Case Study

Slifer Smith & Frampton Real Estate

Igniting a More Digitally Efficient Sales Process in Colorado

Company

Company

Headquartered: Vail Valley, Colorado
Founded: 1960
Locations: 30+ across Colorado
Transactions: 2,300+, $3.6B

A Staple of Colorado Resorts

Slifer Smith and Frampton (SSF) was ranked the No. 1 real estate firm in the Vail Valley and Summit County and the No. 1 independent firm in the Roaring Fork Valley in 2020.

“With national and international companies buying a lot of smaller boutique organizations, being a local firm is somewhat unique in today’s world. Our local heritage is very important to us and it’s something we’re super proud of,” said Rod Woelfle, Director of Sales for the Electric Pass Lodge project and Branch Broker of SSF Snowmass Base Village.

Fiercely proud of his Colorado roots and with nearly 20 years of experience under his belt, Rod leads SSF’s new development sales division by ardently incorporating cutting edge sustainability and environmentally friendly technologies to the Aspen Snowmass Base Village.

Project

A Sustainability Marvel

Electric Pass Lodge is an East West Partners project and SSF’s latest sellout from its growing portfolio of development listings. The first of its kind in North America, Electric Pass Lodge offers ultra-efficient, high-performing ski-in & ski-out residences in Snowmass Base Village. The all-electric building will have a zero ongoing carbon footprint and is 100% powered by renewable energy sourced from a rooftop solar array and off-site renewables provided through the Holy Cross network. Designed and engineered with sustainability and healthy living top-of-mind, the development showcases exceptional indoor air quality, lots of natural light and lowered energy use, through technologies like triple pane windows, constant natural ventilation, solar panels and earth tubes.

“So many people told us that some of these sustainable innovations wouldn’t be practical for a variety of reasons and that our clients wouldn’t want to pay for it. Well, they were wrong, and most importantly, our clients love it.” said Rod.
Challenges

Challenges

An Outdated Software Slowing Down a Modern Organization

Prior to using Spark, SSF primarily used ECI Lasso CRM to manage their sales activity. The implementation of Spark has improved everything from reporting options to system linkage including the SSF sales websites and contractual documentation.

This first benefit that Rod saw was the value of real-time reporting:

“Spark has made our entire process more efficient with the ability to pull real-time reports and have real-time data links. It wasn’t acceptable to our clients to have a reporting system that updated overnight vs instantly and they love the instant updates we receive on our sales sites. With Spark, not only our sales team but our development and leadership teams have immediate notification of new contracts, price changes, etc.”

“Before Spark, customers would call and say, ‘I need a report for a meeting in 15 minutes’ and it was extremely frustrating not having access to that data in real-time. The reality was that I ended up creating an Excel spreadsheet on my own to manually track what was happening with our developments in real-time. It was a very time intensive workaround.”

Beyond this, SSF needed to employ another siloed software for their contracts processes. Using CTME, a legacy contract tool for real estate contracts, SSF undertook a lengthy contract process that required them to upload developer contracts and manually type in every individual’s name, email and all other pertinent information relevant in order to create a contract.

“For us this process was tedious as well as incredibly inefficient. Similar to their reporting, Spark has provided a new, efficient, real-time contract solution for SSF. We can now create contracts within minutes using pull down lists and a few clicks of the mouse vs manual data entry. On top of the simplicity of contract creation Spark facilitates electronic delivery, status notification and completion of contract signing.”
Journey

Journey

A Silver Lining During An Uncertain Time

Up until early 2020, SSF’s sales process was heavily oriented to in-person meetings and closings. However, with the COVID-19 pandemic impacting the world, SSF needed to adjust how it sold properties and transitioned to an increasingly digital-first process.

“Prior to COVID we never had a true digital sales process and it wasn’t unusual for people to fly out to Colorado to close a deal. I think COVID pressed us into what is now the future.”

At this point, SSF was introduced to Spark and was able to drastically refine its workflow. By simplifying its complex and disjointed sales process, Spark enabled SSF to increase its team’s efficiency and effectiveness in its sales efforts. Whether someone was purchasing from down the street or from a different country, Spark’s system allowed for a seamless and effective sales experience for all parties involved.

“Our process with Spark is 100% more efficient and easier for both the client and broker. It’s cleaner from the standpoint of tracking everything that’s going on in real-time and from an automation perspective. With Electric Pass Lodge we sold all but a couple of the units remotely.” said Rod.

Spark’s real-time data has become a powerful asset for SSF. Built into their website, Spark’s management system has the ability to act as a backend database updating availability and pricing information directly on the website. As a result, SSF can receive and provide real-time updates in terms of pricing, status and contact information with the click of a button.

“If we went into the Spark database and changed the price for one of our residences, it would update live on our website. It’s had so much forward-facing impact on our sales.”

Spark’s comprehensive platform also informs SSF’s team of any key events or actions that occur at any time throughout the sales lifecycle.

“If someone writes a contract or a client opens an email, I get notified from Spark. It’s a very proactive tool that keeps me in the loop and I don't have to go out of my way to look at status updates. We didn’t have that in our previous tool.”

Finally, Spark’s Customer Success team provided custom-tailored service for SSF. Led by Customer Success Manager, Matt Harrison, Spark’s CS team went above and beyond to provide exceptional support to SSF throughout their onboarding process, addressing any questions or concerns that their team had while using Spark.

“Spark’s customer service is better than any other that we have experienced and now when we work with other vendors, it’s frustrating not getting the same quality of service that we’ve come to expect from Spark.”

Results

Results

Facilitating Greater
Sustainability and Efficiency

Spark contributed to SSF’s goal of having a more sustainable sales process. Given the environmentally-friendliness of the Electric Pass Lodge, it was only fitting that SSF’s sales process would match the sustainability of their development. Approximately 90% of SSF’s marketing efforts, contract formulation, and sales tools were digitally integrated and hosted online, allowing them to reduce their physical waste. SSF’s goal is to incorporate Spark and the remainder of their digital process with future listings and development projects now that they’ve seen its success.

By facilitating greater efficiency, effectiveness and simplicity, Spark enabled SSF to sell the Electric Pass Lodge project quickly during the uncertainty of the pandemic. SSF was able to sell all 52 residences in just 7 months, with sales beginning in March of 2021 and the final contract being received in the following November.

“With our previous process and tools, there was always a risk of missing things that happened. Using Spark has made a huge difference for us and we are unquestionably never going back.”

Like Slifer Smith & Frampton Real Estate, see how your team can develop a future with Spark

Let’s explore how Spark can work for you.

  • Your entire portfolio in one place.

    No more jumping between a dozen disjointed softwares. Spark has all of your sales data and all of your marketing tools under one roof.

  • Sell more. Sell better.

    Get increased visibility and control over your project sales and marketing. Spark scales with your team, providing the foundation for you to grow and expand your business.

  • Frictionless onboarding and dedicated support.

    Focus on selling, not software. Our dedicated Customer Success team gets you up and running faster than you'd expect.