November 15, 2012
It’s no secret that consumers are looking for instant gratification. One could even say we are groomed to act in such a manner. Ron Alsop, writer and editor for The Wall Street Journal, wrote an article titled, “Gotta Have it Now, Right Now”. Alsop explains all the different outlets from which the craving for instant gratification is nurtured within current society. Examples spread from on-demand movies, scratch tickets, cosmetic marketers promising “instant facelifts” and so on. To most people, waiting is a waste of time, a feeling that technology only accentuates (Alsop 2011).
The question, is how do we conduct business in this “right now” society? Gone are the days where upset consumers wrote a letter to the complaint department and waited for a response. With the internet at our fingertips, it’s easy for an unsatisfied consumer to move from one product to the next without hesitation.
We need to capture the attention of consumers and not let them click through our website and go to a competitor’s site instead. When a consumer fills out a Request More Information form on a home listed on our site, we need to first be thinking about engagement. Engagement from this perspective means responding quickly, with quality answers, and a personalized experience.
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May 14, 2012
(Retweet this article!) It’s springtime – a time when buyers and sellers start emerging from their winter slumber. This seems especially true this year with the low prices and lower interest rates we’re seeing in the real estate market.
Warren Buffett proclaimed that this is the time to buy real estate and many of our members are seeing a wave of buyer demand already. In fact, Enterprise Network member Charles Reinhart Company Realtors saw home sales for this January and February increase by 46% compared to 2011! Ebby Halliday Realtors has also blogged about the increase in sales year over year and Wright Kingdom Real Estate has also seen a rise in home sales.
With home sales on the rise, people are beginning to change their attitude towards buying a house. In order for your agents to cater to the needs of their buyers and sellers, it is critical to have a good system in place for handling the leads coming in from your website.
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November 22, 2011
At our 2011 Active Enterprise Network Annual Conference Stephanie Streeter, Active’s ROI and LifeCycle Manager, unveiled one of our newest products – Agent LifeCycle. Currently scheduled to be released to Enterprise Network members in 2012, Agent LifeCycle will provide agents with an efficient platform for communicating with their customers.
We understand that agents lead very busy lives, so having a system that allows them to stay connected and organized is crucial to their success. Agent LifeCycle was developed to do just this through features like contact management, lead development, sales tracking and marketing that can be personalized to each agent and their individual needs.
It was key that this new product be beneficial to all agents regardless of their technology proficiency level, so when developing the interface we took both personalization and ease of use into account. For ease of access, the Agent LifeCycle program will be launched already fully integrated within the Enterprise Network Admin Dashboard.
Agent LifeCycle is currently in live beta testing and phased releases will start in early 2012. Additional features of this new product include:
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August 25, 2011
Enterprise Network member, The Group, Inc. Real Estate, has recently implemented Active Website’s recommended First Responder Program in an effort to increase their eBusiness initiatives. The First Responder Program helps start the dialogue between the customer and brokerage quickly and efficiently and also helps to avoid situations where leads are lost due to delays in response time.
Studies show that consumers investigating real estate online will visit as many as five different sites. A brokerage that responds within 3-5 minutes is 239% more likely to win the business. By implementing an inquiry management system which includes a dedicated team member responsible for responding to all inquiries, brokerages are better able to monitor and track inquiries and provide better customer service to potential buyers and sellers.
The Group, Inc. made the decision to change their existing business rule structure to the First Responder Program after learning about Skogman Realty’s success with a similar format. While inquiries on Skogman’s agent websites are routed directly to the site’s owner, all other inquiries are initially reviewed and responded to by their eBusiness department. This allows consumers to receive a quick response which agents are not always able to provide while on-the-go, and helps to standardize the brand experience. (more…)
February 22, 2011
Active Website is pleased to announce our newest addition to the Active Website family, Stephanie Streeter. Stephanie joins us as the former Enterprise Coordinator (EC) for Smith & Associates Real Estate and will be taking over our LifeCycle and ROI Manager position. Stephanie received her Bachelor of Fine Art degree from the International Academy of Design and Technology and has experience in sales, recruiting, real estate web technology and project management.
The LifeCycle and ROI Manager position, driven by Network members, is crucial to the evolution of our platform and maximizing The Network’s Return on Investment. Responsibilities for this role include working with each Enterprise member to develop comprehensive ROI analysis reports, monthly updates on ROI progress and detailed reports on closed business. The position also supports the Active Partner Program and manages LifeCycle, our inquiry management system. (more…)
