A brand new website is exciting, especially when you have big plans for how it will make your team more efficient. But motivating teams to use new technology can be a challenge and that's why we're here to help! In this post, we'll share a few ideas you can use to help improve adoption of your new real estate site.
1. Start small with quick wins
We all love quick wins because they're motivating. One of the best ways to inspire your team is to help them make a small amount of progress on their own, so they're motivated to keep doing more.
When it comes to adopting new technology, like the REW website or CRM, the best way to get your team started is to show them how simple steps will improve their work.
For the website, ask your team members to supply a photo and a few sentences, and only add them to the site (or create their subdomain, if applicable) after they've supplied the info. Once their new bio is up, you can send them the link and congratulate them on how awesome and professional they look.
If you're using the CRM, try starting with simple lead assignment. Show your team how easy it is to keep track of new leads within their REW CRM and point out the benefits of being able to store critical contact info in one place.
Once your team starts seeing the wins from your smaller implementations, you can start building on them with more complex systems and initiatives.
2. Show off awesome features
Real estate websites are pretty powerful business tools if you know how to use them properly. There are some awesome features that will help your team stand out and really connect with their clients, but you can't expect your team to automatically know about them. Put aside the time to share the features with your team.
To decide what to share, think about what drew you to the website in the first place. That's an excellent starting point. Then share your vision on how the website is going to make your team's job easier. A few awesome features you can show off include:
- Saved searches to effortlessly connect with potential buyers
- Extensive lead history that shows exactly what a buyer or seller looked at
- Action plans that keep follow-up tasks on track
- Enhanced listings (on Vision) to impress sellers
- One-click favorites to help develop an effective listing tour
Share all the awesome features and functions that will make your team's jobs and relationship building just a little easier. This training will help them see how the new website directly benefits them and will encourage its use.
3. Focus on your enthusiasts
The reality is that adoption rates are always going to vary. Some people love technology and can't get enough of it, while others would rather power down and pick up a rotary phone. Find the people on your team who are most enthusiastic about new technology and invest resources into helping them make the most of the site.
A few weeks later, you'll be able to use their successes as examples for the rest of the team, and demonstrate how the website can be used as a tool to improve transaction numbers and bring in more GCI.
These enthusiasts can also become your trainers and essentially teach others how to use the website too. Your trainers will feel proud and appreciate the formal recognition, while your business benefits from their expertise and example. It's a win-win!
4. Incentivize website adoption
Kicking off new technology with a big company meeting is an awesome way to share new features and generate buzz, but people are creatures of habit. If you want to make your website one of those habits, you need to engage your team and reinforce its use on a regular basis.
One of the simplest ways to do this on a real estate website is through lead assignment. Make the website a requirement for receiving new leads, and quickly reassign leads that aren't being worked in the system. Your team will quickly learn that using the website has clear benefits.
In addition to encouraging your agents to use their new site, incentivizing website use also serves another practical purpose: leads are contacted faster and with higher consistency rates, which builds better relationships and increases profits.
5. Share the website successes
You invested in this new website because you wanted your team to be more successful, so don't forget to share those successes! Sharing can be as simple as mentioning a recent sale originated from the website during your weekly meetings, or as grand as formally recognizing and rewarding team members who have used the site well.
At the end of the day, your new website is meant to help your agents do their jobs better than ever. With a bit of training, encouragement, and celebration, you'll be able to help your agents adopt the new website and see the genuine benefits.