Introduction

In 1992, anthropologist Robin Dunbar famously suggested that humans could only manage about 150 meaningful relationships. However, some real estate agents can easily handle several thousand relationships without forgetting a name or which sports their clients’ children play. So, how do agents maintain that many connections? It’s not the agents themselves, but the tools they use. When an agent uses a real estate CRM, they can nurture thousands of genuine connections.

I wrote this book to help new real estate agents succeed in their first year. The key is understanding how consistent use of a CRM can lead to more closings. If you’re just starting as an agent, you might not know what a CRM is or why you should use one. This book explains the features of a real estate CRM and its benefits. These include helping you stay organized and connected with your prospects and past clients.

For over two decades (since 2004), my team and I have been creating and selling Realty Juggler Real Estate CRM Real Estate CRM Real Estate CRM, a software organizer designed just for real estate. During that time, we have helped over 150,000 agents stay organized. I have identified patterns and systems that winning agents leverage to gain an edge. This book is the collective wisdom from those many years of helping agents get the most out of their real estate CRM.

Some agents think using a CRM is hard. What’s hard is the hundreds of steps necessary to take a prospect from that first meeting through to closing. If anything goes wrong along the way, you may not get paid. Yet many agents try to manage everything in their heads, or with just a few notes scribbled on a pad of paper. Using a real estate CRM helps you systematize the lead incubation and closing process. By tracking your deal pipeline, you can better predict your income stream. This also means you can improve your processes over time, delegate tasks, and become more efficient. So, instead of feeling like you won the lottery at closing, it will feel like another day at the office. Your goal is to make attending a closing as routine as brushing your teeth, and using a CRM can help you to achieve this.

This book is the first in a two-part series. The first book, Real Estate CRM Secrets (the one you’re reading now), is aimed at new agents or those who haven’t yet started using a CRM. The second book, Real Estate CRM Mastery, is designed for experienced agents who want to improve their real estate CRM skills and covers more advanced topics. The second book builds on the progress made in the first, showing you how to scale your operations through automation and networking. This enables you to bring on an assistant to build your practice. Together, these books offer a clear, sustainable framework for growing your business in a predictable way. While many agents rely on hard work and luck for success, these two books guide you to achieve success through organization, automation, and strategic planning.

In this first book, I will start by helping you choose a CRM that fits your needs and showing you how to avoid common pitfalls. We next cover core features, including contact management, lead follow-up, tasks, and appointments. I will teach you practical methods and systems for using your CRM to acquire and follow up with prospects, and how your CRM will help you close your deals. You will also learn how to use a CRM to build referrals and repeat business by staying in contact with past clients. By the end of this book, you will be well-equipped to have a successful first year in real estate.

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