BUSINESS BUILDERS work some of the nomenclature and the mindset to make sure people don’t talk themselves out of being involved in the market,” says Collins. Collins has built his business model around what the consumer needs. “We are an industry that is under evolutionary attack,” he explains. “We can’t fight against that, but what we can do is focus on delivering the best real estate transaction and building clients for life by expressing ourselves with care.”
Collins
Anticipating and Adapting to Consumer Needs NORTH CAROLINA BROKER DELIVERS A BETTER EXPERIENCE FOR AGENTS AND THEIR CLIENTS
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By Maria Patterson
hip Collins is one of those leaders who has come out of pandemic times better than before. With his team out of the office for more than a year, Collins—the broker-in-charge/owner of Collins Group Realty in Hilton Head, South Carolina—adapted and modified operations to meet the changing needs of his employees, agents and, most importantly, the consumer. As Collins says, “Wouldn’t it be a shame to have gone through all this and not evolve? Not learn something new that we can employ and be different and better moving forward?” This is the very attitude that has helped propel Collins to success over his 25 years in real estate, nearly 20 of which has been spent at the firm that bears his name. And the need to evolve to help agents better serve consumers has never been more necessary than during the past year and a half. “Pre-COVID, we were already a destination where people were telecommuting,” Collins explains. “That accelerated once people were seeking low density areas and outdoor space. The craziness, overlaid with price appreciation, created a lot of mobility.” It also created a lot of buyer fatigue. “We have to re-
“If the commission structure is to stay intact, agents are charged with bringing a lot more value to the table.” -CHIP COLLINS Broker-in-Charge/Owner, Collins Group Realty
To help deliver on the experience consumers have come to expect—what Collins refers to as “the Amazon effect”— he and his team have leaned into powerful technology, such as BoomTown, which offers CRM, lead gen, lead management and more. “We’re blessed with a great partnership with BoomTown,” says Collins. “Their tech stack is filled with resources that make the client experience more of what they’ve come to expect.” And Collins strongly believes that consumers should expect a lot of service for what they pay. “If the commission structure is to stay intact,” he says, “agents are charged with bringing a lot more value to the table—market knowledge and care that goes beyond the sale.” According to Collins, technology goes hand in hand with a modern consumer experience, and BoomTown’s platform, which helps automate workflows and communications to clients, helps his team provide a high level of value. “Whether it’s the workflow-based system, drip campaign or continuity plan, BoomTown triggers your next todo items.” The baked-in accountability that the BoomTown platform provides is especially valuable with the many balls Collins and his team are juggling in today’s market, offering workflows that customize the entire experience from listing to contract to close, including personalized video messages to clients. “This layered, automated process adds huge value and educates them right in the moment,” he explains. “It makes the client experience more robust in an automated, personalized way.” The technology solutions provided by BoomTown have been life-changing for Collins and his team. “It’s all about RISMedia’s REAL ESTATE September 2021 39
