As Director of Sales at REthink CRM, I speak to real estate professionals who are looking for a way to be more efficient. In the last few months, I've noticed some trends among brokers, agents, and executives looking to boost their business in 2014. Below are the five most common reasons real estate businesses are moving their contact and transaction management to the cloud:

1. Access to information—from anywhere

Very few real estate professionals sit behind their desk all day—and even if they do, in this day and age, they need access to key business data wherever they are. When your data is stored in a cloud-based CRM you are able to quickly grab the data from anywhere and work efficiently to close that next deal.

2. Tracking

In real estate, as in many industries, there are a million things happening at once. If you don’t log a reminder or set a future task, that potential deal might never see the light of day. Having a good CRM system can mean the difference between letting a lead slip through the cracks and turning it into an opportunity.

3. Accountability and transparency

Being able to access the company’s data and see where deals stand enable management and employees alike to offer coaching and gain visibility into whether each deal is being given the attention it demands.

4. Pipeline forecasting

Having a system in place allows an agent to update a deal pipeline so the management team can gain crucial access to valuable data into quarterly forecasting and the potential deals that will move the revenue needle.

5. Reach

By organizing contacts and leads, you can initiate a marketing plan to effortlessly stay in touch with current clients. With a cloud-based CRM system that incorporates marketing tools and automation, you can stay top of mind among new potential clients with important and relevant content. 

About the Author

Chris Parish is Director of Sales at REthink CRM, which is built on the Salesforce.com platform. He began his sales career in Chicago as an early employee at Groupon. His latest venture moved him to Austin, Texas, to open a brand new office and help build a world-class sales organization for REthink Real Estate CRM. As Director of Sales at REthink CRM, he is in charge of all sales operations, strategy and revenue growth. Chris has experience in: high growth start-ups, building sales organizations and strategic enterprise partnerships. Follow him on Twitter: @chrisparish21

Wondering which CRM is right for you? Check out our free e-book by clicking the button below.