Renzo Real Estate Pairs with RealOffice360

Renzo Real Estate is proud to pair with Calgary-based CRM provider, RealOffice360™.

Learn all about this amazing CRM, learn how to leverage your CRM, and listen to an exclusive interview with COO Mike McAra on Rev Real Estate School. 

What is RealOffice360™?

RealOffice360™ is an unbelievably simple CRM, business tracker, and daily planner for real estate agents. Rather being just a “data dump” for client information, RealOffice360™ helps you visually build your business plan, cultivate your database towards your goals, and ultimately keeps you focused on what matters most, your deals and your clients.

Who is this program for? 

We built RealOffice360™ for real estate agents seeking a comprehensive yet simple tool to make their lives easier. Specifically, we focused on new agents to the industry and experienced agents who are looking for a new tech tool to help streamline their business. We have built RealOffice360™ for agents of what we call “millennial mindset” in alignment with existing products like the iPhone or Android OS. If sometimes even Facebook feels too complicated, then RealOffice360™ is your simple CRM answer. Beyond that, we built RealOffice360™ for agents looking to get the most out of their days and grow their business around their sphere of influence or existing relationships rather than cold lead generation. We like working with our friends, so we built a platform that helps agents work with their friends, family’s and close relationships first!

How does RealOffice360™ differ from other platforms out there?

There are a bunch of great, elaborate real estate CRM’s out there that will do seemingly everything. The problem is, it practically takes a Ph.D. in Computer Science to get up and running. So, we chose to be different with RealOffice360™ in three key ways:

1)     We keep everything extremely simple

2)     We organize your clients visually

3)     We created built-in “To-Do” lists, for all client life stages.

Everything in RealOffice360™ was built by agent feedback. We know that real estate workdays are extremely busy and that you don’t have time to learn complex technologies promising world automation. We believe that this is why most agents don’t have a true database or alternately, don’t actively use their CRM in their daily business. We want to fix this, we want to give agents the one platform they can pick up in minutes allowing them to finally maximize the value out of all of their existing relationships. This is our difference, we truly want real estate agents  to succeed and the result is the product you see today!

Where are some of the most common mistakes agents are making with their databases?

Working with agents over the years, we have seen a mistake or two along the way when it comes to databases. Fortunately, most are fairly simple to fix and below we have highlighted our top three most common mistakes.

1.     Not having a database. This is the number one most common mistake for agents, fortunately, this is the easiest one to correct! Whether it is Microsoft Excel, Apple Contacts, Google Contacts, a Rolodex or RealOffice360™, we recommend agents pick one place and put all their client data there going forward. Your database is your business and you need to start building this from the start.

2.     Having multiple databases. The second most common mistake we see is agents having a database but locating them disjointed across multiple platforms. While this is better than no database, how can you expect to keep track of your clients if you have little pieces of information all over the place? Once again this is a quick fix and all it takes is for you to commit to one platform and put all the information in one place from here on out! They say the best time to plant a tree is yesterday, the  second-best time? Today!

3.     Having a massive database. The final most common mistake that we see with agents and their databases is holding on for too long to all those “clients” that never actually were clients at all. The focus of your database should be on helping you build quality relationships rather than just a massive “data dump”. It is very important that agents continue to update and work their databases every day so that they can keep their focus on building relationships that really matter to provide the best return on their investment. . Why send an awesome Birthday Card to someone who doesn’t really know you? We believe in the Pareto Principle or 80-20 rule, where 80% of results come from 20% of clients. So, it’s hugely important to not get lost trying to simply grow your database but rather find out who those 20% are in your database, that will deliver 80% of your commissions!

What should an agent look for when selecting a CRM? 

Agents are bombarded with CRM options. Each platform offers a different edge or angle but ultimately if the CRM doesn’t do the following three things first, then all the bells and whistles don’t really matter. In our opinion those three “must haves” for a CRM are:

1.     Unbelievably Simple to Use. As agents, we don’t get paid to learn a complex CRM. We get paid to do deals. This is why it is so important for any CRM that you select to be unbelievably simple to use. The last thing you want to do is take hours and hours away from your clients trying to learn and re-learn a complex software that is supposed to make life easy when in reality, it just adds stress. We believe that complex CRM’s are a big reason why so many agents don't have a database. It’s just too hard and takes too much time! Don’t succumb to SOS (Shiny Object Syndrome)!

2.     Amazing Client Organization. By definition, a CRM must be able to organize your clients amazingly well. For agents, this means their CRM should be able to track all client data, family data, property information, deals, client-specific notes, activities and lastly give agents the ability to contact their clients directly from the CRM. This is crucial, but we believe it’s only the first step. We believe that for a truly amazing client organization experience, it needs to be visual, you need to be able to see at a glance, who needs your attention, who you should be contacting and who is likely your next deal. If your CRM doesn’t do this, you should consider looking elsewhere. A digital whiteboard anyone?

3.     Streamlined Activity Management/Calendar. What good are organized clients in a database if you don’t know what you need to do with them? This is why the final required component of any CRM is the ability to streamline your activities and know what you need to do next. Some believe that this means it needs to sync with iCal or Google Calendar but we have found the opposite. Appointments are great for those applications but your client activities and “to do’s”, those should be done seamlessly through your CRM.

When looking for a CRM there are going to be a vast number of options and it can become overwhelming. We believe a good approach is to first consider where you are in your business and pick 2 to 3 important requirements for yourself, then narrow the options from there. You know your business best, so it is important to make sure you are making the decision that best suits your needs.

I don't know what to say to my database? Any tips on how I can interact with those in my database?

This is one of the most common questions we get when talking with agents. Most of us know what to do once we have the listing or are working with a buyer, the problem is, what do I do for my database clients. In RealOffice360™ we have built-in customizable checklists, so you always know what you could do next for your clients. For example, each year you could do some of the following items below:

·       Write them a Personal Note

·       Send Tickets to them for an Event

·       Send them a Calendar

·       Give a Note Pad

·       Give Car Wash Gift Card

·       Send Flowers

·       Send a Restaurant Gift Card

·       Send a Relevant Book

·       Celebrate Home Purchase Anniversary with a card

·       Celebrate Birthday with a card

·       Celebrate Wedding Anniversary with a card

·       Go for Lunch

·       Hold an Annual Appreciation Party

·       Setup Monthly Sales Auto Email

·       Send 1st Quarter Real Estate Update

·       Send 2nd Quarter Real Estate Update

·       Send 3rd Quarter Real Estate Update

·       Send 4th Quarter Real Estate Update

·       Conduct an Annual Real Estate Review

·       Set up Client on Newsletter

The key, in our opinion, is three-fold:

1.     Just do something,

2.     Do something for your clients that you like too, and

3.     Don’t sell, give value.

As a real estate agent, how often should I be reaching out to my database? 

This is a “loaded” question as all the experts will give you a different number. 12-touch, 33-touch, 49-touch and on and on. It is our belief that no matter how many times you reach out to your database clients, the important point is to do it consistently and the content must be valuable. People do not like to be sold or told how awesome we are at our jobs, they like to receive value.

·       They like to know what is going on with the market as it relates to their home.

·       They like to receive personal notes that are genuine and come from the heart.

·       They like to receive small gifts that have sentimental value.

We have found it best to always try and think from the other side and imagine being in our client’s shoes. What would you like to receive? What would you value? If you start with that default question, you will knock it out of the park!

How can we learn more about RealOffice360™? 

The easiest way to learn more about RealOffice360™ is to check us out at realoffice360.com. We also have Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook but hey, you probably knew that already!

If you prefer to talk to a person, or more specifically the COO, I would love to hear from you too!

Mike McAra, COO, - [email protected]

Thanks for reading I hope you found one or two gold nuggets in here! Happy CRM Hunting!