7: Stay Top of Mind with CRMs

Topics Discussed and Key Points:

The importance of CRMsBest practices for CRMsHow long should you keep a prospect on your list?Mark and Alessandra’s favorite follow-up strategiesLow-touch versus high-touch interactions

Episode Summary:

            Today on Lead Agent Empire, Mark and Alessandra Colaci talk CRMs and other follow-up tools to stay in touch with your leads, prospects, and other important contacts. As a real estate agent, your radar needs to always be open to the reality that a purchase or sale could happen any day by anyone in your sphere. This is more true today than it has ever been due to social media; particularly with the amount of exposure many people may have with agents and other salespeople on a day-to-day basis (i.e. via email lists).

            It literally pays to cut through the noise and stay top of mind through multiple touch points. To this end, it helps to have a Customer Relationship Management (CRM) tool. Some brokerages already make use of tools such as BoomTown, Conversion, and kvCORE (this one is Mark’s pick). You can also make use of alternative tools such as ActiveCampaign for its automated email and text message features. Whatever your choice of CRM or contact tool, learn how it works from the inside-out and create a strategy for building relationships with prospects for the long-term.

            It’s important to understand that new leads are often not ready to make an immediate transaction; hence the need for follow-ups. Mark cites a statistic which says that a newly-acquired lead needs about 11 to 19 months of “incubation” time. But while they’re searching for or evaluating their options, we need to “stay in front of these people the entire time.”

            Your follow-up strategy will depend on the lead. With cold leads, Mark suggests following up via phone immediately after your first interaction. Attempt to reach out up to three times per day within the next three days. If there is still no response after the third day, refer the prospect to your CRM to warm them up for you.

 You know that you want to be the go-to person for your clients to reach out to when they're ready to buy or sell. Staying in touch with your clients through email and texting campaigns is critical for success. Make sure you invest time in purchasing and setting up a system that help you be on top of regular phone conversations, as well as keeping in touch long-term with emails, texts, and even video.

Of course, be ethical about how and how often you follow-up and make sure you aren’t breaking any local laws. Tailor your strategy to the individual prospect to find the right balance when it comes to reaching out. Even adding them as friends on Facebook and staying visible is a great gateway to high-touch interactions. However you go about it, understand that the prospect will almost never reach out to you. It is your job as a real estate agent and salesperson—and not your prospects’—to make the sale.

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