Well, it is always important to be technically advanced when you run any business. Real estate business is also not an exception to it. Customer relationship is vital but using an advanced IT-based system to maintain the customer relationship is further important.
When you search for smart tools that make the business handling smart, CRM is at the forefront. You have a plethora of choices to select from with a variety of user interfaces and functionalities. You are always in a quandary while picking the best of the lot.
Remember, in the modern era of marketing; every product is sold based on some distinguished characteristics called “Unique Sales Proposition”. It is nothing but the special or unique property that stands the product apart from the crowd. When you upgrade the CRM system or go for a fresh one, it is always better knowing about the strengths and weaknesses before committing to buying. From basic products to comprehensive, multipurpose suites; you must check the functionalities to get the best value for money. In the era of high pressures on the bottom and top lines, you can’t play a blind deal.
Be skeptical while choosing the right CRM system
Technology is so advanced and that you can get CRM systems that can deliver more than what you expect. What you really have to find out is the features and functionalities that are relevant and useful. You should look for the features that are actually useful to you. There is no sense in deploying a CRM system which is loaded with ‘not so relevant’ features. You must figure out functionalities that will improve your business process and make your operational work easy.
Why your business requires CRM system?
Many people get puzzled with the essentiality of CRM system in their real estate business. They feel that living without it is very much possible. Yes, it is possible indeed if you want to run the business in the stone-age style. Nowadays, technology is the crux of everything, and you just can’t survive without it. Tracking relationship using a state-of-the-art system is convenient, easy and user-friendly.
Contact management is at the core of every CRM system. All other functionalities are built on top of it. Hence, keeping a touch with the clients and maintaining details of sales leads, buyers, sellers, and scheduling of tasks become pretty simple. In fact, CRM is considered more of sales software by many users. It is much beyond it, though. With a truly real-estate specific CRM you can do:
- Automating the activity planning tasks.
- Implementing the tasks.
- Integration of marketing components.
- Alerts and tracking mechanism to capture what you are missing in terms of sales goals.
Buy a real estate specific CRM, but go for simple functionalities
Experts vouch for real estate specific CRM and not a generic one tailored to support real estate functionalities. Since their core is different and a lot of custom development is needed, it becomes a ball and chain for the business.
Experts suggest that one should go for real-estate specific CRM systems and not the tailor-made ones unless the team possesses skills and knack of customizing it. Ready-to-use systems also get developed by skilled software professionals under the guidance of subject matter experts. Since they are developed keeping the knowledge and skills of the average user, you will find them incredibly user-friendly and simple. Requirements of every buyer or seller are kept under consideration. Right from initializing a contact to post-purchase follow up, the whole spectrum is covered well.
Simpler is better
Some CRM systems offer enormous functionalities, but they are equally expensive also. Experts say that a leading-edge system can do much more than you expect, but it is proportionately complex and intricate. Your team takes a lot of time to understand the functionality and working. The learning curve, in this case, is so long that you get operational benefits quite late. Usually, it takes more time than expected. Hence, it is always fruitful to choose a simple and usable CRM with functionalities a little more than you want. Thus, you get the benefit of it immediately after implementation, and there is no productivity loss.
There has to be a right balance of intuitiveness and functionality. Managing contacts, launching a marketing campaign, and recording transactions should be done easy by the CRM system. It makes your real estate business modern, efficient and perfect. It is a kind of ‘all encompassing’ business tool which is ‘know it all’.
It is the need of the day
When every business and industry becomes techno-savvy, you can’t afford to be a backward runner. At one side, you place the business in the virtual world to explore the tremendous potential; you can’t use age-old systems in the work environment. The virtual presence has to be supported by a fully functional and versatile CRM system. In spite of being a costly affair, you should spend money on it. The expenses occurred today are like a long-term investment which gives manifold returns.
Apart from the obvious operational benefits like streamlining the tasks, it brings qualitative improvement as well. CRM, the customer relationship management software is the key element of your business. It builds a trusted relationship between you and your clients and outshines your brand in the competitive horizon.
Conclusion
When you use a state-of-the-art Real estate CRM system, it is not only a progressive move but also a step further towards 100% system efficiency. With sturdy and stringent system-driven work processes to drive your business; there is no room for inefficiency. With the whole spectrum of systems to choose for, a simple and user-friendly option is always better. Make a list of expectations first so that you can make the selection fast. Don’t go for an extravagant system that offers beyond your needs. Overspending for a system which offers the whole world of irrelevant functionalities is an unwise decision.
