Breakups are never easy…but sometimes they are necessary. It’s difficult to navigate, but this has become a classic case of it’s not me, it’s you. You have lost your growth mindset. That creativity that was the catalyst for our initial attraction is gone.
There were always promises that you were going to work on your collaborative nature, but after 10 years the promises have remained empty. This isn’t how I wanted this to go…but you’ve forced me to make a decision. So this is it, BoomTown…it’s time we parted ways.
Ok, a little dramatic, I know. And don’t worry; your BoomTown accounts aren’t getting shut down any time soon. But, with BoomTown’s recent announcement of being acquired by KV Core there has been an impact to their future roadmap for innovation.
To put it bluntly, BoomTown will no longer be developing or improving the product. In the world of tech you must innovate or you die. I suspect that the acquisition means that the user base for BT will be asked to merge over to KV Core. The writing is kind of on the wall.
So with an inevitable transition on the horizon, we must make a choice. With choice comes opportunity. We now have an opportunity to switch CRM platforms and upgrade capabilities with new tech.
Our two core decision-making questions remain the same:
Does this elevate the experience for our clients?
Does this add to the success of our agents?
The new CRM must answer both of these questions with a resounding “yes”.
Months ago, when we got wind of BT’s probable acquisition, I asked Billy and Julia to research multiple CRMs. We wanted to look at it from the lens of the agent…not just from an operational lens.
Their mission was to select our new CRM and clearly show how it will allow our agents to be more efficient and convert faster. (i.e. Elevate the Experience)
Side note: This is a good business practice in general. Your business will grow exponentially when you stop looking at things with the lens of What’s in it for me?? Instead answer the question, What’s in it for them?
After boatloads of research and testing, we’ve arrived at a decision. Starting next month we’ll be making the transition over to Follow Up Boss (FUB). Some of you are familiar with FUB from early Zillow Offers days.
The transition will be done in stages, of which we’ll provide more details and timelines at Tuesday’s All Agent Meeting. Please don’t stop your activities in BT. Most of the activities will transition over as part of our migration process. Let’s not get bogged down in those details quite yet.
Let’s first focus on how FUB will make your life easier. Here are a few key differences between FUB and BT. We will also be digging into each one of these features in more granularity at the All Agent Meeting on Tuesday.
No more logging into multiple Boomtown platforms. All lead sources can be managed from one account.
Streamline Communication. Emails to clients from your Gmail account will be recorded in FUB.
Built-in single line dialer.
No opt out option on text messages.
Direct connection with PA app.
Sub agents can be assigned rather than adding them as a listing agent.
The #1 factor for our decision to go with FUB is FUB’s ability to integrate with a range of other real estate tools and services. So let’s imagine for a minute what is possible with these integrations and AI:
Let’s Imagine:
Never having to update the CRM with call notes.
Never having to update a CRM with the properties you showed.
Ranking your database by likelihood to transact scores. This will pull in their search patterns across Zillow.
Direct agent portal access for contract submissions. All of that is done through FUB giving you one less system to be.
We actually tested out the first bullet point over the last few weeks. Something that BT wouldn’t have the capability to accomplish. Let’s dive into what took place there…
The Past 30 Days in Review
I have this dream of creating a platform and tech stack that allows our team members to close 50 deals with the same amount of effort that it takes to do 25. AI is the key to this.
Recently we tested a ChatGPT plugin that will “listen” to an initial Flex call. (I know, kind of creepy but also super cool) We asked the AI to do the following:
Transcribe the call
Summarize the key points of the call. With FUB we believe that we can import this summary into the lead profile and automatically update PA.
Determine if an appointment was set. We think that eventually AI can schedule the appointment for you via Showingtime and update FUB and PA.
Create actionable items from the call.
Generate a personalized follow-up text to send the client.
The results we received back from ChatGPT were promising. I would expect the same results if we handed these tasks off to a genius 8th grader.
Super helpful in collecting the thoughts but lacking some life experience to be dialed in. Make no mistake though, with the compounding effect of data that genius 8th grader will soon be middle-aged.
Must-See Content
Check out the pics and video from our awards night!
Photobooths:
Video Link:
I live in my calendar…and like you certain important appointments would get bumped for those that are more urgent. Motion helps with time blocking and appt scheduling.
Must-Read Book
This is the book I’m currently reading. A thought-provoking and discussion worthy read. It challenges the earn, save and maximize wealth model. It has made me reflect on how my family spends money and how experiences should trump possessions.
Must-See Articles
I remain acutely aware of the implications this lawsuit could have on the way real estate agents are compensated. Billy and I are very much in front of industry insiders making sure we are prepared if/when the time comes.
One certain outcome from this lawsuit, there will be a party that wins and a party that loses. Whoever loses will appeal the decision, trust me. There is far too much money at stake for anything other than an appeal. We have 2 years to begin to prepare ourselves to negotiate buyer agent compensation. I’ll talk on this topic briefly at the All Agent Meeting. (click on the photo to read the article.)
FHA announced the approval of the 40 year mortgage to help drive down monthly payments.
(click on the photo for the news.)
Not to be too salesy, but I tried to think of a song that embodied our transition to FUB and this is what I came up with. (Perfect song selection is not a talent I possess)
(click to listen.)
Quote of the Month
“Life’s most persistent and urgent question is ‘What are you doing for others?’” –Martin Luther King Jr.
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