The Perth property market is renowned for its record-breaking price spikes, supply and demand imbalances, and chronic rental shortages. Working in this fiercely competitive market can take its toll, with real estate agents often finding themselves working extra hours to stay one step ahead of the competition.
This was the case for Paul Parkinson of Mint Real Estate. He used to work incredibly long hours – arriving at the office early in the morning and sometimes not getting home until 10pm. Having learned the hard way that there’s no longevity in that approach, he decided to do something about it.
Since making the switch to Realtair, Paul has reclaimed precious hours to spend with his family. An added bonus? The platform has transformed how he connects with clients and is helping him win more deals. Here, he shares how Realtair has changed his working life.
Involving clients from the get-go like this is a classic sales technique, and it works. Clients gain a sense of ownership over the selling process, which in turn makes them feel more attached to it. As Paul says, “My conversion rate is so much better now. I don’t have to jump over as many hurdles, which is great.
“Like any working parent, my days are busy. I’ve got three kids, and I help with the school runs, the pickups and the sport. With all of that, plus work, you’ve got to be more effective with your time,” says Paul.
Having been in the game for over 15 years, Paul decided about a year ago that change was in order. Instead of endless paperwork and manual follow-up of new prospects, he sought a more streamlined and simple approach to pitching, prospecting and preparing proposals. And he found what he was looking for with Realtair.
“Consider something like prospecting. Every real estate agent has to do it, all the time. You set aside a certain amount of time each day, you sit down and you get to work. If you’re doing it the old way, it takes so much time away from the other things in your life,” he says. “With Realtair, I can go to a café by the beach or overlooking the Swan River and send 20 Price Updates while I enjoy a coffee. That’s my prospecting done for the day.”
Using Realtair, Paul now sends a Price Update to every one of his clients every four months. At this cadence, he builds trust and rapport over the long term and stays top of mind with prospective sellers – so that, when they want to sell their property, it’s him they call.Â
“Realtair makes the process of sending Price Updates via SMS simple. I get a reminder of when a customer’s Price Update is due and, bam, I send it out. The next day, I follow up with a phone call – which often opens up new conversations,” says Paul.
The open rate for Paul’s Price Updates is around 90-95%, which he is super impressed at. “People are time-poor nowadays. I can send a fully interactive update to their phone, and they can easily click through the pictures while they’re having lunch or a coffee. Boom. Then, I can see how many times they open it – which helps me gauge where they’re at in their moving process.”
The ability to perform a property appraisal alongside a client, in real time, has also been a game-changer for Paul. “Using Realtair, I’m now starting to do proposals in front of my client – we sit down together, discuss the marketing, and talk through fees. It’s almost like they appraise their own property based on the evidence I show them,” he explains.
Once the client is happy with the proposal, Paul can take them straight to the next step in the process and get the documents signed on the spot, too. This immediacy, coupled with the simplicity of electronic signing, increases both the speed and likelihood of closing deals.
Not only does Realtair give Paul more time to spend with his kids, but it also helps him get work done more cost-effectively, too. “The value you get from Realtair – when compared to the cost outlay – is nuts. For the same price as doing one flyer drop through my suburb, I get a yearly subscription to Realtair. And there’s so much more you can do with the platform than what a flyer could do for your business,” says Paul.
“Realtair is honestly a no-brainer, both from a value and time-savings standpoint. In today’s property market, I can’t understand why anyone wouldn’t use it,” says Paul.
Are you ready to leverage tech to your advantage when prospecting?
See how other real estate agents are getting ahead with Realtair.
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