One of the most common questions on every real estate agent’s mind is “What CRM should I use?” But what if we told you that due to the burst of new technologies and how complicated it is to set them up with various CRM apps, asking which CRM you should use is not the best use of your time.

Instead, focus on how you can use your CRM to the fullest. Find the opportunities hiding in your software.

Sarah Bell of AIRE Software joins us to discuss this in the latest segment of TechTalk.

Dump data-dumping

Your CRM was not meant to be used as a database. It can function as one, yes, but that’s like using a garden shear to cut paper. Importing a bunch of property ownership information without the relationship just creates confusing noise that most agents don’t know what to do with.

CRM, as the acronym says, was meant to help professionals manage relationships with their customers. It should represent real relationships that exist in the real world. This will help you get some real clarity about who your customers are, where they live, and how you can help them. You can create a relationship with your customer as someone who can solve their problems, not just as another seller.

You don’t sell houses

The house is just a byproduct. What you really sell is the strength of the buyer and seller relationship. Real estate agents sell their professional service and advice to people who have properties, but in order to sell your advice, you need to know the people who own those properties.

Duplicated entries

Within databases, there are some relationships that are agent led and some are brand led. Sarah says that no one owns the data, no one necessarily owns the relationship. A customer can have a different relationship with the three or four agents they interact with within the company.

But it only becomes a problem when you have generic information. If someone receives the same email or treatment four times - because their data is in the database four times - then it would be incredibly frustrating. But if a customer receives one set of information from a Brisbane city expert about her principal place of residence and another set of info from a business outside expert for investment property, then that’s fine. Both niche markets require very complex and sophisticated knowledge that changes street by street so these two relationships can be distinguished.

Watch the interview for a more in-depth discussion!