5 ways to use tech to save time and money
From Future of Real Estate Marketing
By Katie Lance, Thursday, May 20, 2010.Agents are always looking to save money, right? The beautiful thing about technology is that when used right, it can and will save you time and money.
Here are five easy ways technology can save real estate agents time and money:
1. Go paperless. One of the biggest trends I am seeing are agents using DocuSign. DocuSign is an amazing product that really helps agents be more efficient and save more time and money. Clients love it, and as a bonus, it helps you to go "green." Another very popular product is eFax -- get any and all faxes delivered right to you via e-mail.
2. Create virtual meetings. More and more agents are using products like Skype and GoToMeeting to have a virtual meeting or a conference call. This is a huge opportunity with relocation clients who can't simply meet you over coffee. Many agents working virtually or remotely love these products.
3. Web-based e-mail. Are you paying for e-mail? Consider switching your e-mail to a Gmail-based system. Gmail is free and more and more companies are using Gmail to host their e-mail.
4. Web-based documents. I am a huge fan of Google Docs! Why? They are free, easy to use, and easy to share. If you are working on a marketing plan that needs a few "eyeballs" on it, instead of sending around a Word document (where everyone wonders, "Is this the latest version?"), create a free Google doc and share it with whomever you would like. Let them view or edit it as needed. This will save you time and money.
5. Go social. It costs virtually no money to set up Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter accounts. In this day and age, all agents should at least set their profiles up on these three social networks. Why? Because people are searching for you! Don't let the "social media experts" convince you that there's some big mystery to marketing on the Web: If your clients are online, be present there, too, and see what happens. Read up on social media marketing on blogs such as this one, and keep an eye out for industry experts.
My biggest piece of advice for agents is to embrace technology. It's not always easy, but we are living in an amazing age. Think of the world before we had the Internet, compared to now -- isn't it amazing?! Don't be afraid of technology; embrace it and it will save you more time and money in the long haul.
What are your favorite tech tools to save you time and money?
Click here to view the original blog post.
Katie Lance is the marketing manager for Inman News. Future of Real Estate Marketing is a part of Inman News.
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Submitted by Barrett Powell on May 20, 2010 - 12:33pm.
2 Out Of 5 Ways To Do It For Free...and Better
1) I agree DocuSign is headed in the right direction. There is better low hanging fruit. The real cost is in document storage, not getting signatures. While there are many paid solutions for document storage, most are not made for real-estate and they all are fairly costly. This link is to a free system based on the Open Source version of KnowledgeTree, one of the best document management systems out there http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9MVwa8e4inw.
It is a version I customized for real-estate.
2) Instead of using a paid virtual meeting manager, why not use DimDim (http://www.dimdim.com). It is free for up to 20 attendees and works just as good if not better than GoToMeeting and has more features for meetings than Skype(which I also use for one on one meetings). Like KnowledgeTree, DimDim has an Open Source version that you can load on your own server and hold as many or as large a sessions as you please.
In todays tough times, agents need to leverage as much FREE technology as possible. Visit my free blog at http://wbarrettpowell.wordpress.com to about more free technologies.
Barrett Powell, Owner/Broker/Consultant
Southern Advantage Companies
RSA Software & Consulting
288 East Street, PO Box 1427
Pittsboro, North Carolina 27312
http://www.REMAXChatham.com
http://wbarrettpowell.wordpress.com
barrett.powell - Skype
wbarrettpowell@gmail.com
Submitted by Deb Agliano (DebOnTheWeb) on May 20, 2010 - 12:56pm.
Another good free online meeting service is www.Vyew.com. I use it for listing presentations for long distance clients and also for local clients when I've been out of town.
Deb
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Deb Agliano (AKA DebOnTheWeb)
ERA Andrew Realty
www.DebOnTheWeb.com
Follow me on Twitter: http://twitter.com/DebOnTheWeb
Submitted by An Bui on May 21, 2010 - 7:52am.
Katie – thanks so much for the mention of DocuSign. We’re looking forward to connecting with everyone interested in eSignatures at Inman Connect in SF this summer!
An Bui, DocuSign Social Media
DocuSign for Real Estate: http://www.docusign.com/real_estate
Blog: http://www.docusign.com/blog
Submitted by Prabakar Mahalingam on May 23, 2010 - 12:24pm.
Katie,
Thanks for the great tips! There is also Real Estate Dashboard and eSignOnline software to go paperless and mobile. Real Estate Dashboard is not only great for going paperless, but you can also go mobile. So there is even more savings associated to working anywhere, anytime. Imagine no matter where you are, you can transact business! This results in great efficiencies. With Real Estate Dashboard, you have electronic signatures, electronic fax, document storage, online team collaboration, and remote backup of all data. Plus you can do electronic signatures in person (biometric) if you have a tablet PC or electronic signatures remotely via the integrated eSignOnline solution inside real estate Dashboard. The power of having just ONE solution that does it all is also of value. GoPaperless Solutions will be at Agent Reboot and RE Connect in San Francisco. Come see both of these powerful solutions.
I have used Dimdim as well, but my experience was not that great. There is also FreeConference. Anyone have any luck with those?
Prabakar Mahalingam
COO/CFO
GoPaperless Solutions
www.gopaperless.com
760-432-6093