New School Tech and Old School Attitude

New School Tech and Old School Attitude

 

New School Tech and Old School Attitude. Image courtesy of adamr / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

New School Tech and Old School Attitude. Image courtesy of adamr / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

 

Door knocking is old school. It’s personable, but best practices in real estate are changing with the integration of technology, according to a panel of top agents from around the country speaking at the 2016 REALTORS® Conference & Expo Friday. To help them succeed in the evolving environment, attendees crowded into the session, “More Listings, Better Leads, Increased Conversions: A Panel of Top Agents.”

Panelists Tristan Ahumada of Keller Williams/Tristan and Associates, Westlake Village, Calif.; Syreeta Saunder-Keys of The Keys2Day Team/Keller Williams Realty, Columbia, Md.; Kevin Markarian of Marker Real Estate, San Francisco; and Tracey Velt, editor-in-chief of REAL Trends, joined speaker Max Pigman, senior vice president and chief ambassador for realtor.com®, for a review of the tools they use to stay on top.

The agents discussed websites and programs they use to their advantage, praising sites such as realtor.com® as a consistent source for quality leads. Lead conversion programs like Fivestreet and Follow Up Boss give their brokerages a boost in customer connections, they said. The programs send an automated message to prospective customers any time of day, whether it be an e-mail or text message. Ahumada cited texting as one of his favorite methods of communication, calling it quick and user friendly. A timely initial response is key, the panelists agreed.

The main takeaway: Gravitate toward technologies that are user-centric and facilitate quick response times.

Kevin Markarian also emphasized that attendees must practice accountability and diligence. Once he gets a customer, he said, he sets up a one-on-one meetings with members of his team, whom he refers to as his “business partners.” The term business partners, he said, gives customers a sense comfort no matter whom they are meeting with.

In the end, old school techniques still matter; it’s a people business, after all. But to remain competitive, brokers and agents who haven’t explored and integrated new customer management tools may find themselves left behind.

—REALTOR® Magazine