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Adopting digital solutions in real estate: the pitfalls to avoid

Real-Estate CRM Sales Marketing
July 17, 2021

Whether you are following up on new sales and marketing strategies or you want to attract the interest of new buyers through stunning virtual visits, real estate developers who want to make the transition to digital solutions to facilitate the sale of their properties must absolutely involve their team to ensure the technology is used efficiently and effectively, optimizing the agency’s work.

In general, technology is designed to simplify our work, but this is only possible if certain conditions are met. One condition is that all the team members must have the same understanding of what the tool can bring as added value to the company and each person must take full ownership of it so that it harmonizes well with the existing strategies. Without that, even the best technologies would end up being ineffective, so unnecessary spending in the budget, which is far from desirable.

Therefore, if you are planning to use a digital solution for the sale of your future real estate projects and you want to guarantee its success, it is key to consider, first and foremost, the pitfalls to avoid.

Being reluctant because of past experiences

For some developers, adopting new management software requires significant changes in their approach and this complicates its adoption, especially if other unsuccessful attempts have been made in the past. Whether it was because a team was using outdated software that had been imposed on them for years or a CRM had never been properly integrated into the sales process of a new project, no matter the reason, you should never let bad experiences dissuade you from integrating technology into your current practices.

It goes without saying that there are still so-called more traditional methods in the field of real estate, partly because the construction industry is rather conservative and it is easy to stay in old habits, but it is important to stay in the race by following the new trends of digitalizing the customer’s experience. Indeed, it is necessary to be on the lookout because home buyers are constantly evolving in terms of how they interact with the world, including how they research, make decisions and buy real estate. Therefore, it is essential to ensure your sales efforts work in line with the new personalized technologies, as they must meet the requirements of buyers regarding their digital experience.

Thinking that creating your own digital solution is the best option

It is possible that some real estate developers believe that the new digital solutions offered on the market are not suitable for them, either because of lack of knowledge or as mentioned above, due to a negative past experience with outdated software. This could lead them to believe, incorrectly, that building a platform internally is the best option. While this is a possible avenue, it is certainly not the best one.

Indeed, it goes without saying that you will save time and money by using a platform that already exists, because it will most likely cover the majority of your sales and marketing needs. Only after you have gone through it and tested it out will you be able to make some changes, together with your sales team, to customize it if necessary.

So, yes, you can design your own digital solution to sell real estate projects, and some real estate developers will risk doing that, but in terms of the energy that goes into creating it, maintaining it, and updating it, it will inevitably result in a considerable waste of time and money that can and should be easily invested elsewhere.

It should be noted that software such as that offered by Onyx Technologies is a solid starting point. In addition, the team is always open to ideas or external collaborations regarding improving sales and marketing strategies.

Taking for granted that the proposed tools will be adopted by your team as if by magic

When new tools are introduced, you may think that it will be easy to let your team members deal with reading manuals or viewing user tutorials and that they will be able to learn and integrate the tool into their daily tasks without training. This myth could lose you both time and money!

As with all new tools, you need a good integration plan so that your team can make full use of the tool in question, day in and day out. Training is therefore a key element in this type of implementation, as it will ensure that each team member learns how to use the software at their own pace.

To achieve this, it is important to ask questions during the software demonstrations to be sure that it meets your specific real estate requirements. This will also allow you to ensure that there is, if necessary, support to help you in this transition. That’s exactly what Onyx Technologies offers and more.

In short, when you introduce new software to your team members, it is important to have a good integration plan otherwise some team members may be left flailing, unsure how to use the software, which would inevitably lead to unnecessary frustration and further costs. Like any tool, the software is the best option only if users know what they are doing and why they are doing it.

Conclusion

Here’s what you need to remember to avoid the easy pitfalls when you want to buy a real estate CRM: show openness by leaving aside the bad experiences of the past and by using an already existing digital platform which can then be customized if necessary. Do not forget to plan for the tool’s implementation so that it is exploited to its full potential by all the members in a team.