In 2002, Rick McGill and Hilbert Williams embarked on a visionary journey into real estate, establishing Crye-Leike Properties Unlimited as a franchisee of Crye-Leike Real Estate Services. Their mission wasn't just business; it was about reshaping the real estate landscape across Mississippi and Alabama. 

Recognizing that success in real estate hinges on the people involved, McGill and Williams curated a team of skilled professionals. Their goal was simple yet impactful: to guide buyers, sellers, and newcomers through the complexities of real estate in Alabama and Mississippi. 

By 2020, Crye-Leike Properties Unlimited reached a turning point. Jerome Stephenson and Brandon Shaw took the helm, infusing the business with fresh perspectives. This change heralded an era of significant evolution geared toward elevating the brokerage to new pinnacles. 

Among the notable transformations initiated by the new leadership was a strategic alliance with Delta Media Group. This collaboration introduced cutting-edge technology into their operations, aligning with Stephenson's emphasis on superior customer service.

According to him, "The foundation was already set when we purchased the company, we just built on top of that foundation by adding technology and innovation." 

Stephenson and Shaw both passionately endorse a customer-centric approach, a principle that distinguishes Crye-Leike Properties Unlimited from its rivals. Shaw emphasizes, "Putting the customer before anything else is our defining trait." He credits the partnership with Delta Media as a crucial element in establishing an unmatched customer experience in the region. 

Beyond their residential focus, Crye-Leike Properties Unlimited expanded its REO division, engaging directly with banks and asset management companies to facilitate the sale of bank-owned properties. This diversification into various real estate sectors showcases their adaptability and extensive market expertise. 

The journey of Crye-Leike Properties Unlimited transcends mere real estate; it embodies innovation, customer devotion, and technological advancement in the industry. Under Stephenson and Shaw's leadership, the firm continues to push boundaries, setting industry standards. Their evolution from a modest beginning in Columbus, Mississippi, to a pioneering force in real estate speaks volumes about their unwavering pursuit of excellence and customer satisfaction. 

Finding a CRM That Does it All

Another Crye-Leike franchise recommended Delta Media Group to Shaw and Stephenson. They simply wanted to build a better website at the time, but they ultimately got so much more. 

"We originally just wanted to revamp our website, and so the guy that did our demo said, 'It's a package deal: the back office CRM, DeltaNET, and the website altogether,' recalls Shaw. "So we weren't sure how that was going to play out, but it has been phenomenal, and it has helped tremendously. Having worked with several other CRM programs over the past seven years, there was always a pattern of them not having the specific tools I needed or wanted to help make my business successful. It was frustrating."

Satisfied With Their Site 

After onboarding with Delta Media Group, Shaw and Stephenson fell in love with their new website. Since updating their website was the key motivator to switch to a new technology provider, this helped solidify their decision to partner with Delta Media. 

One of their favorite aspects of working with Delta Media Group as their website provider is the SEO package. Delta Media Group is #1 in SEO for a reason, and they have seen the results we bring first-hand.

"I think it's very important to have that search engine optimization," says Shaw. "It's very important to have those landing pages so that when somebody Googles those keywords, the landing pages help us rank further to the top of Google, which creates more exposure for our agents and our company. The landing pages are really nice, and they usually create a lot of leads based on being able to search the specific neighborhoods in that area." 

Stephenson enjoyed having the ability to design his website. "I loved being able to design my own website and the freedom it brings to be able to dedicate the sections to the different areas in the Golden Triangle," he expresses. 

They have found that the saved searches feature is something their agents use and benefit from the most because it will update their customers automatically with new listings based on their saved searches on their website without them having to do a thing. 

"In the past," Shaw says, "due to the busy schedules Jerome and I have, there may be something that pops up on the MLS, and it may be an hour or so before we could actually see it, so now, with the 'Saved Search' feature within five, 10 minutes, that email is going out to that customer saying, 'Hey, look, there's a new listing.' So that has helped tremendously, and the agents here love it. That's one of the most-used features."

Another website feature they and their clients love is the INRIX Drive Time Search. 

"The INRIX Drive Time system has also been a great feature," says Shaw. "If you have a client that needs to be in a certain driving time frame from work, you can put an address in, and the system will map out listings within the driving distance the client wants."

A Back-Office That Helps Them Lead 

As company leaders, Stephenson and Shaw feel that DeltaNET® is valuable in helping them stay connected with their team. 

"Since DeltaNET® 7 rolled out, everything's customizable, so we're able to start to put banners at the very top for announcements," says Shaw. "It's just really helped the team stay, in my opinion, connected. We have been able to also Whitelabel the system and name it 'Crye-Leike Connect.'" 

They are also thrilled that DeltaNET has its own training academy built into the platform to assist them with onboarding their agents and getting them comfortable with the technology. Widely known as DeltaNET® Academy, Crye-Leike Properties Unlimited rebranded it as Crye-Leike Training Academy for their agents. They even added their own training videos to it. 

"The training academy has helped out tremendously," says Shaw. "We create company videos and upload them for the agents to get acclimated to the real estate process and use the implemented technology. Previously, we were looking for another company that could host our training videos. To have that in one platform has been a game changer for us and our company." 

Inspiring Agents to Adopt Technology 

At Crye-Leike Properties Unlimited, they often see agents hesitant to adopt a CRM due to feeling overwhelmed with technology. They have found that DeltaNET 7 is more user-friendly and can be adjusted for agents of all tech levels. They can start out with a simple tool and grow from there.

"Jerome and I host live training events here at the office, and we try to break it down for the agents," Shaw says. "With DeltaNET 7, it's really helped to be able to limit different tabs and features so agents that aren't used to technology do not get overwhelmed and can gradually learn each section of the CRM as they go through the Training Academy. You have the older agents who want to get into the business and do a good job, but they don't want to do all the marketing and stuff. They may just want to add a customer and simply use the drip campaigns, and we can adjust that with DeltaNET 7. If you have agents like me or Jerome who want to elevate their technology, you can have access to everything." 

Another initiative that has assisted simultaneously with training and tech adoption is making training through Crye-Leike Training Academy a requirement as part of the agent onboarding process. 

"When we onboard an agent now, their onboarding process includes going through the training academy in the DeltaNET," explains Shaw. "That's a requirement. We have a timeframe that they have to go through that training academy, and the reason we do that is it will get them used to logging into that CRM, and once they get used to logging into it, that becomes their back office. It notifies us that they have completed the training courses and it allows them to become more familiar with working their CRM. The way DeltaNet 7 is designed makes it easy for the agent on the go to have customizable tools on hand and allows them the freedom to choose what benefits their specific needs." 

Shaw has heard good things about DeltaNET 7 from his agents. He feels he and Stephenson using it and being willing to talk about it and support them in using it has made a huge difference in getting them to adopt the technology. 

"We have had a lot of good feedback from the new DeltaNET 7," he mentions. "And I think Jerome and myself using it and referencing different aspects of the system in the sales meetings has really helped out." 

Training and Technology Impact Recruitment 

Stephenson and Shaw have noticed since partnering with Delta how beneficial having the technology and the training capabilities that go along with it are for recruitment. 

Aside from having DeltaNET Academy built into the system, Delta offers several training packages and will even make custom training materials, which goes a long way in new and experienced agents feeling comfortable with the technology. Delta Media Group wants to ensure agents have the necessary training and support to get the most out of the platform. 

"We'll get our new recruitment package and go over all the details," Shaw says. "We were able to work with the Delta Media design team to help us add marketing materials for our buyer/ seller presentation, highlighting all the features the system has to offer to our clients. When we bring these new agents in, they're overjoyed about the training because a lot of them think they're going to get left out." 

Along with the training, they have noticed that prospective agents are often impressed with the vast set of tools incorporated into DeltaNET. It's more technology than they are used to seeing being offered at other brokerages. 

"There's so much to unpack with DeltaNET," says Brandon. "So when we hold up a list of everything that this system includes, it's a lot to take in, and they're overwhelmed; however, seeing the ability to customize it makes the transition easier. So that really has helped out from a recruitment standpoint." 

A Partnership That Feels Like Family 

Crye-Leike Properties Unlimited enjoys working with Delta Media Group not just because of the technology and the benefits that come with it but because it's a partnership that feels like family. 

"If anybody or any brokerages are looking to join Delta Media, the one thing I will say is they have become part of our family," says Shaw. "I feel like between me, Jerome, and one of our administrative assistants, we talk to Delta Media Group every single day." 

It's not just conversations either — they know Delta Media Group listens to their overall feedback and implements it when possible. 

"Delta Media listens to your concerns, and they don't take that feedback lightly," says Shaw. "They actually implement it into the system. And that's what I appreciate about Delta Media, and it's really helped our company out and made us feel more part of a family."

Excitement Around AI 

As business owners who stay up on the latest technology, Shaw and Stephenson have started to use AI tools like ChatGPT as a resource for generating new ideas and staying efficient. Shaw believes that, like anything, AI technology has pros and cons. However, he has found it helpful to create quizzes he can integrate into the training academy as well as with writing listing descriptions. 

"We have used ChatGPT a lot, and I think it has good and bad capabilities," he says. "But the good thing about it is, from a broker's standpoint, if I do my training videos, I can copy a transcript from those and upload it to ChatGPT. I can create quiz questions, which I can then put back into the training academy and have those questions automatically populate. I can tell the AI to give me ten questions from this video, and it'll give me ten multiple-choice questions, which I can transfer to our training academy. We, of course, have become fond of it for listing descriptions." 

Stephenson acknowledges that while he has used it, he hasn't yet experienced all that AI is capable of. That said, he feels hopeful that it will be beneficial for business. 

"I'm just scraping the surface on it, but it seems as though it's going to be a good tool," he says. 

Stephenson and Shaw are excited about the update Delta Media Group is currently working on, integrating the functionality of ChatGPT into DeltaNET. This technology will help with marketing, communication, content creation, and more. 

"I'm very intrigued," conveys Shaw. "I think it would be helpful, especially on the Delta Create side of things. It will help with marketing." 

Setting Goals For 2024 

As they look ahead to 2024, Crye-Leike Properties Unlimited plans to focus on a higher level of customer service, which they always strive for, along with increasing training for their agents and staff. 

"We're going to be setting goals for each of the agents and staff, and we're going to be focusing on more customer service, but also, we want to do more training this year in addition to what we're already doing to be able to exploit and explore all aspects of Delta Media," explains Shaw. 

They also feel that if they can get their agents to spend at least 30 minutes a day updating their CRM and are willing to use the automation tools in DeltaNET, they can meet all their goals this year. 

"We really want to try to get our agents to really sit down and take 30 minutes of their day to time block and go in and update their CRM, go in and update their clients and the profile/ transactions," says Shaw. "And I believe that's going to be our goal this year, to really push our agents to use the system. There is a quote I always use, 'a moment of inconvenience may lead to a lifetime of convenience.' And if you'll just use your CRM and use those drip campaigns and all that automation that Delta Media has to offer, then you'll be able to meet your goals for 2024." 

Every Agent Needs a CRM 

As highly knowledgeable brokerage leaders, Shaw and Stephenson feel that for agents to succeed, they need a good CRM. 

"Every agent needs a good CRM," Shaw says. "You could probably ask all of our agents in the sales meetings we have every Tuesday, one of the main things we preach is to use the CRM. We can't stress it enough because I used to have the mind of an elephant and be able to remember everything. Just the other day, six months went by since I had been working on a listing, and I couldn't remember what I told that client as far as the price went. I went to the CRM, I had all that noted on the CRM for that client profile, and it made me feel significantly better that I had the information to reference back on."

At Crye-Leike Properties Unlimited, they believe that technology mixed with customer service is the formula for success as a sales associate. 

"If you put the technology and customer service together, then that's where you're going to have a lot of success," says Shaw. 

Shaw notes that having a CRM mobile app, like DeltaNET's, is also necessary, and if an agent doesn't have a CRM, they must get one. 

They have noticed at the end of each year when they look at the agents' performances, the top producers in the brokerage always seem to be the agents that use the CRM. Similarly, the ones who don't use a CRM tend to be the ones falling behind. 

"At the end of every year, we go and have agent interviews and sit down to see what they need to do for their goals for the next year," says Shaw. "The ones that have been using the system, their production is far above the ones not utilizing the system properly, resulting in being some of the top producers in the brokerage and often the MLS area. The one that has not is usually still struggling."

Continuing Their Commitment to Customer Service

With a partner in Delta Media Group that feels like family and provides them with everything they need, Crye Leike Properties Unlimited stands out from the rest of the real estate brokerages in their area. The training academy and incredible amount of technology they are able to offer through DeltaNET get prospective agents interested in joining their team, knowing they will have a simple pathway to success. Shaw and Stephenson's decision to work with Delta Media Group was a pivotal turning point in elevating their technology and transforming their customer service, which has been their commitment as a brokerage since the very beginning. 

To learn more about Crye-Leike Properties Unlimited, visit their website at cryeleikepropertiesunlimited.com or call their office at (662) 328-1150.