Mastering Client Grouping for Smarter Contact Management
Is your database a little…messy? As a real estate agent, your contact list is one of your most powerful tools. Effectively managing and organizing it isn’t just a nice-to-have—it’s essential to scaling your business.
The most successful agents we’ve worked with are those who have a CRM that is cleanly tagged and well organized. Why? Because it enables them to easily follow up with clients in a highly personalized manner and market to them in a sophisticated way, all while saving them time and resources.
A well-structured CRM not only simplifies your daily operations but leads to better follow-up and targeted communications, which in turn, strengthens your client relationships and fuels growth. With a little guidance and regular upkeep, you can have an effectively organized database that sets you up for success. In this guide, we’ll walk you through how exactly to group your database so that you can elevate your workflow and scale your business.
Photo cred: Unsplash
But First…Why Do I Need to Group My Database?
Each client in your database has different needs. Buyers are achieving something different from sellers and actively searching renters don’t require the same content or support as landlords.
The idea is simple: the more personalized and relevant your communication, the more value you provide. When you showcase value, you prove your expertise and carve out your niche. Regular touches such as these will keep you top-of-mind and be a game changer when it comes time for your database to act. We’ve seen this work for top agents and teams and know it can work for you too!
Grouping Your Database by Contact Type
The first thing you should do when organizing your CRM is to categorize your contacts into two main groups: Clients and Professional Contacts. This simple division sets the foundation for smarter, more targeted communication and better relationship management. Here’s what that means:
Clients
These contacts are your bread and butter—AKA your buyers, sellers, renters, and landlords. These individuals will likely make up the bulk of your database. They’re the ones you’re actively helping or have helped in the past with a real estate transaction.
Professional Contacts
This group includes developers, investors, attorneys, fellow agents, colleagues, title officers, mortgage professionals, networking contacts, and contractors. These are the key people in your network who support the real estate process, either directly or through referrals.
Your clients are those you need to show value and get in touch with at crucial moments of their journey. You’ll need your professional contacts for specific tasks—whether it’s a legal query, a contractor estimate, or partnership opportunities. By segmenting your contacts into these two broad categories, you can focus your messaging so clients receive relevant information at the right time, and professionals get the opportunities they need to support your transactions.
Grouping Your Clients by Transaction Type
Now that your database has been segmented, it’s time to dive into deeper categorizations for your Client contacts. Grouping by transaction type adds an additional layer of precision so you can focus further on addressing unique needs and priorities.
Sasquatch Tip: It’s important to note that your client contacts will be in multiple groups! For example, they will be tagged as a client, a buyer, and in the showing/appointment phase.
Photo cred: Unsplash
When working with agents, we suggest they add the following level of granularity to their CRM:
Buyers
Homebuyers are typically looking for educational materials related to the real estate process and want to receive timely updates on available listings as soon as they hit the market. Organizing buyers into their own category allows you to send customized and relevant materials like buyer’s guides, mortgage rate updates, neighborhood-specific stats, listing alerts, and follow-up on showings.
Sellers/ Owners
Sellers and homeowners require a different approach. If you currently hold the listing, sellers need consistent updates on the performance of their property, including feedback from potential buyers and adjustments to the marketing strategy. If they own their home (and may potentially need your services to sell), they need more nurturing marketing content. Think: home renovation guides, tips for selling a home for more $$$, data on their home’s estimated resale value, and automated market updates about what’s happening in their market so that they feel confident in understanding the factors that contribute to property value changes.
Renters
Renters usually have short-term needs and may be searching for available properties with quick move-in dates. For current renters that means finding properties that match their immediate criteria, and for previous renters, that means keeping them abreast of market trends, staying top-of-mind for future moves, and sharing educational rent-to-buy materials so they feel prepared and ready to choose you as their agent when they do reach that next step.
Landlords
Landlords want to be informed primarily about qualified tenants. Content will include updates on leasing opportunities, market rent reports, and operational efficiencies you’re implementing to keep their buildings profitable and fully leased.
Each transaction type represents a distinct set of needs, expectations, timelines, and communication. When you segment your CRM as such, you can begin creating customized drip campaigns and plan out when you get in touch with a segment and what information you want to send.
Sasquatch Tip: Don’t overcomplicate it! If the thought of tailored communications for every group is overwhelming, start small. A simple welcome email and some consistent monthly check-ins can go a long way. You can always add more touchpoints at a later date.
By segmenting your contacts as such, you’re ensuring that your outreach is always relevant, value-added, and personalized to their needs. We also find that this helps agents prioritize their day-to-day tasks, so you’re focusing on the most urgent and high-value interactions.
Stage in Pipeline
Lastly, to fully optimize your CRM, we recommend agents group their clients based on their stage in your pipeline. By tracking all interactions and communications in your CRM—including phone calls, emails, tours, and documents—and setting follow-up actions, you can stay on top of where each client is in the transaction process and give them the attention they need at the right time.
Sasquatch Tip: It’s important to note that pipeline stage tracking should only happen if an action has ALREADY happened. For example, a contact in the appointment stage should only be tagged as such if they’ve physically attended an appointment. Scheduling an appointment wouldn’t suffice!
New
These are fresh leads who’ve just entered your system and who you haven’t yet met in person. Whether they came from Zillow, an open house, an online inquiry, or a referral, it’s important to engage with them quickly before they lose interest. Tagging these contacts as “New” helps you prioritize timely follow-ups and ensures no one falls through the cracks.
Sasquatch Tip: Ever heard of “speed to lead”? Data shows that the faster you respond to a lead, the higher your chances of converting them into a client. So tag those individuals immediately and set them on an automated drip campaign that shows them what you can do.
Pitching
This stage is applicable only for sellers and landlords and it’s your chance to make a lasting impression and win new business! Segmenting your sellers and landlords as “Pitching” enables you to track who needs additional touchpoints, information, or a proposal, and prevents you from losing momentum.
Showing/ Appointments
The clients you’re actively working with—sending listings, going on home tours, and consulting. They’re getting closer to the finish line, so it’s critical to stay engaged and responsive with everyone in this group.
Offers
Clients in this stage are ready to make or receive offers, and your role is pivotal in guiding them through negotiations and deal structuring. Keeping these contacts segmented ensures you’re on top of offer deadlines, contract details, and ongoing negotiations.
Contract/Escrow
Once the offer is accepted, it’s time to move into the closing phase. Your CRM can help you manage timelines, paperwork, and follow-ups, leading to a smooth transaction.
Paused
Those who are taking a break, either due to financial reasons, personal circumstances, or a shift in priorities. Life happens! When tagged in a “Paused” category, you can set up light communications that keep you top-of-mind and remind you to revisit their situation later without losing track of the relationship.
Closed Clients
These are clients whom you’ve transacted with in the past. Tagging them as such enables you to easily manage post-close checklists, including coordinating a closing gift, asking for a testimonial, and maintaining the rapport you worked so hard to build. Check-ins with these contacts can include personal notes on their home closing anniversaries, holiday cards, quarterly market reports, and invites to local events you host.
By grouping based on these stages, you can better manage your time, stay organized, and ensure you’re talking to the right people at the right time and consistently moving deals forward. It also helps you identify where clients might need a little extra attention to keep the process on track.
Practical Tips for Implementation
Once your database is organized, the goal is to keep it that way. This is not a one-and-done situation but rather something that needs regular updating. (But don’t worry, it’s a breeze once you set up a system that works for you!) Here are my quick tips for implementation:
Photo cred: Unsplash
Stay on top of it: As soon as you meet someone new, they should be added to your database and tagged accordingly. Spending 10 minutes every day is ideal but if you struggle to keep up with this, simply set a monthly calendar reminder to retroactively tag all new contacts who were added that month.
Audit your contacts: Regularly clean up your database by removing duplicates and updating outdated information. If someone has paused their search, one of your first actions should be tagging them as doing so in your CRM. This will ensure your system remains accurate and effective.
Automate reminders: Set up automatic reminders for follow-ups with high-priority clients and phases. This keeps you on top of critical touch points without letting anything slip through the cracks.
Track progress: Regularly review your CRM analytics to track client movement through the pipeline and review the effectiveness of your efforts. This helps you spot opportunities to close deals faster and identify where additional follow-up is needed.
Optimize: Continue to tweak the wording of your drip campaigns, the cadence of your outreach, channels, and content formats of your outreach. Refine your approach and maximize your results over time.
Want to Take Your Business to the Next Level?
Sasquatch Agent Ops can help you implement and optimize your CRM for more efficient client management and streamlined operations. Together, we’ll organize your contacts, create workflows, set up automations, and ensure that your CRM is set up to drive your business forward. Interested in learning more?
Get in touch today to learn more about how we can help.