What is MEMO? The Anti-CRM for Real Estate Agents

Last updated: December 2025

Quick Answer

MEMO is a Personal Relationship Manager (PRM) - not a traditional CRM - built for real estate agents who build their business on referrals and relationships, not pipelines and cold leads.

The core idea: Open the app, see 3 people to connect with today, handle them, and you're done. You've "won the day." No endless task lists. No guilt. No complexity.

Price: $49/month, cancel anytime.

Built for: Solo agents who get 80%+ of business from sphere, past clients, and referrals.

Try MEMO Free for 14 Days →

Table of Contents

Why MEMO Exists: The Problem We're Solving

You've tried a CRM. Maybe Follow Up Boss. Maybe LionDesk. Maybe your brokerage's system.

And every morning, you'd open it and see:

So you stopped logging in.

You went back to spreadsheets. Or phone contacts. Or sticky notes. Or just... memory.

And that works... sort of. Until:

The problem isn't you. The problem is that CRMs are built for sales pipelines, not relationships.

Enter MEMO: The Anti-CRM

MEMO is different because it starts from a different place:

Traditional CRMs ask: How do we move leads through a pipeline?
MEMO asks: How do we help agents remember people?

Traditional CRMs optimize for: Activity metrics, pipeline velocity, lead conversion
MEMO optimizes for: Peace of mind, human connection, remembering context

Traditional CRMs say: "You have 47 overdue tasks"
MEMO says: "Here are 3 people to connect with today. If you do that, you've won the day."

The Three Core Features (Everything Else Is Extra)

MEMO has three features that matter. Everything else exists to support these three.

1. The Stack: Your Daily Priorities

The Problem with Traditional CRMs: You open the app. You see everything. 200 contacts. 40 tasks. Infinite scroll. No sense of "what matters most today." You freeze. You close the app.

The Stack solves this:

When you open MEMO, you see The Stack - a prioritized list that always shows you what matters most, right now.

The Short List (The "Must-Do")

The liberation: The list ends. You're allowed to be done. Unlike traditional CRM task lists that regenerate forever, The Short List hits zero.

The Daily Deal (The "Candy")

The psychology: Gamification + randomness makes boring data entry feel like progress, not homework.

Focus Stacks (The "Extra Credit")

2. The FAB: Capture Thoughts Instantly

The Problem with Traditional CRMs: You're at a red light. You think: "I should ask Sarah about her son's basketball season."

To log this in a traditional CRM:

  1. Pull up the app (wait for load)
  2. Navigate to contacts
  3. Search for Sarah
  4. Tap her profile
  5. Tap "Add Note" or "Add Activity"
  6. Select note type from dropdown
  7. Type the note
  8. Save

By the time you're done: The light is green, cars are honking, you've half-forgotten the thought.

Reality: You don't log it. The thought vanishes.

The FAB (Floating Action Button) solves this:

The Red Light Test: Can you capture a thought at a red light before the light turns green?

Why this matters: That thought = that conversation = that referral = $15,000.

The FAB makes sure thoughts don't vanish.

3. The Pulse: Invisible Drift Tracking

The Problem with Traditional CRMs: You manually create tasks: "Call Sarah by Friday." If you miss it: Red badge. "OVERDUE." Guilt. Stress. You avoid opening the app.

The Pulse solves this differently:

What it is: A background system that monitors time since last contact relative to how often you SHOULD be in touch with each person.

How it works:

  1. You assign each person to an Orbit:

    • Inner Circle (VIPs) - Expects contact every 2-4 weeks
    • Outer Circle (Everyone else) - Expects contact every 2-3 months

  2. MEMO tracks time since last contact

  3. When someone "drifts" too far (hasn't been contacted in a while relative to their orbit), they surface on The Short List

  4. You see: "Sarah is drifting" (not "Sarah is OVERDUE")

The language matters:

The philosophy:

The result: You reach out because you WANT to (you see context and think "oh yeah, I should check in"), not because you're overdue.

How Your Day Works with MEMO

Morning: The Short List (5-10 minutes)

8:00 AM: Coffee in hand, open MEMO

You see The Short List:

  1. Sarah - "It's been a minute" | Last memo: "Son made varsity basketball"
  2. The Johnsons - "2-year home anniversary this week" | Last memo: "Loved the neighborhood"
  3. Mike - "Referral source" | Last memo: "Sent me the Hendersons - need to thank him"

You pick Sarah:

8:07 AM: You've won the day.

The Short List now shows "2 remaining" or you can stop here. Either way: Progress made.

Throughout the Day: The FAB (10 seconds per capture)

11:30 AM: Red light

2:15 PM: Coffee shop between showings

5:45 PM: Driving home

Evening: The Daily Deal (2 minutes, optional)

8:00 PM: Couch, watching TV

You open MEMO. The Daily Deal shows 5 cards:

Card 1: "Does Andrew have a partner?"
→ Swipe right → "Yes"

Card 2: "What's Wade's favorite restaurant?"
→ Don't know → Swipe left (skip)

Card 3: "When is Meg's birthday?"
→ Swipe right → Select date

Card 4: "Does Linda have kids?"
→ Swipe right → "Yes, 2"

Card 5: "What's Mike's profession?"
→ Swipe right → "Mortgage lender"

8:02 PM: Done.

You've enriched 4 profiles. Over a month, that's 120 enriched profiles. Without it feeling like work.

Total MEMO time per day:

Compare to traditional CRMs:

What MEMO Is NOT (The Anti-Features)

MEMO is not a traditional CRM. Here's what we don't do (on purpose):

❌ No Drip Campaigns

Traditional CRMs: Set up automated email sequences. "Day 1: Send template A. Day 7: Send template B."

MEMO's philosophy: If an app can send it, it's not meaningful. Your clients can tell when a message is automated.

What we do instead: Show you WHO to reach out to, give you CONTEXT about them, YOU write the actual message.

❌ No Pipeline Stages

Traditional CRMs: Move people through stages: Lead → Qualified → Offer → Under Contract → Closed

MEMO's philosophy: People aren't stages. Your past clients aren't "leads." Your referral sources aren't in a "pipeline."

What we do instead: People have roles (Client, Partner, Vendor, Referrer) and orbits (Inner Circle, Outer Circle). That's it.

❌ No Infinite Task Lists

Traditional CRMs: Task dashboard with 40+ items. List regenerates as automations trigger new tasks. No concept of "done."

MEMO's philosophy: You need finite goals. Your brain can handle 3 priorities, not 40.

What we do instead: The Short List (max 3 people). When you're done, the app literally says "You won the day ✓" and you're allowed to stop.

❌ No Red Badges or Guilt Metrics

Traditional CRMs: "12 overdue tasks" / "Pipeline health: 67%" / "Sphere health declining" / Days-since-last-contact counters

MEMO's philosophy: Guilt doesn't motivate long-term. It makes you avoid opening the app.

What we do instead: Observational language ("It's been a minute" not "14 days overdue"). No metrics that make you feel like you're failing.

❌ No Built-in Texting/Calling/Email

Traditional CRMs: Built-in SMS, VoIP dialer, email integration. "All-in-one" platform.

MEMO's philosophy: Your phone already does texting and calling perfectly. Why create "yet another inbox"?

What we do instead: MEMO gives you the CONTEXT (what to say). You use your PHONE (the tools you already have). Tap "Reach Out" → Opens native Messages/Phone app.

❌ No Team Features

Traditional CRMs: Lead routing, permission levels, team dashboards, admin oversight

MEMO's philosophy: We're built for solo agents who own their relationships, not teams who share leads.

What we do instead: Individual accounts. Your sphere is yours. If you switch brokerages, your MEMO data goes with you.

Who MEMO Is For (And Who It's NOT For)

✅ MEMO Is For You If:

Your business model:

Your frustrations:

Your work style:

Your situation:

❌ MEMO Is NOT For You If:

Your business model:

Your preferences:

Your situation:

If these describe you: Consider Follow Up Boss, LionDesk, or other full CRMs.

MEMO is opinionated software. We're not for everyone. And that's okay.

Pricing: Simple and Transparent

One Plan, One Price

$49/month

Annual cost: $588/year

What you get:

What you DON'T pay extra for:

14-day free trial:

Is It Worth $49/Month?

The ROI question:

What's one referral worth to you?

But it's not about one referral.

It's about:

Peace of mind has value too.

Frequently Asked Questions

"How is MEMO different from [Follow Up Boss / LionDesk / Other CRM]?"

MEMO is a Personal Relationship Manager (PRM), not a full CRM.

Full CRMs are Swiss Army knives: Texting, calling, email, pipelines, transactions, team features, reporting, automations. Everything in one place.

MEMO is a specialized tool: Helps you remember people. That's it. That's the whole job.

If you need:

If you need:

Many agents use both: Brokerage CRM for compliance, MEMO for their actual sphere relationships.

See detailed comparisons →

"Can I import my existing contacts?"

Yes. Three ways:

  1. CSV upload (from any CRM or spreadsheet)

    • Export from your current system
    • Import to MEMO
    • Map fields (name → name, phone → phone, etc.)
    • Takes 5-10 minutes

  2. Phone contacts sync (iOS/Android)

    • Let MEMO access your contacts
    • Select which ones to sync
    • Imports automatically

  3. Manual entry

    • Start with your top 50
    • Add more as you go
    • Use Daily Deal to enrich over time

You don't need perfect data from day one. Import what you have, enrich over time via Daily Deal.

"What happens to my data if I cancel?"

Your data is always yours.

Cancel anytime. No contracts. No penalties.

"Does MEMO work offline?"

Partial functionality:

Requires connection for:

Most agents find: Offline mode works fine for capturing thoughts and viewing people. Full sync happens when you're back online.

"Can I use MEMO with my brokerage's CRM?"

Yes. This is common.

Use your brokerage CRM for:

Use MEMO for:

Time commitment:

Learn more about using both →

"Is there a desktop version?"

Not yet. Coming 2026.

MEMO is mobile-first. We built for where you actually are (car, showings, coffee shops), not where you used to be (desk).

Why mobile-first?

If you need desktop: Consider a traditional CRM. If you're willing to try mobile-first, MEMO might surprise you.

"What if I have more than 3 people who need attention today?"

The Short List only shows 3 at a time. Here's why:

The psychology: Your brain can handle 3 priorities. Not 40. Three is doable. Forty is overwhelming.

What happens to #4-10?

What if there's an emergency?

The promise: Trust the system. If you do The Short List daily (3 people × 7 days = 21 touchpoints per week), you'll stay on top of your sphere without overwhelm.

"Can I customize the orbits or add more roles?"

Not currently. And that's intentional.

MEMO is opinionated software.

The 4 roles:

  1. Client (transacted)
  2. Partner (lenders, agents, title)
  3. Vendor (contractors, plumbers)
  4. Referrer (sphere, friends, family)

These cover 95% of your sphere. More categories = more decisions = more complexity = you stop using it.

The 2 orbits:

  1. Inner Circle (VIPs, check in more often)
  2. Outer Circle (everyone else)

Simple binary: Is this person a VIP or not? One decision.

Our philosophy: Constraints create clarity. Extensive customization creates overwhelm.

If you need dozens of custom fields and categories: Traditional CRMs offer this. MEMO doesn't.

Try MEMO Free for 14 Days

No credit card. No contract. No guilt if you decide it's not for you.

What to do during your trial:

Day 1-2: Import your contacts (CSV or phone sync)
Day 3-5: Use The Short List each morning
Day 6-7: Capture thoughts via FAB throughout the day
Day 8-10: Play The Daily Deal
Day 11-14: Decide if MEMO fits your workflow

Most agents know within 3-5 days.

If you're opening MEMO every morning and it feels easier than your old system, that's your answer.

If MEMO feels like yet another thing to manage, cancel it. No hard feelings.

[Start Your Free Trial →]

Or Read the MEMO Manifesto → to understand our philosophy first.

Learn More

Have questions? Email us at support@memoforagents.com