The Benefits of an Organized Google Drive as a Real Estate Agent (Plus How to Do It)
It's all about organization. I thrive on it in both my personal and professional life. My mentality is disturbed if things aren't where they should be, and I don't work as effectively as I could.
I'm sure you feel the same way. It's human nature to crave systems, so there's a natural inclination to establish them. Most things go awry when these structures fall apart or aren't in place.
As a real estate agent, there are many structures to implement, but this blog post focuses on streamlining your Google Drive. When your folder system is on point, your business will feel like a well-oiled machine.
How do you benefit from a tidy and organized inbox?
Find Your Documents Quickly
Have you ever tried locating a client file but couldn’t recall which folder it's stored in? This often happens with many real estate agents (and this isn't me throwing you under the bus).
Unfortunately, many people operate from a place of chaos, and I was one of those agents before I got my stuff together.
My situation was probably a lot more chaotic, as many cloud storage tools did not exist when I started practicing. Client files were stored in folders that got chunky quickly and often misplaced when things got hectic. Where getting organized with your files is concerned, you're definitely in a much better place than I was.
With a squeaky clean Google Drive, you avoid playing the guessing game when important files are needed. When you can find what you want quickly, you avoid wasting precious time that you could spend before clients.
A Productive Team
Do you work with other real estate agents, a transaction coordinator, or a virtual assistant who tackles most administrative-related stuff?
These team players will need documents to do their job so you can step into that mega agent role. Yes, girl! That's the ultimate goal!
An organized Google Drive ensures no time is lost and boosts productivity.
No one's baffling to find documents or digital assets, and deadlines are met without the added frustration.
If you can operate a productive real estate business, that means more time spent on essential tasks, which sounds like money trickling into your bank account. Cha-ching!
Time is currency, after all.
Keep Your Stress Levels Down
Like me, you probably have designated time slots to perform specific tasks. The slightest distraction or diversion to my ‘focus time’ throws me off completely.
When you have your Google Drive together and things are organized, you are less likely to be bombarded by countless emails and chat messages from team members about where certain files are.
I don’t know about you, but knowing that my team can easily access everything they need on Google Drive to do their work, gives me peace of mind. I focus more and stress less because they got my back.
Since an organized Google Drive is essential for efficient business operations, how can this be done? Here are some quick and easy suggestions to implement.
Name your files properly
It starts with how you label your documents and digital assets. Naming files correctly makes it easier for your team to identify them. If you are storing a file that should be called “file A”, ensure it’s not labelled as “file B” because your team won’t be able to locate it, regardless of how hard they search.
Incorrectly labeling documents also means they’ll end up in the wrong folders. Again, another factor that causes disorganization in your cloud filing system. A document name should identify the file's contents, so keep it specific.
Separate business files from personal
Most cloud storage systems like Google (and even OneDrive) were built with segmentation in mind. There’s simply no reason to mix business assets with personal ones.
A simple folder system is sufficient to address this problem. It’s as easy as creating a main folder with your designated business name and another with your name. As shown in the image below, I have folders for business assets (The Leverage Co.) and another for personal items (Sheena Gilreath).
I know where to look if I want to find pictures from my family photo shoot or brand elements for TLC.
Use subfolders
Subfolders are important when you want to categorize your assets further. This is the case with client files. For example, you could create nested folders to differentiate your buyer and seller clients. You may also get very specific by assigning a folder to every client you work with.
This would house their contracts and other important documents gathered through the transaction process.
My Systems Rehab group program uses a tried and proven folder system to help my clients organize their Google Drive for maximum efficiency.
To see this folder structure in action, why not learn more about my 12-week program and how it can streamline your business? Then, I'm ready to hop on a call with you to answer questions and ease any concerns.
meet Sheena
Backed by two decades of demonstrated experience, I help purpose-driven women in real estate grow their businesses and achieve ultimate success with proven systems.
