You Say You’re "Always Available" -- Is That Really True?

Often when we come across marketing that agents send out about themselves, or speak with our clients about the types of message they want to convey, we encounter this idea of "always being available." I get it. In order to portray the idea that your clients' and prospects' needs come above anything else, you need to state this.

Is there a problem with this? Frankly, yes. Don't get me wrong--for current clients that you are involved in transactions with, you can pull this off. They have your cell number, they call you--no matter if it's morning, noon, night or weekend--and you answer. This what you should do.

But what if you don't recognize the number because it's from a prospective client that ran across one of your listing signs, found you on Google, got your farming postcard, or maybe is a referral from someone else? Suddenly that message of, "I'm available at any time you need me" doesn't hold much water. Clearly, you can see how it's not such a great idea to start off a potential working relationship by giving out misinformation. What's more is that, with technology, we are an "always on" society, so you truly CANNOT afford to not give some sort of immediate gratification to a prospective client or referral.

Enter a great little calendar tool called You Can Book Me. For as little as FREE (yes, free), you can start using their service to help you be as "always on" as possible with all your potential clients.

The long and short of how it works is described in this quick video:

So How Does This Work for Agents?

If you've asked that question, have no fear. I wouldn't show you a technology tool without giving you some real-life examples of how to use it. Here are a few great ways you can use this tool with your real estate practice:

1) Use it as a listing tool with potential listing clients

We all know that in a listing presentation, giving a homeowner every bell, whistle and assurance that you are going to do everything possible to sell their home for top dollar is critical to you getting that listing over competitors.

Having a tool that interested parties can use to schedule showings (as the video showed, restricted to your time windows) is a great way to show a homeowner how, even when you are away from the office or asleep, interested parties can queue up to check out and possibly put an offer on their listing.

2) Embed it on your website to let prospects schedule listing/buying consultations

This is a no-brainer. Unless you have a chat client on your website and it's always on, on your mobile device, and you never sleep, it makes no sense why you wouldn't have this. The calendar updates in real-time. Any interested party can immediately schedule time with you. Not only that, the system will send them a text message reminder before your meeting, giving you assurance that they will actually show up. This makes you truly "on," 24-7.

3) Use it as a tool before an open house to get neighbors to schedule time for you to walk through their homes so you can give them onsite evaluations

Do you ever send out cards before an open house? Of course you do. Why not put a call to action on those cards, setting aside 2-3 hours before the open house to do onsite home evaluations of other neighbors' homes in the area that may be considering selling?

This is not only a convenient way for them to schedule time to see you, BUT you can pre-book some of the time out to where they'll want to jump in and get their evaluation time reserved before all the blocks are taken up. It's a great way to get in front of more of the neighbors where your listing is located.

So there you have it. This great application will sync with your Google Calendar, Mac Calendar and even things like our LeadingAgent Cloud Based Real Estate CRM, ensuring you truly are available to your prospects and clients, any and every time they need to get with you.

To view the original article, visit the Leading Agent blog.