Early last month, on a rare occasion that our entire team is in the same place at the same time, we decided to try a little experiment. We’ve all seen those posters that say:

“What society thinks I do”
“What my friends think I do”
“What my mom thinks I do”
“What I think I do”

Well, we wanted to know “What we think we do.” So we decided to find out… We asked the entire team what THEY think we do by asking two questions:

1. At Real Pro Systems, we…
2. We do this because…

We wanted everyone to be as candid as possible, so we allowed them to keep their responses anonymous. What we discovered was that everyone on our team – from IT to Customer Service to Professional Services to Sales – has a pretty clear grasp on what we do. In Marketing, we were pretty impressed by how well they were able to articulate it when asked. They were eager to share it too!

As you would expect, words like “Internet,” “Service,” and “Success” came up a lot. In fact, the majority of responses were very similar. That’s not surprising. In a close-knit company with dedicated focus, everyone should be on the same page.

We thought you’d appreciate hearing their thoughts too.

At Real Pro Systems, we:

Provide websites, lead capture, lead management, lead incubation, and content management tools for Real Estate agents.

Go above and beyond to make our clients happy.

We do this because:

Customer support is the backbone of our service and the face of the company for our clients.

We rock!

One of our team members summed it up in this way: At Real Pro Systems, we do what we do in order to give the new agent the best chance of success, the above average agent the tools to grow and the superstar agent the ability to stay on top.

What do YOU think we do?

It’s funny how time plays tricks on us. Ten years feels like a lifetime and like yesterday all wrapped in one. Real Pro Systems is somewhat of an accidental company. If you had told the founders that they would one day start an industry leading web solutions company, they might have laughed at you.

Back then, they were a couple of real estate agents and a techy guy with a passion for technology and getting things done. They saw a hole in the market and set out to fill it, for themselves. They were pleasantly surprised when their peers inquired about the tools they were using and wanted a system just like theirs.

Some things have definitely changed since those early days in an 8 x8 office with one employee. We’ve added to the team a bit, and under the direction of our General Manager today we have nearly 50 employees, and 8000 square feet of space. On the other hand some things haven’t changed. Those two agents are still active in their markets today, and the techy guy- well he’s the head of Client Services.

We wanted you to know them like we do, and learn a little bit about what they think of Real Pro Systems, so we asked each one a couple of questions:

What is your fondest memory at Real Pro Systems (so far)?
Rob Levy: I would probably have to say the early days with three people working out of an 8X8 office. It was crowded and fun, but we got it done. And to think- here we are today with over 40 people and 8,000SF.

Caine O’Brien: There are so many wonderful memories… I would have to say it came at a Star Power conference where we introduced RPS Platinum, a ground-breaking system on which I had worked long and hard. I was demonstrating it to a long-time RPS Gold client. He kept asking me “can it do this?” type questions. As I answered “yes” to question after question, I could see his excitement building higher and higher. Finally, with tears in his eyes, he ran out of words and gave me a huge bear hug!!

Did you ever imagine Real Pro Systems would be where we are today?
Rob Levy: I always knew if we provided what the agents were looking for we would grow as a company. What we did was hire stellar staff, listen to our clients and most importantly keep Galand and myself as Realtors – which kept us in the clients’ world, not the vendors’ world. This enabled us to see what was missing in agents businesses and then create products to fill that gap. So no, but I am sure proud of where we are now.

Caine O’Brien: Yes, I really did. Joe, Galand and Rob, had built something extraordinary, and I recognized that it “had legs” before joining the company. Leveraging their vision into a much larger organization required systems and procedures, exactly what we have been teaching agents to do with their businesses! And I can say with confidence, that there is nothing in the market, and nothing from our competitors that will prevent us from growing far more in the years to come. It’s up to us to define and fulfill our vision; what’s more exciting than that?

What do you envision for the next five years at Real Pro Systems?
Rob Levy: As the market is (finally) improving I see us continue to be on the leading edge of creating tools for Realtors to do more business in less time. I have seen and am participating in what we are creating right now, and it’s exciting!

Caine O’Brien: We have grown rapidly through the worst depression in real estate in 75 years. Can you even imagine what we would be able to do with a tailwind brought by a recovering market? This is as exciting as anything in the dot com era. I can’t go into our strategic plan in this blog post, but I can tell you that we are motivated to make sophisticated systems and technology accessible to all agents, regardless of their current level of business or technical skills. That vision will absolutely carry us for the next five years.

Can you share what drives you?
Rob Levy: To do the best job I can and not disappoint folks. Whether selling houses or providing RPS products to Realtors – many of whom are my friends – I always want to make sure everyone gets what they want and need. If that happens, the businesses grow and everyone is happy.

Caine O’Brien: People. There’s nothing that galvanizes my attention more than hiring, training, motivating, and providing clear direction for the best people we can find. Helping them develop their careers so that they are figuring out where to take Real Pro Systems next. RPS is too big for any one of us to single-handedly make it happen anymore; our success will not come from a power boss who calls all the shots, it will come from empowering the next set of leaders who will take an increasing role in defining our direction. Providing the direction, structure, and culture to enable and empower that next set of leaders is in front of me every minute of every day.

Up next a view of Real Pro Systems from Joe Lininger and Galand Haas.

Presenting the story of Real Pro Systems, to date, told in an infographic. Ten years ago this month, Real Pro Systems opened it’s doors and has been serving agents across the country ever since. Real Pro Systems’ products have changed tremendously over the past decade. Rather than rely on legacy systems or outdated technology, the company continues to innovate. Over the course of the next ten months Real Pro Systems will highlight some great moments from the company’s past and share sneak peaks into the future through social medial, blog posts and events. Please join us in celebrating this important milestone.

10 Years of Real Pro Systems

Mark Your Calendar

During the month of February, Real Pro Systems will be hosting two users groups!  This pair of great evenings will be filled with like-minded agents along with great food and drink. There is no cost for attendance and we can’t wait to see you there.

Help us Shape the Agenda! 

 We want to make this users group the best one yet! Help us by telling us more about the topics and speakers you would like to hear from. In the past we’ve covered topics like “How to Successfully Market Stealth or Niche Sites”, “Using Offline Marketing to Drive Online Traffic”, “Search Engine Optimization Basics”, and” Writing Custom Content” and many more. If you have 5 minutes or 35 minutes you’d like to share, send us an email at marketing@realprosystems.com or call our Marketing Manager, Tara Sybrant at 541.743.8515.

Howard Brinton was one of those people who come along once in a lifetime.  His passing this past week from a long battle with prostate cancer is felt by the many who knew him, admired him, and loved him like family.  The world lost a pretty amazing man who taught an industry how to connect and share to grow in their businesses and in their lives.  Here at Real Pro Systems we feel that loss.  Many of our own are grieving this loss and here are a few words from them.

Rob Levy, Co-Founder of Real Pro Systems, Star Power Star:   Howard, for those of you who don’t know, was indirectly a major catalyst of the formation of Real Pro Systems and to its beginning success as many of his students (including Galand Haas and I) are Howard Brinton’s Star Power Stars.  He provided real estate education and conferences taught by “the stars”.  Real Pro Systems first really big sales were at one of those conferences.

Howard was a major influence in my business life from the first time I started listening to the cassettes (yes, cassettes back then) of top agents interviewed back in the very early ‘90s.  I then started attending his conferences and learned much of how I run my real estate business from Howard and the stars.  Howard will be missed and is survived by his three children, his grandchildren and his wife Babs.

Galand Haas, Co-Founder of Real Pro Systems, Star Power Star:  Howard really is responsible for Real Pro Systems ever coming to be.  Without the relationships that were made through Star Power we never would have got Real Pro Systems off of the ground.

I will never forget the Star Advance in Tucson where I did a break out session and showed everyone the buyer stealth site and the crude back end that Joe Lininger had attached to it with the database and drip e-mail campaigns.  I was asked to give a private session to a couple of the Stars to go over it in more detail.  There must have been 30 plus that showed up and gathered around the fireplace that night to get a demo.  The rest is history.

Howard supported all of us and Real Pro Systems from the beginning.  He was a great mentor, great friend and had an electrifying personality like no other.

Howard will be missed by many who had lives that were touched by him.

Amy Stoehr, Founder/Director of Real Estate Masters Guild (Worked with Howard for 12+ Years):  Facebook asks, “How are you feeling, Amy?” in the status box. I honestly don’t know how to respond to that today. For those who haven’t yet received the message, Howard Brinton passed away a little past 3 a.m. today. He wore a lot of hats and titles – mentor, coach, leader, friend, father figure, motivator, industry leader, entertainer – and after nearly five years battling cancer (and laughing at it, thriving in spite of it, working through it), I’m still a little shocked, I guess, that he’s gone.

Thank you, Cathy Russell for introducing me to Howard and STAR POWER. Thank you, Howard, for believing in me for nearly twelve years. Thank you, Patrick Hiban & Patrick Stracuzzi for being there for Howard in his final moments. Let us ALL be thankful for the way Howard touched each of us individually and let us all take the best of what this family gave us and carry it forward for future generations. And God – I sure hope you’re ready for Howard!

Terri Renella Sales Director: (former Sales Manager for Star Power):  Howard Brinton touched so many lives in a profound and positive way and I feel blessed to have known him.  I only worked for Howard for a short time but I have many things to thank him for but the two most important………..He taught me to live by the Platinum rule, treat others as THEY want to be treated.   And he introduced me to Rob, Caine, Joe and Galand connecting me with Real Pro Systems and a job I love.  Howard was a connector, he knew how to connect individuals at a heart level and he will be missed.

 Caine O’Brien General Manager:   My very first introduction to the real estate market was at Star Power in 2006.  There, Howard Brinton opened the conference by coming onto the stage in a tuxedo singing “New York, New York.”    The crowd went wild, and I realized I was witnessing an extraordinary force in the industry.

What I observed at that conference and all that followed, is how Howard had built a community, one committed to selfless sharing by the best of the best in real estate.  He leaves a legacy of success, selfless giving as well as down-to-earth accessibility that is an inspiration to us all.  His impact on Real Pro Systems was enormous, touching all of our lives, and he will be deeply missed.

As the mobile space continues to see unprecedented growth it has been said that in all likelihood more people on the planet own a cell phone than a toothbrush.  Experts predict that by 2013, more searches will be done from hand held devices than from desktops.

So ask yourself “Am I ready for mobile”?  

Just a few years ago a mobile website meant that it could be viewed on a mobile device.  The site would be small, but it was visible!  Today that’s what’s called mobile- friendly.  Mobile-friendly works, well sort of-you may need glasses and tiny fingers.  Too say it’s a poor user experience is an understatement.

With the introduction of the iPhone and other touchscreen devices mobile-friendly sites became tolerable but lacked functionality.  Scrolling left to right, zooming in and out is time consuming and frustrating as well.

As mobile technologies are becoming more and more prevalent they are affecting every level of the home buying and selling process from search through transaction management.   This is where a true mobile website becomes not only relevant but a necessity.

A true mobile website is designed specifically for the size and the functionality of a smartphone.    The navigation is simplified for efficiency; there is no scrolling right to left and no need to pinch your screen to see the text.  Additionally, a true mobile website has images that are optimized to load quickly and tap to call, email and view maps is also enabled.

Remember that a poor user experience is a lost opportunity.  Do viewers who visit your website from their smartphone move on to your competitor with a mobile site?

Embrace mobile and stay a step-ahead of your competition.  For more information on Real Pro Systems mobile websites, call our sales team today 541-743-8510.