"Three Big Myths of Real Estate Marketing"
|
 |
6/1/07 Interview with Dave Beson Dave Beson Seminars 7200 West 78th Street Minneapolis, MN 55439  Biography |
Print this handoutTips for Taking Advantage of Technology
- A challenge in what has become a 24/7 technological world is to maintain a balance between work and the rest of life; technology should be a tool, not an impediment.
- A tablet PC is a great tool that makes data portable-Beson especially likes HP's tc4400; it is similar to a notebook except the screen swivels and locks down; the stylus lets you do things not possible with a keyboard.
- Wireless is a huge trend; using a tablet and a wireless hookup makes it possible to access data and conduct business from almost anywhere in the world; however, during your private time, it is okay to turn the tablet and your wireless connection off.
- Wireless can also be used with a portable minicomputer such as a palm-sized HPI pack or even a cell phone; portable devices can be synced with your office to keep you supplied with current and correct data while you are in the field as a rainmaker.
- The Internet is at the heart of the real estate industry becoming portable and wireless with safely backed up data.
- Connectivity is available nearly everywhere at reasonably fast bandwidths; with Internet backup, data can be accessed even with borrowed equipment-one can do business on the road without a computer.
- Innovative bells and whistles make Internet use fun; the free site OhDontForget.com enables you to use your computer to make phone contacts without ever speaking-you logon and send text messages-even to yourself-for reminders at predetermined times.
- "Reboot Your Business" is planned as Dave's next seminar topic; it will use the steps for restarting and cleaning up the computer as a metaphor for revamping business thought patterns and practices.
- The detailed content will focus on the practical matters that every real estate professional needs to deal with-such as setting goals, working with teams, using systems, business development, financial moves and more.
- Details and scheduling for the seminar are available at DaveBeson.com; the topic could become a podcast or a book.
- Pipeline management is the single most important skill for agent success; it involves recognizing every contact as a profit center and getting the most benefit from people at all stages in the real estate process.
- Technology is a boon for pipeline management; communication with prospects can be customized, scheduled and implemented database; automatic follow-up can run for years.
- The Top Thirteen Proven Success Strategies of Realty Professionals, which Beson started years ago, originally referred to "eStrategies;" but because the Internet stock implosion turned people off about technology, Beson went with more generic terminology and dropped the "e."
- In fact, the book deals with a combination of traditional and tech tools; now many real estate tools are e-tools in nearly invisible ways; e-tools now are accepted and taken for granted as necessary.
- Orbitz lets travelers make reservations online; Internet shopping for lowest airfares is common.
- AccuQuote (life) and Accucoverage (homeowners) are online resources for insurance.
- DMV.org is a site for checking driver's license information.
- Wikipedia is a popular encyclopedia site that is being continually updated through public contributions.
- GoStarPower.com has excellent content for growing your business.
- Hewlett Packard in association with Beson posts real estate technology information at www.hp.com/go/beson.
- StrategicCoach.com promotes a unique way of looking at time in three categories: focus time / buffer time / free days.
- What Beson foresaw in 2001 about money shifting toward cyber-marketing strategies, competition to attract consumers increasing and tech tools allowing agents to connect with more people have proved accurate.
- An innovative strategy to cope with price compression is emerging in the industry-offering different commission rates based on level of service; agents using a flexible approach can present themselves as multi-faceted, full-service agents but still compete with reduced-service agents.
- Agents still need to remember that they are the main ingredient to success, and they must build and maintain relationships with the people in their pipeline; careful use of technology can enhance doing so.
- The gauge for using tech tools is whether they help you do what you do better; there are often multiple options-for example, for contact management, Top Producer 7i, AgentOffice, Wise Agent and Respond for Outlook all work.
- Start by doing what you can with what you already have; spend time regularly to learn new features of tech tools; almost all devices today sync, so you should have the same data on your desktop and handheld device.
- Practical tips are to maintain a working list of the top 25 people that you can do business with, go to school to get the next designation, network for referrals and have a life outside of real estate (plan your vacations first).
- In Too Soon Old, Too Late Smart, Gordon Livingston identifies the secret to happiness as having something to do, someone to love and something to look forward to.
(v) 952-947-9111
(f) 952-947-9110
(e) dave@davebeson.com
(w)www.davebeson.com
Real Estate Sites & Tools in this Briefing:
Dave Beson's coaching site: www.DaveBeson.com
Favorite portable computers: HP's tablet tc4400; HBI pack minicomputer
OhDontForget: www.ohdontforget.com
Travel reservations: www.orbitz.com
Online insurance resources: www.accuquote.com www.accucoverage.com
Driver's license info: www.dmv.org
Encyclopedia site: www.wikipedia.com
GoStarPower: www.gostarpower.com
HP real estate tech site: www.hp.com/go/beson
The Strategic Coach: www.strategiccoach.com
Contact management software: Top Producer 7i, AgentOffice, Wise Agent, Respond for Outlook
Book recommendation: Too Soon Old, Too Late Smart, Gordon Livingston