CONTACTS

YOUR CONTACTS

Contacts are a main pillar of the BHHS Connect platform! Let's talk about how to get your contacts in and how to manage them.

4 WAYS TO GET CONTACTS INTO BHHS CONNECT:

IMPORT

ADD MANUALLY

EMAIL SYNC

3RD PARTY

IMPORTING CONTACTS

You should have your contact list prepared, so let's talk about getting them into BHHS Connect. When importing contacts, you have two options: let them handle it for you to save time and avoid incorrectly importing your data, or import the contacts yourself to retain full control over the process.

We recommend you take advantage of the IRE (Inside Real Estate) team who are experts at importing data. You can even schedule a call with them prior to completing your import so you can review your file and ask questions about what will happen upon import.

Here is a tutorial video on how the two import options work with BHHS Connect: https://youtu.be/br6q9vwDG9o

Once you have your data prepared, complete the "Let Us Handle It" Import Request Form linked below. Here are some notes on how to complete that form.

YOUR INFORMATION:
- - Enter your Name and your email address, this is how the lead import will find the correct account. (Do not put your personal email address here.)
  - You are an Agent.
  - In the United States.
  - You want the leads assigned to you.
  - You own the leads.
IMPORT PREFERENCES:
- - Lead Status

Choose 'my spreadsheet has my preferred status for each contact'. Provide the column name, i.e.: "Status"
OR
If you do not have a column in your sheet choose just "Sphere".

Hashtags

Choose "Yes, the hashtags are in my spreadsheet." Provide the column name i.e.: "Hashtags"
OR

Choose "No" or you can tag them all with one hashtag ex: "#leadsfromOpenHouse"
Deal Type
- Choose "This is a column in my spreadsheet." Provide the column name i.e.: "Deal Type"
  OR

- If you do not have a column in your sheet choose just "Buyer|Seller". You can change this later.
Automation Preferences
- Answer "NO" to these to start. You can set up Smart Campaigns once you are in.

CONNECT 3RD PARTY LEAD SOURCES

Why is this important? In a nutshell, your time is valuable. Why not make the most of a system which works for you? Syncing your 3rd party lead sources into BHHS Connect means that the system’s automated nurturing actions will be applied.

Settings and controls for this functionality are available within the "Lead Dropbox" section of your "Lead Engine". This can be just as important as importing your database! It helps to take the pressure off of you to respond instantly since BHHS Connect will do that for you.

Are you a team leader? You will have the ability to select an integration key for your team, or yourself as an individual.

MANAGING CONTACTS

Once your contacts are in BHHS Connect, here are some IMPORTANT things you should know about managing them moving forward:

#1 CONTACT STATUS

This refers to where the contact is in your pipeline. They are great indicators of what stage a contact is in and what they need from you as a real estate agent. There can only be one contact status for a contact at a time.

> SPHERE

Contacts you know, who may or may not be searching for real estate.

> PROSPECT

Contacts you've met or have information for, who you want to convert into a real estate lead. They are not actively searching right now, and your efforts are directed toward getting them to do so.

> NEW LEAD

Contacts who have signed up on your website, either from an ad or some other lead source, such as an email import.

> ACTIVE LEAD

Contacts who are actively returning to your website to view properties. Leads who respond to communication who have not responded before will automatically default to active status when they respond the first time (if not within the first 2 minutes of the lead's creation in the CRM).

> CLIENT

Contacts you are actively working with, showing homes, etc.

> CONTRACT

Contacts who are in the buying or selling transaction process.

> CLOSED

Contacts who have completed a transaction.

> ARCHIVED

Contacts you don't intend to work or communicate with. Moving a contact to this status will unsubscribe them from any further automated communication.

#2 CONTACT/LEAD TYPE

A database isn’t useful if you can’t do anything with it – you have to know what you have and be able to easily act. BHHS Connect offers multiple ways to view and easily segment your database.

This refers to the type of contact that you are working with regardless of where they are in the buying/selling process, and can also be referred to as deal type.

Because a seller lead can turn into a buyer after their sale closes and a fellow agent could need your help with a home purchase of their own, each contact in your Smart CRM can have more than one lead type as necessary.

THE 5 LEAD/DEAL TYPES:

Buyer
Seller
Renter
Agent
Vendor
Can have multiple: Buyer|Seller

#3 CONTACT HASHTAGS

Hashtags are BHHS Connect's version of labels within the Smart CRM. They can be used to organize your contact list for quick filtering and communication, trigger one or more additional actions within BHHS Connect, and more.

There is no limit on how many total hashtags (labels) you can create within your BHHS Connect account or how many you apply to an individual contact. They can be manually created, or set up to automatically apply to specific contacts – like New Leads as they are added to your Smart CRM.

Most users will view their hashtags within the Smart CRM. Contacts with hashtags applied will display those labels right under their name when viewing the contacts table in the Smart CRM.

It is common for Agents to use hashtags to label their contacts with their search preferences, financial status, and "warmth level" (like #HotBuyer or #ColdLead) for future communication efforts. You may also wish to use hashtags with property addresses to label any open house leads you generate, like #123MainStOH (OH stands for Open House).

For example, you can utilize hashtags to filter for #Pool or #TwoBeds and send out an open house or new listing announcement for a property matching those contacts' criteria. You could also send out a newsletter or other engagement-type communication to contacts with a #ColdLead, #Dead_Prospect, or other hashtag/label to begin a conversation with them.

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