Globest.com: How does the service decide which software is the best option for a specific firm?

Neal: Our customer advocates go through a detailed phone interview with each company. During the call, we learn about a company's business--i.e. what types of properties they manage, how many units or square footage they manage, etc.--and then ask questions about the company's software requirements--i.e. what functionality do they need, web-based versus on-premise, how many users on the system, what is your budget, etc. We have also developed our own technology that allows the customer advocate to narrow down software products as we take notes during the call. Based on our knowledge and this very intelligent tool, we can quickly narrow down one to three best fit software systems.

Globest.com: What property management software vendors are participating? Does a company have to make a financial commitment to the site if it wants a chance of being recommended?

Neal: Buildium, Domin-8, Property Boulevard, Maxwell Systems and Deep Forest Systems to name a few. To be listed on our website, a vendor has to participate in our buyer referral program. After we identify a best fit software system for a buyer, as described above, the software vendor pays us for the referral.

Globest.com: How can a property management professional feel secure that the recommendation is accurate--as opposed to a selection based on payment from a vendor?

Neal: First, it's important to understand our goal for the buyer: help them narrow down a short list of around three systems, which saves them weeks of up-front research. We are not telling the buyer which system to buy. So we're not "selling" them on any one vendor based on compensation we receive from a vendor. Moreover, all vendors in our program pay us the same referral fees, which mean there is no incentive to recommend one system over another.

Finally, we will often discuss non-participating vendors with the buyer, when we feel they will be a good fit for the buyer. We believe that if we put the buyer first and truly help them in their search, they will refer their friends and colleagues to us.