In "How to Work Real Estate Internet Leads Without Going Crazy,"
Michael Lapeter, a real estate agent who works at Resonant Properties and writes the San Francisco Real Estate Blog, advises agents to use Highrise to track leads.
Use a CRM System
37signals, a hugely successful software company has a great saying: make half a product, not a half a**ed product. The same goes with leads: it's better to work half your leads well, than try to work all your leads and do a half-a**ed job of it.To do it right, you'll need to track your leads. For no frills, make an excel sheet with their info, how/ why the found you, and what you've sent them so far. Don't forget the most critical part: prioritize your leads (I can't argue with the time-tested "A, B, C" system, but feel free to get creative if you need a little flair in your CRM).
My personal favorite for real estate CRM is Highrise, by the aforementioned 37signals (just Google "highrise, they're #1). It's free up to 250 contacts, it's drop dead simple to use, and it plays nicely with your email.
We got in touch with Michael to learn more about how he uses Highrise:
Where do you work and what do you do?
I'm the Broker-Owner of Resonant Properties, an independent real estate brokerage in San Francisco. I help people buy and sell San Francisco real estate, with a focus on technology, service, and transparency.
Why do you use Highrise? What do you like about it?
I like it because it's simple. Before Highrise, I'd used a variety of real estate specific CRMS, plugins for outlook, and everything else I could find. After I spent half a day installing, syncing, etc, the novelty would wear off and I wouldn't use them consistently. Highrise is simple and speedy enough that it's painless to use consistently. My favorite feature is the email dropbox to create new contacts.
How does Highrise compare to other similar products that real estate agents might use?
I cringe every time I get an email from a real estate CRM provider inviting me to a webinar! The other solutions seem to be either way too complex, or simple but lacking the polish (buggy, poorly thought out features, etc).
How does Highrise save you money?
It keeps me from dropping the ball with clients, which helps me close more deals.
How does Highrise save you time?
The email dropbox is a big timesaver, also just how quick it is to add contact tasks.
What tips do you have for other real estate agents who use Highrise?
The average age of real estate agents is 50+, so my biggest tip would be to just give it a chance it for 5 minutes. It's a tiny learning curve, and it's a huge step up from trying to paste every lead into an excel worksheet. I would say definitely try using the email dropbox.
How would you pitch Highrise to a real estate agent who hasn’t used it before?
I would pitch it as something that's way better than a spreadsheet but much easier to learn and use than top producer.
Do you use a 37signals product in an interesting or noteworthy way? Let us know.
