Mark-It Systems: New Definitions of Success, Courtesy and Commitment

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Mark-It Systems: New Definitions of Success, Courtesy and Commitment

By Susan Kime

“The world is too much with us, late

and soon, getting and spending, we lay waste our powers?”

?William Wordsworth, 1850

Steve Cramer, though perhaps not an aficionado of 19th Century English poetry, knows viscerally what those words mean. With 31 years in real estate, he has seen it all.

Having obtained his real estate license after graduating from the University of Colorado in 1972, he was an immediate top producer in the Denver real estate market. He then changed careers for a time, went into politics where he again was a success?though still running at warp speed. However, he decided this was not the speed, or lifestyle for him.

“After leaving politics and returning to real estate,” he says, “I decided to redefine my views of success?so the client experience of selling and buying would be centered on the quality of my service delivery, and not only on the fast exchange of dollars.”

Now manager and broker at Realty Executives Metro North in Denver, he is still bucking the more-is-better trend.

“I went from managing a large office to managing a small one. I have worked for nine years in this office, and we have just 10 agents, I interviewed over 40 agents last year and hired just one. We did about six million dollars in sales last year?we could have done more, but our company is now growing deep, customer-strong roots. And now, 92 percent to

93 percent of all our business is referral.

According to Cramer, the company employs two basic tools that complement each other to help his business grow in a customer-centric manner.

“First, we use ideas gleaned from the By Referral Only Network, that include courtesy to clients, exceeding their expectations in service delivery, allowing them to have a positive, memorable experience with us that will keep them as clients for life?and using it has increased our business about 20 percent each year,” Cramer says.

The company providing the technical solution that helps his firm do this is Mark-It Systems, Inc.

“I am a strong advocate of Mark-It products, mainly because, as I say all the time, if it’s not simple, I won?t use it ? after I downloaded this system into our computers, and realized how simple it was to use, I rid myself of all the other complicated databases I used in the past.”

The company draws on the help of all Mark-It System software, including the new Mark-It Xi program.

“With Mark-It, we spend more time with our clients than with our mail-outs. We also use Mark-It for contact management and e-mail stationery. Furthermore, if I have a question, I just get on the phone and call the president of the company and he calls me back, usually within a day.”

The true advantage of a small company, according to Mark-It Systems President Mark Stepp, is personal service.

“We could be much larger,” he says, “but I have always been committed to our customers, who are mostly Realtors and their customers. Relationship building is a process than can?t be rushed. Our technology allows Realtors to maintain detailed information on their clients as well as personalize all e-mail, flyers, and all kinds of contact and transaction management. And that’s just some of what we do. Our mission is to make the Realtors? relationship with clients customized and personalized.”

For more information about Mark-It Systems, call (417) 777-4674, ext. 204 or go to www.advantagexi.com for a free demo.

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Friday, March 12, 2010