27April2008
Posted by Jerry Kidd under: How to...; Product Reviews; Sales Tips.
We used to live in the information age, but we don’t anymore.
That’s a pretty bold statement, but here is what I mean. The Internet, more specifically the World Wide Web, has flooded us with information. So much so that we are constantly bombarded from the time we get up until we go to sleep. We are assaulted by email, text messages, phone calls, newspapers, magazines, television news, radio news, RSS feeds and on and on. (And we used to complain that we didn’t have time to read the paper every morning!)
In addition to all of the above ways that we are hit with too much information, there is a quiet revolution taking place. And that is that we are moving into the age of referral or recommendation. People are increasingly turning to each other to make purchase decisions as a way to make sense of it all. They are using sites like www.Yelp.com and other social networking sites to help them make decisions about what products or services to use.
In speaking with an agent a few weeks ago he told me that he was selected as the agent for a buyer because she found his name in a www.Yelp.com posting by one of his previous satisfied clients! And he had no idea what Yelp was nor how he was mentioned there before she brought it to his attention. In his case, it was a positive commentary, and it brought him a transaction. But, what if it wasn’t good? Would he have even known about it?
How many other places are people talking about YOU? And what are they saying? How can you find out?
Here is a painless, two step process:
Step 1: do a Google search on your name. Enclose the name in quotes and see what gets returned. Try a few variations of your name like this: “Jerry Kidd” or “Gerald D. Kidd” just to make sure you get it all.
Step 2: then setup a Google Alert (http://www.google.com/alerts?hl=en&gl) for your name and the various permutations that you discovered in step 1. It’s free and it’s fast. You can search on videos, News, Blogs, Web Sites and Google Groups. You can choose to aggregate the searches into one or more emails per day if you wish.
As soon as you set up the alert, Google will send you a confirming email which you must respond to in order to start the process. From that point on, every time that Google indexes a new page that contains the search that you wanted, you will receive an email containing a link to the relevant page!
Take it a step further, and set up searches on your competitors to see what people are saying about them. Set up searches on your hobbies or news items that you want to follow. To make life easier on yourself, set up a free Google account and you will be able to manage all of your alerts on one page. And for comprehensive information on how to sign up and use Google Alerts, go to the Google Alerts FAQ at:
So, make life easier on yourself and still stay on top of the things that are important to you and setup some Google Alerts. After all, it’s your name that people are talking about!
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20April2008
Posted by Jerry Kidd under: Apple Information; Cool Freebies; How to...; Product Reviews.
I don’t know about you, but I use multiple computers all of the time. I have a desktop PC at my office and 3 desktop PCs at home. I also have a convertible laptop, a tablet PC and to round out the collection and to really complicate things, I have a new MacBook Pro.
You may not be as extreme as I am, but if you have more than one computer, I’ll bet that you may have experienced some of the same frustrations as I have. If you have, read on…
The crazy making part was that I like to work on things from wherever I happen to be using whatever computer that is in front of me. What that meant was that if I was working on a document or PowerPoint presentation, I had to save it on a thumb drive and carry it with me at all times. That was just so I knew that I always had the latest version of the file with me. My history with those devices is a sad tale of woe. I have lost 3 of them and 2 have mysteriously died.
Then I took to the practice of emailing the current project back and forth so that I could make sure that what I was working on was always available. That actually works as a strategy…if the file isn’t too big and if you remember to actually send the email before you shut down or leave the computer.
Then I took to uploading the document to Drop.io. That strategy will work too, but again, the file size is limited to 100 MB and you have to remember to actually do it. (You can BUY more space on Drop.io)
Another issue for me is that I often update a training course just before, during or after doing a presentation on my laptop. Then later I will open the same course at work or at home on a different computer and have to duplicate the work…assuming I actually remember to do so. And, I often ended up with multiple versions of the file. Knowing which one was the right one was a real problem for me.
Obviously this wasn’t working too well. Then I discovered FolderShare from Microsoft. This little gem carries the Realtor® pricing of absolutely free. It’s a small download that you do at each of the computers that you want to enroll. You then designate a folder on each computer that will be the folder that you will use to sync your computers. In my case, I selected my Classes folder. This is the folder that has all of my classes in it, along with all the supporting documentation for each class. Now when I update a class, I save it in the classes folder as I always do, and depending on the size of the file and the speed of my Internet connection, the file is instantly replicated to any of the enrolled computers that are turned on and connected to the Internet. The computers that are off will sync as soon as the computer gets turned on and connected to the Internet.
You can have more than 1 “library” (that’s what they call the folder) and you are limited in file size (no bigger than 2 GB…pretty hard to have 1 file be that big) and a total of 10,000 files.
But wait…there’s more. You can go to www.Foldershare.com, login and have access to every one of your computers (that are turned on and connected to the Internet). Not only can you see the shared folder, but you can see AND access every storage device (hard drives for instance) and every song, picture and file on them. From any computer in the world with Internet access.
Life is good again for me. And if you share my frustration with using multiple computers, once you install FolderShare, life will be good again for you.
This is a wonderful piece of technology and although it wasn’t written specifically for real estate agents, it will serve us well.
Post a comment and tell me how you are using FolderShare.
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13April2008
Posted by Jerry Kidd under: Sales Tips.
I want to talk to you about getting some certifications under your belt.
As you know, today’s real estate market can be challenging to say the least. It’s harder to find clients that are ready to transact and when you do find them, they have to be convinced that you are the person to represent them.
With Realtor® membership still at high levels, how do you distinguish yourself from the myriad of other Realtors® chasing after that client?
One of the ways to do that is to further your education and to obtain proof of that education. The proof comes in the form of designations and certifications. There are many in the Realtor family to choose from with GRI, CRS, ABR, ASR, ASP, PMN, LTG and ePro to name more than a few!
I am very partial to you starting your quest to advanced education with ePro for several reasons. One of the first reasons is that it is conducted entirely online, which means no travel time or costs are involved, it is relatively inexpensive (and I can get you a $25.00 discount as well), it gives you credit towards the GRI designation and you can also pick up 12 hours of CE credit (in California, other states go here for info: http://jerrykidd.certifiedeprotrainer.com/CEApproval.asp)
And a final reason that I favor ePro as a starting place is this: Knowing how to harness the power of the Internet and the World Wide Web can ONLY make you better able to serve the needs of your clients. This really ought to be reason enough.
Here are a few excerpts for the promo material for ePro:
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e-PRO is the only NAR approved Internet Certification Program.
The New Real Estate Professional must meet the needs and expectations of the Connected Consumer. The rules of business are changing, especially the real estate industry. The e-PRO Certification Program is specifically designed to keep you on top of changes and help you thrive in the exciting and rewarding world of online real estate.
e-PRO Certification is not only about technology. The e-PRO Certification Program will establish a baseline of online competence, and it will also introduce its students and graduates to the best aspects of Online Community…the Internet is about the power of people connecting with people. This Program will bring you in contact with real estate professionals from all over the country and establish a solid foundation of confidence on which to build a productive Referral Network.
This is a skills development program and will train you in the use of E-mail for marketing and risk reduction. Real estate professionals are spending millions of dollars on Web Sites, without really knowing the purpose or the result. How does one evaluate all the products on the market today? Should I “buy” or “Build” my web site? What about legal, copyright, security, and privacy issues? This program will help you answer these questions and give you constant contact with other e-PRO grads across the country.
The e-PRO Vision:
This Program will teach the REALTOR® about Internet business principles required to remain in the center of the real estate transaction, including:
Options and requirements to Get Connected
E-mail Communication and Marketing Practices
WWW Marketing Strategies and Practices
Creating and Maintaining Personal Technology Plan of Action and your Internet Marketing Plan
Provide the ethical, legal, and regulatory standards of conducting business over the Internet.
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Watch the short video for more information and then click on the Signup button and enter Coupon Code 3447 on the sign up page to get the $25.00 discount.
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6April2008
Posted by Jerry Kidd under: Buying Technology Tools; How to...; Product Reviews.
It’s 10 PM at night and you need to get a document that’s on your computer to your client. Unfortunately, the client does not have the software on her computer that she needs in order to open the document. And you don’t have the software that you need to convert the document to PDF (Portable Document Format) so that she can use the free Adobe Acrobat Reader to open it. The stores are closed, and besides, who wants to spend money on software anyway?
Here are a couple of FREE options for you:
- Use an online service such as KoolWire. Just send the document as an attachment to pdf@koolwire.com and they will return it to you as a PDF file! No software to install and it just takes moments.
(You can also use the service in reverse…it will accept a PDF from you and convert it to an editable Rich Text Document that can be opened with your word processor. Just send the PDF as an attachment to doc@koolwire.com)
- Download any of the free document creation programs. (Do a Google search to locate) One that I have used for a very long time is CutePDF. This is free and can be found at http://www.cutepdf.com/Products/CutePDF/writer.asp This program is FREEWARE and is free for both personal AND commercial use. It has no pop up ads, no watermarks and it is drop dead easy to use.
After you have downloaded the software, install it. Once installed, it looks like a printer installed on your system. Just open the document that you want to convert and go to “File”, then “Print”, then select the “CutePDF Writer” from the list of printers and click on OK. You then tell the dialog box what you want to name the file and where you want to save it and you are done.
- Another great free document conversion tool is PDF Creator which can be found at http://www.pdfforge.org/products/pdfcreator It works the same as CutePDF.
Use one of these free tools and the document will be on its way to your client and you can get back to your life in no time flat, without even breaking a sweat.
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31March2008
Posted by Jerry Kidd under: Buying Technology Tools; Product Reviews.
So, I had a problem. My 84 year old father lives in the heart of Appalachia in the little town of Whitley City, Kentucky. I live in Danville, California, nearly 2800 miles apart. Mail service between the two areas can take up to a week, and fax services tie up phone lines for lengthy periods of time just to get poorly rendered and often streaky and unreadable content delivered.
Yet, I had a need to communicate some important documents to him on an ongoing basis, and my 3 brothers and his numerous grandchildren and great grandchildren wanted to stay in touch as well.
Using a computer was out of the question, even though he had two that I had given him in hopes that he would use them for email. He just did not want to have to deal with the headaches of using a computer.
One day I saw a commercial on TV for a product called an HP Printing Mailbox and something called Presto service.
I took a look and signed up immediately and had Presto ship him one of the units. All he had to do was unpack the box, install an ink cartridge and plug the unit into his power line and also plug it into his phone jack. Once he added some paper, the unit started delivering email to him from me and the rest of the family!
There are built in protections so no spam arrives, yet he can have control over who sends him email so that he can add friends if he wishes. I have access to the health of his machine via a web based admin interface. When he runs low on ink or paper, I get an email from Presto and can order supplies right over the web. They get delivered to him before he runs out and so his service stays uninterrupted.. All he has to do is to check the machine and pick up his email which is printed out for him with no intervention required on his part.
Over the weekend, I was taking a course to become certified as a Seniors Real Estate Specialist Instructor (Yes I will be offering SRES course in the near future) and one of my classmates volunteered that she had lost a listing due to the logistics of staying in touch with a client who did not have a computer (no email), or an answering machine. If she had given her clients the use of a Presto HP Printing Mailbox and an inexpensive answering machine she might have been able to have kept that client informed and a customer instead of just another expired listing.
Do you have a client, maybe an elderly one, who does not use email? Or one that does not have voice mail? Hard to believe, I know, but they are out there. Or you may have an elderly parent who does not have tech skills. In either case, this is the product for you!
Let me know what you think.
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23March2008
Posted by Jerry Kidd under: Buying Technology Tools.
That’s how it could be for YOU on or after July 1st of 2008, roughly 90 days from now, when California’s new law takes effect that prohibits using a hand held phone while driving. And if you are under 18, even using a hands free phone is prohibited. (Click here for a FAQ by the California Highway Patrol)
In reading the FAQ, it doesn’t appear that the fines will break the bank or even add points to your driving record, but imagine the embarrassment of being pulled over with clients in the car, or even worse, being late for an appointment because you were getting a ticket for making the call in the first place!
Better safe than sorry. So, I did some research on the various ways that you could comply with the law and STILL make those important calls.
First of all, many automobiles have a hand free calling feature built in. If you are driving a late model GM car with OnStar, you will find that it has the capability to make hands free calls built right into the OnStar System. Click here for details.
Many other autos have a Bluetooth feature built in that allows the car’s audio system to interact with your Bluetooth enabled cell phone. Check with your dealer to see if your car and your cell phone are compatible with each other. If they are, just get the dealer to set it up for you and you can sail right by July 1st with no cares.
Another way to get into compliance with the new law is to use a portable GPS system that offers hands free calling through the GPS unit via your phone’s Bluetooth capabilities. Here are links to two reviews that will help you decide which unit to buy. Click here or click here.
Yet another way to beat the heat, is to install a car kit, which will let your car talk to your cell phone the way that Lexus, Mercedes and GM cars do. Go to http://www.car-kit.com for some ideas.
Finally, there is the ability to hook up a headset (The new law says that you can’t cover both ears) either with a Bluetooth headset or a wired headset.
Here are some links to the 4 major Bay Area Cell Carrier’s web site pages to shop for headsets.
Whichever way you decide to go, get on it right away so that when the day comes that you have to use it, you will already be familiar with it!
Please post a comment and tell me how you plan to deal with the new law.
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20March2008
Posted by Jerry Kidd under: Sales Tips.
This is a bit off topic, but after I read this, I just had to share it with you.
Too many times we believe that technology and technology tools can provide the “wow” factor to win the day in our listing presentations. Of course the appropriate use of the relevant technology is important, but some good old low tech people skills are probably more important.
As Mike Staver says in the article at the link below “The most important thing is what customers want and need, not what the sales professional thinks they should want or need. It is about placing customers smack dab in the middle of the transaction and in the bull’s-eye of the focus. Listening, not talking, is the sales professional’s most valuable tool.”
http://www.loremagazine.com/go/article_free.php?mp_id=304
Go ahead and click on the link and let me know what you think.
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16March2008
Posted by Jerry Kidd under: Cool Freebies; How to....
The World Wide Web is huge, and it continues to grow with myriads of new web sites appearing every day. There are web sites on every topic under the sun and in every language spoken by the human race.
With such a bewildering assortment of web sites, how can you possibly stay current with the most important ones? And how would you decide which ones are important enough to land in a top ten list?
That was the question that I pondered as I sat down to write this, but on reflection, I realized that the following list had to be the top ones. See what you think, and as ever, please feel free to comment on what you would have included, or what you wouldn’t have included.
The list is randomly ordered.
1. www.Realtor.com – This is the grand-daddy of them all. If you believe their claims, this is where most people start their search for property. Even if you discount the hype, this is still a web site that you should be familiar with. You should always check your listings on R.com to make sure that they are displayed properly, and it is a great idea to purchase the enhanced features as they help to keep consumers on your listings for a longer period of time than non-enhanced listings. If you work at Pacific Union, relax, we’ve got you covered!
2. www.Realtor.org – This is R.com’s cousin, but it’s just for you! This site has a wealth of information on law, marketing, technology, how to do something, scripts, publications, discounts and the list just goes on. You will need to know your NRDS number to log in.
3. www.CAR.org – This is the California version of realtor.org. The site is hosted by the California Association of Realtors® and serves much the same function as Realtor.org, but with a California slant. Be sure to check out the ClientDirect™ newsletter, a free monthly email newsletter. Also, the legal Q&As are MUST reading for every California Realtor®. If you are not a California Realtor®, check your own state’s association web site.
4. www.dre.ca.gov – This is the web site of the California Department of Real Estate. You can learn everything you need to know about obtaining a California Real Estate license, renewing your license, checking the license status of other licensees in the state and also bone up on the latest in the laws regarding real estate.
5. www.ActiveRain.com – This web site says that they are a free online community for real estate professionals designed to help them promote and grow their business. I say that it is an excellent place to meet other Realtors® from around the country (and globe) and learn new ways to do the things that we must do every day. You can also engage in conversation with the buying and selling public by setting up your blog on this site, for free!
6. www.InternetCrusade.com – The Crusaders are the sponsors of NAR’s ePro Designation, and they are also the providers of an excellent real estate focused blogging tool called RealTownBlogs. Did I mention that their blogging tool is free? They have many other technology related tools for Realtors®, so this site is well worth your time to visit.
7. www.Trulia.com – Trulia bills itself as a real estate search site. Their ambition is to have ALL real estate listings on their site for the public to search. They allow you to place your listings on the site for free, but perhaps their best feature is that you can register on the site so that you can be available to answer real estate questions from the public. You can choose what kind of questions you want to answer, and how often you want to be notified of new questions. This is a great way for you to create new relationships with people who are interested in buying and selling real estate.
8. www.Zillow.com – OK, ok, I can hear you now saying that I have gone off of the deep end by recommending this site. After all, we “know” that Zillow’s zestimates® are not accurate. But is that always true? No, it’s not, and Zillow has gone to some lengths to improve the accuracy of its data by allowing you to go in to the site and “claim” your listing and improve the data. You also NEED to know what Zillow says about a particular property before you get asked about it by a prospective buyer or seller. Go look now!
9. www.InmanNews.com – InmanNews says that they are “The First Word in Real Estate”. I don’t know whether or not that is true, but I can tell you that I read it twice a day! They always seem to have a good handle on what is going on in the business of real estate as well as plenty of articles and advice on how to do the real estate business. A subscription here is worth the price many times over.
10. www.PacUnion.com – You didn’t think that I’d leave out my own company’s web site did you? This site is the search site of choice for many Northern California consumers because of it’s excellent search capabilities, email listing notification, links to school scores, insurance quotes, information on loans, the ability to search for homes on ANY web enabled cell phone and much more. If you are not a Pacific Union agent, then plug in your own company’s web site, but feel free to use ours if you are in Northern California.
So, these are my Top 10 picks, what are yours?
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9March2008
Posted by Jerry Kidd under: Apple Information; Buying Technology Tools.
As a follow up to my earlier post about the iPhone, I want to share some of the details of Apple’s announcement regarding the iPhone and its ability to access the Microsoft Exchange server. (Watch the video here…requires QuickTime)
During a big event on Thursday, March 6th, Apple announced that is was making the iPhone Software Development Kit available to software writers that they use at Apple to write applications for the iPhone. Additionally, at the same time, Apple will be giving the iPhone the ability to connect to Exchange servers and access PUSH email, contacts and calendars. This is possible because Apple has licensed Microsoft’s ActiveSync software, the same software used by Window’s Mobile phones to connect to Exchange Servers. The public release of the Exchange connectivity is scheduled for June of this year. Currently, the SDK is available to developers and selected enterprise customers, according to a press release dated March 6th.
“We’re excited about creating a vibrant third party developer community with potentially thousands of native applications for iPhone and iPod touch,” said Steve Jobs, Apple’s CEO. “iPhone’s enterprise features combined with its revolutionary Multi-Touch user interface and advanced software architecture provide the best user experience and the most advanced software platform ever for a mobile device.”
Further, the press release goes on to say: Apple has licensed Exchange ActiveSync from Microsoft and is building it right into the iPhone, so that iPhone will connect out-of-the-box to Microsoft Exchange Servers 2003 and 2007 for secure over-the-air push email, contacts, calendars and global address lists. Built-in Exchange ActiveSync support also enables security features such as remote wipe, password policies and auto-discovery. The iPhone 2.0 software supports Cisco IPsec VPN to ensure the highest level of IP-based encryption available for transmission of sensitive corporate data, as well as the ability to authenticate using digital certificates or password-based, multi-factor authentication. The addition of WPA2 Enterprise with 802.1x authentication enables enterprise customers to deploy iPhone and iPod touch with the latest standards for protection of Wi-Fi networks.
The iPhone 2.0 software provides a configuration utility that allows IT administrators to easily and quickly set up many iPhones,`including password policies, VPN setting, installing certificates, email server settings and more. Once the configuration is defined it can be easily and securely delivered via web link or email to the user. To install, all the user has to do is authenticate with a user ID or password, download the configuration and tap install. Once installed, the user will have access to all their corporate IT services.
So, having read all off that (and more if you go here) I have this to say: It’s about time! Apple missed the boat when they launched this phone by not giving it these capabilities right out of the gate.
When this software update, tentatively called version 2.0, becomes available, the iPhone will become a business class machine with the most incredible feature set currently available. I believe that every real estate agent will want to have one.
Of course you are required to use AT&T with the iPhone, which for some users is just fine, but for others who may live in areas not served well by AT&T, that could be a problem. A quick check of AT&T’s website revealed a $35.00 per month data plan that would give you unlimited data transfers.
So, my recommendation is to wait until after Apple announces the release of the 2.0 update, and go get your iPhone!
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6March2008
Posted by Jerry Kidd under: Buying Technology Tools.
According to a blog post today by Tom Yager at Infoworld, Apple has licensed ActiveSync from Microsoft and will build push e-mail, calendar, contacts, and global address lists in the next release of iPhone software.
What this means for real estate agents working for companies with Exchange servers is that you will be able to use the iPhone with all of the functionality that Windows Mobile users enjoy now, AND have all of the iPhone’s cool features!
I know I will HAVE to buy one…how about you?
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