My "must have" New Years Gift for Outlook Users - XOBNI

January 1st, 2009 by Sue Adler, Keller Williams Realty - www.SueAdler.com
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About a year ago I discovered XOBNI, ( inbox spelled backwards) an awesome email organizing tool that makes the S-L-O-W "find" button on outlook a thing of the past.

  Recently, the XOBNI people upgraded this tool to a whole new level. Click here to continue to read story and see why this is such a great tool!  

1. You start typing in any words from an email our contact that you're looking for, and the options instantly pop up.

2. When you click on the email address of the person you're looking for, the following appears:

- Every conversation thread you've ever had with this person appears

- Any attachment that has ever been sent between the two of you is categorized ( For example, when I'm on the phone with a client who is referring to an inspection report, preapproval letter, contract or attorney letter, for example, I can find it in 2 seconds, open it from that window, and reply or forward it.)

- Everyone who has ever been a part of a conversation between the two of you appears.

- Their facebook and or linkedin profile appears! ( this is the totally cool new feature I was referring to!)

3. You can then check the analytics - when you've gotten the most emails from this person. For example, if I see that someone continuously emails me around 6 PM , I know that 6 PM is the best time to try to reach this person. That is great information for anyone who is in a career that involves alot of followup.

Why has XOBNI NOT taken off? I think I know the answer. They need to work on the marketiing of their product. When you sign up, it will ask you if you want to invite your friends to use it. Here's an example of a letter that they send. ( click letter to enlarge)
Instead of selling the benefits in the first paragraph, it tells your friend their "rank", and your friend will instantly think its spam and delete it, or send you an email back asking "Did you send this or is this spam?" They're afraid to download it.

As a busy realtor who gets hundreds of emails a day, great organizational systems are a crucial part of my business.  I give xobni raving reviews!  Oh, and did I mention that its free?!