TheMiddleShelf.com

In 2009, it was just an ugly year for most businesses, particularly in real estate.  Real estate agents need more than connections and hard work to get back to revenues of the year past.  Here’ s a number of newer technologies to improve productivity and save time.

1.  A great service to use is eFax, which does not require any equipment or implementation on your part other than to start giving out your 800 fax number.  If you are out of town and receive a faxed contract or lease, you can forward that e-email to your clients, have them sign and e-mail it, then send that document to all parties.

2.  Add DocuSign to your business.  It costs $19.95 per month, with no contract required.  You can cancel at any time or just order a month here and there.  With DocuSign you can get your clients’ signatures on a contract or lease, even if they do not have a printer or fax machine.  Send the contract to your clients via e-mail with a link to DocuSign; then they adapt a signature and sign and initial where indicated, and that’s it.  E-mail the signed contract to the other parties.

3.  Invest in a good camera which takes still photographs and video like Panasonic Lumix or Kodak Zi8.  Take photos of all your listings, and then upload them to your Website and to about 40 real estate portals.  You can also upload photos and videos of your new listings to Facebook and Twitter and to your blog; add more real estate-specific information on YouTube and other social media sites.  Add the following social media tools to your online marketing efforts:  LinkedIn, ActiveRain (real estate specific), RealTown (real estate specific), Plaxo, and several others — and they’re all free.   If signing up to all these social media sites seem cumbersome for you, assign this task to a virtual assistant.  These took a little time to set up, but are well worth the effort in terms of the reach they afford you.

4.  Invest in your tech education.  You may complete online courses on several sites such as e-Pro which helps real estate professionals leverage technology to increase sales.  The e-Pro designation says you know how to work with the new technologies in real estate.

According to the National Association of Realtors, 80% of buyers search online listings.  So you must have your listing at every place that the buyers are looking.  Video serves a great purpose in that it ties in the whole social media experience.  Videos are the first go-to for homebuyers — and not necessarily just for videos of the properties.  It can also be a message you want to give to prospective buyers.  Having a video on YouTube takes you to another level, and here is what I’ve learned:  if you want to maintain your level in real estate or any sales business, you definitely have to be involved in social media.

How do you use technology to renovate your business in a tough year?