Do you have challenges keeping up with the constant flow of clients and prospects?
I mean, we aren’t robots, so it can be difficult to keep up with everything on our own. And as the industry becomes more and more competitive, investors are looking for ways to better serve their prospects and establish a competitive edge.
Here’s where a great customer relationship management (CRM) tool comes in.
What makes a great CRM?
Ah, CRMs... every business, big or small, benefits from them. There’s nothing worse than letting a motivated seller fall through the cracks because you are not organized or (better yet) overwhelmed with leads.
There are TONS of CRM software available for real estate professionals. Some are paid, some are for free, while others are on freemium.
But the best CRM tools are the ones where the free versions are almost as good as the paid ones. Assuming the paid ones are any good. Bitrix24 is one of those few hidden treasures.
Bitrix24 is a CRM tool that enables users to organize their leads and create an individualized strategy to reach out to them. It’s free to use for up to 12 users. So, if you work on your own or with a team of 12 or less, you can use a decent CRM without paying a dime.
Bitrix24 has a wide array of functions that some users find a bit confusing. However, the CRM is good when it comes to centralizing collaborations and communication for any type of organization, big or small.
Side Note: Users may think the amount of features are a little overwhelming. It would be great if they could change the software so you can add or remove features. Other CRM systems such as Apptivo, Zoho CRM, and Salesforce have this ability.
Here’s what Bitrix24 promises its users in all (free and paid) versions:
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Marketing Automation: Enables users to automate tedious and repetitive marketing tasks like sending out emails and newsletters every week and/or managing social media pages.
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Social Media Integration: Users are able to engage with clients through the company’s social media pages without having to leave the app.
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Task Management: Users can track the progress of different tasks and projects.
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Lead and Pipeline Management: Track your client interaction and transactions.
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Contact Management: Organize all business contacts, as well as profile and contact information.
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Third-Party Integrations: Users can easily integrate Bitrix24 with other apps they use for e-commerce, file management, marketing automation, social media, landing site builder programs, and more.
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Sales Forecasting: Users can easily do a sales forecast and see how their business will grow within their identified time frame.
How free is free?
The free plan is very similar to the paid plan. It provides:
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Access for up to 12 users
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5 GB of cloud storage
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Document management capabilities
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Task management
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Access to the core CRM for tracking leads
While the free version works well, you can still opt to pay for additional features for $99 per month with unlimited users. They also throw in a couple of cool features, such as file sharing, advanced email marketing integration and new software automation features. But we’ll get into that in a minute.
If you aren’t keen on spending 100 bucks every month, their Plus tier is also available. For $39 per month, you can have up to 24 users and 24 GB storage. Some of its features also include access logs, change history, CRM record conversions and a list viewing of over 500 records.
The Standard plan at $99 per month, gives you an unlimited number of employees and external users, along with 100 GB of storage, and your own logo use.
For those who are willing to spend more, their Professional plan comes in at $199 per month, along with unlimited online storage, meetings and briefings, records management, work reports, use of your own domain name and time management functions.
There’s a 30-day free trial for the Professional plan. With its complex functions, you’ll need to utilize all 30 days to explore everything.
Both the standard and professional plans support an unlimited number of users. Communication and collaboration tools that come with the use of Bitrix24 CRM are also free. Unlimited users get to access:
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workgroups
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email
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telephone
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employee directory
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activity stream
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instant message and group chats
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and more…
It may seem like $99 and $199 per month is a lot of money – it is. But these plans are for an infinite number of users.
Some CRM tools sound pretty cheap coming in at $12 to $15 every month per employee. This type of pricing can quickly add up to more over time.
The Verdict
Overall, Bitrix24 is a powerful tool with great potential. It’s really similar to a popular CRM tool in the market, Apptivo, in terms of functionality. On top of that, it’s relatively cheaper than Zoho, Salesforce and Sales Cloud Lightning Professional.
The only downside of Bitrix24 is the lack of customization of the overwhelming functions. Smaller real estate businesses may not be able to utilize every tool Bitrix24 offers. Which is also why a lot of users are more than okay with the app’s free version.
Share
What’s your CRM of choice and why? Share below.
Don’t feel the need to buy more expensive plans – It’s easy to be swayed by shiny, feature-filled CRM tools you see advertised everywhere.
Organize your leads – Have a system that prevents leads from falling through the cracks or don’t receive follow up.
Help your team – As you become more successful, you will have to delegate out tasks. Try to set your other team members up for success.
JP Moses
is a real estate investor in Memphis, TN, with experience ranging from land lording to note buying, rehabbing, and wholesaling. However, wholesaling is the area that he enjoys most and where he bring the most experience and expertise to his students.