Top Producer vs Moresolds

[Patricia]

NOTE FROM JENNIFER: In conjunction with the creation of the new Contact Management with Soul board, I'm moving all our past contact management discussions here!

Don't know if this question has been asked before, but I was just wondering which contact management system you prefer and why. What do you find are the pros and cons of Top Producer vs Moresolds? Do you think that using one of these managers has increased your business. Are there any other systems that would work as well besides these two? Thanks,
Patty

[Jennifer Allan]

Those are the two management systems I've used and I can recommend them both.

If you can afford TP and are willing to learn it, it's probably the better long-term investment. But the learning curve is steep, even if you only use a few of the features (which is what I did).

I'm currently using Moresolds and I like it. There are some things it doesn't do that it should, and I'm hoping that the next upgrade will take care of these things, but they're really glaring omissions. However, the learning curve is non-existent and the price is right.

I recommend Moresolds for people who just want to get started with a minimum of fuss and hassle. But Top Producer is a better product.

[Carol Kerr]

I can only speak for TopProducer.  I started with it about 3 months after I got my license.  Finally in my 6th year I feel like I'm starting to take advantage of it's power.  It has great features, but they take time to learn and set up.  TP technical support is the best though!   Whatever problem I'm having I can call and they spend all the time I need to sort it out.  My only complaint is that TP still won't allow you to send an email attachment over 5KB.  That can be a pain in the butt!  Oh, and you can't recall an email -- would've been nice when I sent out the April Event calendar with the subject line "Upcoming February Events" 

[Misterrealtor]

I recommend RealFutureCRM - there is a free version, in case you want to try it out (up to 500 contacts, which is great for people like me who have a smaller SOI list).

You can send graphics-based email to your list, and you can segment between Group 1 and Group 2 SOI contacts.

It's completely web-based, which is great, because I can use it at home, or in the office.

It has rules-based scheduling, so if you are doing something like a Borino expireds program, you can create a follow-up plan for each of your contacts (i.e., drop off expired package, send a letter 10 days after drop-off, call 5 days after the 10th day, then 5 days after that, etc.).

You can also create escrow checklists using the activity plan thing...

It's simple, but powerful.  I recommend it -- RealFutureCRM a great database to keep your SOI in.

[fastestmanalive]

I'm currently using Moresolds and I like it. There are some things it doesn't do that it should, and I'm hoping that the next upgrade will take care of these things, but they're really glaring omissions.

Hi Jennifer,

I'm starting to research the various CRM options and just came across MoreSolds.  It looks very promising, especially for the price.  I'm curious though, what are the glaring omissions that you mentioned? 

The site I'll be putting together is for my father.  I think he is web savvy enough to learn a program like Top Producer, but at the same time, he likely doesn't have the time or interest in doing so if there is a more user friendly alternative.  Thanks for your help,

Ethan

[Jennifer Allan]

I actually gave up on Moresolds awhile ago. The things it didn't do were pretty glaring and while they promised to "look into them," as far as I can tell, nothing changed. And my objections were pretty basic.

For example, you can't print out your database except as mailing labels. I wanted to print my list and include all information, specifically birthdays, but alas - can't do it.

Also, they don't have a way to print labels that include both names on the profile. So if you want to send a mailing to Bob and Nancy Smith, you can't do it. It'll just print out to Bob Smith.

I tried to set up reminders for myself and they only worked sporadically, which does no one any good.

I still have my Moresolds account, but I only use it to look up addresses. If I were running a business that needed even basic contact management, I would not use Moresolds.

[fastestmanalive]

Thanks so much for the quick response!  That's disappointing.  It did seem almost too good to be true.  I may still try out a free account, but I'll continue my search and look a bit further into Top Producer.  I have considered piecing together a solution using different programs.  Highrise for CRM, Mailchimp for email marketing, etc.  Quite a lot of options to sift through. 

Thanks for your help. 

[Jennifer Allan]

Yeah, I was pretty bummed too.

Did you read my blog last week about finding the RIGHT tool for each task instead of looking for an all-in-one?

[TimBer]

I'm looking into a crm system and have come upon realtyjuggler.  It seems to have the features I would need and there are several youtube help videos on the product.  Its cheap too, $99 per year with 90 days free.  Of course, you never know about these products until you get in and use them for a bit.  Thats why I have been keeping my basic database in Outlook so I have that to upload to whatever system I decide to use.

[Jennifer Allan]

I did the free trial of Realtyjuggler as well and liked it. I didn't dig in deep enough to be able to flat-out recommend it, but I liked what I saw.

[RealtyRon]

I just got done with the trial for RECM (Real Estate Contact Manager) but wasn't too crazy about it, it seemed to put things all over the place in Outlook and I would have to organize anyway (or I was just doing it wrong, which is always a possibility). Just signed up for the trial for RealtyJuggler. Anyone else use this with good results? I like the price and like that it will sync with Outlook and also the iphone I picked up for a business phone without any extra cash being spent.

[RealtyRon]

Ok, so I'm weird and wasn't crazy about the interface with RealtyJuggler and am giving RECM another try since I didn't really take the time to learn it enough to see if I really liked it *hangs head in shame*. Anyway, a question for you Jennifer if you get a chance. Is there any benefits, besides the need to back it up, of using a web-based contact manager as opposed to one that stays locally on your computer? I am trying to find a good fit before my SOI becomes huge in Rookie School 

[Jennifer Allan]

There are benefits to both, of course... I've always had a web-based program, so I can't speak personally to the desktop ones. I've heard that you have to purchase updates for desktop ones periodically and that the customer service might be an extra cost. Also - if you have anyone else managing your database for you, I wonder if that could be a problem.

From an overall cost perspective, a web-based program is probably a little more expensive, but on the other hand, except for Top Producer, you can quit at any time as opposed to an upfront purchase of $350+ for a system you might not like or use...