There is a reason real estate agents are among our largest demographic of clients. You will hardly ever find a real estate agent in one place all of the time. The best in the industry are always on the go, doing what they can to get more listings and to close more sales. These are the agents that are making the money, not settling for average. Most of these agents are well versed in using tools and techniques to help them stay on top of their game by having a high level of efficiency and productivity. At Wireless I.Q., we coach current and aspiring top producers and develop an "action plan" to use technology to achieve goals.
I have compiled a list of 5 tips to increase your efficiency and productivity in 2009:
1. Adopt a new technology and openly look for ways to utilize it to your advantage.
I give a free presentation at real estate company sales team meetings. At the beginning of the presentation, I ask for a show of hands from smartphone users. During one presentation, I was shocked to see that out of over thirty agents there were only three or four hands raised . The week after the presentation, I received calls from a dozen of those agents looking to make the jump to a smart phone. Try to overcome whatever is holding you back from adopting a new technology and approach it with an open mind.
2. Better Manage Client Relationships
What makes a good salesperson? I have always thought of myself as a successful salesperson because I understand who my client is, exactly what they are looking for, and use techniques to help me position my services to their individual needs. If you are asking the right questions, or "power questions" as they are sometimes referred to, you are quickly gathering all of the necessary information needed to help you find the right listings to show your clients. A long sales process can be very stressful for both parties, especially if your client seems to be unhappy with any listing you show them. Maybe they are being difficult. Maybe a better relationship needs to be built.
When I meet a new client, I always add them into my phone's address book. In my BlackBerry, there are many different fields of information that can be entered. I fill in as many fields as possible, especially the birthday field. Then in the notes section, I write as much as I can about our conversation when I asked them "power questions." I now have all the information I need to position our services to fit their individual needs.
A few good books to read if you want to improve in this area:
Spin Selling
Getting Past No
Sales for Dummies
3. Showcase Your Property Listings
Find a new way to communicate new listings and changes in listings to potential buyers. If you are reading this on ActiveRain, you have already taken the first step. Social Networking has become a very effective way to market products and services. In the United States alone, there are over 36 million Facebook users. As time progresses, many of the people on Facebook will become first time home buyers. You can setup a Facebook page to help scoop up some of these people and make them your clients. Businesses can now setup their own page with loads of information for Facebook users to view. A few other sites worth checking out are MySpace and LinkedIn.
Another great way to communicate to your clients is to setup a blog or an email distribution list. You can tell your new and existing clients that they can check out your blog for new listings or price drops. If you start an email list, you can send out a weekly newsletter that showcases one particular property. Use your cell phone to take pictures or video of a property and post it on your blog or email it to your clients. If you choose the email newsletter, make sure to tell your clients that you will not share their email address and use the bcc option to hide their email from others.
4. Remain Focused on Your Goals
It is hard to juggle all of the aspects of your job. This is especially true when your family or personal life come into the mix. I use a few techniques to keep up with everything that needs to be done.
First I use my calendar to store every event in my life. I enter deadlines, business trips, meetings, and other events into my BlackBerry or into Microsoft Outlook and set reminders to give me enough time to remember everything I need to do for that particular event. You can change the length of time your reminder goes off in relation to the event. If I have a meeting, I will set it to give myself enough time to get to the meeting. If it is a deadline, I give myself enough time to complete the project, and so on. I even put entries into my calendar when bills are due.
In conjunction with my calendar, I use a task list to mark my progress on my to do list. By using the tasks on my phone, I can set priority and the status of the task on hand. I also use a whiteboard in my home office to give me a visual reminder of tasks that need to be taken care of, calls to be made, and if I am waiting on anything needed to complete my task.
5. Save Time Where You Can
This is usually the most complicated step for our clients. We sit down and brainstorm on ways to save time on daily tasks. One of the most frequent dilemmas is answering an entire day of emails after work. Even with a mobile email device, I see many clients that spend an hour or more responding to emails on their computer at the end of the night because they only read the emails coming in throughout the day. Try to answer an email when waiting in line for coffee, while on a smoke break, or as you scarf down lunch. If you can respond to a few at a time throughout the day, you will have more free time to work on other things at the end of the day.
Another popular solution is setting up wireless synchronization for your smartphone. Many BlackBerry, Palm Treo, Windows Mobile, and iPhone users get home, power up their computer, and plug in their phone to sync with their computer. We help setup a lot of real estate agents for wireless sync. Now when you enter an appointment into your phone, it automatically goes into your computer without having to do anything. The same works vice-versa and for contacts as well. This could save you 15 minutes per day. It can also help if you have someone that helps schedule appointments. When you enter something into your phone, they would immediately be able to see that change and could reduce scheduling conflicts.
You may already be doing some of these tricks. If you are, you are one step ahead of the game. I am always looking for different solutions to help in these areas. If you have any tips or tricks that work for you, leave a comment below.
For more information on how you can improve your efficiency and productivity, feel free to email me or call the number listed in my profile.
As real estate professionals, driving is just part of the job. You can write off the mileage on your taxes. Last year, the IRS made a change to the deduction amount for mileage. It went up to 58.5 cents per mile (if you are claiming for 2008, the first six months is 50.8 cents per mile). I logged almost 4000 miles and am going to have a nice deduction.
There are a few programs out there for BlackBerry that allow you to track your mileage. I tested out two programs, TrackIT: Vehicle Edition and Mileage Manager. They both work very well to record your mileage.
This program allows you to track all vehicle expenses in one place: mileage, fuel costs, vehicle expenses, and maintenance. It also allows you to track multiple vehicles. The program is very easy to use and even has a feature to view reports and graphs for your expenses. Data can be exported to your computer using email on your BlackBerry. Filters can be set to export certain types of data.
This is a more basic way to track your mileage. If you are not interested in tracking other expenses, this program is for you. You can easily add mileage entries to the list and export it using email in either HTML or CSV (for Excel) format. Mileage Manager allows you to set a reimbursement amount for your mileage and will keep a running total of how much reimbursement you are owed. This application does not allow you to view reports or graphs. There is one "bug" with Mileage Manager. Normally, if you press the back button on a BlackBerry, it prompts you to save or discard your changes. With this program, the back button will automatically discard your changes. You have to press menu, then save in order for your changes to take effect.
Trial versions of both software is available for download:
GE is releasing a long awaited eKey for BlackBerry. eKey is used by realtors to access lock boxes on properties available for sale or lease. The technology also allows realtors to search for listings using eKey lock boxes from their cell phone and to track statistics regarding their listings. Previous lock box users were confined to using a device with an infrared port, generally Palm Treo and Windows Mobile devices.
BlackBerry users can now purchase an infrared eKey fob. This is a bluetooth device that connects to the BlackBerry similar to a headset and is small enough to connect to your key chain. Once you enter your PIN to open a lock box, the keyfob translates the signal from the BlackBerry to infrared in order to open the lock box.
There are two types of eKey service designed for the BlackBerry. The first is eKey Basic, which is available now. This allows you retrieve keys for iBoxes, program iBox access hours, beam data to iBoxes (showing notes, listing highlights, and business card information), change shackle codes, and track KeyBox inventory.
eKey Professional will be available sometime in March of 2009 and will include all of the features of eKey Basic. It will also include eDATA Mobile which allows realtors access to listing information while on the go. eDATA allows searching of MLS listings that can be viewed on Google Maps. It also shows updated contact information for other agents and gives you the ability to receive real-time showing notifications.
You can find out more information about eKey for BlackBerry, including an order form for the IR keyfob by clicking here.
Please note that these are independent cell phone software reviews.
For you BlackBerry users that have used Windows Mobile in the past, e-Mobile Today Professional Edition is a great program to utilize an "active" desktop. Windows Mobile phones have an "active" desktop as the home screen. When an event occurs, such as an upcoming appointment or new email, the desktop updates. BlackBerry has a similar theme called the Today theme, but it does not work as well as the Windows Mobile counterpart.
e-Mobile Software has created a program for the BlackBerry operating system that allows you to have an active desktop. e-Mobile Today Professional lists missed calls, contacts, calendar entries, tasks, emails, and text messages all on the main screen. Add-ons can also be purchased to include weather, news, and stocks. You can customize the background image and also remove certain features from the home screen. Shortcut keys can be assigned for easy access to applications on the BlackBerry. To exit to the main BlackBerry operating system, just press the end call button.
Some things that can be improved:
E-mail accounts are not separated.
The home screen does not recognize MMS (picture messaging).
Voicemails show up as an SMS.
Interface takes a little time to get used to.
Must exit program to lock keys.
Cannot dial from active desktop. Green button can be pressed to access call screen.
Program takes over BlackBerry OS. Returns to the program after a certain amount of time.
The program is pretty useful despite a few shortcomings. I am looking forward to testing out the News, Weather, and Stocks add-ons. Check out a video of the software in action below:
Please note that the reviews we post are independent reviews and we are not the software developers. We test out cell phone software and pass on the information to you.
Quick Response for BlackBerry is a useful piece of software for anyone that needs to quickly respond to email with information. Real Estate agents are perfect for this software. You can create a quick response template for each property listing that you have and list the amenities that property has to offer.
The following video demonstrates how Quick Response can:
Help you quickly respond to messages by using preconfigured templates.
Create templates from scratch and using received messages.
Did you know that most cell phone providers charge $1.79 per 411 call? That fee goes up every year or so. There are also a few "free" 411s out there that make you listen to an advertisement before getting the listing.
Now how many of you use text messaging?
Most cell phone users, especially those that use a smart phone, have a text messaging package.
I like to use Google SMS to find my 411 listings. It is quick and easy to do and can save you a lot of money. You can also use this service to find out other information including weather, stock quotes, movies, and more. Most cell phones will allow you to dial the number or save it to your address book directly from the text message that you received. Below is a video I made on how to use text messaging to Google. You can also check out this web page to find out exactly what you can do with Google SMS.
The best part is the service is free from Google. You may want to check with your cell phone provider and make sure you have a text messaging package. If you don't have one, you may incur a $.15 charge each time you send or receive a text message.
If you are heavy cell phone user like I am, you have probably been frustrated by the lack of features with your cell phone provider's voicemail service. If you are using basic voicemail, greetings are limited to under 30 seconds. Your mailbox can only hold 20 messages and they can can only be kept for 14 days. Many carriers provide an enhanced voicemail service for a monthly fee and you get a little more capacity and longer message length.
YouMail is a great free alternative for voicemail on your cell phone. I tested it out and overall it works very well. Read on for pros and cons, instructions for setup, and other features.
Sign up using your First Name, Last Name, and email address.
Before the next step, you may want to go into your phone's forwarding settings and record the numbers your phone uses to forward unanswered calls, unavailable, and busy. Save these numbers if you ever want to switch back to your old voicemail.
On your cell phone, dial *004*17142043114# and press send. This sets the number used to forward your calls when unanswered.
Now you have to set your alerts. You can set change these at a later time. I set alerts by text message, which gives me a detailed text with caller information and length of the message left. You can also receive email alerts that allow you to check your voicemail from your computer.
You will then have to program your voicemail key to dial +17142043114. Most phones dial the voicemail by pressing and holding 1. The procedure to change this varies from phone to phone.
After that, you can keep the same PIN they sent you or change it to a new PIN, between 4-12 digits.
You are now done with the initial setup and it will take you to the home screen.
At the home screen, you can view your Voicemails, change Greetings, and edit contacts.
Greetings
By default, YouMail sets a smart greeting which states your name when a caller hears is transferred to your voicemail. If they are stored into your contacts on YouMail, it will also state their name. You can record a greeting from the phone or from your computer. You can record greetings up to one minute in length.
Having web based control lets you change your greeting "on the fly," helpful if you are about to go into a meeting or step out for lunch.
There are also many prerecorded greetings that you can choose from. I especially like the one that says "I'm sorry, that number is no longer in service. You will have to find a new boyfriend." There are a lot of free prerecorded greetings.
If you don't see a greeting you like, you can upload any Mp3 or wav file and use it as a greeting.
A great feature is being able to block numbers from leaving a message. You can set this under the all greetings section.
Contacts
The contacts section allows you to enter in contact information and set specific greetings to play when those numbers are sent to your voicemail. You can also assign contacts to groups and have certain messages play when a member of the group leaves a voicemail.
Other Features
If a caller gets to your voicemail but hangs up, you can still receive a text notification with caller ID information and notifies you that no message was left.
There is currently a beta version of voice to text that attempts to transcribe the message left into a text or email. You can set this for all messages or just for people saved in your contacts list.
You can reply to a voicemail message from your web browser via voice, email, or text message.
If I left out a cool feature, feel free to post it in the comments section.
This is the most popular video on our blog. Many people send and receive files using bluetooth, a short range wireless technology. Usually, people use bluetooth to send or receive ringtones from one cell phone to another. You can usually send any type of media file using this method. Some of the newer model smart phones support documents such as Word, Excel, and PDF. You can also send and receive these files as long as each phone supports that particular file type.
For real estate professionals, it is a helpful way to send colleagues pictures or video of property listings. I am sure most of you never leave home without your digital camera, but if you are forgetful like I am sometimes, you can always use your camera phone as a backup. This method can also be used to transfer media files from your cell phone to a bluetooth capable computer.
Most bluetooth capable cell phones make it easier to send and receive using bluetooth. For some reason, BlackBerry makes you take a few extra steps. If you need help with a different model phone, feel free to email me and I would be glad to help.
Hello to everyone on Active Rain. I am new to the site and was referred by a fellow real estate agent in the Baton Rouge market. Our company, Wireless I.Q. has helped many real estate agents increase their productivity through the use of technology. We help each person on a case by case basis to find out exactly what their needs are and how to best address those needs.
We usually start by prioritizing what needs to be improved on: managing client relationships, better organization of property listings, or performance of daily tasks. Then we put together an action plan on how to improve on specific areas.
Sometimes our solutions include training, other times it may be specific software or technology. It can even be a mixture of both. With this blog, we hope to address issues easily overlooked and hopefully help you to sell more properties. We will include short training videos showing you tips and tricks related to your cell phone. Our cell phone reviews can help you decide if a particular device is right for you. Software reviews can help you enhance your overall cell phone experience.
Feel free to comment on the blog posts or email us if you have any questions.
Technology is ever changing. This blog shows real estate agents how to get the most out of their mobile phone. We test third party software designed for the real estate industry and give tutorials on using your mobile phone.
Disclaimer: ActiveRain Corp. does not necessarily endorse the real estate agents, loan officers and brokers listed on this site. These real estate profiles, blogs and blog entries are provided here as a courtesy to our visitors to help them make an informed decision when buying or selling a house. ActiveRain Corp. takes no responsibility for the content in these profiles, that are written by the members of this community.
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