Some exciting news for Chicago’s commercial real estate professionals

I was having lunch today with my friend Dustin Gellman of Catylist.  Since the last time we had seen each other was over pizza at Quartino when the weather was still warm, we had a lot to discuss.  I told him about a client I recently helped in the Loop and how my blog is starting to draw some attention in the blogosphere and Dustin shared with me that his firm Catylist is also providing a customer relationship management (CRM) tool specifically designed for commercial real estate professionals.  He really knows exactly how to get me excited…
As a former Microsoft employee, technology nut and self-described CRM aficionado, I was eager to hear about this product, specs and all.  Entitled Catylist CRM, this product appears to be a full-featured desktop CRM application, with the ability to easily share customer data between team members.  It synchronizes with Outlook (2003 or 2007), reducing the need to separately maintain two contact lists.  On top of that, there’s some call tracking functionality to help any salesperson review their call performance and even suggest who and when to call based on your past experiences.  The third feature alone is enough to have me intrigued.  I have downloaded the 30-day trial of Catylist CRM Standard Version and it is installing as we speak.  Over the course of the next 30 days, I will be exploring the functionality and ease of use the software offers and will provide a full report following my evaluation.

Oh, Dustin also told me about a revolutionary new system for helping tenants, investors and real estate brokers with their building research and space marketing needs, but I told him I wouldn’t let the cat out of the bag until he told me that everything was live – after all, you don’t want to move in to your office until the carpet is down and the paint has dried.  So stay tuned, as I can assure you that I will be showcasing the new research and marketing system in an upcoming review.