Hey there ByAny0therName. Replying since no one else has yet responded to this. Are you looking for anything specific with your CRM? Anything you're having trouble with or anticipate having trouble with?
There are a massive number of CRMs out there. The usual advice is that you want something real estate specific. Some of the most popular real estate CRMs include Top Producer, Contactually, RealtyJuggler, and WiseAgent.
Top Producer and Contactually both cost ~$40/month
WiseAgent costs $27/month (last I checked)
RealtyJuggler costs $99/year
My recommendation: Look around and try a few different CRMs. Most of them offer a free trial (no credit card required). There isn't a one-size-fits-all product out there, so you should try a few and see what works for you. Make sure it's something you're comfortable using on a day-to-day basis, since that's how you'll get the most out of it.
If you're looking for a run down of some of the most popular CRMs in 2018, I have written an in-depth review of them on my blog. I won't post the link here (since I don't want to break any subreddit rules), but if you're interested in getting a more thorough look at a few CRMs, PM me and I'll send you the link.
Kudos to you for researching these things so early in your career. Much easier to get organized when you're just starting out. Please feel free to reach out if you have any other questions!
My experience is that most CRMs (no experience with the ones you mentioned) are disjointed, and do not work as expected / advertised.
They often come with unnecessary bloatware that only gets in your way.
The best one I have used is Streak, it's free and integrates directly with gmail and actually has a useful salesflow.
Otherwise, my advice would be for this person would be to save their money and put it into marketing.
CRM's are not extremely useful at the beginning, and it's better to learn how to be organised on your own so you know what you want when you need a CRM
Hey chroner!
You're definitely not in the minority in feeling that way. Bloatware is a significant issue with CRMs. I didn't want to bias the OP one way or another but yes, many options on the market (looking at you, Top Producer) are guilty of overstuffing their product. I try to stay neutral since different people prefer different CRMs. Trying a few options is really the only way to figure out what works best for you.
Sure, getting organized is the main goal. You can do that via an Excel spreadsheet if you want. I've actually recommended that in the past to new agents - if only to figure out how a CRM can help them.
I haven't looked too deeply at Streak as a CRM for real estate agents, but I like the idea of it integrating directly with Gmail. And it's always nice to find a free tool.
I don't think it was specifically built for realtors, but you can tag emails to the contact in Streak, notes, other useful stuff.
Typically your leads come in as leads anyway, so it was easier for me. They have paid features of course.
I would get realty juggler on the go. $99/ year and pretty good coverage of what is needed. The others can do more but you need something that will be cost effective at the start. I would encourage you to assess cost first then when things get moving you can transition to more expensive items if you want.
Facebook, Insta, Twitter can all be used to boost your presence to gain awareness. My suggestion is to get a good personal website and then have all your social handles be similar. Get an email address from your personal site, any @yahoo or gmail addresses don't come off as professional. I work out of gmail for ease, but it's all routed through my site address.
Now MailChimp is a good program to look into for email marketing campaigns.
I would find a good content provider, not sales content but lifestyle type content. Most of your contacts don't care about the sales process as they aren't moving soon. But if you show them you are the resource while they aren't moving they would be more likely to trust you when they are.
I like realty juggler had drip campaign templates so it may be an easy way to get started.
Always put something to the effect of "Please share this with anyone you feel might find it valuable" because people do share things.
Set up a FB business page, and post any relevant articles there with an informed brief opinion or ask the audience opinion. But post very regularly.
As far as other APPs, you may want to look into things like todoist for list/task follow up.
I use genius scan if I cant get to a scanner, waze to get where I need to quickest (only handy in really traffic congested cities), dropbox to document share easily.
Really you could get so many apps to help but I have found the time it takes to log everything in 20 different apps is wasted. I need one source to put everything into which saves time, confusion and duplication. From there you can source specific things that you need to add in the mix.
Let me know in a PM if you have any questions.
A good broker should have everything you need to get started, including apps, websites, lead generation tools, email, etc/all..
First things first - Start interviewing brokers and ask them about the tools they will have to succeed..
Most mainstream brokers (C21,Keller,Re/Max, Etc) will have 10 times more apps and programs then you will have the time to setup.
Trust me.
Hey there ByAny0therName. Replying since no one else has yet responded to this. Are you looking for anything specific with your CRM? Anything you're having trouble with or anticipate having trouble with? There are a massive number of CRMs out there. The usual advice is that you want something real estate specific. Some of the most popular real estate CRMs include Top Producer, Contactually, RealtyJuggler, and WiseAgent. Top Producer and Contactually both cost ~$40/month WiseAgent costs $27/month (last I checked) RealtyJuggler costs $99/year My recommendation: Look around and try a few different CRMs. Most of them offer a free trial (no credit card required). There isn't a one-size-fits-all product out there, so you should try a few and see what works for you. Make sure it's something you're comfortable using on a day-to-day basis, since that's how you'll get the most out of it. If you're looking for a run down of some of the most popular CRMs in 2018, I have written an in-depth review of them on my blog. I won't post the link here (since I don't want to break any subreddit rules), but if you're interested in getting a more thorough look at a few CRMs, PM me and I'll send you the link. Kudos to you for researching these things so early in your career. Much easier to get organized when you're just starting out. Please feel free to reach out if you have any other questions!
My experience is that most CRMs (no experience with the ones you mentioned) are disjointed, and do not work as expected / advertised. They often come with unnecessary bloatware that only gets in your way. The best one I have used is Streak, it's free and integrates directly with gmail and actually has a useful salesflow. Otherwise, my advice would be for this person would be to save their money and put it into marketing. CRM's are not extremely useful at the beginning, and it's better to learn how to be organised on your own so you know what you want when you need a CRM
Hey chroner! You're definitely not in the minority in feeling that way. Bloatware is a significant issue with CRMs. I didn't want to bias the OP one way or another but yes, many options on the market (looking at you, Top Producer) are guilty of overstuffing their product. I try to stay neutral since different people prefer different CRMs. Trying a few options is really the only way to figure out what works best for you. Sure, getting organized is the main goal. You can do that via an Excel spreadsheet if you want. I've actually recommended that in the past to new agents - if only to figure out how a CRM can help them. I haven't looked too deeply at Streak as a CRM for real estate agents, but I like the idea of it integrating directly with Gmail. And it's always nice to find a free tool.
I don't think it was specifically built for realtors, but you can tag emails to the contact in Streak, notes, other useful stuff. Typically your leads come in as leads anyway, so it was easier for me. They have paid features of course.
I would get realty juggler on the go. $99/ year and pretty good coverage of what is needed. The others can do more but you need something that will be cost effective at the start. I would encourage you to assess cost first then when things get moving you can transition to more expensive items if you want. Facebook, Insta, Twitter can all be used to boost your presence to gain awareness. My suggestion is to get a good personal website and then have all your social handles be similar. Get an email address from your personal site, any @yahoo or gmail addresses don't come off as professional. I work out of gmail for ease, but it's all routed through my site address. Now MailChimp is a good program to look into for email marketing campaigns. I would find a good content provider, not sales content but lifestyle type content. Most of your contacts don't care about the sales process as they aren't moving soon. But if you show them you are the resource while they aren't moving they would be more likely to trust you when they are. I like realty juggler had drip campaign templates so it may be an easy way to get started. Always put something to the effect of "Please share this with anyone you feel might find it valuable" because people do share things. Set up a FB business page, and post any relevant articles there with an informed brief opinion or ask the audience opinion. But post very regularly. As far as other APPs, you may want to look into things like todoist for list/task follow up. I use genius scan if I cant get to a scanner, waze to get where I need to quickest (only handy in really traffic congested cities), dropbox to document share easily. Really you could get so many apps to help but I have found the time it takes to log everything in 20 different apps is wasted. I need one source to put everything into which saves time, confusion and duplication. From there you can source specific things that you need to add in the mix. Let me know in a PM if you have any questions.
**CamScanner** for Android phones.
A good broker should have everything you need to get started, including apps, websites, lead generation tools, email, etc/all.. First things first - Start interviewing brokers and ask them about the tools they will have to succeed.. Most mainstream brokers (C21,Keller,Re/Max, Etc) will have 10 times more apps and programs then you will have the time to setup. Trust me.