Business Technology: Spotting sales trends

TRENT FINLAY:Bulding a relationship for life with clients depends on good technlogy.

Thought buying a house was a headache? Imagine what it feels like on the other side of the transaction, processing hundreds of sales every year?

Surviving today's fluctuations in the real estate market requires agents to be ever more resourceful, responsive and possess that crucial edge over competitors.

Prior to a recent technology investment, Lodge Real Estate's Flagstaff branch in Hamilton faced a number of issues including trying to supply up-to-the-minute information to clients and vendors.
The raw material ranged from large hard-covered books, to paper notes stuck on spikes.
The information was there, but the company didn't have a system that could capture it or allow timely access.

Trent Finlay, sales manager of the Flagstaff branch, knew a centrally controlled database was essential if the company wanted to improve customer service and stay ahead of competitors.

In May 2004 the company invested in Microsoft Office Outlook 2003 with Business Contact Manager, and since then has achieved the centralisation of their information and enhanced the personal element of their business interactions with customers.

"Our approach to client management now has so many more dimensions,'' Finlay says.

"When we do a contract we can capture all the relevant details of the purchase, the solicitor, and all the clients' personal details for future reference in one place. This history is now permanently attached to the client and will appear each time they contact us.

"For us, it's about having clients for life, it's not about closing the deal and moving on. By using Outlook 2003 and Business Contact Manager we're building a history with our clients, giving them a trustworthy and familiar partner for their real estate requirements."

By taking the information from their new database, the branch has also spotted interesting sales trends, helping them to refocus their business.