Real Estate Marketing & Beyond
Real estate brokerages often provide their own technology for agents to use, but does that mean you should do so blindly? Or should you take advantage of better solutions off your own back? Here’s a few points to consider.
The most obvious example is using the company email address that the broker provides. This seems like a straightforward and safe decision to make, but if another agent on the team has a similar name to yours, it could cause you to miss out on potentially huge deals.
Another example of broker-provided technology is customer relationship management (CRM) platforms and transaction management software. Brokers generally provide these systems as a matter of course, but agents would do well to consider incorporating some of their own tactics into these technology strategies. They should also take time to learn the advantages and disadvantages of alternative tools available from third-parties, as well as those provided by the brokerage.
Contact Info: For those using a company address, it’s important to setup some kind of system so that it’s easy to keep all your contacts after you leave the brokerage (at which time you’ll likely find access to your company email is revoked). If you lose that information it could be disastrous for your career prospects. The same is true for those using a company-wide CRM platform – make sure any important data held there can be switched over when you leave the company.
Discounts: Be sure to negotiate on the price of any products you buy, either from the brokerage or from third-parties. Software and technology vendors are well-known for offering big discounts to customers, so always try!
Training & support: If you choose to use technology provided by your brokers, make sure they provide you with proper training and also support services. This ensures you can get the most out of your software tools, lead-generation platforms and any other technologies you use. If you don’t know how to use the technology in the way it was intended, it’s value is diminished.
Agents should definitely take a close look at the technologies and services offered by their broker, but at the same time they should also consider third-party products and services too. And be sure that whatever tools you choose, you can always keep a hold of your clients and contacts no matter what, and that you are provided with the training you need. The final call will always be yours to make, so make sure to use your experience and knowledge to choose the best option for you.
