I vividly remember the moment when I first heard the term CRM. It was shortly after I joined a smaller real estate firm, and my mentor asked me which CRM I used. Confused, I admitted that I didn’t know what she meant. She then clarified by asking where I stored my list of leads and contacts. That’s when I realized that my phone was essentially serving as my CRM.

In many traditional brokerages, agents are provided with a CRM as part of their services. Luckily, in my current brokerage, we have an exclusive CRM tailored specifically for our agents, and it’s completely free! I still prefer to use my own CRM. As I gained more experience in the industry, I learned an important lesson:  What  I put into my database is under my control and can be leveraged for business growth.

Now let’s dive into what exactly a CRM is and why it’s crucial for real estate professionals. A CRM, or Customer Relationship Management system, is a tool designed to help agents efficiently organize and manage contacts, leads, and interactions. It acts as the foundation of your business by providing a centralized platform to store client information, track communication history, schedule follow-ups, and more. Essentially, a CRM empowers you to build stronger relationships with clients and prospects while streamlining your workflow.

I must admit that even after understanding what a CRM was conceptually, it still felt like nothing more than a digital phone book filled with contact information to me initially. However, during my time on an elite real estate team (which ironically ended up being short-lived), I truly grasped the power of utilizing a CRM effectively.

During this period with the team, they stressed the importance of maximizing the potential of our CRM. They taught me how to effectively manage leads, keep track of communication history with clients and nurture relationships over time. It became clear that the CRM wasn’t just about organization; it was also about boosting productivity and driving business growth.

With their guidance and utilizing the various features within the CRM, we were able to streamline our workflow and automate tasks like follow-ups and email marketing campaigns. This enabled us to maintain constant communication with clients and prospects without sacrificing personalization.

After months of diligently attending morning meetings and making countless cold calls, honing my skills under the guidance of real estate experts, I found myself facing a new challenge. Suddenly, I was flying solo – no team to rely on, no daily meetings to keep me accountable, and most importantly, no database or CRM to streamline my operations.

Without dwelling on my loss, I immediately took action and devised a plan based on the lessons I learned in Real Estate Graduate School. My first step was to find the right tools for my journey, starting with a CRM – the foundation of any successful real estate venture. Thus began my four-month search for the perfect CRM.

I embarked on this quest, hoping to find a CRM similar to what I had used before. The options seemed endless, and it felt overwhelming. Determined not to miss any potential gems, I tried them all – some even multiple times. It became comical how often I reached the end of one free trial only to realize that I had already moved on to another platform or accidentally signed up for one I was still using.

I explored CRMs with flashy features and customizable dashboards that promised automation upon automation.

Then there were those enticing “Free” CRMs which turned out not to be so free after all. They tricked you into purchasing multiple user licenses even if you were just a lone operator. Sure, someone else may have covered those extra users’ costs, but calling it “free” seemed like quite the stretch.

I had finally found a CRM that I considered almost perfect. It had everything I needed to succeed, except for one feature that required an expensive upgrade. After careful thought, I decided to live without that particular feature for now. What really mattered to me were the customizable aspects of the CRM: the ability to organize leads, vendors, and partners using labels and tags; distinguishing between hot and cold leads; seamless integration with email and calendar systems; mapping capabilities; phone dialing functionality; and a reliable mobile app for on-the-go usage. These were my must-have requirements, even though there was always something missing.

That all changed one Saturday afternoon when I found myself alone in my townhome, browsing through Google search results. And then it happened – Salesmate CRM caught my eye. How had I not discovered this during my four-month-long search? Intrigued but committed to another CRM at the time, I began examining its features one by one. To my astonishment, it met every single requirement on my checklist. It felt surreal – had my obsession with CRMs driven me mad? Had I somehow fallen out of a window into an alternate reality? Where had Salesmate been hiding all this time? Why did it take four months of searching?

Determined not to overlook any potential catch or gimmick, I delved deeper into Salesmate’s offerings. But there was no catch – no exorbitant price tag akin to college tuition fees. Salesmate was surprisingly affordable even for starting from scratch agents like myself. Its features were robust and comprehensive: customizable dashboards, tags and labels for efficient categorization of contacts, color-coded lists for easy differentiation, the ability to schedule or manually send up to 500 emails per day along with sequences for email campaigns, task reminders and filtered notifications allowing users full control over their workflow. I could go on and on, but I must leave some space on the web for others.

One thing is for certain, the CRM, I have affectionately labeled “The Perfect CRM. Meets all of my needs and has enhanced my real estate career.

I would like to conclude my personal experience with Salesmate CRM by highlighting their most important feature – their exceptional customer support. The Salesmate CRM support team goes above and beyond to provide a personalized experience that feels like having your own dedicated IT team. Whether you reach out for assistance through chat, video calls, or phone, they take the time to understand and resolve your issues. Even if you are not tech-savvy, they patiently explain everything in the best way possible.

One particular member of the support team, whom I shall call Vasa, to protect his anonymity stands out for his expertise and dedication and the patience he has with me. It almost seems like he has an engineering and an interdisciplinary degree as he effortlessly addresses any concerns I may have, no matter how trivial they may be. However, it’s not just Vasa who exhibits professionalism; every person on the support team has been incredibly helpful throughout my journey with Salesmate CRM.

The value of such outstanding customer support cannot be understated. No price or feature can replace the peace of mind that comes from knowing there is a reliable and knowledgeable team ready to assist you whenever needed. With Salesmate CRM’s exceptional customer support, I feel confident in my decision to choose them as my trusted CRM for success in the real estate industry.