7 Tips - Keep your Real Estate CRM Working For You!

No one has to tell you that your database is the lifeblood of your real estate business. Regular checkups with your CRM are important to keep it working for you. Whether you plan for weekly or monthly CRM maintenance, these tips will keep your CRM optimized and organized. (Psst ... the free printable is at the bottom of the page)

1. Merge Duplicate Records - Duplicates are easy to come by in a CRM system. They can originate from multiple sources, a lead gen source where a lead is looking at multiple properties, or even something as simple as the same person coming in from both your phone contacts and your email. Merging these records both minimizes the clutter of your database, but also ensures you have a single, complete and accurate contact record. It's also important to regularly remove the duplicate contacts to avoid the same person receiving multiples of your newsletters, drips, and email campaigns.

2. Double-Check Unsubscribes – It's fairly common for a contact to unsubscribe from your newsletters or ask to be removed from your marketing campaigns.

It's very important you preserve your reputation by following up with the unsubscribes across all your systems and platforms.

Are you using MailChimp, BombBomb or Constant Contact? Make sure all of your unsubscribes are notated and grouped in your CRM.

3. Update Your Leads – The contacts that are classified in your lead categories are going to be the ones that need the most regular maintenance. Their status will change, so it will be necessary to run through your leads list to refine and regroup them as they move along in your sales pipeline, so you can more accurately follow-up and apply the best drip marketing campaign for them.

4. Record Your Referral Sources - Many times a new lead is entered into your CRM, but it's often a missed step in getting the referral source recorded. You know it's so very important to take care of and maintain your contact with those all-important referral sources.

It's crucial to your long-term CRM management strategy to be able to easily find your list of referral sources.

5. Eliminate Fakes – 1234 Somewhere Street, anyone? If your CRM is integrated with any lead capture or lead gen sources, you are going to have fake contacts brought into your CRM. It's important to take the time to clear this clutter from your CRM.

6. Enter Missed Contacts - Glance through your recent phone and email histories to make sure that any new contacts were entered into your CRM. This is easier to do on a weekly basis.

(Here's a PRO TIP: Use your SENT folder, rather than your inbox. This helps more easily identify the contacts that you communicated with, without having to wade through the clutter that is most likely jamming your inbox.)

7. Check the Integrations - Check to make sure you've got any available integrations connected and functioning properly. While you don't need to do this weekly, a monthly or even quarterly check is a good idea. Good CRMs are constantly adding features. It's a good idea to pop on to their website occasionally to see if they might have added a new feature to auto-import your leads, listings, added transaction management features, or integrations with any other marketing/email programs that you use.

The more connected your systems are, the less confusion, duplication, and manual work there is for you.

Remember, it's good to periodically send yourself a test lead from any integrated sources to ensure that they are still working properly, and to be certain you're not missing any important leads.

As a top agent, your database is one of your most valuable assets. You can't afford to set it and forget it. A couple hours per week or per month, depending on your volume, is vital to keep your CRM system being a key tool that works well for you. If CRM maintenance is not high on your interest list, or your have 100 other priorities in front of you, this is a great regular task to pass on to your assistant.

Get your free printable CRM Maintenance Checklist HERE. It's custom-created for your Real Estate CRM!

The checklist makes it easy to remember the necessary tasks when you're ready to maintain your CRM, or even easier to hand off to your trusty assistant.

Do you need support with regular maintenance, integrations, and customization of your CRM? Are you migrating to a new CRM? Maybe you would like some help creating and scheduling your drip campaigns?

Real Estate CRMs are my specialty! Email me: amanda@redigitalassist.com

Let's talk about how I can support you in getting your CRM organized and working efficiently, so you know:

• Your contacts are taken care of

• Your leads are collected and managed

• You can use your database to build and grow your business!

Original content written by Amanda Behm – Real Estate Digital Assistant Copyright 2018©

How Are You Tracking Your Mileage?

Tax time is nearly over (Whew!) – Now to make improvements and adjustments for this year.

If you choose to deduct business mileage, every mile in 2018 is worth 54.5 cents. That adds up quickly as you drive around showing houses to those indecisive buyers.

Make it easy on yourself and choose an app that does the work for you. It's one less thing to remember and could mean more $ in your pocket next tax season.

Here's a roundup of some great ways to make tracking all of those deductible miles easier and more accurate:

MileIQ: It's a wildly popular app that automatically detects when you're driving and records the mileage. At the end of the day, you click in and classify the trips as business, personal, or even custom categories. You can track what your mileage is worth, and download detailed pdf reports. Bonus Feature: Automatically classifying repeat trips. Cost: There's a 40-trip free trial, and after that it's $5 per month.

Taxbot: A robust app that uses GPS to create a detailed trip log. You can also use it to track your other business expenses and even take pictures of your receipts. Bonus Feature: Trips can be matched to calendar appointments automatically. Cost: 14-day free trial, after that it's $100 per year or $10 per month.

Hurdlr: It's an app that is built specifically for real estate professionals and business owners. It tells you the potential deduction for each trip. The upgraded versions include the expense tracking features. Bonus Feature: They have a completely free version that includes mileage tracking! Cost: Free or a paid version for $5-$8 per month for upgraded versions.

Quickbooks: If you're already using Quickbooks Self Employed, make your life simple and use their included tracker app at no extra charge. Bonus Feature: It integrates beautifully if you're already using the software. Cost: Quickbooks Online Self Employed is $10 per month after, and there are usually promotions that offer 50% off for the first 3-6 months.

Wait! I haven't forgotten.

There are those of you who still prefer the old-school pen and paper. While I'm not advocating for it, I'm also not leaving you out. HERE is a free printable template to keep in your vehicle.

There are many other apps and programs to choose from that will help you with mileage tracking. The important part is to actually USE whichever method you choose, and make sure you are recording everything required by the tax man.

Happy motoring – Now get out there and show some houses!

Original Content Written By – Amanda Behm, Real Estate Digital Assistant Copyright 2018 ©