RISMEDIA, July 5, 2008-There are so many ways brokers and agents communicate with their clients these days: e-mail, text messaging, and of course, the phone. And while they’re so busy keeping in contact with their buyers and sellers, it’s inevitable that something may get lost-communication with each other. Continuing in our six-part Viewpoints series, this week, Lyndon Burrell, senior marketing manager, Professional Services Vertical Markets for Research In Motion (RIM), says now that it’s more important than ever to keep agents up to speed; the secret to doing so is all about communication-plain and simple.
Lyndon Burrell
Senior Marketing Manager, Professional Services
Vertical Markets
Research In Motion (RIM)
www.BlackBerry.com
Henry Ford once said, “Coming together is a beginning. Keeping together is progress. Working together is success.”
Creating a team is not always an easy road; but the idea is a simple one. You all sign on together to find ways to increase business through teamwork. Staying together can also have its bumps, but again perseverance will keep the group working together to improve lead management and build relationships-both interpersonal and with clients. The true test, it would seem, is working together. How does a team do its best work? How is it most productive?
Communication. Clear, consistent and concise. Communication is the foundation that a thriving team will build on. There was a time that communication could happen over the phone or in meetings. That time is gone. Communication today means the ability to share the most important information as it is available. The term “real-time” gets bandied about quite a bit, but real-time communication is truly driving business.
Technology is clearly helping mold this new era of communication. Wireless devices have driven e-mail and text messaging to the forefront of communications and created an opportunity and demand for accurate, current information. In today’s market, teams can go days, even weeks, without being in the same room together. Smartphones, with their ability to facilitate verbal and written communication, allow immediate sharing of information and collaboration-keeping the team spirit alive, even when team members are dispersed.
Teams that take advantage of this technology will find real competitive advantages. Wireless communication allows team members to share positive experiences as they are happening, seek immediate assistance from colleagues when trying to find a solution to a problem, and be the first in line for new leads. This is a world where opportunity can be realized in a matter of minutes.
As we move beyond e-mail, we start to use technology to give unmatched value; not just to clients, but to team members as well. Smartphones can be used to build databases of important client information, share expertise and offer mentorship to new team members, keep track of documents, and manage schedules and appointments.
The support for truly mobilizing teams through wireless technology is also evident beyond the brokerage. MLS providers are optimizing their websites for access via the small screen of the smartphone, and lockbox providers are adapting their technologies so that they can be opened and monitored by smartphones.
Smartphones, and the solutions available for them, have become the must-have tools for a team that wants the most effective way of working together, of building real estate teams that meet the increasing requirements for faster response to clients, collaboration with colleagues and providing remote access to fresh information necessary to move business forward and build team unity.
Next week, Bill Lublin, CEO, CENTURY 21 Advantage Gold, offers his take, noting that “daily interaction is key.”
To read Part 1 of the series, click here.
