Dear Mr. Internet,

I want to use a contact manager that I can access through the Internet so it is accessible from anywhere. However, the ones I've checked out all seem to have a steep learning curve, and I just don't have the time to learn it well enough to use any of them to their full extent -- what do you suggest?

Bill Hetrick
RE/MAX Alliance
Jackson, MS

Dear Bill,

First of all, congratulations on making the commitment to incorporate a contact manager into your business. The real estate sales industry has become so complex, and competitive, that staying on top of your game is very difficult without this kind of resource. Also, you are smart in leaning toward the web-based versions. In addition to being accessible from anywhere, this approach provides the answer to your learning curve conundrum.

Let The Experts Run It

Imagine if you were to build a brand new house and your contractor pointed to the pile of material and tools you needed to get the job done and says to you, "There you go, it's all yours!" You would think he was crazy not to provide the tradesmen (i.e. experts) to use the tools and materials to build the house for you. The same applies when you consider all the different tools we have at our disposal as salespeople to build our business. The key to success here is to let the experts run the tools for you.

Top Producer 7i is the web-based version of this very popular real estate contact manager. Even though it is run through a web browser, it has most (if not all) the functionality of the version that you can install on your PC. Unfortunately, it has much of the same learning curve as well. Because it is web-based, this opens up the possibility of having an expert (i.e. Virtual Assistant) run it for you remotely.

For example, an agent recently hired REVA Teams (a team-based real estate virtual assistant support company) to set up and run his contact management system for him as follows:

Situation -- Client needed a solution to follow up with leads from his website over a six to eight week period for top of mind marketing. This will be used to showcase how he keeps in touch with prospects, as he creates a marketing proposal for a 50-unit building development.

Software -- Top Producer 7i

Problem -- E-mails need to be sent out weekly, and need to be individualized for different types of prospects such as:

• If the prospect needs to rent, they do not receive any letters.

• If the prospect is working with a specific agent, they only get the first letter in the series.
• If the maximum price of the home they are looking at is less than $100,000, they receive first letter only.

Keying off of the time frames located on the form they filled out:

• "Immediately" gets the first two letters.

• "30 days" gets the first two letters.

• "2-3 months" gets the first three letters.

• "4-6 months" gets all six letters.

• "More than 6 months" gets all six letters.

If a prospect unsubscribes at any time through the campaigns, emails to stop immediately.

All emails will follow applicable email rules (double opt out, etc.)

Solution -- Agent has his virtual team do the following tasks to initially setup and execute the above plan remotely using Top Producer 7i:

• Help create verbiage and information with agent for all letters.

• Create different contact types for the different prospects.

• Develop document for assistant to follow as she calls the leads, knowledge of contact type they are so that she can put them in the right field which automatically flags.

• Start action plan depending on what kind of prospect.

• Add letters into Top Producer 7i.

• Create action plans utilizing letters above which the virtual team adds onto individual prospects, according to the rules above which automatically send the right letters to each contact.

• Track leads monthly to determine ROI.

Do you see how powerful a well thought out, comprehensive and consistently executed contact management system can be for your business? And because the contact management system used was web-based, all this effort was able to be done offsite, saving the sales associate a great deal of time and money. Yet, without the help of expert virtual talent, the above would intimidate even the most dedicated sales associate, rendering a great money-making idea impractical.

NOTE: Keep in mind that web-based contact management systems may require a separate license for each party that uses it, which means that if you use a VA to run your system you may have to purchase a license for them as well.

Don't Pay Top Dollar For Amateur Results

Any time you do something outside your core competency (i.e. sales, listing, negotiating, etc.) you are paying top dollar for amateur results. Or worse, the job simply doesn't get done at all. Whether it's contact management, online lead tracking or drip mail systems, it is much better to let a pro consistently run these tools and systems, so you are freed up to do what you do best!

Published: April 22, 2005

Use of this article without permission is a violation of federal copyright laws.

Michael J. Russer (a.k.a. Mr. Internet®) is an internationally acclaimed speaker, trainer, author, and strategic consultant to the real estate industry and small business. He is also the exclusive Internet columnist for REALTOR® Magazine, the architect of the revolutionary e-ProductivityTM system and leading voice for the use of Virtual Assistants in small business. You can subscribe to his free monthly leading-edge newsletter ePOWER NEWS by going to ePowerNews.com.