Why is it important to keep a CRM? Several reasons! It helps you stay organized, it can automate your online marketing efforts, plus it can send you reminders of important dates. In other words, it goes way beyond an address book or a spreadsheet. 

Parks offers a great CRM on the backend of your agent website. It allows you to mass import your contacts, separate them into groups, and easily send out e-cards and newsletters to them. 

TO USE YOUR CRM:

1. Log into Parksathome.com 
2. Click on CRM on the agent dashboard
3. Use the menu button at the top right to access the CRM's options
4. Create Groups so that when you upload your contacts, you'll be able to easily add them to the appropriate group. Groups can be Counties/Cities, Family/Friends/Clients, or as one successful agent did Favorite Football Teams. Whatever works best for you is great!
5. Add Contacts one by one or Import a CSV file. You must have a name and email address or they will not upload. A CSV file can be created in Excel, Numbers, or a similar program. Just be sure to name the columns "Name", "Email", "Phone" etc. for easy upload. You can insert as much information as you'd like. Create one CSV file per group you'd like to upload. If you'd like a blank CSV that is properly formatted, email us at marketing@parksathome.com and we'll be happy to send you one! 
6. To upload a CSV, choose Import then click on Choose File. Select the CSV you've just created and click Upload File. 
7. Map your fields by matching the column name to the field on the CRM. "Name" should match with "Name".
8. Click Import. You should receive a successful message with stats about your upload. 
9. Click on the menu button, then Contacts to see that your contacts uploaded successfully.  

You can always go back and make edits to individual contacts and add information as you receive it. The Parks CRM also has the feature of creating a user account for your contacts. This will send them a username and password for logging into Parksathome.com. When they use their account to search for homes, you can see their activity and send automatic new listing updates daily, weekly, or monthly. 

The Parks CRM also features a CRM Followup tool which is a calendar that automatically brings in any dates from your contacts - their birthdays, anniversaries, property anniversaries, etc. - and sends you reminders (if desired) to contact them on their special day. 

Finally, Parks Marketing provides you with monthly Flow cards, market update cards, and a customizable monthly newsletter that can be sent to anyone in your CRM through the Drip Campaign feature of the Marketing tab. 

To learn more about the CRM or other parksathome.com Marketing features, sign up to attend Parks University!