A Fresh Outlook from a Web Site Development Company

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By Paige TeppingRISMEDIA, Dec. 14, 2007-Like any real estate agency, RE/MAX Alliance has been through their fair share of failed relationships with Web site vendors. But Kim Hawkins, vice president, business development, and Managing Broker Chad Ochsner have found the perfect relationship with Web site developer Delta Media Group.

“When we first met Delta, we noticed that their owner/leadership was philosophically in tune with the owner/leadership of our company,” says Hawkins. “From the beginning we recognized that they were a group of people that listen to what customers want and need.”

Adds Ochsner: “We wouldn’t have selected them if we hadn’t believed in their product. We were blown away by the things they were doing.”

Hawkins and Ochsner both believe that their success in working with Delta comes through the “defined partnership” that the two sides have established. Defining Delta as more than just their vendor has helped this relationship grow and prosper. “They are open-minded people. Whenever we have a request or idea to make the site better, they take care of us quickly” says Hawkins.

The Web site that Delta has built for RE/MAX Alliance is one that can best be described as comprehensive.

“The home finder tool is huge for us” says Hawkins, and “the unique tools they have added to the property search are very beneficial.”

“Not only do consumers and agents have the opportunity to search by a select division, they can also search by school. Simply typing in the name of a school will pull up all the listings that feed into that school. This is good for families that need to either upgrade or downgrade and don’t want to pull their kids out of the school system they are comfortable in,” says Ochsner.

What’s more, going through their second front page redesign with Delta, Ochsner continues to be enthusiastic about the ways in which Delta helps them through the process. “We have our own agent focus group that looks at our competitors’ Web sites and also national Web sites. We are very fortunate that Delta will fly a designer out to listen to the focus group, and then design a page for us, based on our ideas.”

“A representative from Delta will fly out to meet with us three to four times a year,” says Hawkins. “We use this time to establish a timeline and discuss our needs, wants, and wishes.”

One of the ideas that was discussed at one such meeting and has recently come to fruition was the launch of the contact manager. This is a tool that allows an agent to upload all of their contacts and set up automatic drift e-mail campaigns. “From the company side, Delta helped us in taking our vision of a recruiting site, and established it for us,” says Hawkins.

In addition, Ochsner says that “Delta is very in-tune to changes and updates in the industry. They attend conferences and events, which is critical. They learn from their peers and ours about changes and what is coming next.”

To sum up their relationship, Ochsner says that you have to “get engaged with your vendor. Don’t just say this is what we want and this is when we want it. Communicate with them on your vision, paint the picture of exactly where your company stands and talk to them about what works and what doesn’t.”

For more information, visit www.deltagroup.com.

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