3.13 Developing Your Tagging & Custom Field Strategy (Real Estate Examples)

(This section provides a brief recap for context within the Contacts chapter; see Chapters 3.5, 3.12, 22.9, 22.11 for more details).

A well-thought-out strategy for using Tags and Custom Fields is crucial for keeping your Close Master CRM organized, efficient, and powerful. Avoid haphazardly creating tags and fields; plan first.

  • Define Your Purpose: What information do you absolutely need to track about your leads, clients, and deals to run your business effectively and communicate relevantly?
  • Choose the Right Tool (Tags vs. Custom Fields):
    • Use Tags for: Flexible categorization, status indicators, lead temperature, broad interests, workflow steps, event attendance, quick filtering. (e.g., Buyer, Seller, Hot, Cold, Sphere, Past Client, Source: Zillow, Event: Open House, Workflow: Nurture Step 3).
    • Use Custom Fields for: Structured, specific data points, information needed for precise filtering or personalization, details with defined formats (dates, numbers, dropdown choices, addresses). (e.g., Property Type Preference (Dropdown), Budget Max (Monetary), Timeline (Date/Dropdown), Bedrooms Required (Number), Pre-Approved Status (Radio/Checkbox), Listing Address (Address fields), Closing Date (Date)).
  • Establish Consistent Naming Conventions:
    • Use clear, understandable names.
    • Consider prefixes for Tags (e.g., Status:, Source:, Type:, Interest:, Area:) to group them logically in lists.
    • Choose a case format (e.g., lowercase_with_underscores, Title Case) and stick to it for both Tags and Custom Field names.
  • Automate Data Entry: Leverage Workflows to automatically apply Tags or update Custom Field values based on triggers (form submissions, appointment bookings, deal stage changes). This ensures consistency and reduces manual work. Example: A workflow triggered by a "Buyer Inquiry Form" submission automatically adds the Buyer Lead tag and populates the Property Type Interest custom field based on the form response.
  • Don't Over-Tag: Avoid creating excessive tags for information that would be better stored in Custom Fields (e.g., don't create separate tags for Budget 300k, Budget 400k, Budget 500k - use a Budget Max custom field instead).
  • Organize Custom Fields: Use Folders in Settings → Custom Fields to group related fields logically (e.g., "Buyer Criteria," "Seller Property Info," "Transaction Details").
  • Review and Refine: Periodically review your Tags list (Settings → Tags) and Custom Fields (Settings → Custom Fields) to clean up unused items, merge duplicates, and ensure your structure still meets your business needs.

A planned approach from the start will make filtering, reporting, personalization, and automation much more effective in the long run.