In many ways, the real estate industry is stuck in the stone ages and just beginning to break free of tradition. Cold calling, open houses, yard signs… things all realtors are familiar with. It doesn’t help that big firms like Keller Williams and Berkshire Hathaway make it their goal to recruit and churn out as many realtors as possible. All of these new recruits are put through the same cookie-cutter training program that teaches everyone to do the same things, use the same tools, even speak the same way (ever heard of scripts?).
The result is an industry filled with competition and lacking in innovation. A real red ocean.
So how, as realtors, do we stand out from the army of clones?
There are many answers to this question, but the one we are going to focus on in this article is technology. Specifically, how some new communication tools available can differentiate us from the majority of realtors out there who are still stuck in the 90’s.
The Old
Before we jump into some of the new, exciting stuff out there – let’s talk about the status quo: email, text, and phone calls. That’s it. Literally — while other industries expand their horizons through digital workspaces, robots, and artificial intelligence — we’re still stuck with email, text, and phone calls.
Well, why rock the boat if it works, you might ask?
And you’d be right. If it works, it works. The problem is that it’s not working anymore. Even though coronavirus restrictions have been lifted in many places, society has a long way to go from returning to times when open houses were packed with people eating cookies from open platters and closings ended with happy hand shakes. The world has changed, and we must change along with it if we want to survive.
The problem with email: it’s slow, blind, and frustrating. Have you ever waited, and waited, for a client to open an urgent email to the point where you send them a text asking them to check their email? Have you ever wondered if maybe they already checked it, but just haven’t responded? Then you think… well what does that mean? Do they still want to buy the house? Are they backing out? Additionally, there’s the frustration of attaching files – especially large ones like home tour videos and photos. 10 minutes… still loading… 20 minutes… still loading…30 minutes… Doesn’t it make you want to rip your hair out? (Or is that just me?)
And texting and phone calls are great when you can meet face-to-face. You use them primarly to schedule appointments where you can then develop rapport through handshakes and smiles. But what if you can no longer meet people in person? Then what?
The New
There are many amazing new communcation tools for realtors now that solve many of the problems presented by the old trio of emails, texts, and phone calls. I’m going to talk about my two favorite ones — AirSend and Zoom.
AirSend – the simple communication tool for realtors
AirSend is an all-in-one remote work tool that you can use to send messages, share and organize large files (like home tour videos and photos), write and keep notes, and track tasks. Its comprehensive capabilities make it the ultimate communication power tool. Plus things like read receipts, Office 365 integration, email integration, and unlimited channel creation give it a leg up on options like Slack and Microsoft Teams when it comes to working with clients.
Zoom – the best way to meet without meeting
Considered the standard way to video conference by most people, Zoom has taken great strides to becoming safe and even more user-friendly after security issues were unveiled. Using Zoom as a realtor helps us meet people face-to-face without actually meeting in person when not necessary. This is safer, more convenient, saves on gas money, and is much better than just texting or talking on the phone because you can actually see the other person, and they can see you.
Stepping into the Future
While a realtor’s job will most likely always include some amount of in-person meetings and showings, technology can help us cut down on the frustration and hassle of only using email, text, and phone calls. It can also help differentiate us from our ever increasing competition. So what are you waiting for? Give these new communication tools for realtors a try.