KYLIE DAVIS REVIEWS THE LATEST in technology from the recent Inman Conference that can help you enhance your personal relationships.
DESPITE BEING a forward- thinking technology convention, one of the key takeaways from the recent Inman Connect 15 conference was the return of genuine human relationships in real estate.
Machines and high-end tech can help you suck up leads, build databases, deliver information and give you a report on the process. All that is great; but they can’t empathise with clients, engender trust and deliver real value by understanding where the client’s head – and heart – are at.
And that’s where you have to pick up the phone or jump in the car and get face to face.
“Technology enhances the relationship in real estate; it doesn’t replace the relationship.”
Where technology is great, though, is that it can give you scale and increase the number of people with whom you can have a genuine relationship– if you do it right.
So on that basis, these are my picks of the technology I saw at Inman Connect 15 that can help your agency enhance its human connections.
- ADWERX (ADWERX.COM)
Adwerx is like Google Adwords for real estate agents on steroids. We’ve all done an online search for, say, flights overseas, only to find Qantas ads following us online for days. Adwerx does a similar thing but allows agents to build display ads that will target anyone who has been on their website. So if someone has been taking a look at your site, you can brand yourself to them for the next few days with ads that can appear on any website. That can serve as a powerful reminder of who you are and what they saw, increasing the conversion rate of your site. - POINTDRIVE (POINTDRIVE.COM)
Having now received an inquiry from a potential vendor, or buyer, you’ve agreed to send them some information about your agency by email. What does that look like? For most agents, it’s a pile of attachments in any kind of order that the client has to print out, or keep downloading and clicking on. How tedious.Pointdrive changes all of that by allowing you to create personalised webpage-styled emails that look like a newsletter. They have your branding but contain all the links to the individual information they need. There’s no need to keep downloading. It’s mobile- and tablet- enabled so clients can receive and read it on any device. The information looks great, presents well and is tailored for the recipient’s specific needs. Fabulous! - BOMBBOMB (BOMBBOMB.COM)
Bombbomb is a video email technology that allows you to quickly shoot and send a video email. It’s ideal for those times when you want to express something personally but can’t do it face to face and typing is too impersonal. Back-end analytics let you track your video emails and see their success rate. With video engagement on a rampant rise – especially with the millennial market – expect to see more of this kind of technology designed to get your face out there. - OPENHOUSE APP (AMOPENHOUSE.COM)
How many times has Mickey Mouse attended one of your open houses? The AMOpenHouse app is designed to overcome that by making it easy for attendees to sign in digitally with a click and express their interest in the home. It’s great for agents because it means you only follow up useful leads; it’s also great for those who are just checking out their neighbours’ houses, because they can signal that they’re not serious about a property. Data collected via the app can also be uploaded to your CRM.
