Looking for an in-depth Zoho CRM review for real estate?
You’ve come to the right place.
That’s because as a real estate business or agent, things can get confusing.
You know that in today’s cynical digital age, you need to manage your leads according to what stage they can be found in the marketing lifecycle.
For instance, you don’t want to slap your cold leads in the face with urgent messages to buy. (This will turn them off.)
On the other hand, you don’t want to be too lax with your hot leads, as this will make them lose interest in you and your offer.
The answer?
CRM solutions.
But is Zoho CRM the right one for you?
Will it fit your real estate business’s needs?
What are the Zoho CRM pros and cons?
Let’s find out.
What Is Zoho CRM?
Zoho CRM isn’t an obscure, unknown solution to your customer relationship management needs.
In fact, it’s quite popular.
Check out these cool stats:
- Zoho is an award-winning CRM solution
- Over 250,000 businesses use Zoho
- Zoho is used in 180 countries
If you decide to use Zoho, you’ll be joining quite a pack of small, middle-sized, and large businesses worldwide.
In fact, the popular CRM company caters to all types of businesses: B2B, B2C, SMBs, and Enterprises.
Source: zoho.com
But what does Zoho actually do? How can it help you manage your real estate business?
Here’s a quick summary of what it can help you do:
- Automate your sales. Capture, close, and connect with leads across different channels.
- Manage your processes. Make your sales processes flow smoothly with blueprints the whole team can use.
- Manage prospects and customers in real-time. Get notified whenever prospects or customers interact with your brand, whether that’s reading an email you sent, browsing your website, talking about you on social, and more.
- Analyze your business. Break down all your data, so you know what’s going on and what steps you need to take to grow with your business.
In a nutshell, Zoho CRM promises to be the go-between that allows you to enjoy smooth, streamlined interactions with your leads and loyal customers.
Now, let’s get into Zoho CRM pros and cons.
TLDR; Is Zoho CRM Right for You?
Zoho CRM is a comprehensive CRM platform that allows you to streamline your customer relationship management.
The pros include a user-friendly interface, flexible and customizable settings, a mobile app, great value for money, and more.
Its cons include not too many features in the FREE and lower-priced options, and a long customer service waiting time.
So, is Zoho CRM right for you?
Yes: if you’re willing to spend $40/month or more, and want to grow with your thriving real estate business.
No: if you want to go FREE all the way, and plan to rely heavily on LIVE customer service support.
Now, let’s dive in and get into more details.
The Pros of Using Zoho CRM for Real Estate
Here’s something you’d love to hear:
A ton of businesspeople highly recommend Zoho CRM.
Just look at these raving Zoho CRM customer reviews:
Source: trustradius.com
Source: g2.com
Source: g2.com
Now, let’s take a deep dive into the Zoho CRM features that people love.
Straightforward, Productivity-Focused Design
When it comes to CRM, you don’t want fancy.
You don’t want software with a ton of pretty decor and complex bells and whistles you have no idea how to use.
Nope!
What you want is something extra simple.
Something that will save you a ton of time, so you can focus on what’s really important: your real estate business.
Good news for you, then: Zoho CRM is the king of simple.
Its interface and design are minimalistic, without the pomp and show of some other CRM solutions.
Here’s a quick look at its home dashboard.
Source: crm.zoho.com
As you can see, all the controls are organized at the top of the dashboard, so you can quickly and easily navigate to where you want to go.
Source: crm.zoho.com
Clicking on any of these categories will allow you to view your data.
For example, let’s say you click Leads.
Here’s what you’ll get. (To create a new lead, all you need to do is click the blue button on the far right corner labeled Create Lead.)
Source: crm.zoho.com
Simple, huh?
Small Learning Curve
Question for you.
Do you want CRM solutions that’ll take you months to fully learn?
Of course not.
You’re busy overseeing open houses, coordinating with buyers, meeting prospects, and scheduling property showings.
You have zero time to zone out in front of your computer, navigating impossible software.
If this is you, Zoho CRM is for you.
Why?
It’s super easy to set up, and you can begin using it the moment you create your new account.
First, you’ll need to set up your contacts.
To do this, click the button labeled Contacts on your dashboard.
Then, click the blue button labeled Create Contact on the upper right corner of the screen.
Source: crm.zoho.com
The same button also allows you to import contacts from other sources.
Source: crm.zoho.com
Then, you’ll want to set up your Accounts page, which is the page where you’ll keep records of companies and people you work with.
Source: crm.zoho.com
As you can see from the screenshots, doing these is super simple and takes a fractional amount of time.
Flexible and Customizable
Go online and type “best CRM software,” and you’ll likely find a ton of blogs covering the topic.
However, as you sift through them, you’ll notice that not many of them (maybe even none) cover CRM for real estate specifically.
This gets you wondering, “Sure, this brand offers great CRM solutions, but will it be great for my real estate business? Will it fit my particular needs?”
Great news: it will.
That’s because Zoho CRM was designed to fit almost all industries.
It’s super customizable and flexible as well, meaning that even if you’re in an obscure niche industry, you can make it work for you.
To do that, you can head over to the Marketplace tab, where you’ll find various integrations and extensions available.
These will make it easier for you to further customize your Zoho CRM experience.
For example, here’s an app specifically for real estate industry users:
Source: crm.zoho.com
Great at Turning Leads Into Clients
Zoho CRM makes it easy for you to meet leads, prospects, current clients and past clients in the specific place they are on their buying journey.
This means that you’ll know when to hold off on the sales talk and when to make it flow.
When someone new visits your site, you’ll know he’s there for the first time and you’ll avoid harassing him with pushy sales tactics.
But when you know someone has been following you for a while, you’ll go in for the sale and avoid losing this potential client.
What’s more, you can use Zoho to harvest multiple leads.
For instance, you’ll be notified if someone mentions you on social media.
These features allow you to build the strong relationship needed to turn cold leads into loyal clients.
Helpful Guides Available
New to the whole CRM thing?
I know, it can get overwhelming and confusing.
I mean, your expertise is real estate, not stuffy, techy CRM solutions.
Not to worry, though.
Zoho CRM thought of that, which is why you can find step-by-step guides on how to do almost anything on the platform.
To access these detailed guides, all you have to do is go to Zia Search and head over to the Help Pages.
Then, type your question into the search field in the upper left corner of the dashboard.
For instance, imagine that you’ve stopped working with a certain company, and you want to stop sending them invoices.
All you have to do is type “how to stop sending invoices” in the search field.
When you do, you’ll get a detailed guide with screenshots showing you exactly how to do it.
Like this:
Source: crm.zoho.com
Simple, User-Friendly Mobile App
On the go?
Maybe you’re a real estate agent who doesn’t like to tote around your laptop whenever you go on trips.
If that’s the case, you’ll love Zoho CRM.
With Zoho, you don’t need a laptop or desktop computer to get to work.
Yup!
You can do everything from their minimalistic, user-friendly mobile app.
Plus, if you decide to spend time in the middle of the Amazon (the rainforest, not the $1.7 trillion ecommerce platform)...
...you can still work on Zoho, as you don’t need a network connection to use it.
Zoho CRM Pricing (How Much Does Zoho CRM Cost?)
Now for the important question: how much will you spend for Zoho CRM?
And is it worth it?
Our verdict: YES, it’s worth it.
Here’s a look at their pricing guide:
Source: store.zoho.com
The FREE version allows up to three users, while the more pricey options include more users and a ton of other features such as email marketing, visitor surveys, visitor tracking, and more.
Here’s a look at what the different pricing plans include:
Source: zoho.com
For more pricing plan comparisons, visit their page here.
The Cons of Using Zoho CRM for Real Estate
Now, before you jump off this blog and sign up for a Zoho CRM account, you’ll want to know the cons of using Zoho.
(Yup, it’s not all rainbows and sunshine.)
Here are two reasons you might not want to go for the popular CRM solutions.
It’s Not for People with Tiny Budgets
As a real estate agent, you probably have a flourishing career or business going.
This means you’ll want to invest in worthwhile CRM solutions, even if it gets a tad pricey.
If this is you, then Zoho is for you.
However, if you’re on a tiny budget and can’t afford more than $40/month, we suggest you look elsewhere.
That’s because Zoho’s FREE and lower-tier plans don’t offer that much comprehensiveness.
You’ll get only limited features, which aren’t great if your plan is to scale your business to the sky.
Of course, you should go ahead and sign up for the FREE or cheaper versions if you’re just getting started and you want to get a feel of the software.
If you love it and want to continue using it, we recommend upgrading to at least the $40 Enterprise plan.
Customer Service Wait Time
Zoho CRM is one of the simplest solutions you can find in the market.
That said, if you’re a total newbie, you might have questions along the way.
Unfortunately, Zoho’s customer services aren’t that quick to respond to users.
In my opinion, this isn’t a deal breaker, though.
That’s because there are a ton of tutorials inside the software, plus you can use the Ask Zia feature any time.
To access this AI-manned chat feature, simply click the Ask Zia button on the right hand corner of your dashboard.
Source: crm.zoho.com
Simply type in your question, and you’ll get an in-depth guide as an answer.
Like this:
Source: crm.zoho.com
Zoho CRM Review for Real Estate: Is It Right for You?
As a real estate agent or business, you need CRM solutions to help you manage leads, prospects, and clients seamlessly.
But is Zoho CRM the right choice for you?
The answer: it depends.
If you have big plans for your real estate business, and you dream of growing with it, then definitely YES.
However, if you’re just starting out and are not sure if you’ll stick to the business and grow, then you should probably go for other free CRM solutions that have a lot more features than Zoho’s free and low-tier versions.
If you aren’t yet sure exactly where you are, your best bet will be to sign up for Zoho's FREE trial and see how you like it.
Image credits:
All screenshots taken by the author.