CRM by Delta Media Group

Real Estate CRM Basics
What Is a CRM? CRM stands for customer relationship management and is used to describe a category of tools used by businesses to manage interaction with current and potential customers. There are many types of CRMs, but they generally share the same common goals to benefit any kind of

5 Key Ways to Create Buyer Loyalty
For real estate agents, buyers are one side of the coin and sellers are the other. While you'd never dream of selling someone's home without a listing agreement, the buyer side of the coin is a little trickier. These days, buyers are hesitant to sign buyer agency agreements for a number of reasons. So, what can you do to create buyer loyalty during and after a transaction? Take a look at these five key methods. 1. Maximize the client experience. Buying clients know there are hundreds of listings online that they can easily look up and sift through themselves. They're also particular (and rightfully so, since they're making one of the biggest investments of their lives, and maybe even searching for a forever home!). Ask yourself: what's the value I provide and how can I maximize this person's experience working with me? Pay attention to your buyers' wants, preferences and working styles. Move at their pace. Be accommodating and show you care. Respond quickly so they know you're there for them. Share innovative ideas about how they can achieve their goals and find the ideal property. Always do what you say you will. 2. Have a well-thought-out system in place. Think of the lifecycle of a buyer from start to finish. First, create and deliver a top-notch buyer presentation. Demonstrate your strong points, differentiators and specialties, and tell your potential client everything they can expect from working with you. Then, don't be afraid to ask them to sign a buyer agency agreement, and be sure to highlight the benefits if they do. Remember, if you never ask, you'll never get it. Plan when and how you will stay connected to your buyer leads and clients. Use a CRM to stay organized and set up automated reminders, email drip campaigns for different groups, personal messages, specific property details, and information to help them feel prepared for the different steps of the process. If you end up finding that perfect home for your buyer and closing the deal, don't forget about everything that comes after… 3. Show your gratitude for the business. This is a brilliant added touch and one that always makes a new homeowner feel special and appreciative. It could be a handwritten thank you card, a follow-up call to see how they're settling in, a small house-warming gift, or a pizza gift card for dinner on you during one of those busy first-move-in nights. 4. Stay in touch. It's still not over. That satisfied buyer is now one of your most powerful contacts. You've taken them through all aspects of your process, and you successfully closed the deal! As long as you've done a good job, this is a happy and satisfied client. If you play your cards right, that means they'll remember you, refer you and use you again if or when the time comes. But you must stay in touch. Far too often, real estate agents forget this part, yet an increasing number of studies are showing it's one of the most important. If you don't keep up the communication and stay in touch with your buyers, they'll likely forget your name or simply not think of you first when a new need arises. A few of the best ways to keep in touch with past clients are cards or e-cards on their move-in anniversary, monthly newsletters, personalized check-in text messages, birthday emails, and handy referrals to trusted contractors and trades as time goes on. And don't forget about the buyers who you didn't end up closing with. Maybe they're still looking, but the process is slower. Or perhaps you weren't the agent to find their perfect home this time around, but that doesn't mean you can't be next time. Keep in touch through personal texts, monthly newsletters and email drip campaigns that ensure you stay top of mind. 5. Don't dry up and become stagnant. It's easy to get caught up with the everyday business operations that, during your busy times of year, can often feel nothing short of chaotic. Don't let that stop you from progressing, continually learning and educating yourself in the real estate space. Along with these ongoing efforts, come fresh and innovative insights on all aspects of buying, selling and investing. When you're educated, well-informed and always on the cusp of the latest trends and industry movements, you're equipped with invaluable information to be shared with your contacts across so many different marketing and communication mediums. And that translates into you becoming an authoritative figure with current and trusted information in the industry. Once you consistently earn trust, you consistently get the business. To view the original article, visit the IXACT Contact

How to Make an Impact with Personalized Marketing
The most successful marketing and sales strategies no longer revolve around broad demographic populations. Today, smart marketers supplement their mass marketing with relevant, personalized messaging that is hyper targeted to the individual. Why personalized marketing works for real estate agents Personalized marketing fits hand-in-hand with the in-person sales effort real estate agents make with their clients every day. The most effective marketers and sales professionals use customer insights and data to build deeper relationships with their clients. They do this by tapping into their specific interests and needs. In the business of buying and selling homes, understanding the unique needs and personal stories of your clients is key. Building trust and maintaining relationships is not only at the foundation of business success, but is also vital to creating a lasting personal brand that easily attracts referrals. How personalized marketing works Contacts are much more likely to pay attention when emails and messages are relevant to them. Broad marketing efforts are a turn-off to today's consumers, causing them to stop their journey down the sales funnel. Personalized information is at the heart of a customer's true interests. Therefore, delivering that information is how you keep them engaged. So how is it possible for an agent to personalize communication for each of their contacts? Personalized marketing is made easy for agents through the use of a web-based real estate CRM. Using data like a contact's name, preferred communication channels, their history and needs, a CRM can automatically create individualized messages and call reminders that are tailored to each unique contact's needs. Increase conversations and deepen loyalty When agents use a CRM, their database captures rich contact profiles for each of their contacts. This makes it easy to keep track of important contact information including birthdays, move-in anniversaries, communication history, and more. Nothing makes a client feel more special than a note, well wishes or celebratory message that acknowledges a special day. A CRM can send automated, personalized birthday and anniversary reminders that make it easier than ever to reach out to clients on special days. To keep these touch points authentic and fresh, it's important that agents use a CRM that adds new greeting card templates to its library regularly to ensure your contacts don't receive the same card twice. It's also important to ensure that all email templates and cards are mobile friendly. This way, contacts can open them on any device. Keep in touch and stay top of mind In addition to building relationships through personalized email marketing, it's also vital that agents stay on top of their call history. Keeping track of email correspondence and contact history through a CRM is crucial. Using a CRM helps to keep your conversations with clients seamless from call to call. When making the call, agents can use the data in their CRM history for that client to easily recall their client's current status and interests so that the call is relevant and meaningful to their client's needs. Making it personal doesn't have to be time consuming Efficient time management is necessary to running a busy real estate business, and the less time spent writing emails and keeping up with task lists, the more time spent directly with clients, making a sale. Personalized marketing is quick and easy for agents that put their contact database to work for them. While you're on the go, your real estate CRM acts as your own personal marketing assistant, automatically keeping track of each of your contact's needs and special occasions – an approach that applies to hundreds of contacts at the click of a button. When looking for a CRM, make sure there is functionality that enables you to easily manage your entire contact database through mass assignments. For example, IXACT Contact saves its users hours of time with functionality that enables agents to mass assign keep-in-touch call reminders across hundreds of clients. Key takeaway: Clients prefer a personalized buying experience, but that doesn't mean you have to double your efforts to keep track of each specific client's needs. By using your client data in a CRM, you can create high-impact, individualized touch points that keep your clients engaged and let them know they're at the top of your mind, and your to-do list. To view the original article, visit the IXACT Contact