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“How can my brokerage make my life easier so I can focus on what I do best — sell real estate?”
That’s the question agents want and need answered by their brokerage to ensure they are providing clients with the best possible service. Agents must not be expected to be experts in everything it takes to market and sell real estate.
Whether novice or seasoned agents, they must be empowered to remain the invaluable local expert and personal adviser, backed by their brokerage’s curated marketing tools, data science, technological advances and service support staff.
Below are five of the tools that’ll make agents’ lives easier so they can better serve their clients in the marketplace.
Integrated CRM, referral network and lead generation system
It is vital for brokerages to create a place for agents to track their client communication, make and receive referrals and source new leads. A one-stop-shop for all of these needs creates ease and saves agents valuable time that can be spent on pricing strategies, advising clients and negotiating on their behalf.
The ultimate goal of any brokerage tech platform should be to provide data-driven input, foster human connection, ease the transaction process and result in swifter, more successful sales results.
Buyer prospecting through wealth intelligence software
Another beneficial tool brokerages can provide for their agents is an avenue to identify, target and connect with prospective buyers for their listings. This kind of tool is especially crucial in the luxury marketplace where the buyer pool is slightly more limited than in the more moderately priced markets.
This platform can be a huge time-saver and a simpler way to target buyers and ensure marketing and sales outreach reaches the right buyers at the right time. Well-designed wealth intelligence software discovers buyers based on a property’s attributes. Agents can search by location, hobbies, interests and business alliances to target prime clientele. It then provides multiple ways for agents to connect with those buyers and market their listings.
Comprehensive marketing toolkit
Agents certainly shouldn’t be expected to be marketing experts, copywriters, graphic designers, video editors and digital strategists. Creating a stellar, simple-to-use marketing toolkit of agent assets is key to making an agent’s life easier and more efficient. The toolkit should allow them to quickly insert listing information and photography to make executing a marketing strategy across all platforms effortless.
A toolkit of this nature also allows agents onboarding at a brokerage to do so quickly without any interruption to their business. Additionally, with video content now the way of the future, especially on social media, it’s vital to offer strategic input and tools for quick video editing and sharing.
Digital paperwork
To maximize an agent’s time and efforts, using tools that make paperwork and the logistics of a transaction easier helps create a much more efficient and streamlined process. Instead of couriering or setting up an appointment for all parties to sign critical documents, agents should consider using tools that make it much easier to collect legally binding e-signatures. This is especially important as more of the transaction and homebuying process is being done remotely these days.
Agent-focused service structure
Finally, the most vital tool of all — the human connection and concierge service structure. The tools above are most beneficial when there is a person available to help guide the agent through the technology and marketing offerings, implement a strategy and provide support every step of the way.
When it comes down to providing best-in-class, time-saving tools, it’s vital to keep the agent at the heart of the conversation. Listening to agents, understanding how each works individually in the field and providing the necessary support to elevate their client service offerings will dictate the tools necessary to make agents more efficient in less time. This would be a win for agents, brokerages and clients alike.
Rainy Hake Austin is president of The Agency in Los Angeles. Connect with her on Instagram.
