Spotted on MarketingCharts.com: The biggest mistakes companies make with their consumers. Scanning the article and the chart, I couldn't help wondering how many real estate agents were making these mistakes. And then I had an epiphany – most of these mistakes could be avoided quite simply, by leveraging the right technology.

The Problems

You should definitely read the Marketing Charts article. But here are the mistakes that really stood out to me:

• Responding to enquiries too slowly
• Receiving information that is inaccurately targeted
• Treating you with a one-size-fits-all approach
• Receiving little to no communication
• Inaccurately tailored communication

The Solutions

The solution to these marketing problems isn't a technology built for marketing. In my opinion, the solutions (there are two) you need are a CRM and a transaction management tool. Here's why:

• CRM. If all you have is a list of email addresses without any deeper information about the individuals on the list, you're in for trouble. You should split your audience into smaller groups based on their unique characteristics and then target marketing materials to each group. How are you going to do that if all you have is an email address? A good CRM will help you remember the important facts about each customer/lead and allow you to categorize them appropriately.
• Transaction management. In the context of the problems I mentioned above, the most important element of a transaction management tool is creating tasks, calendaring them, and providing reminders so that you actually complete them. If you use your transaction management tool properly, you'll never again fail to respond to a lead or follow-up with a prospect.

A great marketing tool wouldn't hurt here, either. But you need a CRM and transaction management solution running in the background for your marketing technology to do its best.

Now, of course I'm thinking of my own technology: EZ Coordinator. It fits the bill perfectly! We integrate lead management, CRM and transaction management functionality so that no detail slips through the cracks. We also provide email marketing campaigns for keeping new prospects engaged. And, because we have an open platform, you can create unlimited custom task lists to help you manage your to-dos – whether they're the nuts and bolts of an open transaction or the touch points of nurturing a lead.

You can learn more about EZ Coordinator at www.ezcoordinator.com