Michael Minard – How to

How to Automate Your Brokerage

Commentary by Michael Minard

Are your agents creating “orphaned” clients? Research from the National Association of REALTORS® tells us that 90% of sellers and buyers say they would use their agent again. However, only about 20% of homebuyers and less than a third of sellers actually do.

Clients are becoming “orphans,” but not because they are moving away. On the contrary, Pew Research found that most Americans (57%) have never lived outside their home state, and more than one in three (37%) have never lived outside their hometown.

The fact is that when most people move, they don’t move very far. So why aren’t clients staying with their original agent? And for those moving to another market, why aren’t their original agents getting a referral?

The most likely and avoidable cause of lost repeat business is that agents are not staying in touch with past clients.

The solution: a brokerage needs to automate. Automate for Your Agents When you’re a busy agent, it feels nearly impossible to find the time to fit in the tasks that will build new business when working a pipeline of active buyers and sellers. Closing transactions puts income in an agent’s bank account today; reaching out to prospects does not.

Over time, however, clients will no longer feel connected to their original agent who helped them buy or sell a home, unless agents can stay top of mind. This allows for clients to be open to other agents’ direct solicitations of their business.

Automating routine client outreach is one of the fastest and easiest ways a brokerage can help their agents stay in front of their clients and their sphere of influence.

By providing your agents with an array of communication tools, you can help them achieve their ongoing quest to keep clients for life.

Creating the ‘Easy’ Button Automating a brokerage begins with Customer Relationship Management (CRM) software integrated into your agent marketing system.

This type of automation delivers two massive benefits. First, automation guarantees that all your agents will stay top of mind with their clients and sphere. Second, automation is the only way a brokerage can achieve 100% adoption.

Best of all, automation means that agents don’t have to do the drudge work, as it is done for them.

Marketing and communications programs such as set-and-forget drip email campaigns are abundantly available today. In addition, automating a monthly Market Report for your agents will help them stay top of mind and generate new business.

From automating customer-for-life digital marketing programs to social media promotions, your clients can remain focused on their current book of business, as automation can help drive prospecting for your agents.

Importance of Staying in Touch When a brokerage puts automation at the core of agent marketing, they do more than help their agents become more productive. They do the heavy lifting to keep agents connected to their most profitable source of future business: their clients and their sphere. RE

Michael Minard is CEO and owner of Delta Media Group, a leading and trusted technology partner for many of real estate’s top brands and 100% family-owned and operated.