of their biggest personal and financial decisions. Current market data available in the showing service that makes you more knowledgeable and proactive – and better able to address your clients' next moves in a timely way, eliminating some of the possibility of them second-guessing your advice. Facts are facts. This data positions you as a knowledgeable and trusted professional, and gives you and your clients the competitive advantage in a fierce market.

And the No. 1 reason to use a showing service...

No. 1: A showing service helps you sell more homes.

"Time is money." –Benjamin Franklin

While this adage is true for everyone, it's quite literally the reality for real estate sales professionals. Everything you do, or may not have the time to do, impacts whether you earn a commission. It doesn't get more real than that.

Time, talent, technology and—okay—a little luck, can make the difference between being a top producer or an average one. Leveraging a showing service that helps you manage your client roster, find perfect properties, send them to clients, schedule and reschedule showings, build a daily itinerary, plan your driving route, review the properties' listing details, view showing instructions, provide client feedback, and so much more is the key to more time – and more home sales.

To view the original article, visit the SentriLock blog.