Pulse is a recurring column where we ask for readers’ takes on varying topics in a weekly survey and report back with our findings.
It’s probably one of the first pieces of tech you heard about when you became a real estate agent: The all-powerful, almighty CRM, capable of creating and sustaining businesses for the long haul when used properly. Some agents swear by them while others simply ignore them, letting them gather metaphorical dust among their brokerage’s tech stack.
This week, we asked (and boy, did you answer): Where do you stand on CRMs? Are they absolutely essential to running your business? Does your broker provide the latest and greatest, or do you provide your own? Do you make do with an Excel spreadsheet or forget the whole thing?
Here’s what you had to say:
- Indispensable (many duplicates of this response)
- Indispensable-ish
- Time-consuming
- Valuable but time-consuming
- Absolutely vital if you want to maximize your marketing buy
- Must-have. Data is everything!
- Depends on the CRM. Never use one provided by a brokerage because you lose ownership of any info you put into it
- Neutral
- Forget the whole thing
Now it’s your turn. Let us know your thoughts on CRMs in the comments below.