Having a good approach to client relationships can completely alter the way you do business—and utilizing a good CRM is key to this success. But, if your contacts and notes are disorganized or out of date, it can negatively affect the way you move forward with current clients and prospective clients.
Use some of your down time right now to get your CRM system back on track by breaking clean-up down into these steps:
Get Rid of Duplicates
Duplicate records will cause confusion, especially if notes are being divided between duplicates. For example, if an agent on your team has a great interaction with a client and they log the details in a duplicate record, it will get lost when someone else looks at this information. They will have to sift through these duplicate records to find the complete picture.
You should consolidate all information on one client into one record and get rid of any duplicates. Removing these redundant records will save time, hassle and will reduce errors.
Make a Plan to Add New Contacts
The whole point of having a CRM is to accumulate contacts and to manage all of your clients in one place. A great resolution to get more out of your CRM system is to plan to add new contacts every week to broaden your reach. Be sure to note whether a contact is a cold call or a warm lead.
The more contacts you have in your CRM, the more potential transactions you gain. If you’re able to grow your database to 250 contacts, for example, and just 3 percent of them convert during the year, you’re looking at 7-plus transactions. Start adding!
Streamline
If you have several different real estate agents accessing the CRM system, you will want to streamline the record entry templates so that each agent knows where to record client information, transactions and opportunities without confusing others. It’s always a good idea to get everyone in the habit of entering the following:
– Current budget
– How you met the client
– Current and future needs
– Next steps in helping this client
– A brief summary of the conversation
Utilize Transaction Management
Successful real estate agents utilize transaction management systems in their daily routines because it saves time. You can manage leads, automate processes and reduce paperwork using this system. This frees up more time for real estate agents to focus on gaining clients and earning more business. Transaction management systems help agents become more efficient and more productive.
Follow Up With Old Contacts
Sift through the CRM and make a list of old contacts that have not been touched in a while. Now is the perfect time to reconnect. These conversations will help determine if buyers are still buyers, if sellers are still sellers and if prospects are still prospects—or if they have turned into clients. Don’t let older contacts take up space in your CRM system. If you try to reconnect but don’t get a response you can archive the record. However, don’t delete them because that contact could come in handy in the future.
Stay Active
Utilize all the tools your CRM has to offer. Stay active with it and spend at least fifteen minutes a day going through contacts, managing campaigns and updating information.
Stay on top of your CRM and use it to your advantage. Having an organized CRM system will make you more efficient, build better client relationships and work seamlessly and efficiently to grow business!
Eleni Sommerschield is the chief operating officer at Wise Agent. Her primary focus is the growth and development of Wise Agent CRM. She also facilitates strategic integrations and partnerships for Wise Agent. She is committed to leveraging technology to be more efficient in order to enjoy a well-balanced life. Sommerschield was born and raised in Chicago, where she earned her Bachelor’s Degree in Computer Science from DePaul University. She currently lives in the quaint town of Fountain Hills, Ariz., with her husband and three children. Sommerschield is fluent in English, Greek and Tech! Learn more about Wise Agent here.
