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Mine the gold in your data
The best place to start is with what you already have – which might seem like a problem in itself. How to make sense of all the data you’ve built up – client calls and notes, enquiry and viewing logs, portal data, spreadsheet records...
But with leading CRM providers like Reapit, managing your data efficiently has never been easier. When you can easily segment your contacts by portfolio size, area and more, you can filter that data to uncover and target commonly overlooked profitable opportunities, such as investors converting properties into rentals.
Tom Ward, Director at Aspire Estate Agents, shares how this strategy has worked for his business: “Reapit will help you identify these opportunities and bring them to the forefront so that your negotiators can maximise them, whether it’s a cross sale, up-selling, bringing a new property to market, or a valuation.”
For Darren Moore, Residential Lettings Manager at Bentons, Reapit’s robust reporting capabilities means, “I can identify new areas and new contacts to further build on the business we have already.”
Reapit also integrates with Homesearch, which has a tool called Re:Contact that helps agents know when and how to reach out to past buyers and sellers. For example, with Re:Contact, you can identify CRM contacts living near areas of recent successful transactions, or ones who have a property anniversary coming up. This will make it easier to find new leads or reconnect with old ones.
Online communities
Platforms like Facebook, Reddit, and other social forums host thriving estate agency communities. LinkedIn, for example, lets you connect directly with potential clients or partners through personalised messages.
Facebook groups and other online communities can either be strictly for professional networking or open to the public – and sometimes a mix of both – so keep the types of members in mind to post high-value content.
While self-promotion is often discouraged in these groups, you can still build a reputation for being an active, helpful participant. Answer questions, share insights and be genuine in your contributions, so when someone needs an estate agent, your name is top of mind.
Events and organisations
Don’t overlook the value of good old-fashioned face-to-face networking.
Joshua Findlater, Head of Sales Operations at Reapit UK and a former estate agent, recommends attending a mix of large estate agent conferences and small investor meetups to maximise your reach.
Joining business networking organisations like your local chamber of commerce, Business Network International (BNI) or Entrepreneurs’ Organization can help you discover events of value to you.
Local clubs
Sometimes you need to step out of the estate agency bubble and into your community!
Join sports clubs and/or local clubs that align with your interests and become an active contributor. Shared hobbies create trust and organic connections that can naturally lead to business opportunities.
Similarly to online communities, focus on building genuine relationships – nobody likes a hard sell when they’re trying to enjoy their favourite pastime.
Charity work
Community involvement strengthens both your personal and professional reputation.
Participate in or even sponsor local initiatives like fun runs, food drives, or community clean-ups. These charity events often attract like-minded individuals who may remember your goodwill, should they need estate agency services in the future.
Agents Giving is a fantastic resource for property professionals looking to give back.
For Ben Gee, founder of Hat and Home, it's important that his agency “work with suppliers who share our vision outside of normal business practice.”
This philosophy led him to Reapit, which has been “absolutely brilliant at supporting our fundraising and our events as we raise money for Parkinson’s UK.”
Reapit empowers Hat and Home to unlock the full potential of their data: “We needed a system that can harvest data, identify potential opportunities for us, and make sure we give our teams the best chance to be effective at branch level and an individual level. The impact that Reapit has had on that end has been phenomenal.”
Stay consistent and persistent
Building a strong client database takes time, but PropTech can fast-track your progress.
With automation handling their rental admin, users of PayProp (a Reapit product) are freed up to grow their portfolios by more than 20% on average in their first full year of processing on the platform.
Reapit’s broad-based customers see similar results – Duncan Yeardley Estate Agents opened a second office and tripled their sales and lettings teams since joining the platform in 2017.
Experiment with these strategies, and you too could build a healthy client database and prospect pipeline that deliver real results.
