A Solid Grounding

By Paige Tepping

RISMEDIA, June 5, 2008-Forrest Barbee, corporate broker, Prudential Americana Group, has been following AlignMark’s iNTELAGENT recruiting program since it first appeared on the real estate scene in its early beta form.

“The iNTELAGENT database is a good core product and forms the basis for other things to be added on,” says Barbee. Since implementing the program at the beginning of 2008, Barbee has witnessed the positive effects that a solid foundation can have for his company.

“The database is what really attracted us to the program,” says Barbee. “We were looking for a good Web-based database that would encourage our managers to get involved in the recruiting process. iNTELAGENT gave us a recruiting and retention program and the accountability, tracking, follow-up and drip campaigns that it offered tied the package together.”

iNTELAGENT has brought a system to Prudential Americana that allows Barbee to share information and ideas with other individuals throughout the entire company. The program adds accountability to the company in that it allows managers to see how their individual branch is doing, as well as how the company is doing as a whole.

“Before we implemented iNTELAGENT, we didn’t have a Web-based solution, so we couldn’t do the things that we are able to do now,” says Barbee. The program allows all six company branches to work together and share information in a convenient location. “The system allows us to distribute leads to the correct office to ensure that the manager who is in charge of recruiting gets the information,” he says.

The benefits of equipping the company with iNTELAGENT have been noticeable from the beginning. Barbee has found success with many of the features that iNTELAGENT offers. The labels’ feature is a powerful tool that allows for campaigns to be created and for groups and information to be categorized. Custom e-mails can be created for particular groups of people in order to target individuals from certain companies or even new folks who are just coming out of school.

In an industry where follow-up is crucial, the drip campaigns that the program creates keep the company in the front of everyone’s mind. “Follow-up is everything in this business. The real estate industry is all about building relationships over time,” says Barbee. iNTELAGENT makes it easy to foster these relationships and allows them to grow.

In addition to using the AlignMark products as a recruiting solution, Barbee also uses the system for retention. “We are taking people who have come in through the system and moving them into a separate grouping,” he explains. “Once they have been recruited, we send out another drip campaign telling them about everything we have to offer. The program is addressing the needs to improve the recruiting process as well as retention within the company.”

With all the success that Barbee has seen with iNTELAGENT, he is preparing to add AlignMark’s Real Estate Simulator to the mix as well.

“We have seen many agents struggle within this market. Many agents who got into the real estate business in 2004-2005 fell on success, and now they’re having a much harder time,” says Barbee. “Incorporating the Simulator into our company will allow us to evaluate our agent’s current strengths and weaknesses, and see what they need help with at this time.”

For more information, please visit www.alignmark.com.