Tony Skrekovski
Tony, you’ve been a Principal at Barry Plant since 2005 and you have a large successful team of sales professionals and property managers. You’re using ActivePipe in both divisions. Why?
I first saw ActivePipe in around Apr/May 2016 and I was super impressed with the technology from that first introduction. We are always being sold the next best thing in Real Estate technology but ActivePipe delivers. I recognised the potential for it to really utilise our database and it is now a crucial part of our business.
What aspects of ActivePipe are most useful?
There are a number of things that I like. As a Principal I have confidence that our database is being communicated with in a professional reliable manner. Our clients become familiar with our office and our staff because of the regular communication and it helps create a great relationship with them. It’s nice to know what’s going on at an ‘office’ level and, if necessary, ensure there is appropriate follow up from my team.
ActivePipe alerts the agents to the people who are ready to transact and makes us all much more efficient AND effective.
I also like the way the client insights help us create a really positive conversation when we are doing our call-backs and follow-up.
What specific use do you have for ActivePipe?
We use it in listing presentations and it has helped us win numerous listings in a very competitive market. We leverage our large database of buyers using ActivePipe and potential vendors are impressed with the way we can immediately identify interest in their home.
Anything else you’d like to add?
It’s the best real estate technology going around and we see plenty. ActivePipe is a Digital Prospector!
Rachel Foote
How does Ignite compare to AUTO?
ActivePipe and Ray White teamed up to introduce Ignite to our network. It helps us regularly clean and profile our database by sending our contacts a survey that asks them about their position in the property market. Since sending out our first survey on 30th October 2017, we have noticed a spike in our lead generation with two loan leads and four appraisal requests produced.
Did you have any concerns before you started using Ignite?
I think a natural association to the word email marketing is spam. We were really concerned we would overwhelm our contacts but we have had an extremely positive response with more appraisal leads than unsubscribers. Our team are really excited to get more results from our next send.
What are the advantages of ActivePipe?
ActivePipe has made it easier for the office support team to assist the sales people with their job. We have a list of engaged contacts who have volunteered information so it is easy for us to follow them up. We are able to monitor their activity and act on it strategically which gives us a massive advantage in a competitive real estate industry.
In your opinion, what is the most significant benefit of ActivePipe?
The Data Hygiene Survey we get with Ignite has really cleaned up our data. We’ve been able to engage with contacts who have been sitting in our database for a few years and many of them have updated their details without being hassled for it.
People who updated their geo-data by giving us their address have more localised information through our location specific sold property reports, helping us deliver more value to our contacts without adding more work processes or staff to the team.
John Parkes
Data Hygiene Campaign Results:
Appraisal Requests: 9
Loan Market Requests: 2
Profile Updates: 81
Geo Conversion: 10
How long have you been using ActivePipe?
We’ve been using ActivePipe at Ray White Tugun for almost two years now. We saw potential in the product from the very beginning and are so glad we embraced it. It is now an important part of our daily routine and staff-training program.
What is it about ActivePipe that you most value?
The thing I like most about ActivePipe is the ability to provide our customers with a personalised experience without all the work. Also the way the system is so automatic and almost happens in the background without you realising.
The emails sent are based on a person’s unique behaviour and contact profile so we are confident they are informed about OFI reminders, auctions and market updates that apply to their specific real estate interests.
What do you think is the most impressive feature of ActivePipe?
We love that ActivePipe gets to know our contacts before we do. As an agent it definitely gives us a point of difference.
Picking up the phone knowing a contact has already seen our face and completed our survey is far easier than making a cold call because it’s like we’ve already been introduced.
We received 81 profile updates in our recent data hygiene survey. We sent it to our entire database and were amazed by how many of our contacts responded. People we’d forgotten about were showing up our dashboard along with their real estate intention.
It was so simple to get on the phone and ask how we could help – the conversation basically scripted itself.
We also had 9 appraisal requests come through without doing a thing – it blew our sales team’s minds.
How have your interactions with clients changed since using ActivePipe?
Communication with our contacts is far more effective.
We often get remarks like you read my mind, that’s exactly what I was after or I’ve been looking at that property, I really love the open spaces in the living room.
The intel from ActivePipe is really impressive and helps us understand what our contacts are really after. As I’m sure you can appreciate that doesn’t always reflect what they say they are after and having ActivePipe’s insight really puts as ahead of other offices in Southern Gold Coast.
Is there anything else you would like to add?
ActivePipe helps us professionally and consistently deliver exceptional customer service to our entire database.
It’s an integral part of a comprehensive communications strategy that achieves more sales with greater results for each of our valued contacts.
Anthony Cowie
Anthony Cowie from Ray White Lower North Shore focuses on building strong, long term relationships with his contacts.
Apart from it’s ability to automatically nurture his database, Anthony’s favourite part of ActivePipe is it’s mapping technology. By going through his list of high value contacts, Anthony can see where the properties they are interested in are located in relation to their own home.
He discovered that the majority of his high value contacts own a property in his farm area and by evaluating their behaviour, he learned that some of them were self-appraising.
With their phone numbers in his database, Anthony was able to make hot calls and find listing opportunities he may otherwise have missed.
Margie Knaap
After having several issues with CRMs in the past, Margie Knaap did her due diligence before introducing ActivePipe to her team at Ray White Lower North Shore.
After running some numbers she realised her offices’ properties were receiving twenty times more clicks than they did before implementing ActivePipe.
The salespeople couldn’t believe the intel they were receiving and what those clicks told them about their contact’s property interests.
Charlie Biddulph
Charlie Biddulph from Ray White Lower North Shore couldn’t believe how many of his contacts were actively looking in the market. When their names popped up on the platform, he thought, “geez, I wouldn’t have thought that person was interested in that property.”
With a Bachelor of Business and Masters of Marketing, Charlie believes ActivePipe’s data enhances his selling power and helps him provide a better selling experience for his vendors.
Rebecca Freeman
Rebecca Freeman says ActivePipe helps her agents start their morning on the right foot.
Her team lock in the first hour of their day to review their contact’s activity and follow up clients whose movement indicates they want to be contacted.
She believes that making a connect is far easier with the data ActivePipe delivers.
“The most successful agents won’t be fighting fees, the conversation will be around how you can add value, not how much you cost”
For more information about Rebecca Freeman, visit LJ Hooker City Residential Perth’s Facebook page.
Dan Sowden
“We have over 16,000 contacts between 9 agents here at Ray White Maroochydore live on ActivePipe.
It’s fair to say that we have our work cut out for us when it comes to touching base with our contacts and finding opportunities within our database.
ActivePipe’s Ignite program with Ray White has helped our office generate eighteen appraisal requests and 207 profile updates in under 2 months. 27 of those profile updates said they were upsizing and 66 said they were looking to downsize.
This suggested to us they’re not only looking to buy, but may have a property to sell.
After following up those contacts, we discovered several did have properties to sell, adding real value to our office’s Pipeline.
With our Ignite program, we have discovered hidden opportunities in our database and identified potential sellers before they reveal themselves to our competition.
This program is a big win for the Ray White Group! ”
Penny Higgs
How long have you been using ActivePipe for?
The LJ Hooker Glenorchy team have been using ActivePipe since March this year. We heard of the platform from other LJ Hooker offices in the area who reported much higher lead generation as a result of ActivePipe’s communication. The platform has since been implemented across our network which I believe is a big win for LJ Hooker.
What’s the biggest advantage of ActivePipe?
We have a large database with over 9000 contacts here in Glenorchy. Even with 13 real estate agents working our stock eight hours a day, we struggle to keep in touch with all of them. ActivePipe ensures our entire database receives a minimum of one weekly listings email a week and we know further communication will be sent if required. We focus on legitimate buyers and sellers rather than the usual hit & miss approach.
How do you apply the technology to your workplace?
We’ve incorporated ActivePipe into our weekly sales routine. The campaign reports we are sent indicate our email marketing success which we reflect on as a team. I encourage our team to log in to the platform and identify contacts that are ready to buy and sell. We watch our Up-and-Coming contacts like a hawk!
In your opinion what is the most impressive feature of ActivePipe?
In less than 6 months, we received 30 appraisal requests via ActivePipe without doing a thing. If the automation doesn’t sell you, the lead generation certainly should.
What are the highlights of your experience with ActivePipe?
We’ve had a number of good results for the office. Personally, the highlight has been the 27,000 web clicks. Each property link in ActivePipe emails directs the contact to our website. As a consequence our properties are constantly viewed which means our selling time is faster. We also have a whole lot more enquiry on our properties and we can use the data to identify listing opportunities too.
Liam Wilson
Liam Wilson from Ray White Belconnen says ActivePipe is a vital part of his business. He takes pride in achieving top dollar for his sellers and believes having a platform that automatically targets buyers and potential sales lead is a huge benefit for his office.
“It helps me work out who in my database is actively looking in the marketplace and is certainly changing the landscape for real estate agents”.
Jason Hall
Jason Hall from LJ Hooker Gungahlin understands the importance of innovation and strategic marketing campaigns for lead generation in real estate. ActivePipe helps him automate important customer touch-points, increasing brand awareness and getting his team get in front of their contacts on a regular basis.
“We get appraisals requests from people we haven’t spoken to in months or years. I think you’re crazy if you’re not on it!”
Chris Peeters
Overview:
The Colac office, jointly run by Chris and Wayne, has been operating in the small Victorian town of 12,000 for over 10½ years. The small 5 person team runs a large number of listings (currently 52) and a modest rent roll of 105 properties. The region has 8 agencies competing for a piece of the real estate pie and several are bigger than LJ Hooker Colac so Chris and the team have to be on top of their game.
How long have you been using ActivePipe?
We’ve been using ActivePipe since Sept 2016, so just a little over 12 months. When we first started using ActivePipe we were so impressed with it we both asked “Why haven’t we been using this for the past year?” It’s been fantastic for our business and I wish we’d been using it longer.
What is it about ActivePipe that you most value?
Wayne and I are really stretched for time. When you’re selling, running a business, looking after staff etc it seems there are never enough hours in the day. ActivePipe helps us cover our territory and maintain excellent contact with a large number of clients.
ActivePipe enables us to allocate our time more effectively because we know where to focus, who to call. No more throwing darts at a board and hoping for the best.
What do you think is the most impressive feature of ActivePipe?
It’s set and forget!
We have the confidence to let it do its stuff knowing that our contacts are receiving regular, professional communication from us and our brand is consistently promoted.
How have your interactions with clients changed since using ActivePipe?
Colac isn’t a huge town so you’re often bumping into clients and there are often remarks about this or that email and mostly they’re really positive. We consistently have clients thank us for the emails, they find them very helpful and look forward to receiving them. It’s a great form of marketing that’s not intrusive but it does get noticed and it’s especially valuable to our clients when they’re in real estate mode.
Being able to see what contacts are interested in means that when we do follow-up it’s a much more informed and valuable phone call – for them and us. We’re not wasting their time and we’re not wasting ours!
Is there anything else you would like to add?
We have competition just like everyone else but in a small town I think ActivePipe gives us an edge over our competition who are slow to embrace this sort of technology. Plus, when you’re a small office ActivePipe gives you big office technology and efficiencies without the big office price tag.
All offices should be using email marketing and ActivePipe is IT in real estate. My advice to other Principals is – Don’t overthink it! Email marketing is fantastic and when there’s a product that does it so well why would you do it any other way?
Paul Reed
How long did it take you to start seeing results from ActivePipe?
I’ve been using ActivePipe since the 9th of May. I’d heard that other PRD offices were using it and thought I’d find out what the hype was about.
We started seeing the benefits as soon as we started our free trial.
In the second week I’d identified a listing opportunity. New contacts added from OFI’s and Portal Enquiries are now engaged and many are volunteering valuable information – all as a direct result of ActivePipe’s automation.
The whole team is seeing the value and this happened almost straight away.
What’s the biggest advantage of ActivePipe?
ActivePipe is the best “stay in touch” technology in real estate. Without doing a thing I’ve sent over 11,000 emails to my database and been complimented for it.
It gives me confidence to know my contacts are regularly informed about our listings. The emails are so professional and personalised that as far as they’re concerned I’m sitting behind my laptop and writing them myself.
I’ve also noticed that it drives a heap of traffic to our website. I’ve had 1500 people visit it through the emails ActivePipe is sending on my behalf and I’m able to monitor that value as a direct advantage of this communication.
How do you apply the technology to your workplace?
Initially I was the only one using ActivePipe. I had a database of close to 1000 contacts and keeping in regular contact with every one of them just wasn’t feasible.
This product has helped me keep in touch with all my contacts and alerts me when they’re interacting with my emails. I have a 31% open rate which is more than double the industry average and unlike my competitors, I know when my clients are ready to list and sell.
ActivePipe has generated three appraisal requests for me to pursue. These are genuine opportunities that I wouldn’t have received if ActivePipe wasn’t sending the appraisal campaign on my behalf.
It really is made for real estate.
Would you recommend ActivePipe to other PRD Nationwide offices?
Of course I would. The brand awareness and opportunity to get yourself in front of your contacts is unparalleled. It’s not something you can overlook.
Deb Tucker
Overview:
Deb and Orian are ‘Team Tucker’ at the Rowville office and together they have become a prominent and successful force in and around the Rowville area. Deb has been an agent for over 11 years and has built an enviable reputation as a real estate professional who will work for the best possible outcome for her clients.
Ably assisted by Orian, the Tucker Team have an excellent grasp of the technologies that can improve their productivity and effectiveness. They’re also keen to innovate if they believe it will give them an edge over their competition and benefit their clients.
What is it about ActivePipe that you most like?
The Reporting. We receive a couple of really valuable reports each week, even this is automated, and the detail sent by ActivePipe in these reports is fantastic!
Deb –
it alerts me to the people I should be focused on and it makes us a lot more productive because we’re not wasting time on clients who aren’t going to deliver an ROI.
Orian –
our team has built a database of over 1500 contacts and without ActivePipe we couldn’t possibly keep in regular contact with all of them.
What are the key features of ActivePipe?
Deb –
There are a couple of features that I really like. ActivePipe provides regular communication with my clients and I don’t need to worry about it. People honestly feel they know me because ActivePipe has been sending the Weekly update every week and it follows up with relevant emails when necessary. I’ve had loads of positive feedback from the people I deal with. The other thing I like is that I’m alerted when old/er contacts all of a sudden start showing some interest in property.
Orian –
ActivePipe handles a lot of our client touchpoints without us having to worry about it. Using the data it provides means we can make WARM calls and not cold ones! This is a huge advantage and I think the clients appreciate it more too.
What are the highlights of your experience with ActivePipe?
Deb –
I know that my prospecting has significantly improved because I watch who is active. For example – I recently noticed a client who I’d valued a property for 12 months prior was clicking on properties. I got in touch, they were ready to sell, and it became a listing. It was no fluke, I could see from their clicks on the properties they were looking at that they were ready to be “on the move”! They loved seeing their home as “Property of The Week” too…..brilliant!
Orian –
There are many clients who understand the power of email marketing and there have been potential vendors impressed by how we use ActivePipe.
Is there anything you’d like to add?
Deb –
I love ActivePipe, it has given me listings. Seriously! I like not having to worry about it and I have confidence ActivePipe will always do a much better job of email marketing than we could.
Orian –
The emails look smart and it’s not a product that many of our competitors use. In a market as cut-throat as this it’s nice to have an advantage.
Anthony Steinberg
Overview:
Raine & Horne Mermaid Beach is a composite of 2 significant Mermaid Beach agencies and has combined the experience and professionalism of some well respected teams to carve a strong share of regional sales.
Anthony and Kae have 8 years experience in Real Estate and have an enviable reputation and a large, loyal client base.
What attracted you to ActivePipe?
I was using ActivePipe prior to joining Raine & Horne. I saw an opportunity to automate an important element of our client marketing – email.
There are agents who think they do a good job of email – they don’t! There are Principals and networks who think the CRM does a good job of email – it doesn’t!
There is this ridiculous notion that just because they can they will. Any process requiring an agent to regularly, consistently and professionally maintain good email touch points by doing it themselves is fatally flawed. Agents aren’t good at it and when they do get around to it the quality is poor and there’s no proper measurement.
We send to 3000+ contacts every week as REGULAR AS CLOCKWORK and we KNOW what our contacts are interested in.
How long did it take for you to start seeing results from ActivePipe?
The nice thing about digital communication is immediacy. You can see what’s happening straight away and this was the case with ActivePipe. We can promote a new listing via the platform and within a couple of hours we know who we should be following up.
The opportunity to provide outstanding service to our vendors is unparalleled with ActivePipe, and I know that with every happy vendor we’re a step closer to a new one.
How would you describe the impact of this business tool?
I love it because there’s continuous professional brand recognition, I’m not concerned about whether it’s happening and I can view all client interaction across the entire team.
The team really love it because they’re more effective. You can’t follow up several hundred contacts very easily but when ActivePipe flags the activity of 10 or 20 prospects in real estate mode that’s gold! Plus, they know that for every 4 or 5 buyers there is a potential vendor and they use ActivePipe to identify them.
How do you measure the ROI?
ActivePipe has given me listings and that’s all I require. The subscription is an investment NOT a cost and it’s tiny when you consider the benefits.
Does ActivePipe help your business in any other ways?
Look, it’s not magic and the old maxim applies – shit in shit out. So…..what I can say is that ActivePipe has definitely had a positive impact on CRM utilisation and the team know that getting the contact details right is important.
We’ve sent 170,000 emails to our clients, I know they appreciate it and it’s been completely automatic. In 18 months there’s been hardly any issues; that’s important because as a Principal there’s always stuff to do and I’m not occupied worrying about email marketing!
What was it like training your staff to use ActivePipe?
There’s not much need and ActivePipe are happy to conduct training at any time.
The fact that ActivePipe also automates the reporting is a bonus. It isn’t necessary to log in and the agents get emailed valuable insights into their contact activity.
Is there anything else you’d like to add?
ActivePipe is a wonderful product and they keep improving it. Pretending you can do this stuff any other way is a nonsense. There’s nothing like it out there.
I’m a fan because the team at ActivePipe have given me a professional way to touch our contacts, its personalised, it’s automated, it’s reliable and they provide an incredible amount of qualified prospects with a high degree of predictability.
Would you recommend ActivePipe to another Raine & Horne office?
Let me answer the question this way – Raine & Horne would be a better performing network if all our offices were using ActivePipe!
Michael Montano
Overview:
The Power of 4, Inner West Sydney, comprises a high performing team of 17 agents who have a very strong share of the region taking in Leichardt, Drummoyne and Annandale.
Since 2007 the success of The Power of 4 offices has been built on a philosophy of giving clients personal service, professional advice and support. Their clients appreciation for this approach and reputation for results have made The Power of 4 one of the most important real estate groups in Sydney. The Power of 4 personnel are chosen for their extensive knowledge, business acumen and passion for property.
The Power of 4 group has always been an early adopter of innovative marketing and technology and was one of ActivePipe’s first clients in the Raine & Horne network.
What was it that attracted you to ActivePipe?
The leadership team recognised that ActivePipe was a very advanced email marketing platform that could streamline some of our client touchpoints.
We’ve always had a significant database but marketing to our contacts wasn’t particularly professional or consistent and we had very little in the way of reporting and therefore couldn’t measure its effectiveness. The ad hoc email marketing we were doing was also enormously time consuming.
ActivePipe gave us reliability, brand consistency and control of message across all our offices and agents, and also presented an opportunity to build our presence in a highly competitive market. Importantly, everything that ActivePipe sends on our behalf can be tracked and the fine detail of client interaction monitored.
How long did it take for you to start seeing results from ActivePipe
From the very first send there were a few surprised faces among the skeptics!
We enjoyed positive client feedback that we hadn’t anticipated and we saw activity and opportunities we didn’t realise existed. It’s been a real eye opener because ActivePipe helped us exploit the potential of our database. In a sense we probably knew it was there but we’d never had a tool like ActivePipe at our disposal.
The results continue to flow to this day.
How would you describe the impact of this business tool?
The team really love it because it helps them identify prospective vendors before they’ve revealed themselves to the market and our competition. In this area we know we’re one of few agencies using ActivePipe and we can leverage this with our clients.
Some of the agents have thousands of contacts and it’s impossible to be across them all for obvious reasons, but ActivePipe will alert them to the people who are in real estate mode so that they can follow them up. They don’t waste time with people who aren’t serious buyers or sellers which makes them far more effective.
One of the great things about ActivePipe is it is ‘touching’ our database nice and regularly. Its maintaining the relationship in a soft way, it’s professional and personalised and non-invasive. When it comes time to sell we have confidence ActivePipe has influenced decision making and won us plenty of business.
How do you measure ActivePipe’s ROI?
First thing I’d say is that ActivePipe has paid for itself many, many times over. It is an inexpensive yet powerful business tool. Quite apart from the significant value of the listings generated there is also benefit in things like web traffic, brand awareness, agent productivity and so on.
Does ActivePipe help your business in any other ways?
It is a powerful listing tool because it intuitively identifies contacts as potential vendors and encourages people to formally request appraisals. These Potential vendors are impressed by ActivePipe too.
What was it like training your staff to use ActivePipe?
ActivePipe is largely set & forget and there’s not a lot of need for intervention by the agents and therefore little training required. Even the reporting is automated so the agents are supplied with lots of data by ActivePipe that they can use in their prospecting. They don’t have to do anything and our management team has confidence that ActivePipe is working away in the background.
Having said that if you ever need assistance our Marketing team think the world of ActivePipe. They have a wonderful support team.
Is there anything else you’d like to add?
We were one of the first to move to ActivePipe and their product remains relevant. They’ve given us no cause to complain, only reasons to be happy that we came on board.
Would you recommend ActivePipe to another Raine & Horne office?
Let me answer the question this way – Raine & Horne would be a better performing network if all our offices were using ActivePipe!
Paul Ellis
Overview:
Elders Rockingham has been around for 5 years and has built a strong reputation as a community focused agency with a combination of bright young talent and some very experienced practitioners. The result is a successful office with a high-performing sales division and an excellent Property Management portfolio.
Elders Rockingham appreciates the value of Social Media and the use of strong communication through emails and newsletters.
How long did it take for you to start seeing results from ActivePipe?
This was noticeable almost immediately. There has been a considerable lift in enquiry levels since our office turned on ActivePipe. People are calling in more often to ask about property. After less than a month on ActivePipe we had 3 contacts call and invite us to list their home, these were contacts we hadn’t spoken to in a long time and it is my belief that it’s because we have been front of mind from our ActivePipe. I am happy to attribute these listings directly to ActivePipe. These were people in our database whom we had not contacted for some time. I even had an email from a fellow business owner in the area saying the emails looked great.
What attracted you to ActivePipe?
When it was presented to me I thought it looked smart and pretty simple to use. I was particularly impressed by what they claimed in terms of reporting and how it could assist the team. I must say that I was initially sceptical but to their credit ActivePipe didn’t over-play their hand. It has delivered in spades and the team love it.
How would you describe the impact of this business tool?
I have more focused, productive agents because ActivePipe is giving them a call list of people who are in real estate mode, these contacts happily take our calls and the data is invaluable in forming really good conversations with prospective vendors and buyers. As a Principal I have a birds-eye view of contact interaction across the whole team, I know that ActivePipe is contacting our entire database every week and I can see the interest we are generating in our vendors properties.
What is this in dollar value to you?
Assuming we sell the 3 listings gained in the first month ActivePipe has paid for itself for 10 years! There is other value though:
- Time saved sending comparatively poor quality emails and newsletters.
- More effective coverage of our database
- Value added vendor marketing
- More productive agents
- Agents are understanding the opportunity that a good database can create
Does ActivePipe help your business in any other ways?
It is a powerful listing tool because it intuitively identifies contacts as potential vendors and encourages people to formally request appraisals. These Potential vendors are impressed by ActivePipe too.
What was it like training your staff to use ActivePipe?
It’s a simple platform and there isn’t a great need for training. ActivePipe even automates the reporting to our team so they don’t really need to do anything. However, we had a coaching session recently and we can really maximise the benefits of ActivePipe now.
Is there anything else you’d like to add?
ActivePipe is brilliant and our team love it. When you consider how little it costs its amazing that more agencies haven’t cottoned on! However, while I have a competitive advantage I’m going to use it.
Would you recommend ActivePipe to another Elders real estate office?
Yes, of course. I’ve seen great results in just 8 weeks and I can see the potential.
Christopher Jarvis
You’re part of a large Property Management team at Point Cook. What attracted you to ActivePipe?
I knew that the Sales team were using ActivePipe and it was really effective for them. They were winning business – listings and sales – using it and when Tony (Principal) suggested that it could be used for PM I jumped at it.
What are the key features of ActivePipe?
There are a few things. One, it looks much better than anything we can produce out of our CRM. It gives us a real point of difference and it is saving me somewhere between 30 minutes to an hour each week due to the automation. In the short time we’ve been using ActivePipe we’ve sent approximately 72,000 emails without lifting a finger!
How are you using ActivePipe?
We send a Weekly Rentals Update plus an OFI Reminder to our PM database. We get a really positive response on a consistent basis and its great for our profile in the market.
What are the highlights of your experience with ActivePipe?
We’re using Inspect Real Estate and adding to our database all the time and I have confidence that these people are being communicated with in a professional manner. Plus, the leads we receive as a result of the ActivePipe marketing are hot leads. This makes our team a lot more focused and effective. Its interesting because we also see people attending the Opens with our OFI Reminder open on their phones. ActivePipe’s mobile responsiveness is excellent!
What has been the most impressive feature of ActivePipe in your opinion?
I love the automation. I don’t need to worry about the next send or spend time doing it myself because ActivePipe does it like clockwork. Our updates look smart, people value them and it’s an effective way to communicate with a large database.
Would you recommend ActivePipe to another Barry Plant office for Property Management?
100% Why wouldn’t you use it? The time it saves makes it a positive ROI and I know we have built our rent roll as a consequence of using it.
Lyle Dean
Overview:
A fully Licensed Estate Agent since the year 2000, Lyle has successfully ran his own agency in Ballarat for almost 10 years before moving to Melbourne and establishing an enviable reputation for selling property in the inner-city suburbs. He has lead our Sales Team to being honoured with Award Winning triumphs, along with winning his own individual awards along the way.
How long have you been using ActivePipe for?
We’ve been using ActivePipe for over 2 years and as you can see from the number of emails they’ve sent on our behalf our business relies on it to communicate effectively with our clients.
ActivePipe features and benefits:
I am a big believer in the role communication plays in a great sales experience; and in sales success. More importantly, that communication needs to be professional, contemporary and relevant. This is what ActivePipe delivers. One of the great features of ActivePipe is that it is constantly adapting to meet the needs of the market. It is not just a plain old boring newsletter!
What are the factors that make you value ActivePipe?
ActivePipe is reliable and it is measurable. Try assessing the ROI of a DL Flyer campaign…it’s nearly impossible! However, ActivePipe delivers data in spades and helps identify prospective Buyers AND Sellers and significantly improves our client communication. It is easy to see the value just in website visitation alone. Our team has confidence that ActivePipe is sending really professional emails and it’s as regular as clockwork.
We really do know that it works too! We recently had a really lovely apartment for sale and we’d utilised all conventional methods to attract buyers to a VIP Viewing. On the night every single one of the 6 attendees came via ActivePipe, we sold the property pre-Auction, and for a record price. The vendor was ecstatic and it wouldn’t have happened without ActivePipe.
How are your agents responding to the information & insights into their database?
That’s an interesting question. I think what we’re seeing more of is that people will happily engage digitally via our ActivePipe emails but won’t necessarily do so at an Auction or at an OFI. So, for the agents, seeing contacts activity in the ActivePipe reporting is becomingly increasingly important.
What has been the most impressive feature of ActivePipe in your opinion?
You can’t manage what you can’t measure – so it’s important for me to monitor the activity of our team, the activity of our contacts and the interaction with our properties. The information that ActivePipe provides once the communications are sent is what is most impressive and most useful.
Do you see the value in efficiency and capacity created by ActivePipe?
We have stuck with ActivePipe for ages now and it’s integral to our business, so yes. In fact we’re in discussion with them about how we best utilise ActivePipe for our Property Management division.
Jamie Maynard
As Principal of Elders Real Estate Albury/Wodonga, Jamie leads a select team of highly motivated staff with a unique vision for the renowned Elders brand in the Albury/Wodonga area.
Jamie’s passion for the industry is contagious. His astute understanding of marketing a property and his ability to negotiate brings about outstanding results for his clients.
How long did it take for you to start seeing results from ActivePipe?
Realistically, it probably took us a couple of weeks to really embrace ActivePipe but it is now an integral part of our business. We use it in our weekly sales meetings and review interaction from the previous week. From early on, ActivePipe was telling us who is in property mode, what are they clicking on and how many times, indicating their level of interest. We have 124 listings so this is invaluable information.
How would you describe the impact of this business tool?
I’m a big fan and so is my business partner Dean. It is perfect for analysing new contacts and introducing the agent and our business. To be honest, we were apprehensive initially and thought we might be sending too much but this wasn’t the case at all. ActivePipe handles email marketing really well. It’s identified quite a few potential vendors which has turned into pipeline. In fact we have many clients who are responding directly to the communications.
What is this in dollar value to you?
Hard to quantify but as principals, Dean and I certainly place a high value on ActivePipe. It is a simple platform that helps us keep control of our stock and manage the buyers. The team members using it are seeing lots of opportunity and it has significantly improved the conversations they are having with their clients. Just seeing evidence of changes in buying patterns can be very powerful. We all know that what a buyer says they want and what they really want can be two very different things. ActivePipe tells us exactly what they’re interested in!
Does ActivePipe help your business in any other ways?
I mentioned that it’s perfect for new contacts who we haven’t even met and it gives us a distinct advantage over other agencies. It directs traffic to our website and creates a huge amount of brand awareness that is imperative to the business.
What was it like training your staff to use ActivePipe?
Simple! Dean and I are both users and advocates so that’s helped to bring the team along. Plus, it really is largely set-and-forget. You don’t need to tinker with it – brilliant. Once the guys started seeing the automated reports they soon realised that ActivePipe is alerting us with at-your-fingertips information. They don’t have to do much but once they log in they can get so much more background to their clients and they love that.
Would you recommend ActivePipe to another Elders real estate office?
In a heartbeat. The whole Elders network should be using it.
Andrew White
How long have you been in real estate for?
I relocated to Sydney from QLD around 2 years ago. I started the Ray White Brand in Balgowlah and we are really focused on growing a healthy and effective database. We consider ourselves forward thinking and ActivePipe is a match for our forward thinking model.
How long have you been using ActivePipe & how quickly did you notice results?
Since February this year & we saw results after the first email communications went out.
Right off the bat we noticed the spike in engagement from our database, more prospects were interacting with our emails and we were getting instant enquiry. Soon afterward we saw numbers through open houses rise in correlation with the weekly property emails and open house feedback coming in via ActivePipe. All these things enhance our visibility with prospects a really genuine way.
What has been the most impressive feature of ActivePipe in your opinion?
The answer is two-fold, firstly – to be honest – would be the automation. We don’t have time to spend on all the stuff that’s going on, we just go to an open home – we enter the data – they get communication from ActivePipe right away (OFI campaign) and then we get feedback directly to MyDesktop. After that the client is in our pipeline receiving weekly emails and we are making noise in our marketplace about how we operate – that’s a big point of difference over our competitors.
We haven’t really had time to invest in the customisation of ActivePipe, although we plan to. At the moment we are operating out of the box. Secondly, we are driving some serious traffic through to our properties for sale directly from ActivePipe.
Recently we brought two properties simultaneously to market, one listed on the portals and the other marketed direct to our database of buyers through ActivePipe. We had similar numbers, if not better, through the properties and SOLD the ActivePipe property quickly and with a great result.
Over time we have developed this into our listing pitch and pre-marketing program. We give each property a lead-up to market with a thorough database marketing program in which ActivePipe is integral in driving traffic to our stock.
What is the main benefit to your business utilising ActivePipe?
Again, the automation – we are not doing more work, we just have better goggles to see what is happening. Also, we now know that we can hit the market really rapidly without the additional expenses of REA or Domain. We can drive traffic infinitely faster direct from ActivePipe to our DataBase and we can see who and how people are interacting with our listings, which is valuable stuff you don’t get from the portals. We now know who to target.
Has implementing ActivePipe into your business changed your behaviours or increased your operating capacity?
Yes, yes it has. Marketing is all about layering for us, ActivePipe is a big part of that layering in our business – is it a safeguard against people being left behind – each week they get more information from us and each time they are getting an impression about how active we are in the market. It (AP) is working away in the background helping us to leave the best impression while we are busy doing other things.
Although you never know where 100% of your listings come from, we do know that ActivePipe is helping us attract new business, not only potential buyers – also pipeline and listings. Its consistent and reliable, which is key.
Do you think that ActivePipe will continue to be a part of your business in the future?
Absolutely, it’s part of our sales pitch and standard operations now. We see this as being a part of how we go the extra distance and create that all important noise around our brand and our stock.
ActivePipe is also building our database as well as helping maintain it. We have a hard and soft data base, the hard database we are calling weekly and they are at the front of our mind, they are people transacting now or in the immediate future and we like to stay as close to them as possible, and that is working really well for us. ActivePipe makes sure we don’t miss anyone else as they come to the front of the line.
Emma Howison
Overview:
Emma has been the BSO for this large Tamworth agency for over 6 years. She has become an indispensable member of the team managing the Sales CRM, customer engagement and contacts database. She was the administrator for the E2 system and now has responsibility for Rex. As Admin she is across the Office level reporting and Agent level reporting features of ActivePipe.
How long have you been using ActivePipe for?
I have been using the updated ActivePipe since Nov 2014 when we started with ActivePipe and we moved to the new platform in mid January 2016.
What do you see as the benefits of ActivePipe?
ActivePipe simply makes it easier to do all our email marketing. It also makes it a lot easier for the Agents to follow people up and they are more effective. There’s less cold calling because the reporting qualifies the contacts. With E2 everything would take way too long and I even did the emails in the afternoon because you couldn’t run them in the background. It could take up to an hour to send each and every email! I am saving approximately 3 hours each week which I can devote to more important tasks. With ActivePipe I have confidence that that the system is working away automatically.
What results have you seen so far?
They’re excellent. For example, our new guy Jeremy was encouraged to follow up all the contacts who were engaging with his communications and this resulted in a sale just recently. The insights such as interest in property is really useful. As for vendors there is also good reporting of prospects and I think Erin has 3 or 4 listings directly from ActivePipe. She loves it.
What do you think is the most impressive feature of ActivePipe?
It helps a lot to see what people are really looking for rather than what they say they’re looking for. The number of clicks is a great indicator of a person’s level of interest
How have your interactions with clients changed since using ActivePipe?
The ActivePipe emails are really easy to read and they don’t have the appearance of spam. Plus, even if someone unsubscribes it’s not a big deal because they can still be contacted. I’m finding that even the people who have bought or sold are happy to continue receiving our emails! The way the Agents interact with clients has certainly changed because they are having better, more informed, conversations.
What would you say to office’s not using ActivePipe?
It makes your life easier, the workload is almost nil and BSO time is better spent doing other thingsin the office. Sending emails isn’t very exciting or efficient.
Is there anything else you would like to add?
The Vendor Report is a great way to provide evidence of activity. This is useful for Vendors who may think we’re not active with their property plus it helps the Agents conduct a conversation with
the vendor about the interest the ActivePipe marketinging has generated.
Lyn Hughston
Overview:
Lyn has been the Sales Administrator in this Perth office of 30+ staff for 11 Years and she has an extremely strong management and training background. Working closely with the Principal, Paula Lagrenade, Lyn now oversees the Administration of a large 13 Agent team and helped position it as one of the leading Perth agencies. Lyn is responsible for the contacts database for the Sales team and they currently use E2. Lyn was voted the top LJH WA BSO for the past 2 years and with the expansion of the office is now responsible for 2 additional BSO’s .
How long have you been using ActivePipe for?
Our office has been using ActivePipe since late Nov 2015 and we’ve been very happy with how it works for our team. The support we have received from ActivePipe has always been exemplary too.
What do you see as the benefits of ActivePipe?
The main benefit is that it commences the communication between the agent and the client and it supports their relationship. It also makes them look professional, corporate and active. In Admin terms ActivePipe’s automation for things like the Weekly Updates and OFI reminders saves an enormous amount of time and we know that all the communications will be consistent and they all happen RELIABLY in the background.
What results have you seen so far?
As Sales Administrator I monitor the team’s dash and there have been numerous Appraisal leads. Since the new platform was introduced just a few months ago there have been 5 Appraisal requests plus of course we can observe property interactions which is really important for the team. 2 agents last week announced that they’d secured an appraisal simply by monitoring activity for their contacts and making some follow up calls.
What do you think is the most impressive feature of ActivePipe?
ActivePipe is really useful in our weekly 1on1 meetings with the Agents. The Dashboard in particular has been a bit of a light bulb moment for some of the team because it highlights what people are really looking for rather than what they say they’re looking for. The number of clicks is a great indicator of a persons level of interest. The activity the agents can view will often change the contact timeline with clients. They see the activity and can immediately engage. Clients don’t always do what say they’re going to do!
How have your interactions with clients changed since using ActivePipe?
I think they’re certainly more professional and more consistent. The emails look really smart and our brand and message is managed.
What would you say to offices and BSOs not using ActivePipe?
Talk your owners into getting ActivePipe! The time saved amounts to hours each week. It’s a great method of covering your market. It’s nice and broad, yet clever and Intuitive and the Agents will love it because it will improve their effectiveness and communication with clients.
Is there anything else you would like to add?
Trust ActivePipe to work in the background, not everything happens overnight, give it some time.
Colin Wallbank
Overview:
Colin has been involved with the L.J. Hooker Company since 2001, working in the hills South-East of Perth. Colin is a Multi Million Dollar Captains Club Member and is known for his attention to detail and community involvement. LJ Hooker Pemberton has also been awarded 3rd place in the national regional network.
How long have you been using ActivePipe?
The Pemberton office has been using ActivePipe since mid-2015 and has been recently migrated to the upgraded platform in early February.
What are the stand out features & benefits of ActivePipe in your opinion?
Really, the thing I like most is that it is set-and-forget. The emails just go out and they go out to the right people, the people who are looking at houses to buy. Also, it’s leaving a good impression with other would be sellers in the market, it lets people know that we are on the ball and that we are working hard for our sellers because they get an email from us promptly when there is a price adjustment, or a sale made. We had one fellow called in straight from an email and said “I like the way your office is marketing property, come and take over my listing” from another agent. ActivePipe is technology that is putting us right out there, in front of the competition.
How long did it take to see results from ActivePipe?
Pretty quick, the first thing we noticed was more people talking about our auction properties, we had 10 sales last month and 2 for this month already. Our auctions are improving and the open house elements we saw results from in the first week.
How does ActivePipe compare to other technology you have been using?
Well, it certainly is simple. Once ActivePipe is up and running, all the magic happens in the background and then the reports come in and you can see the results of who has been looking at your properties and you know who to call. Thats easy – no fuss.
Does ActivePipe enhance your efficiency and practices in your business?
Yes, yes. If you think about it – these emails are going out automatically plus you get the reports pm the Friday so you can call the hot buyers before the weekend. With ActivePipe you don’t have to go looking for them. ActivePipe has stimulated our database and helps us to remain top of mind to purchasers. It’s consistent, looks sharp and is a call to action for potential sellers to call in and list with us, so really we don’t have to dig as hard to find new stock – although we like to make sure we are still working hard – ActivePipe assists us greatly.
Is there anything else you would like to add?
Active Pipe is working really well for us and and I am personally an advocate, it is something that the entire LJ Hooker network should be using.
Julien Karolos
Overview:
At the young age of 22 Julien entered the real estate industry beginning in Property Management with the L.J Hooker network. Julien has remained with the L.J Hooker (Boronia) family for 12 years which shows the commitment and creation of lifelong friends, clients and customers that are developed in a position of trust and confidence
What are the stand out features & benefits of ActivePipe in your opinion?
Well, we all talk about databases, we all know that they need to be contacted – one of the best things about ActivePipe is that there is a minimum standard of contact with our new and old databases which ActivePipe handles automatically. I don’t have to worry if my agents are getting in touch with everyone and letting them know about our stock, or new stock – or even price adjustments – ActivePipe is happening all the time.
Do you think that ActivePipe is giving you a professional edge?
We have actually just listed a property through ActivePipe from a client who bought through us 5 years ago. Now, the best thing about that was the story behind him finding out about us again through our weekly ActivePipe emails. I knew that he was on our database, but we had no idea he was planning to sell until he invited us around “I get all your emails, and I was impressed” – all because ActivePipe brought us to the forefront of his mind to list his house.
Do you think your agents will change their behaviours to suit the new information on your clients available from ActivePipe?
Yes, it’s a great tool that we are using and we are still figuring out how to use it to the best of our ability. What we already know is that ActivePipe is going a long way toward connecting with our new database and our old database and that’s impressive because I don’t have to worry about any leaks in our communication plan. Everyone is kept up to date.
How does ActivePipe enhance your efficiency and practices in the office?
Well now I know that all our clients are hearing from us week in and week out, so yes. It is good to maintain the consistency of contact.
Is there anything else you would like to add?
I have been really happy so far with ActivePipe, it is proving to be a great contributor toward connecting with everyone we need to connect with.
