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Old Dogs- New Tricks or my first Skype Video Chat with out of state buyers.

In the grand scheme of things, I don't exactly consider myself an 'old dog', but I realize that I could be deluding myself a bit as I look in the mirror.

Last evening though, I proved to myself that I can still adapt to new (er) technology to communicate with the next generation of clients. I'm pretty geeked! And, I'm Eric Webster, and I aspire to BE a geek! (crowd in the background says "HI Eric!)

A nice young couple who now live in NYC contacted me at the advice of one of my past clients. They're preparing to move to West Michigan in the early summer and want to get the ball rolling. We e-mailed back and forth and planned a time that they would both be at home in their East Village studio so we could talk about the process, their wants and needs and get to know each other a bit.

Then Mr. Buyer asked "Do you Skype?" And because of my daughter's Peace Corps Romania time, I DO Skype. S WEbCam o it was set.

I dragged my web cam out of the file, bought a new microphone (the old one was very poor quality). I took a look at what would be behind me in the webcam and realized that I needed to clear the decks on my file cabinet and I played around with the lighting so I didn't look like I worked in a cave.

Last evening at 6:15 we connected, turned on the video and had a delightful 45-minute conversation about a wide variety of topics. Some related to real estate, others not so much.

For me, it was nice to get more of a sense of who these people are, more than is possible by phone or e-mail. I would hope that for their part, it added to the comfort level they had with me by being referred by their good friend.

My concern that it would be uncomfortable and stiff went away almost immediately. It was not totally unlike having them across the desk from me in my office.. except they were across the country in their own home.

I guess I will start to put my Skype id on my website, in my blog and on my marketing materials. It's a new world. Happy to be taking baby steps in a good direction.

(If you want to Skype me- I'm EWebs0608.)

Posted by Eric Webster Grand Rapids, MI, Five Star Realty on 01/15/2009 07:30 AM

Comments (9)

technology, eric webster, realtor, grand rapids, mi, skype for fun and profit

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9 Comments on Old Dogs- New Tricks or my first Skype Video Chat with out of state buyers.

JAN

Eric,

What a cool post! I have used Skype with family and friends but hadn't thought about its appication with out of town clients. Even saves that awkward moment when you meet at the airport or hotel and don't know who you're looking for! Since body language and facial expressions are such a big part of getting to know others, this makes the process take a giant leap forward. Thanks for sharing!

Eric,

Great post. Now I am going to have google (yes, as a verb) and see what I need to do. I have often thought that an application like this would help out in communicating with clients and just in general. I too will have to organize the field of view. Hope all is well. Thanks, again.

Jay

I like the idea of see the buyer face to screen before they come to town it does add a dimension that is missing in e-mail.

Eric, I have a microphone and a webcam....sounds like it's definitely worth giving it a try. Thankyou for sharing that, just maybe I can get a bit "geeked" too :)

Eric, headed over here from Facebook. Interesting post. I can definitely see how Skype is beneficial and cheap. I've used it a couple of times and I've got family members who use it religiously for overseas calls. Maybe, I'll give it another go...

Technology is great and we all need to stay ahead in the real estate game.

JAN

Sondra: My use of Skype had only been the Romania connection when Kirstin lived overseas. But your observations about how cool it is are exactly on point. This couple use Skype for business as well as personal communication and I suspect that there are huge number of buyers and sellers for whom it is a routine part of life... guess that makes it a requirement that it becomes a routine part of mine too.

Jay: There's so much sub-text that e-mail complicates or ignores. I'm excited anytime there's something simple that makes communication easier and more effective.

Terry: Exactly. Stay warm.

Carole: Good luck getting geeked!

Lola: I have to get a better camera/computer location relationship. Seems like I was looking at them on the screen, which meant that with the camera's position, I wasn't exactly looking them in the eye. Lot's to think about to tweak and make it even more effective.

Johnathan: I agree! Don't buyers and sellers look for points of difference between one angent and another? Given how important communication is to the process this one seems to me to be a fairly easy but impactful way to be better. Thanks for stopping by.

JAN

Hey Eric-Thanks for the great post! Skype looks like a great way to connect, helps build the relationships with our clients or client prospects! Way to go!

JAN

Mary, I was very pleased with the way the consultation went. It was way better than telephone or e-mail. I look forward to using it more and more, professionally and personally.

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