Another CRM Question

[Brian Faust]

I'm looking for something standalone, I've not yet done anything CRM related and I'm pretty ignorant as to the options available.  I've basically relied on word of mouth from friends and past clients or from direct buyer leads on my active listings but I'm looking to launch into something more sophisticated and take the next leap as far as leads and sales go.  

I'm guessing my needs are pretty standard and basic as it relates to CRM and what I'm looking for.....

I'd like a platform that I can run multiple (e-mail) campaigns from.  I envision my campaigns to be something along the lines of;

• 1) Automate and keep in touch with past clients so I stay fresh on their minds for when one of their friends, co-workers or family member(s) has a need to list or shop.
  
• 2) Automate a drip campaign to stay in touch with buyers that were interested in a prior listing of mine
• 3) Automate a separate drip campaign for investors that I've worked with in past, or currently.  

I'd like for the platform to already have some created content geared towards my target clientele that I can setup a regularly scheduled e-mail, perhaps with the ability to add some customization.

I've looked at Perfect Storm and it sounds/looks awesome but I was left thinking it might be overkill for my needs at this time.

If someone could point me in the right direction for me to research more and educate myself or some platforms they recommend for my needs I'd greatly appreciate it!

[Tony Rappa]

I've been in the RE industry on the technical side for most of my career. There are so many options out there that it can be really overwhelming. Honestly, I think the biggest problem is determining what you can afford and what you want to learn based on where you're at in your career. Obviously, I can only give you advice from my experience with other agents and you'll need to do a little digging to determine what you want. However, here's what I would suggest:

Just Getting Started: If you're just getting started you want something that's not super expensive and has a lower learning curve. Additionally, you want something that's already focused on RE. So, I would recommend LionDesk. The learning curve to get started is pretty low. Notice I said "get started" - because they offer a ton and you can get buried in details. Don't do that. :) Just get it up and running and use the basic features. You can learn more as you go. If you just really need to jump into something fast and you don't need RE focused items - try Zoho CRM. They have a ton of products, it's always free to get started and they're stuff is super easy to use.

Been around a bit: If you've been around a bit and you really need something super robust that will work for a team you might want to try SalesForce. It's complicated and expensive. But once you're past the learning curve and if you can afford it; there's nothing on the market that compares. They have tons of support, lots of plugins from other developers, and the level of customization is out of this world. 

Something to note, before you make a decision on a CRM I would highly recommend asking these questions:

1. What kind of support is offered? This is really important because if you can't get them on the phone or via chat your life is going to be really difficult.

2. Do they have a Zap available? These days this is considerably important because you'll want to tie in other services eventually and having a Zap (zapier.com) available will make your life super easy. 

3. How long have they been in business and who uses them? This isn't the most important factor, but it's important. If they've been around less then 3 years; think twice. Also, if they don't have at least a few big names using them - it's not a solution you'll want to be tied into for too long.

4. What training resources do they have? These should be publicly available and either docs or videos that can help you with the learning curve (whatever it may be). No training - no go. Trust me :)

I hope that helps.