As the CRM and AI revolution accelerates, my firm—focused on branding and marketing—along with my co-author, Brett Hunsaker (a.k.a. Mr. Shoomze) take a closer look at how these powerful tools can effectively grow your business while still prioritizing the art of building personal relationships.
Customer Relationship Management (CRM) platforms, enhanced with Artificial Intelligence (AI), are transforming commercial real estate (CRE). By automating routine tasks, tracking interactions, predicting client behaviors, and offering tailored insights, CRMs help CRE professionals operate more effectively and efficiently than ever before.
Leading CRM platforms such as Salesforce, Microsoft Dynamics 365, HubSpot, and specialized solutions like Yardi and AscendixRE have become invaluable tools in today’s competitive CRE landscape. AI-powered platforms like DeepSeek, ChatGPT, and xAI further empower professionals by predicting client needs, automating client communication, and facilitating data-driven decision-making.
Many large CRE firms have developed proprietary CRM and AI programs, but the true focus should remain on fostering and strengthening personal relationships.
Yet, amidst all these technological advancements, one core truth remains unchanged: commercial real estate is fundamentally built upon personal relationships.
The Essential Balance: CRM and the Personal Impact Program (PIP)
CRMs equipped with AI capabilities provide powerful benefits. For instance, they can automatically send birthday wishes, remind teams about client anniversaries, and flag meaningful milestones. But these automated processes alone, while efficient, can feel sterile and transactional.
Here is where a deliberate human-centered strategy makes all the difference—a clearly defined approach we call the Personal Impact Program (PIP). This program emphasizes that authentic, meaningful interactions must be intentionally integrated alongside technology-driven communication.
Why Personal Connections Still Win in CRE
While CRE professionals acknowledge the importance of maintaining client relationships, research shows that many significantly underutilize their CRM systems. A 2020 Nucleus Research report found that less than half of CRM users leveraged advanced analytics or automation features fully. This gap suggests a major opportunity for improvement in adopting a more impactful, human-centered approach.
In essence, technology should facilitate—not replace—genuine, personal interactions. Personal relationships in commercial real estate remain paramount, and industry leaders consistently demonstrate that thoughtful human interactions create client loyalty and foster meaningful business relationships.
Real-World Examples of PIP in Action
Companies across various sectors provide powerful examples of what effective Personal Impact Programs look like in practice:
- Chewy.com exemplifies this beautifully by sending handwritten notes and thoughtful gifts to customers experiencing the loss of a pet, demonstrating sincere compassion and empathy.
- Ritz-Carlton hotels use CRM-driven insights to note guest preferences but empower their staff to proactively remember personal details—transforming routine stays into memorable, personalized experiences.
- Zappos customer service teams regularly turn ordinary customer interactions into extraordinary moments by expressing empathy and sending personalized messages or gifts based on customer conversations.
- LinkedIn’s Sales Navigator provides AI insights on leads, but the most successful salespeople personalize their outreach thoughtfully, congratulating contacts on career milestones rather than immediately pushing products.
These brands don’t just manage relationships—they proactively build them through genuine connections, guided and supported by CRM insights.
Launching Your Own Personal Impact Program
To build a successful PIP, follow these foundational practices:
- Deep Personalization: Move beyond automated insertions of names into emails. Understand your client’s business, preferences, personal milestones, and use CRM insights to provide meaningful, relevant interactions.
- AI Insights with Human Execution: Allow your CRM and AI tools to offer data-driven insights and alerts. Train your team to respond in genuinely human, personalized ways.
- Surprise and Delight: Use CRM data to identify and reward your best clients or important contacts with unexpected gestures—personal notes, customized gifts, or thoughtful recognitions.
- Contextual and Timely Communication: Empower your team to choose the right moments to connect. Sometimes a casual, thoughtful check-in is worth more than a sales pitch, especially if timed strategically.
Technology Empowers but Doesn’t Replace
Technology, CRM, and AI are powerful tools that amplify efficiency and productivity—but they will never replace human intuition, empathy, and authenticity. When blended thoughtfully through a clearly defined Personal Impact Program (PIP), these elements create client relationships marked by loyalty, trust, and mutual respect.
We’d love to hear about your experiences. What CRM platform is your team using? How do you integrate authentic personal interactions into your processes? Tell us about your Personal Impact Program—how does your team use technology to support, rather than replace, personal relationships in your business? Together, let’s continue to prioritize meaningful connections that build lasting, successful partnerships in the evolving landscape of commercial real estate.