Introduction
Lennart:
Martin, for many people you are not a complete stranger, not an unknown quantity—but please tell us again: Who are you and what are you doing here?
Martin:
Well, my name is Martin Borus Becker. I'm the managing director and partner of Becker & Becker Immobilien, which is why we're here in Cologne today. Um, it's a classic residential real estate agency. That means we sell existing residential properties and have around 15 employees working in this area at four or five locations in Cologne.
Lennart:
Are the employees permanently employed?
Martin:
Yes, exactly. We only have permanent employees. That has proven to be the best system for me.
Lennart:
You have several locations, you have several employees—so that means you're not exactly unknown here in Cologne, right?
Martin:
Well, in addition to Becker & Becker Immobilien—perhaps I should mention that briefly—there is also Cloudberry Real Estate GmbH, where I am also a managing director and partner. This is a new-build sales company, i.e., a new-build broker that sells new-build properties for project developers in Cologne and the surrounding area. We have around 15 employees there as well, and are based in Cologne-Deutz. And then there is Kölnreal Wohnbau GmbH – but that's about it. This is the project developer, our own project development company, with which we also build residential properties ourselves. We have a few employees there as well.
Lennart:
I just filmed the roof—maybe we'll cut that in now. Who built it? Just so we can sort it out.
Martin:
Exactly, that's now a project by our Kölnreal Wohnbau GmbH, which we ultimately—it's a bit complex—took over into our own investment company and hold there in our portfolio.
Lennart:
Cool. So you're also the administrators?
Martin:
No, not administrators. Portfolio managers—basically investors.
Lennart:
How long has your company, Becker & Becker Real Estate, been around?
Martin:
Becker & Becker Immobilien – in the mid-1990s, my father, Matthias Becker, made a name for himself in the region as a sole broker, especially on the right bank of the Rhine in the south. And I've been involved since 2011. I had a few other jobs before that: bank clerk, management consultant, then I studied WDL and since 2011 I've also done a master's in real estate and construction law management and a master's in LL.M. in real estate law.
Lennart:
What is your role at Becker & Becker Immobilien – do you still go out into the field, are you still on the front line?
Martin:
That happens from time to time, actually. Of course, sure – I also want to experience the atmosphere and see how the market is doing. But mainly, I focus on ensuring that our processes and procedures are working optimally so that the customer – whether it's the seller or the buyer – is as well informed as possible in every situation and receives consistently high quality. Real estate sales is simply an extremely trust-intensive service – and also an absolute "people service" that is totally dependent on the individual who is currently looking after you. And my main task is to ensure that everything runs at a certain level.
Situation before Ynfinite
Lennart:
You've had a website with our system for many years now. Can you still remember what it was like before – how were you set up before?
Martin:
Before that... I think you'll probably have to help me with the year – maybe you know that even better than I do. But before that, we ultimately had our own solution. I had someone in my personal network who did web development, and we developed something from that. We were basically satisfied with it, but it's an area that's advancing rapidly over time. Then we felt the need to completely reset it and start from scratch.
Then, basically, a certain odyssey began for us. First, I spoke to my web developer, but he didn't have much time anymore. Then I spoke to another agency, but they had no idea about the real estate industry. Then I spoke to a CMS provider who also works in this area, and that's where I started. At the same time, I had a web designer or graphic designer create the layout. And somehow bringing all of this together was a huge problem—or let's say: a big challenge.
Why Ynfinite?
Lennart:
How did you find each other?
Martin:
Of course, there is a regional proximity, due to our locations, I would say. And then we somehow crossed paths, got to know each other, and talked about it. There was also a personal component to it. And when she told me about it, I thought: That's exactly what I have in mind! That's exactly what I want! And it also solves a lot of problems for me. Dani also said, "Show me your web design." "Oh, yes, that looks really nice—we can implement that pretty much as is." And that's how it worked out—in record time.
Lennart:
You said it solves problems for you. What were they specifically?
Martin:
The first specific problem was my layout, my ideas, etc. Then having someone who has expertise in the real estate industry—who has built websites before. So, first and foremost, someone who understands how the business works. But above all, there was the problem of flexibility. That's one of the big issues for me: with websites back then—of course, that was several years ago—everything was always very static, with little room for adaptation. That bothered me a lot. I felt like I was in a tight corset and couldn't expand or develop the website.
Decision-making process & onboarding
Lennart:
How did the decision-making process go? Did you have to convince anyone?
Martin:
At Becker & Becker, my dear sister, Merle Kleinwächter, is also a co-partner. I think my father was also involved at the time. But I am the one responsible for it – and that's exactly my thing. I love technology, I love things like that, and I just saw right away: This is a good fit! And then we implemented it that way.
Lennart:
You said it all happened very quickly. Do you remember the onboarding process?
Martin:
I can't tell you exactly how many weeks it took, but I know that with the other agency it took many months—more like six months—for a site like this to actually go live. And I kept thinking: Man, I already have a layout, it has to be faster than that. And with you guys, it was a matter of a few weeks. Then we had the first shot, then the first draft—that was still at a different time at Ynfinite. I think you've become even faster and more individually standardized in the meantime. The onboarding process was great. We worked very closely with Markus Klaus at the time—who, if I may say so casually, is an absolute technical wizard. There's no problem he can't solve.
Everyday work & integration
Lennart:
How well does the website integrate into your everyday work?
Martin:
I have fantastic colleagues in the back office – in the "back office" area, as they would say in banking. I'm the idea generator in the company. And I have the comfortable role of feeding ideas to the back office – and they then manage to implement these ideas as landing pages, blog articles, new pages, etc. within a very short time using Ynfinite. That's not just down to my great colleagues – it's also down to the system.
Favorite features, marketing, expansion
Lennart:
How does it interact with other marketing measures?
Martin:
It's super practical. Every provider on the market often tries to build their own landing pages – but then you end up with 10 different URLs, which looks strange to customers. With Ynfinite, I can build the landing page myself—putting together modules as I need them. It's integrated into our site—it looks professional, it's not a patchwork quilt, and it doesn't look "shady."
Feedback & Impact
Lennart:
Has your team provided any feedback on the website?
Martin:
It's not their core tool. But that's exactly how I measure it: if someone who doesn't work with it complains, then something is wrong. And there are no complaints. On the contrary, everyone is happy about new appointments, e.g., a large apartment building that was requested today – via the website.
Objectives, impact, and outlook
Lennart:
What do you want to achieve with the website?
Martin:
SEO ranking is obviously a big issue. AI ranking will be the next big thing. And, of course, lead generation. We want to be found, and we want the site to have a good conversion rate. We also integrate third-party tools – which is super easy with you guys.
What I hear regularly is that when owners decide to sell with us and you ask, "How did you find us?", many say, "I found you on Google, and I just liked your website." I felt like you understood me." And that's exactly what I want. Ynfinite helps enormously in this regard.
Conclusion & recommendation
Lennart:
Would you recommend Ynfinite to others?
Martin:
Yes—if you work outside of Cologne, then yes! In Cologne, it would be disadvantageous—because of SEO and competition. (laughs)
Future plans
Lennart:
What's next—what are your online plans?
Martin:
You'll be able to see that live on the website in a few months. We'll continue to expand on the AI topic (geo, not SEO). Every few years, the layout needs to be refreshed – just like in fashion. We also want to link social media even more closely.
I can't reveal the really big topics here.
Lennart:
I think it's really cool that we were able to be here and that you spoke so openly. Thank you very much!
Martin:
You're very welcome. It was great to have you here and thank you for listening.
