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Nicole Bagley-Blair
Nationally competitive ice skater.
Teacher of the year.
Attorney.
Mom.
Real estate broker.
Not a bad list of life and career accomplishments.
It appears Nicole Bagley-Blair can pretty much accomplish whatever she sets out to do.
Despite being no stranger to overcoming adversity, she found that becoming successful in real estate sales was probably the hardest hurdle for her to jump.
Starting out here in the resort market of Lake Tahoe only steepened her learning curve.
For the last 10 months or so, she’s been working on yet another challenge; because why not add “software developer” to the list?
The product
Pocket Agent Mentor (PAM) is a software made to help new real estate agents succeed.
I likened it to onboarding plans often put in place at large companies, where new employees are smoothly assimilated into corporate culture over time.
Like so many other newbies, she felt completely lost once licensed and ready to roll even though her husband was already a high-producing broker.
Blair compiled the majority of her product’s content and features from a handbook of sorts she created for herself as she was learning.
Now, she’s collecting tips and best practices gleaned from colleagues, team members and personal lessons.
PAM is part bot, part pat-on-the-back; empathy is advertised as one of PAM’s three core values.
The primarily browser-based software divides its experience into three primary categories:
- Getting started
- Working with buyers
- Working with sellers
Getting Started is a resource library that helps new agents understand the importance of setting schedules, joining a brokerage, using a CRM and setting goals. It shares important terms and advice.
There is content about how to best show property, tips for structuring offers and when to follow-up with prospects.
There are primers on marketing and running an open house, complete with plug-and-print brochures and marketing collateral for listings and agent promotions.
PAM makes no assumptions as to her users’ level of expertise, which is a good thing. There is an ever-growing list of terms and definitions that many take for granted but new agents have yet to encounter.
Beyond her compendium of resources, PAM automates notifications for marketing timelines, transaction milestones, follow-up reminders and appointments.
Once a home is under contract and pertinent dates are entered, PAM takes over, sending alerts to buyers or sellers to remind them of documents needing to be reviewed, tasks requiring attention and critical upcoming dates.
Brokers can customize PAM to suit their approach to training and marketing.
It would also make for a smart way to recruit.
Everyone is familiar with the rate of failure within the industry, and much of it can be attributed to the accepted model of independence.
Yes, agents are their own business, but doesn’t it serve the industry better to ensure its practitioners are suited for success?
Nicole Bagley-Blair thinks it does, and she’s doing something about it.
PAM is currently in the final stages of development, and a companion app for iOS is also nearing completion.
You can meet Nicole and learn more about PAM at Inman Connect San Francisco in August.
Have a technology product you would like to discuss? Email Craig Rowe
