I love technology.
Mostly.
I mean, some of the time.
Well, when it’s working, anyway.
You know what I mean, right?
Technology is the best, until it stops working for you:
Now, I’ve been in business since I was 23 years old, and I’ve played with a lot of technology.
So, in today’s blog I’m summarising the 3 tech tools that have made the biggest difference to me as a business owner.
Here they are:
- A second (cheap) phone
This has been a God-Send!
Having a second phone has served me so well. And let me tell you why.
Initially, when I first started my rent roll, having a second phone number allowed me to take calls when I was ready, and switch off at the end of the day.
When I talk to other rent roll owners who have implemented a second phone into their tech tools, they highly recommend it too.
Now that I’m in a different business, and I don’t need the same level of separation, I still use the second phone, but for different reasons.
When I do any filming, or go live on Facebook or Instagram, I use my second phone (connected to wifi). This is brilliant because if I want to do live broadcasts or film videos, having a second phone (without a sim installed) ensures that I never get interrupted by calls, messages or calendar reminders!
Oh, and in case you’re wondering, I just have a cheap Oppo phone for this purpose. It cost less than $300 and works like a charm!
- A great CRM software platform
I couldn’t live without this tech tool.
Personally, I use Ontraport as my CRM, but I also love and recommend Eagle Software for real estate agents.
Having a robust CRM, allows you (as the business owner) to achieve so many things, including:
– Automated marketing
– Tracking your marketing efforts
– Storing all client (and potential client) contact details
– Setting reminders for following up clients (and potential clients)
– Linking many other tools to the CRM
– Tracking results with your growth goals
In all honesty, when I first started my rent roll, I put off getting a decent CRM for a long time and I tried to use an excel spreadsheet to keep track of things.
But getting a strong CRM like Ontraport or Eagle Software has been one of the best decisions I’ve made as a business owner.
- Cloud Based Filing System
I’ve had a computer crash only once in my business career, but it was so unbelievably stressful.
So, the moment I upgraded to a cloud based filing system the worry of having a computer crash in the future disappeared.
Once your files are backed up in the cloud, it doesn’t matter if your computer crashes, get stolen or just needs some repairs, you know your files are safe.
For me, I switched over to Dropbox about 7 years ago, and I’ve stayed there ever since.  But I honestly don’t think it matters which cloud based solution you use, whether it’s within your Property Management Trust accounting software or something else like Dropbox, OneDrive or Google Drive. Just make sure your files are in the cloud, or at least backed up in the cloud!
So, they’re the 3 tech tools that have made the biggest difference in my business career.
Now, I’d love to hear from you in the comments below. What is your single favourite tech tool?
If you haven’t seen my last blog titled How To Get More Referral Partners be sure to check that out next!
