Entrepreneur Role Fuels Real Estate Broker’s Inventive Fire

Ross Seligman’s quest to find a better client management system leads to online success. 

With 14 years of experience in the Portland residential real estate market, Seligman’s main job is as a principal broker with Living Room Realty. More recently, though, he’s been filling his spare time promoting Sphere, an online client relationship management system that he developed for real estate brokers.

Sphere stands out for two main reasons:

The first is that Sphere focuses on growing a business based on relationships while other client relationship management systems are built on what Seligman describes as “scraping the internet for leads.” The second unique feature is that Sphere didn’t come from minds in Silicon Valley.

It’s the only CRM I know where an actual active broker who’s in the trenches every day is the creator – and that makes a huge difference,” Seligman said.

Learn more about Ross Seligman’s creation of Sphere in the Business Tribune article by Stephanie Basalyga HERE.

The Solution My Business Needed: SPHERE

The Solution My Business Needed: SPHERE

While not my voice, this is my story. The story starts with “We recently had our first child…” and it’s true. Max arrived and all I wanted to be was present for him and Leah while also providing for my family. My business was going well, but real estate can be all-consuming (especially when you’re pre-disposed to workaholism.)

I consider myself to be an early-adopter of tech. I love trying the latest thing and hoping it makes one small aspect of my business more automated, more professional, more lucrative, or easier to manage. Trying what seemed like every CRM out there, I found myself with subscriptions to multiple platforms, using only 10% of each for the features I found most useful.

Then, a lightbulb moment: why can’t I cherry-pick only the exact features I need and build them into one straightforward, user-friendly system? I looped in my friend (now business partner), Hayden Hamilton, a professional in tech development. After many long hours Sphere was born.

We created Sphere to eliminate the inefficiencies of running a real estate business. And at first it was a totally self-centered venture. I wanted more time in my day, more space in my life for the things and people that matter most. With Sphere my workflow was systemized and fine-tuned, and after using the platform for a year my business had grown exponentially without serious growing pains. I felt like I had unlocked something really meaningful, and decided to make it available to the masses.

Real Estate agents aren’t known for their organizational skills. The multitude of “hats” an agent has to wear to run their business is kind of absurd! We are the one (wo)man band of small business.

one man band

We are the sales and marketing team, bookkeepers, customer service reps, receptionists, janitors, and more for our business and our clients. Not to mention we are always on the go. With all those moving pieces, contract details and contacts, Sphere was the solution to organize the mayhem.

Sphere not only made managing my business on the go efficient, it’s really created in me a new sense of ownership. I always know what my numbers are, how close I am to my goal for the year, and averages of my business (feeling like a true CEO!). Through this platform I have a workflow that ensures my team and I are always in tune with what’s happening in transactions, I’m more in touch with my clients than ever before, and everything I need is always on my phone, accessible and up-to-date. Leah and I have now celebrated a second baby, Zoe, I’m doing more business than ever, and I couldn’t have managed it all without Sphere.

 

What is SPHERE?

A mobile-optimized real estate business management platform with a full CRM, lead and transaction tracking, coaching and more, built on the idea that your clients are key to growing your business. Sign up, create your 5-minute business plan, upload your people, and accelerate your business. Sphere gives you the freedom to say goodbye to spreadsheets, and hello to feeling like a real CEO. 

If any of this resonates with you, check out UseSphere.com. 

Start out with a free trial month, and after that it’s only $49/month. 

Use Sphere as the hub of your business, and your business will grow.