A proposal is one of your first opportunities to make a lasting impression on your client. A proposal that is bespoke to your brand and designed so your clients can interact with it has the potential to win listings. The best agents produce not only offline printed proposals, but online proposals that are mobile and desktop friendly too.
Traditionally, agents follow the same process to create a proposal. They use a time-consuming templated Word or Publisher doc and generated CMA that can take hours to create. And often their proposals don’t stand out in a crowded marketplace.
To stay ahead of the competition, look for an online solution that will allow you to pitch with confidence faster than anyone else. Solutions that can create both online and offline/printed versions are state of the art and should be at the top of your shopping list. But why stop there? The best platforms do much more than just create pitch and pre-list submissions; they will actually make and save you money.
Data being key nowadays, a solution with tightly integrated tools and processes you already use means you don’t need to work across multiple software programs to access content. CRM integration reduces the number of times an agent needs to key in important client information, while integration with sales data sources does the research for you by suggesting comparable sales without leaving the system.
A proposal that is bespoke to your brand and designed so your clients can interact with it has the potential to
win listings.
In addition, make sure that your solution works across all devices; that’s desktop, tablet and mobile. Be sure to consider both digital and print options as each format needs to be treated differently. A fully responsive template will look great on any device.
Another advantage of the digital proposal is the ability to track and analyse how your proposal is browsed. Real-time notifications alert you when your document is first viewed, show how many times it was viewed and what sections readers actually cared about.
And because you’re online, all your proposals are organised in one system. Imagine doing a pre-list of a proposal in just a few minutes from your phone… that future is actually here today.
Workflow Management
There are any number of repetitive, low-value manual tasks that an agent has to perform throughout the sales process, all while navigating a technology landscape of unintegrated systems and tools.
If you’re looking to up the ante on productivity, increase efficiency and improve your business overall, then a single ‘middleware-type’ workflow management platform that integrates all these systems and tools is a necessary one.
And, if used correctly, a ‘middleware’ workflow management platform can result in effective perks:
- Digitising your workflow management will allow you to identify and remove any unnecessary steps, condensing your overall workflow.
- Ensuring work is done in a standardised way and according to legislative requirements. The sequential nature of workflow management means something cannot be actioned until the step before it is completed and/or approved.
- Instant generation, signing and compliance checks of all your listing documentation, from agency agreements to price updates. Signed documents can be automatically fed back to the workflow platform for storage or approval.
- No more paper chasing, which means gone are the days of misplaced paperwork and lost files. Investing in a system that allows your staff to easily store and access centralised files pays for itself.
The best platforms do much more than just create pitch and pre-list submissions; they will actually make and save you money.
The visibility that process management offers highlights where you’re up to with your work, allowing you to pick up where you left off. Using a built-in to-do list can alleviate the stress of having to remember what needs to be done.
A clear overview also means that tasks will be automatically allocated to all the right people, saving you time in coordinating between multiple individuals.
Accountability will improve as an audit trail of who has done what is available.
Less human intervention reduces the chances of human error. Not only is this valuable in terms of cost and time, but it can improve the overall efficiency of tasks.
Having your workflow management process automated means that operational tasks are organised so you can focus more on prospecting.
At-a-glance performance reporting
One of the greatest advantages to an agent is the ability to display their performance metrics at a glance and in real time. Dashboards are a versatile and visual method to keep an agent up to date and monitor their progress. A good dashboard will draw information such as your listing pipeline, listings pipeline, commission flow and more – at an office and agent level, or even at a multi-office level. It’s a great way to control, manage and plan so your key business metrics are highly accessible.
I’ve been surprised at how traditional most real estate agents and agencies are, doing the same thing today they have for more than a decade. The good news is that there is now a much greater appetite than ever for these kinds of tools. Driven by a need to get rid of inefficient processes, to impress vendors with your speed and polish, and most importantly drive down the cost of doing business – this is the revolution the industry needs. And unlike many other things you can add to your business, this one pays for itself. What’s not to like?
