Name: David Dion, Owner/Founder
Business: Solutions Real Estate
Coordinating the work of dozens (or even hundreds) of agents at your brokerage is an enormous task. Providing each of them with technology for online marketing — particularly personal websites — adds to that challenge, but is essential to ensuring individual and team success.
David Dion, of Arizona- and California-based Solutions Real Estate, recognized this need for his team and got them well-equipped to attract and nurture leads online with Placester websites.
Using Placester’s solution for brokers, Dion enabled the members of his team to set up personal websites, including IDX integrations that power comprehensive listing search features. Each agent can develop their personal brand through blog posts, about pages, and social media connections, while supporting the brokerage’s brand with a sophisticated, professional appearance.
Recently, David shared what led him to Placester’s solution along with his experiences as a customer.
You’re noted for being very tech-savvy. Was technology in your background, and what do you do to stay ahead of the curve with real estate technology?
I did have a technology background before real estate — not so much in the world of online advertising or marketing, but I did have a solid grasp on the use of complex electronic equipment. Regarding real estate tech, it all happened very early in my career.
Within days of getting my real estate license, I realized my phone wasn’t going to ring on its own. I needed to do things to make it ring. I took a step back and asked myself what I did when I moved from Massachusetts to Arizona. To make a long story short, I used the internet to search homes and find ones that fit my various needs. I figured if I searched for homes that way, that meant lots of other people did as well.
So, I decided to commit a lot of effort to developing a solid web presence, starting with a really good real estate website and then developing concrete strategies to get visitors to my websites.
What was the primary factor that led you to choose Placester as a solution for your team?
As the owner of a real estate brokerage with almost 400 agents, I wanted to provide a cost-effective, high-quality website complete with full home search capabilities for all of our agents, and I needed the websites to be professional and easy to use. I felt that Placester offered the best overall product for what I was trying to accomplish for our agents.
Has the Placester solution worked well for both agents that are more tech-savvy and those just learning?
The Placester websites are exceptional for those agents who are just learning the ins and outs of online real estate marketing. The setup process is super-simple for agents who are not tech-savvy. And for the agents who want to do more with their sites, the good news is they are easily customizable.
What are the benefits to your firm from having agents create their own websites?
We want our agents to have control of their business by teaching them proven skills and strategies that work. Having a simple, user-friendly, professional website is mandatory in developing a strong online presence. Now, all of our agents have a website that they can be proud of, promote, direct traffic to, and generate and convert leads into business.
What has been your experience with Placester as a business partner and provider of technical support?
Placester has delivered everything they said they would. The sites are definitely great. The training and webinars are timely and effective. The technical support is exceptional. I would highly recommend all brokerages consider Placester for their agents’ website needs.
