“Bottom line, Smartsheet helps us make money,” explained Kyle Ball, owner of the Portland, Oregon-based Horizon Home Team, part of Mal & Seitz Real Estate Solutions. Smartsheet as a revenue generator? Do tell.
For the past two years, Ball and his team of real estate agents have been using Smartsheet to manage their sales processes.
“In 2012, our team of six was able to close 113 homes totaling $24 million in sales, landing in the top 5% of real estate teams in the area. Smartsheet is the heartbeat of our business and was critical to making those sales happen.”
For this team, the key benefits from using Smartsheet boil down to three components: 
- Keeping a handle on lead generation
- Visualizing the workflows for successfully closing leads
- Effective team management
Powerful Lead Management
“Our approach to lead generation is pretty tenacious,” explained Ball. “We advertise on a variety of online platforms where people come across our company information, whether on Zillow, Craigslist, or another online site where we offer a free list of homes and foreclosures. From here, potential new clients will give us their contact information via the IDX (Internet Database Exchange) system.”
Then the lead information is put it into a master sheet of all leads and an agent specific sheet. “At this point, Smartsheet instantly notifies the agent that they have a new lead, and they can begin building a relationship right away.”
According to Ball, three Smartsheet features are key to lead gen success:
- Discussions
- Reminders
- Search
Ball and his agents keep diligent track of all of their communication with leads in Discussions. When a lead isn’t quite ready to commit, Ball and his agents set a Reminder to follow-up in the future. “These automated reminders are a lifesaver,” said Ball. “When the appropriate amount of time has passed, we get an email from our sheet, reminding us to check in and see how things have progressed since we’ve last spoken. It keeps our relationships strong, and helps us to connect with our clients when they are ready for us.”
“It’s incredible to see how our relationship with our clients have improved. We have an enormous amount of leads that come in every day, and some leads that I have on my sheet have been there for over a year. Circumstances can change quickly for buyers and sellers, and we need to be ready when they’re ready. At least once a week, I get a call from someone who’s ready to buy a house that I haven’t spoken with in months – and all I need to do is pull up the ‘Search’ function to quickly find my Discussion notes for that lead, and I’m set.”
Valuable Workflow Visualization
With all of this lead management tracked in Smartsheet, Ball and his team are able to collaborate on their formula for successful lead nurturing. Symbol Columns like checkboxes and drop-down lists help Ball and his team track both contact dates and type of contact, and also information like motivation to buy and whether or not leads are preapproved for a home loan.
“Putting our lead gen process in Smartsheet helps us document our successful processes. Getting all these variables down in an easily digestible spreadsheet view is really powerful, and has helped our team to grow quickly and learn from each other’s selling experience,” said Ball.
“Thanks to Smartsheet, we have really great systems in place to catch all of the lead information that comes in and then act on it. Nothing falls through the cracks. Plus, it’s all in the cloud, so my agents can update their sheets anywhere, any time - which is critical when you’re in real estate.”
Effective Team Management
Ball’s team consists of six seasoned, highly mobile agents. “We’re incredibly busy and putting in
a lot of face-time with our clients,” said Ball. “I have my own clients too, so I’m not a full-time manager. But I still need to know what my team is doing on a daily basis.”
Rather than schedule multiple check-ins throughout the day, Ball automates a daily email from Smartsheet that summarizes his agents’ activity from the previous day. “As part of my morning routine now, I read through all of the emails to get a sense of where my agents are with their leads."
“Daily phone calls just aren’t sustainable,” explained Ball, “More than that, they’re not realistic for our company. The team is composed of some of the best, most experienced agents in the area, and they don’t need to be micro-managed. By using Smartsheet to keep track of their activity, I’m able to manage without being heavy handed or overbearing, and I can still provide support and help when it is needed.”
Using these steps for success, Ball and the Horizon Home Team are on track for their most successful year yet.