Episode #43: To CRM, or Not To CRM

[00:00:00] If you're working with a group of salespeople, and Jim has an Excel spreadsheet, and Donna has a Google Doc, and Brenda has a Microsoft Word doc.

[00:00:16] What about Judy?

[00:00:17] Judy? Judy's got something else. How are you supposed to manage that information and connect?

[00:00:30] And speak or reach out to those prospects or clients?

[00:00:35] And then how are you forecasting what is going to be in front of you in the next year?

[00:00:46] Welcome to the podcast dedicated to real estate, insurance and building your business.

[00:00:52] Join us as we take you along our own business building journeys with additional wisdom from our network of local and national experts.

[00:01:02] Welcome to Bricks and Risk.

[00:01:08] Hey everyone, welcome to another episode of Bricks and Risk.

[00:01:13] I'm Timmy G.

[00:01:15] And I'm Sean Mooney.

[00:01:18] I'm not even going to say what you're supposed to say, but we'll go with it.

[00:01:21] So before we jump into this one today, Sean, we're going to read another listener review.

[00:01:28] Great. I can't wait.

[00:01:30] Ready? And they don't make funny on this one.

[00:01:32] I promise.

[00:01:32] Bobby Hort.

[00:01:35] All right.

[00:01:36] So this review comes from Apple Podcasts.

[00:01:39] It's titled Must Listen from Neil O30.

[00:01:45] If you're in the real estate or insurance space, you must listen to this podcast.

[00:01:50] There is some valuable knowledge being dropped by Tim and Sean.

[00:01:54] Keep up the good work.

[00:01:56] Thank you, Neil O30.

[00:01:58] That was awesome.

[00:01:59] You know what I want to do?

[00:02:00] I want to like guess.

[00:02:02] Me and you should guess who Neil O is.

[00:02:05] I know who it is.

[00:02:06] Oh, you do?

[00:02:07] Yeah.

[00:02:07] Well, then I guess you'd win.

[00:02:09] Isn't that, isn't there a rapper, Neil O?

[00:02:12] I don't know.

[00:02:13] Is there?

[00:02:14] Can you double check that?

[00:02:16] Like new music?

[00:02:17] I know you only listen to like old stuff.

[00:02:18] You're still like on CDs in your car.

[00:02:20] I am.

[00:02:21] Vinyl and CDs only.

[00:02:23] Although I do have an iPod in my car.

[00:02:28] I know you do.

[00:02:29] That I is on shuffle.

[00:02:31] I'm like, that just goes to show how resilient iPods are.

[00:02:34] That they still work.

[00:02:35] Dude, that thing will work 100 years from now.

[00:02:37] Well, guess what?

[00:02:38] Maybe that should be your first tip to get an iPhone.

[00:02:41] Why would I do that?

[00:02:42] Because it's that much better.

[00:02:46] All right.

[00:02:46] Why don't you introduce this one?

[00:02:47] Well, today's episode, everyone, is a quote from the late, great Bill Shakespeare.

[00:02:57] Can't see too well.

[00:02:58] Is that Bill Shakespeare over there?

[00:03:00] To CRM or not to CRM?

[00:03:05] That is the question.

[00:03:06] That is the question.

[00:03:08] All right.

[00:03:09] So let's jump into this one.

[00:03:12] So CRM, customer relationship management.

[00:03:15] It's tech that most people use if you're in sales.

[00:03:21] I would say if you're in business, you should probably have one.

[00:03:24] Probably should.

[00:03:25] And we're going to jump into some of like the pros and cons, as well as some stats.

[00:03:30] And we're also going to share some of our own experiences using CRMs.

[00:03:34] Yeah.

[00:03:36] So why don't I start it off with just sharing my own experiences with a CRM?

[00:03:41] Please.

[00:03:42] So when I first got into real estate, so again, 15 years ago, solo agent at an independent

[00:03:47] brokerage, there were only six other agents there, like tiny.

[00:03:51] We didn't get any tech.

[00:03:52] And even if we did, it probably wasn't going to be the high tech.

[00:03:55] And this is kind of before like SaaS, like software as a service.

[00:04:01] Like you said, like download things on your computer, like the software and then use it.

[00:04:06] But now that you just go to any website you want and just sign up to be a member, you need

[00:04:11] a login.

[00:04:12] You can kind of use whatever CRM you want, whether it's industry based or business based

[00:04:16] or whatever.

[00:04:17] So when I started at Brown McKinney, I was using an Excel spreadsheet and I was using

[00:04:24] a calendar and my email.

[00:04:27] Blogger, Craigslist.

[00:04:28] It's all that.

[00:04:30] And that's how I kept track.

[00:04:34] And for me, I'm going to get into why I've used the CRM because I used it very heavily all

[00:04:40] my almost 10 years at Copper Hill.

[00:04:42] Right.

[00:04:42] And right now with the Tim Garrity team only being about three months away from that partnership,

[00:04:49] I'm not using one.

[00:04:50] So I'm going to dive into it.

[00:04:52] But and I would say that there's an easy I'm going to once you finish, I'll give you the

[00:04:56] easy answer.

[00:04:58] OK, well, I'm done talking about my basic approach to CRMs.

[00:05:02] Why don't you give me the easy answer?

[00:05:04] No, no, no.

[00:05:05] You go.

[00:05:06] I want to go on top of you.

[00:05:08] OK, so that's what I Brown McKinney.

[00:05:12] Yep.

[00:05:12] Excel sheet, calendar, email.

[00:05:15] Yep.

[00:05:15] Calendar invite says once a week, follow up with your clients.

[00:05:19] That's how I did it.

[00:05:20] Mm hmm.

[00:05:22] Then even my second brokerage, US Spaces, was there for about three years.

[00:05:27] Pretty much the same system for the most part.

[00:05:30] We didn't really have anything.

[00:05:31] Yep.

[00:05:32] Copper Hill rolls around.

[00:05:33] So it's 2014.

[00:05:36] And we really functioned in our own ways for probably the first two and a half, three years,

[00:05:42] I would say.

[00:05:44] After three years, a friend of ours, actually Brian Corkadillos from Design Blends, he was

[00:05:51] the one who said, have you ever heard of HubSpot?

[00:05:54] And I said, no, like, tell me about it.

[00:05:56] And, you know, Brian's got a really good size organization, had a bunch of people working

[00:06:01] for him.

[00:06:01] He was like, dude, it's a game changer.

[00:06:03] Like, and these are the reasons why.

[00:06:04] And he told me why he liked it.

[00:06:06] So then Andrew, you know, at Copper Hill was more the techie.

[00:06:10] And he went and vetted it and said, I think this is a good system.

[00:06:13] So we went all in.

[00:06:15] It was one of the most expensive CRMs we could invest in at the time.

[00:06:19] Yep.

[00:06:19] But what we liked about it is that the interface was very simple.

[00:06:23] And we liked that it was customizable.

[00:06:26] Because again, some CRMs you get, it's like, here it is.

[00:06:29] Like, this is what it is.

[00:06:31] Work within what we have given you.

[00:06:33] It was our template.

[00:06:33] So work within the template.

[00:06:35] And HubSpot was amazing.

[00:06:37] Like, we did not only keeping track of our clients, our deals as a company, our individual

[00:06:43] deals, but eventually we started doing our email marketing through there.

[00:06:48] We started doing our event management through there.

[00:06:53] You know, after years of history in the CRM, you can look at, like, pipelines and graphs and,

[00:06:58] like, all this stuff and really be like, where did that deal come from?

[00:07:01] How much business did we do three years ago versus today?

[00:07:04] Like, that's what makes a CRM great.

[00:07:07] Because it really just, it puts your business in this, like, easy to view, analyze template.

[00:07:14] And you can make decisions from there.

[00:07:17] You can pivot from there.

[00:07:18] You can keep moving forward from there, whatever you're doing.

[00:07:21] So that was kind of some of my experience.

[00:07:23] What about you?

[00:07:24] So my experience is a journey that I've been on with my business.

[00:07:31] And I'm actually going through a little change and update as I feel like we do every couple

[00:07:41] years.

[00:07:42] You switch CRMs every couple of years?

[00:07:44] No, no.

[00:07:45] No.

[00:07:46] Just what I want to do with it.

[00:07:49] And then, like, you know.

[00:07:51] But I have switched.

[00:07:53] Okay.

[00:07:54] How many CRMs have you used over your, with Mooney Insurance Brokers?

[00:07:57] It's been, what, almost 12 years?

[00:07:58] Yeah.

[00:07:59] How many have you had?

[00:08:01] I really want this answer.

[00:08:03] So I would say probably four different systems.

[00:08:08] Okay.

[00:08:09] That's pretty good.

[00:08:11] But a couple years in each one, figure out if you like it, don't like it.

[00:08:15] Yeah.

[00:08:16] Well, yes and no.

[00:08:18] Here's the rub with all of it, is that the industry insurance is so fractured.

[00:08:25] It's so siloed that I kind of wanted to use this system, and I did, and then I changed,

[00:08:34] and I changed.

[00:08:34] But in the end, it's like, for functionality purposes, you need to find a system that speaks

[00:08:44] to and, like, works with, we have an agency management system.

[00:08:53] Oh, okay.

[00:08:54] Gotcha.

[00:08:54] Tech for your agency.

[00:08:57] Yeah.

[00:08:57] Which is separate than your CRM.

[00:08:59] Right.

[00:09:00] You wanted the two of them to kind of, like, talk to each other type of thing?

[00:09:04] Yep.

[00:09:05] So, yeah.

[00:09:07] Before I was trying to do it where it's like, I got a system over here, that's my CRM, and

[00:09:14] then my management system where all of the policy information gets downloaded, all of the customer

[00:09:21] information is there.

[00:09:23] So it's like your intranet, your, you know, it's like your internal system was not jiving

[00:09:30] with your CRM.

[00:09:31] Correct.

[00:09:32] And so now it's like a two-way sync.

[00:09:35] Okay.

[00:09:36] So, like, if I do something in this system, it's updating this and vice versa.

[00:09:41] After work?

[00:09:42] Yeah.

[00:09:43] So that's kind of what's putting me where I'm at right now.

[00:09:49] How long did that take you to find this one?

[00:09:51] Like, how long have you been there?

[00:09:51] I've always known it was there.

[00:09:53] I just resisted because I'm not thrilled with my agency management system.

[00:09:59] Okay.

[00:09:59] And I thought I would move sometime, but now I'm like...

[00:10:02] You're just in too deep.

[00:10:04] Yeah.

[00:10:05] As Phil Collins once said.

[00:10:07] Yes.

[00:10:08] Yes.

[00:10:08] Phil.

[00:10:09] Or maybe it was Genesis.

[00:10:12] So right now, and then now I'm working with a consultant to kind of like build out not

[00:10:19] only the pipelines, but my automation as well.

[00:10:22] And so that kind of works in tandem with our management system.

[00:10:27] What's the name of your current CRM?

[00:10:30] CRM system is Agency Zoom.

[00:10:33] It's not Obey?

[00:10:34] Not Obey.

[00:10:35] I thought you were promoting your CRM this whole time.

[00:10:37] We've been doing this podcast with these Obey hats.

[00:10:40] No, no.

[00:10:41] On the weekends, I do like pop-ups, like at the King of Prussia Mall, where they'll pay

[00:10:49] me to go out, you know.

[00:10:52] It's like a modeling gig, basically.

[00:10:54] Of sorts.

[00:10:55] Yes.

[00:10:56] Okay.

[00:10:56] So like I'll go out.

[00:10:57] It's like pseudo, like contract modeling.

[00:10:59] Yeah.

[00:11:00] I'll ride my Santa Cruz, do some kickflips, and you know, I get a check on Monday.

[00:11:07] Hey, nothing wrong with that.

[00:11:09] Now I finally know why these hats keep getting worn.

[00:11:11] So that's good to know.

[00:11:12] And the more I wear them, the bigger the check.

[00:11:15] That's, hey, I might start wearing them too.

[00:11:17] Then we can start splitting the profit.

[00:11:19] Might be honest.

[00:11:21] All right.

[00:11:22] So, well, that was super helpful.

[00:11:24] Yeah.

[00:11:24] And it's industry specific to me, right?

[00:11:27] Right.

[00:11:27] So like mine, the problem we have is that all of these carriers that we work, we work with

[00:11:31] like over 50 carriers.

[00:11:33] Yeah.

[00:11:33] And they all have their own systems.

[00:11:35] They all have their own way that they communicate policy information and tags.

[00:11:42] And it's like they all have their own language.

[00:11:45] So then when they send the information in, it actually has to go into a centralized system

[00:11:53] that then gets translated.

[00:11:56] Okay.

[00:11:56] So that my management system can understand what all it is.

[00:12:02] It kind of formats it in a way that makes it all.

[00:12:05] It's catching everything in the different languages and turning it into one language,

[00:12:10] making it look like clean and neat and organized.

[00:12:13] Yeah.

[00:12:14] Gotcha.

[00:12:15] Yep.

[00:12:15] All right.

[00:12:17] So let's talk about like why someone would use a CRM.

[00:12:21] So some of the reasons, you know, it's going to sort.

[00:12:24] That's where I'm going to answer your question.

[00:12:26] Okay.

[00:12:26] After we get.

[00:12:28] You want me to read this part first?

[00:12:30] Are you saying you want to answer my question?

[00:12:31] Go ahead.

[00:12:32] Read that.

[00:12:32] Okay.

[00:12:32] So a CRM is basically going to sort, analyze and prioritize your sales leads.

[00:12:40] So think about it.

[00:12:41] Like for me in real estate, I go out and let's say it's a new buyer client.

[00:12:46] And the first time we're meeting is through the buyer consultation.

[00:12:50] Like we've talked about that before.

[00:12:52] I usually do that through Zoom.

[00:12:53] Sometimes it's in person, very rarely on a phone because I want visuals.

[00:12:56] So we do the buyer consultation.

[00:12:58] I'm going to add that person or people to my CRM.

[00:13:02] Say, okay, Mr.

[00:13:04] and Mrs.

[00:13:04] Smith, a buyer client.

[00:13:06] Here's their price range.

[00:13:07] Here's what they're looking at.

[00:13:08] And it puts them in there.

[00:13:09] So now it's turning into kind of like pipeline management.

[00:13:12] Right.

[00:13:12] Let's call it.

[00:13:15] That's also going to create some focus and accountability for me as an agent.

[00:13:20] Because you can set reminders on there.

[00:13:22] You can understand what your pipeline's like.

[00:13:24] You can see the last time you talked to them.

[00:13:26] What'd you talk about?

[00:13:26] How'd you talk to them?

[00:13:27] You know, phone, email, text in person, like whatever it was.

[00:13:31] You were basically leaving just like this record of everything so that when you go to connect

[00:13:38] with them again, because some clients, they might take a month or two for me and some take

[00:13:42] a few years.

[00:13:43] That's just the way it is.

[00:13:44] It depends what they want, what their urgency is, and also what's the availability of what

[00:13:49] they want.

[00:13:50] If it's not out there, if it's overpriced, the inventory is tight.

[00:13:53] What about if it were a Maple Glen?

[00:13:55] I mean, if it were a Maple Glen, we would have the deal done yesterday because it's probably

[00:13:58] the easiest market I've ever seen to buy a house for a reasonable price.

[00:14:04] But so also with creating that accountability, again, it's like you, all those people coming

[00:14:12] into that system, speaking one language.

[00:14:14] A CRM just keeps you organized.

[00:14:16] Yep.

[00:14:16] And it allows you to see what you got going on with every single person, touch points,

[00:14:20] everything.

[00:14:21] Yep.

[00:14:21] And then some stats real quick.

[00:14:23] So reasons why someone would use a CRM versus not using a CRM.

[00:14:29] Yeah.

[00:14:29] The advantages.

[00:14:30] Yeah.

[00:14:31] So like some stats that I found in general.

[00:14:35] So on average, a CRM will increase your sales around 29% because it's creating efficiencies,

[00:14:41] as I just mentioned.

[00:14:42] It's also going to increase your productivity about 34%.

[00:14:47] And then lastly, it's going to give you accuracy in your forecasting, usually increase of around

[00:14:54] like 42%.

[00:14:56] You got to figure like a third to half more efficient in different ways if you use one versus

[00:15:02] not using.

[00:15:04] Now, what the hell did you want to say?

[00:15:07] So, so the question is, well, the question I was going to answer was why would you use

[00:15:13] it or why would you not use it?

[00:15:15] Yeah.

[00:15:15] Okay.

[00:15:16] And the answer is simple.

[00:15:18] If you have a team that you need all of that information into one portal and speak to those

[00:15:32] customers and clients from a, from a company position.

[00:15:37] Yeah.

[00:15:37] Because you've got multiple people working at your company.

[00:15:40] All different people are inputting things.

[00:15:42] Yep.

[00:15:43] And you need to see the whole thing.

[00:15:45] Yeah.

[00:15:45] Not just what Sean has going on, what Mooney Insurance Brokers has going on.

[00:15:50] Correct.

[00:15:51] Got it.

[00:15:51] Yeah.

[00:15:52] So then that is where it's almost a necessity, right?

[00:15:58] Almost.

[00:15:59] Because then otherwise you'd have the same problem that I would have had where all of

[00:16:04] these carriers are speaking different languages and you're trying to interpret, like if you're

[00:16:10] working with a group of salespeople and Jim has an Excel spreadsheet and Donna has a Google doc and Brenda

[00:16:21] has a Microsoft Word doc.

[00:16:25] What about Judy?

[00:16:26] Judy.

[00:16:28] Judy's got something else.

[00:16:30] How are you supposed to manage that information and connect and speak or reach out to those

[00:16:42] prospects or clients?

[00:16:45] And then how are you forecasting what is going to be in front of you in the next year?

[00:16:50] Well, it's interesting.

[00:16:52] That's a really good point.

[00:16:55] At Copper Hill, yes, we could not have functioned without one because we had anywhere from like

[00:17:00] 30 to 50 agents at a time running around doing all different things.

[00:17:05] Yep.

[00:17:05] And again, if they got listings, we're holding escrow.

[00:17:08] If they got buyers, we still have notes.

[00:17:10] And again, there's like, there's forms, there's documents, there's touch points.

[00:17:13] You know, our transaction team used our CRM system to keep everything moving through the

[00:17:17] pipeline.

[00:17:18] So yes, it would have been impossible to run Copper Hill without it.

[00:17:23] And also Mooney Insurance Brokers, like you saying, hey, I got 50 carriers.

[00:17:26] They all need to go into my management system.

[00:17:29] And then I want my CRM to talk to that.

[00:17:32] Because again, you got different people at your insurance brokerage feeding that.

[00:17:37] So they need to talk.

[00:17:39] You got 50 over here.

[00:17:40] You got a few people over here.

[00:17:41] Like it needs to connect.

[00:17:42] Yep.

[00:17:43] For sure.

[00:17:44] Let me tell you why I don't have one today.

[00:17:48] And I'm actually still running just as efficient as I was before.

[00:17:53] So when the partnership ended at Copper Hill and I started the Tim Garrity team at Real Broker,

[00:18:02] one of my first questions was, how do I keep track of my stuff?

[00:18:06] Like, is it all on me as the team leader, as also a practicing agent?

[00:18:13] Or does Real give me something for that?

[00:18:15] Copper Hill was from scratch.

[00:18:17] So everything we had to do, we had to figure out on our own.

[00:18:20] We picked our own CRM, just like you.

[00:18:22] Same deal.

[00:18:23] So those are apples and apples.

[00:18:25] What I'm learning at Real, it's apples and oranges.

[00:18:28] So Real's setup is that whether you're a solo agent or a team like the Tim Garrity team,

[00:18:35] you are responsible for some, but they are responsible for some as well.

[00:18:40] And what they use, because my team is about 10 people, another team of about six from Copper

[00:18:46] Hill came over to Real as well.

[00:18:48] They're their own team, the Main Street team.

[00:18:49] What's up, Christine?

[00:18:53] Real has a portal where I can see everything.

[00:18:58] I can see my deals and I can see my team member deals.

[00:19:02] So I can see all that.

[00:19:04] So that keeps track of the volume, you know, the production.

[00:19:09] The financials.

[00:19:10] Okay.

[00:19:11] So it keeps track of all that.

[00:19:14] It doesn't have the built-in.

[00:19:16] Okay.

[00:19:17] When's the last time we talked to this person?

[00:19:18] It doesn't have the marketing.

[00:19:20] With where I am right now with my team, it's okay for me as well as my team members to keep

[00:19:27] track of their own clients based on the structure that I have my team under, which is really,

[00:19:32] I'm having bi-weekly sales meetings every two weeks.

[00:19:34] So I am checking on people.

[00:19:36] I offer monthly mentoring.

[00:19:38] You know, I'm constantly still problem solving, putting out fires when they have deals.

[00:19:42] You know, we talk on the phone.

[00:19:43] Hey, how's this one going?

[00:19:44] How's that one going?

[00:19:45] So I'm keeping tabs on my team that way.

[00:19:49] And my team members, as well as myself, are individually responsible for their own customer

[00:19:55] relationship management.

[00:19:57] And I know that other people are using CRMs.

[00:20:00] What I'm using right now, I'm using Google Sheets.

[00:20:03] I'm using Google Contacts.

[00:20:05] And I'm using Google Calendar.

[00:20:06] And that's all I'm using right now.

[00:20:08] Oh, and MailChimp.

[00:20:09] That's my marketing piece.

[00:20:10] So that's really all I'm using to manage my own business right now.

[00:20:16] So when I got to Reel, always being at independent shops, at least there was a platform where some

[00:20:23] of it could be managed.

[00:20:24] They also have their own in-house CRM.

[00:20:27] I just haven't signed up for it yet.

[00:20:29] Like if I want to use it, will it talk to their transaction management system?

[00:20:35] My guess is it will.

[00:20:36] I just haven't even gone down that road yet because I didn't need to.

[00:20:39] Hey, everyone.

[00:20:41] This is Tim, your favorite Bricks and Risk co-host.

[00:20:44] But don't tell Sean.

[00:20:46] I hope you're enjoying this episode.

[00:20:47] And I'll get right back to it in a moment.

[00:20:50] Our audience grows through word of mouth.

[00:20:52] So if you would please take a moment of your time and give us a review on the platform you're on,

[00:20:57] that would be fantastic.

[00:20:59] Please also help spread the BNR word by sharing your favorite episode with a friend.

[00:21:04] We greatly appreciate your time and trust.

[00:21:07] Now, back to the show.

[00:21:14] This is almost kind of like the flip side of like, like, why not?

[00:21:19] Well, here, so to kind of answer that question, you deal with agents that are one-on-one, right?

[00:21:30] And so I'm just going to draw the difference between what you have going on and what we have going on is you have an agent.

[00:21:37] That agent deals with client.

[00:21:40] Yep.

[00:21:40] And it's like a one-on-one interaction.

[00:21:43] And then when that deal closes, it's done.

[00:21:46] So from a financial standpoint, like, there's nothing more needed.

[00:21:51] Right.

[00:21:51] All the paperwork signed, payments are made, done.

[00:21:54] Yep.

[00:21:54] So, like, if that agent wants to drip on them.

[00:21:58] Right.

[00:21:59] They can.

[00:21:59] They can.

[00:22:00] Or they don't have to.

[00:22:01] Or they don't have to.

[00:22:02] Whatever they want.

[00:22:02] Whatever they want to do.

[00:22:04] But with my brokerage, I now have a client that is not done, is not going away.

[00:22:14] True.

[00:22:15] Is not.

[00:22:16] Yeah, that's true.

[00:22:17] That's a different way to look at it, yeah.

[00:22:18] They're constantly with you.

[00:22:20] Correct.

[00:22:21] So every, so a need for everything being centralized is way more.

[00:22:27] Yeah, no, that's a really, that's a really good point.

[00:22:29] Insurance is definitely a different animal.

[00:22:31] Right.

[00:22:31] And so that's my point is, like, if you have.

[00:22:35] I don't know.

[00:22:36] If you're like a grocery store.

[00:22:39] Right.

[00:22:40] That's why I would make the Academy.

[00:22:42] No, like O'Neill's Market in Glenside.

[00:22:45] Have you ever been there?

[00:22:46] Oh, yeah.

[00:22:46] What's up, Jimmy?

[00:22:47] The most, the best sandwiches.

[00:22:50] This is a shout out to O'Neill's Market in Glenside.

[00:22:54] The best.

[00:22:57] Best.

[00:22:58] Food store in America.

[00:23:00] Don't they have, like, an Irish section?

[00:23:01] Yeah, they do.

[00:23:02] They do.

[00:23:03] That's cool.

[00:23:04] That applies to the three of us.

[00:23:06] Prove me wrong.

[00:23:06] You, me.

[00:23:07] Prove me wrong that that's not the best.

[00:23:10] It's pretty sweet.

[00:23:11] I like it.

[00:23:12] Yeah.

[00:23:14] And when his dad used to work there, you could get, like, all the meat cut, however you wanted.

[00:23:19] Oh, that's awesome.

[00:23:20] Like, anything.

[00:23:21] Yeah, that's the best.

[00:23:22] So good.

[00:23:22] So if you're a grocery store, like O'Neill's, you now have customers that frequent your store.

[00:23:32] And you should want to know who they are.

[00:23:34] You should want to drip on them.

[00:23:36] Yeah.

[00:23:36] You should want to be able to communicate with all of them.

[00:23:39] Like, oh, we're closed on, you know, 4th of July.

[00:23:43] That's why I would make the case that anyone with a business that has, let's call it a repeat customer.

[00:23:52] You know, like a customer that isn't a one and done transaction.

[00:23:57] I feel like it's almost an assess.

[00:24:01] Everyone should have some sort of system that they use.

[00:24:06] Call whatever you want.

[00:24:07] I don't care.

[00:24:07] But a system that's collecting information and spitting information out to all of them.

[00:24:14] So it'd be like if someone went to, like, O'Neill's and they're Irish and they're like, yo,

[00:24:19] what can I get at the store for, like, traditional Irish breakfast?

[00:24:22] And they're like, okay, we got the beans.

[00:24:24] Kerrygold.

[00:24:25] You have to have Kerrygold.

[00:24:26] We got Kerrygold butter.

[00:24:28] Do you guys carry black pudding?

[00:24:30] Because I want some of that.

[00:24:32] Blood pudding?

[00:24:32] Do you guys have rashers?

[00:24:35] Rashers.

[00:24:35] Rashers are tight.

[00:24:36] That's like Irish bacon.

[00:24:38] So, yeah, it's like I might have to go in there and be like, how do I get on your client list?

[00:24:43] And how can I start asking for traditional Irish breakfast items?

[00:24:47] Can I give you my email and you just drip on me what Irish food specials are coming down the park?

[00:24:54] Do you guys carry a LucasAid?

[00:24:56] But that was the store.

[00:24:58] Remember, too.

[00:24:59] I don't know if you remember.

[00:25:00] Maybe I'm too old for you.

[00:25:03] We're the same age.

[00:25:05] I know.

[00:25:05] Dylan's much younger.

[00:25:08] Dylan, you probably won't remember this.

[00:25:09] They took the brown paper and put it in the sign in the front store window.

[00:25:14] Okay.

[00:25:14] With, like, cantaloupes.

[00:25:16] Oh, yeah, yeah.

[00:25:17] Four for, like, three dollars.

[00:25:19] Like, scotch tape on the back.

[00:25:20] Yeah.

[00:25:21] It was just, that was what they wrote on.

[00:25:22] Yeah.

[00:25:22] And that was how they wrapped, what, like, their meats, their deli, maybe something like that.

[00:25:26] Yeah.

[00:25:27] That's old school.

[00:25:28] So good.

[00:25:28] Yeah, we were just talking about Wawa the other day.

[00:25:30] Not to go too off track.

[00:25:32] Dog food.

[00:25:32] My older brother and I, he said the same thing.

[00:25:34] He's like, what happened to Wawa?

[00:25:36] I was like, I did two summers at Wawa.

[00:25:39] I worked there.

[00:25:40] Yeah.

[00:25:46] I was like, I'm not sure if I was a person taking your order.

[00:25:47] It wasn't a touchscreen.

[00:25:48] They used to have this carbon copy, John.

[00:25:50] And they would literally have this little, like, crayon thing that they would write on.

[00:25:54] Say, okay, you want an Italian hoagie?

[00:25:56] You know, lettuce, tomato, onion, salt, pepper, oregano.

[00:25:58] They'd do all that shit.

[00:25:59] They'd rip off one, give it to you.

[00:26:01] You'd take it to the register.

[00:26:02] Get it stamped, paid.

[00:26:03] And then you'd bring it back, and then the sandwich would be ready.

[00:26:06] So, like, we did all that.

[00:26:08] What Wawa used to also do...

[00:26:10] Wait, Pat was asking what happened to Wawa?

[00:26:13] Yeah, Pat lived in Harrisburg for, like, over a decade.

[00:26:15] So he's, like, he's out of loop a little bit.

[00:26:17] You and I have never left.

[00:26:19] So, basically, when I worked there, also, when I worked there in the summer,

[00:26:23] you would have to commit to at least one week of the midnight shift.

[00:26:27] Because Wawa's 24-7.

[00:26:29] Yep.

[00:26:29] They, like, make you do it.

[00:26:31] So I would have one week in Ocean City, New Jersey, like, in July,

[00:26:36] where I would work 11 at night to, like, 6 in the morning.

[00:26:39] And let me tell you, the people you meet at Wawa at 3 a.m., at 4 a.m.,

[00:26:47] it's very interesting.

[00:26:49] They're either drunk people or fishermen.

[00:26:50] Right.

[00:26:51] But anyway, like, well, what also happened is Amoroso would deliver, like,

[00:26:57] boxes of fresh rolls every single day.

[00:27:00] So Wawa was always using great bread.

[00:27:03] You know, they were hand-slicing their meats.

[00:27:06] Now, today, you know, they bake Amoroso bread.

[00:27:10] That's what they say they do.

[00:27:13] And most of their meats are probably sliced in a factory and just delivered there.

[00:27:16] So it's different.

[00:27:17] It's not the same.

[00:27:19] Do you think Wawa uses a CRM?

[00:27:23] I'm sure they do.

[00:27:24] I think I've gotten emails from Wawa because I have the rewards app.

[00:27:29] Yeah.

[00:27:30] Yeah.

[00:27:30] Do you have that?

[00:27:30] I do not.

[00:27:31] Do you ever go to Wawa?

[00:27:33] I haven't had Wawa food.

[00:27:36] Like a hokey?

[00:27:38] How long?

[00:27:39] Years.

[00:27:40] How many years?

[00:27:42] If I had to guess, I'd say probably, like, three years.

[00:27:48] Really?

[00:27:49] Yeah.

[00:27:50] Nothing?

[00:27:50] You've never had, like, a shorty or even just, like, regular sandwich?

[00:27:54] No, I kind of just refuse.

[00:27:57] Drop off?

[00:27:57] I refuse to lose.

[00:28:03] The, I'd just rather go, like, I'd rather go, like, next door where there's, like, a sandwich.

[00:28:10] Yeah.

[00:28:11] Well, you could probably get some GF options at Wawa these days because it's so, it's so corporate.

[00:28:19] Well, now I've learned my GF option is, like...

[00:28:24] Mooney's gluten-free, by the way, just so we can...

[00:28:26] If anybody wants to know about my gluten-free diet...

[00:28:28] If you're not with it, you don't know what GF is, it's gluten-free.

[00:28:30] DM Sean Mooney, M-O-O-N-E-E.

[00:28:36] I think it's up to, like, 17 followers on Instagram now, so you're crushing it over the last four or five months.

[00:28:41] I think I went over 20.

[00:28:47] You better put them in your CRM.

[00:28:50] Get them in the CRM.

[00:28:51] Get them in the CRM.

[00:28:52] You got to start capitalizing now.

[00:28:53] So now, I get a cheesesteak.

[00:28:56] Okay.

[00:28:56] And I get it on french fries.

[00:29:00] Oh, yeah.

[00:29:01] So that becomes my sandwich.

[00:29:05] Or if I go to the ale house...

[00:29:06] I was going to say, like, most delis don't make fries, though, so you got to go to, like, almost like a restaurant.

[00:29:11] No.

[00:29:12] Most do.

[00:29:13] Yeah?

[00:29:14] I mean, like...

[00:29:15] Most true delis are, like, chips and...

[00:29:18] Costa Deli in Ambler, Pennsylvania.

[00:29:21] Costa, yep.

[00:29:21] It's a good one.

[00:29:22] Yeah, they probably do it all.

[00:29:24] But high stakes in Verona.

[00:29:26] I haven't been to either yet, but...

[00:29:28] Oh, I heard they're both super tight.

[00:29:31] They both look at me funny when I order, and then they just put the steak.

[00:29:36] But if I go to the ale house with John Casey...

[00:29:39] Yep.

[00:29:39] What's up, Casey?

[00:29:42] I get the beef over french fries, and then I just slather the gravy.

[00:29:48] Oh, that actually sounds pretty awesome.

[00:29:50] Like, right on top.

[00:29:51] Yep.

[00:29:51] So then it's, like, my sandwich.

[00:29:54] All right.

[00:29:54] Cool.

[00:29:54] Well, we're definitely getting off track here.

[00:29:56] So let's get back to it.

[00:29:57] So why not to use a CRM?

[00:29:59] Why not?

[00:30:00] I had just given the example of, I have a transaction management system made available to me.

[00:30:05] I use MailChimp myself for my email marketing, for client follow-up, for drip, as you said.

[00:30:10] I use Google Sheets and Google Calendar to keep track of individual clients, what they

[00:30:14] got going on, when's the last time we spoke.

[00:30:16] I'm almost, like, back to, like, the old system right now.

[00:30:18] And I'm just kind of, like, biding my time to be like, okay, eventually I'm going to cave.

[00:30:26] I'm going to get a system, because it is more efficient, as we talked about.

[00:30:29] Have you ever seen AWeber?

[00:30:32] AWeber?

[00:30:33] No.

[00:30:33] You should look it up.

[00:30:34] What's AWeber?

[00:30:36] AWeber is, like, MailChimp on steroids.

[00:30:40] Okay.

[00:30:40] And they're actually local.

[00:30:42] They're, like, in Lansdale.

[00:30:44] Nice.

[00:30:45] AWeber?

[00:30:46] I could be saying that wrong.

[00:30:48] What kind of frigging name is that?

[00:30:50] Dylan, look it up.

[00:30:51] Yeah, Dylan, can you look up AWeber for us so we can just get a sense of what's going

[00:30:54] on?

[00:30:55] But I will look at it.

[00:30:56] Or maybe it's AWeber.

[00:30:57] I mean, especially if they're local, I want to support every local business I can.

[00:31:01] But they're, like, a local company with, like, an international reach.

[00:31:04] It's like if MailChimp just, like, rolled up and, like, just parked in Maniunk.

[00:31:12] Yeah.

[00:31:13] Oh, yeah.

[00:31:13] I would say AWeber.

[00:31:15] Yeah.

[00:31:15] Interesting.

[00:31:16] It's kind of like DuckDuckGo.

[00:31:18] Yeah.

[00:31:18] You know DuckDuckGo?

[00:31:19] The kids' song?

[00:31:22] No.

[00:31:23] DuckDuckGo is, like, a Google that doesn't track you.

[00:31:26] It's got, like, the same look and it's local.

[00:31:28] It was a Philadelphia startup.

[00:31:29] Aren't they in media?

[00:31:31] Maybe.

[00:31:31] DuckGo.

[00:31:32] We should have them on.

[00:31:33] We should.

[00:31:34] Yeah.

[00:31:35] Okay.

[00:31:36] So this one is a little bit more than MailChimp.

[00:31:41] All right.

[00:31:42] Yeah, I'll take a look at that.

[00:31:44] That's something about Calendly.

[00:31:45] We use that.

[00:31:46] Yeah.

[00:31:46] Good option.

[00:31:47] Just throwing it out there.

[00:31:49] Yeah.

[00:31:49] No, I appreciate it.

[00:31:50] One thing I'll say, too, it will depend on the size of your team.

[00:31:54] Like a Copper Hill, we had a pretty large team.

[00:31:56] Right.

[00:31:56] We wouldn't have survived without it.

[00:31:59] No.

[00:31:59] You just can't.

[00:32:01] Like, there's not enough hours in the day.

[00:32:03] Come on.

[00:32:03] So it depends on the size of the team, complexity of your business for you with your clients

[00:32:07] always, you know, being connected to you years and years and years.

[00:32:12] Like, yes, you need something.

[00:32:13] And then it's also, like, the personality of the operator.

[00:32:16] Like, some people want stuff like uber-efficient.

[00:32:18] Some people want things a little loose.

[00:32:20] You know, they might want CRM for just, you know, keeping track of leads, not necessarily

[00:32:25] like their email marking, their event, you know, formats.

[00:32:28] And then there's also cost.

[00:32:31] So cost is a big part.

[00:32:33] Yeah.

[00:32:33] So some CRMs get away with it for 100 bucks a month.

[00:32:37] And it could be pretty decent.

[00:32:39] Some of them are going to be tens of thousands of dollars a year.

[00:32:41] Well, that one I told you, if someone's looking for, like, a lo-fi CRM that does a lot, like,

[00:32:49] a lot of bang for your buck, that pipe drive is one of the ones I used early on is, like...

[00:32:55] Solid.

[00:32:55] And that was solid, like, you know, six, seven years ago.

[00:33:00] Was that more insurance-focused or was that just a business?

[00:33:02] No.

[00:33:03] Just a business one.

[00:33:04] Like HubSpot.

[00:33:05] Yeah.

[00:33:05] Gotcha.

[00:33:06] Yeah.

[00:33:06] And you can plug into a lot and you can do a lot and the reporting's good and the analytics

[00:33:10] are good.

[00:33:10] Like, there's some good systems out there that don't cost a fortune.

[00:33:15] Like, Salesforce and HubSpot are, like, crazy ridiculous because they give you so much

[00:33:20] and they're more geared towards, you know, Fortune 500 companies probably.

[00:33:26] Yeah, yeah.

[00:33:26] But there's a lot of...

[00:33:29] Monday is another one, I think.

[00:33:32] Yeah, Monday.

[00:33:34] Airtable is another one.

[00:33:37] Isn't that air hockey?

[00:33:38] That's another word for air hockey.

[00:33:39] It's bubble hockey.

[00:33:40] The Russians versus the Americans.

[00:33:43] You remember that one.

[00:33:45] You were our age.

[00:33:46] Bill, do you remember the bubble hockey?

[00:33:48] At the arcade?

[00:33:49] No.

[00:33:49] Do you know what an arcade is?

[00:33:52] I feel like it's like foosball but hockey.

[00:33:55] Yeah.

[00:33:55] I didn't know they called it bubble hockey.

[00:33:57] Yeah, well, it's a big bubble.

[00:33:58] He's like, is Nintendo considered an arcade?

[00:34:03] Nintendo.

[00:34:03] Dude, do you remember the parties, the arcade parties when we were young?

[00:34:07] When someone would rent out an arcade?

[00:34:10] Like the rich?

[00:34:10] Yeah.

[00:34:11] You would go play video games at the arcade for, like, an hour, hour and a half straight

[00:34:15] and it was, like, insane.

[00:34:17] Now they have the trucks that roll up to your house with an arcade in the trailer.

[00:34:21] Oh, like a mobile arcade?

[00:34:23] Yeah.

[00:34:24] Dude, I haven't heard about that.

[00:34:25] That sounds awesome.

[00:34:26] We should just do that.

[00:34:27] We should.

[00:34:28] Yeah.

[00:34:28] Next Saturday.

[00:34:29] Yeah.

[00:34:30] Kate's going to be like, what's going on?

[00:34:31] When we get our truck going, we'll, like, have the ability to, like, do it as an arcade.

[00:34:41] Yes.

[00:34:42] Slash moving truck.

[00:34:43] I love that.

[00:34:44] That'll be Amy Stockburger when we talk to her.

[00:34:47] We'll see what she thinks about that.

[00:34:49] Yeah.

[00:34:50] Maybe we'll, like, she'll be like, oh, that's a great idea.

[00:34:53] I need to add it into my portfolio.

[00:34:55] She's like, you know that's an option with the company I use.

[00:34:58] You want to fit it out.

[00:34:59] You guys like Double Dragon, right?

[00:35:00] Would she have 9,000 rentals in one month or something?

[00:35:04] It's just, I love it.

[00:35:05] I can't wait to talk to her.

[00:35:07] So, and the last reason why you might not is simplicity.

[00:35:11] So, right now my business is way more simple than it was three months ago.

[00:35:16] It just is right now.

[00:35:17] It's going to get more complex.

[00:35:19] But through the transition, because I'm simple, I'm just cobbling systems together,

[00:35:23] and it's enough to not miss a beat, and it's also not breaking the bank,

[00:35:28] and it's not overwhelming me as I transition to the Tim Garrity team.

[00:35:31] So, that's kind of what I'm doing right now.

[00:35:33] It's probably more, I'm sorry not to interrupt, it's probably more,

[00:35:38] not CRM, you can get away with it as a solo agent, if you use a few different systems.

[00:35:42] But whenever you start a team, a company, obviously an insurance brokerage,

[00:35:47] I think it's, you almost can't live without it.

[00:35:49] So, like, if I was Christine, right?

[00:35:51] Like, and I had, I don't know how many agents she works with on her team.

[00:35:54] But she's got six on her team.

[00:35:55] So, six.

[00:35:56] And, like, you wanted to maximize your marketing.

[00:35:59] You wanted to maximize your reach.

[00:36:00] You wanted to maximize, you know, everything that comes with it.

[00:36:06] You want to, like, you want to function your drip, your marketing as a group,

[00:36:09] rather than six individual efforts.

[00:36:11] Yeah.

[00:36:11] And different quality, and different cadence, and different opinions.

[00:36:16] Yeah, because, I mean, real estate is like, you know, a numbers game, right?

[00:36:20] Like, the more people that you can get eyeballs on, right, the better.

[00:36:25] So, I want my client to be aware of, like, what that person's doing, or listing, or working with,

[00:36:35] or what neighborhood.

[00:36:36] Like, the more you have of that, the more reach you're going to have, and the more, you know.

[00:36:41] Yeah.

[00:36:42] Sure.

[00:36:43] The more introductions, and more appointments, and everything else.

[00:36:45] So, I think you're looking to do that and maximize from a team perspective.

[00:36:49] Like, you know.

[00:36:50] I would agree.

[00:36:51] That's probably, would work in your favor.

[00:36:54] All right.

[00:36:55] So, we're getting to the end of this episode.

[00:36:56] You want to talk about the new, the new end of the show?

[00:37:01] Yeah, I just, I don't know if we're going to name this the Wawa episode,

[00:37:05] or the O'Neill's Market in Glenside episode.

[00:37:09] Are we even allowed to do that?

[00:37:11] We'll probably get a letter in the mail or something.

[00:37:13] They're like cease and desist.

[00:37:14] Wawa's going to be like.

[00:37:15] Yeah.

[00:37:16] There'll be a lawsuit online, like, Mooney Garrity versus O'Neill's.

[00:37:22] Stop using our name.

[00:37:23] I would frame it.

[00:37:23] Stop using our name.

[00:37:26] No, but you started the show with a review.

[00:37:30] Yeah.

[00:37:30] And we've been getting a lot of good feedback on Apple Podcasts, YouTube.

[00:37:35] We've gotten some DMs.

[00:37:37] And Instagram people reaching out, asking different questions.

[00:37:40] Making fun of you.

[00:37:41] Making fun of me.

[00:37:42] It's been awesome.

[00:37:43] It's been absolutely awesome.

[00:37:44] It's been great.

[00:37:44] So, if anybody out there would like to reach out to us, show, you can shoot us an email.

[00:37:51] Bricksandrisk at gmail.com.

[00:37:53] If you leave us a written review, Apple Podcasts is a good one.

[00:37:58] YouTube, you can look at those shows, do comments in there.

[00:38:01] Yep.

[00:38:01] And don't forget to subscribe.

[00:38:04] Follow us.

[00:38:05] YouTube, all social media.

[00:38:07] LinkedIn.

[00:38:08] Instagram.

[00:38:09] Instagram.

[00:38:10] Facebook.

[00:38:12] And all the other.

[00:38:13] That's true.

[00:38:14] All the other channels.

[00:38:14] And on LinkedIn, we have the group for Bricks and Risk.

[00:38:18] Yep.

[00:38:18] So you can subscribe to the group.

[00:38:19] We put shorts in there.

[00:38:21] Yeah.

[00:38:21] You know, you and I do our separate posts and stuff like that.

[00:38:23] LinkedIn is probably one of the better social media platforms to follow us for content.

[00:38:27] It is good.

[00:38:28] It gives you a lot.

[00:38:29] We don't kill you.

[00:38:30] You know, we don't like, you know, hit you over the head with a lot of the stuff that we're

[00:38:33] putting out.

[00:38:35] But it's a good place to go to get a taste.

[00:38:37] And, you know, we've had people reach out and shoot us DMs in there.

[00:38:41] So.

[00:38:41] Awesome.

[00:38:42] A lot of different avenues people can get to us.

[00:38:45] Cool.

[00:38:46] All right.

[00:38:46] Well, that's all we have for this one, folks.

[00:38:48] So thank you for tuning in again to another episode of Bricks and Risk.

[00:38:52] See you soon.

[00:38:55] Thank you for joining us on another episode of Bricks and Risk.

[00:38:59] Our goal is that you walk away with one or two valuable nuggets.

[00:39:03] And we greatly appreciate you sharing your time with us today.

[00:39:07] You can find all B&R episodes on Spotify, Apple Music, YouTube, and anywhere else you

[00:39:13] get your podcast content.

[00:39:15] Until next time, keep learning and keep growing.

[00:39:19] All right.