by David Depman
A good CRM system (Customer Relationship Management) is probably one of the most valuable systems that any small business can implement. It is a central repository for the company’s data input from the front lines, and in many cases can have more influence on the company and its organization than any other system, person or team.
An effective CRM system not only increases sales (in some studies by up to 29% over companies without), but also has a positive effect on customer retention, engagement, loyalty, payments, cash flow and more. The list is related to every conceivable facet of the business.
In the mortgage industry specifically, deep personal relationships are the foundation for success. It doesn’t really matter whether you are independent, a small office or a large firm, every mortgage professional relies on customer referrals and word of mouth. A CRM that can keep you informed, organized and efficient will allow you to keep your head in the game of selling and make your efforts more personal and productive.
Reasons to get CRM
Your excel is 100+ rows and columns – Lots of people start with excel. Lots of people use it far longer than they should. You might have started swimming with water wings, but you don’t use them any more… excel is the same way.
You are not updating your current organizer each and every time you gather a piece of data – If you are not gathering all the important bits of data into a searchable system, you are losing that information and the time it took to gather it.
You have hired an employee or will soon – Where you store your information and how you access it is key to teaching new people to work as you do.
You are reaching your limit – It happens, and better to make a change before you hit your limit…
You are plateaued in terms of sales – You only have so much time in a day, how you use it is important.
What a great CRM has going for it:
It’s simple – If it’s not, you won’t use it, nor will anyone else.
Integrates well with your current systems – Connects to your email, information can be imported/exported into easily used formats.
The system is intuitive and trainable – See reason 1
It has easy data backup and security against theft – If it doesn’t, then you run into resistance to back ups, and that will hurt some day, yes it will.
It has reporting capabilities that match your needs and desires – Reporting functions that answer your needs are a big reason to choose one system over the other.
4 Options for Loan Officers
1. Whiteboard Mortgage – Whiteboard is a scalable CRM designed specifically for the Mortgage professional. You can be up and running in about 15 minutes, use preloaded ‘Playbooks’ for marketing and it can scale from the independent loan originator, to team, to company and enterprise levels too.
2. Velocify – Velocify is widely recognized in the mortgage industry. Velocify offers mortgage professionals an industry-specific CRM, lead management and a dialer solution that supports refis and home purchase loans.
3. BNTouch – BNTouch Mortgage CRM gives loan originators and companies the tools to market and manage leads and the mortgage sales process. It features automated lead distribution, automated lead marketing and reporting tools that provide transparency and encourage growth.
4. Cimmaron – Cimmaron Mortgage Manager features robust CRM features, lead distribution, and automated mortgage marketing software solution created specifically for the loan industry.
And a wild card:
(+1) Zoho – Zoho does a lot of things really well. The system is configurable and easy to use. There are specific mortgage features that many users will find useful and an answer to their needs. Zoho has a very attractive price point, is easy to set up, is customizable, works great on mobile phones, and is very intuitive.
CRM systems that help you grow, stay on top of your leads and improve your closing rates are key to success in every industry. The mortgage industry has unique challenges and hurdles that many CRMs are not equipped to handle. These 5 systems may be the answer for you. Let us know what you think!
What CRM are you using in your mortgage office?