iPad-Droid-iPhone-Win Phone- What's a Realtor® to do?

Its time to either buy or update your cell phone. You've heard that everything out there is the best and you MUST have it to make money as a real estate agent. So lets break it down....

As a Broker/Agent you want to be sure you have the right Tool for the right job. Your personal mobile device is truly your Toolbox. Since your MLS systems are all "Cloud" based, this means that your MLS data is hosted remotely over the Internet at a distant remote location. It also means that you will need is a web browser or app to access it. Thats where things get a bit confused. So lets clear it up now.

The MLS systems that are web based are either Windows Hosted or they are Linux Hosted. Some are a combination of both. You will need a device that will be able to access a windows and a linux based website with a browser that can run add ons and activeX plug ins that are required to do your job. This requirement narrows things down a bit. Lets start with iPads....

iPad and The Web Browser
iPads are pretty cool! They can take awesome photos and video, the interface is fast and simple another plus and they are almost always connected to the Internet. The WIFI is easy to set up at hotspots and apps like Skype are awesome. Its Internet browser titled Safari is also awesome, unless you need to run Shock Flash or a bunch of other addons that are required by your MLS system at your MLS website. Some MLS systems have deployed "sister sites" that run a system that is supposed to be Safari and iPad friendly, but they fall short of
doing what the Windows designed site systems can do. Whether this is the fault of Apple or the site designers is up for debate. There are no MLS Apps for iPad in this arena. No printing without buying other Apple software titles, if there is one that will work with your printer(s).

iPhones... The same thing, no shock flash and lots of add on limitations. Strange that Steve Jobs swore he would never allow shock flash to run on an Apple device...bummer. They can run youTube .flv video files, so they're halfway there already. There are no MLS Apps for iPhones in this arena either. No print features here without buying an Apple title, if there is one available for your printer(s). Double bummer.

Droid
The browser that is distributed by Droid is pretty cool. You can install Shock Flash in most Droid OS's. There's a good variety of web browsers that you can install if you don't like the pre-installed one. Most MLS systems have a Droid app that you can install so that you do not have to use a browser at all. There are many print drivers for Droid, most can be found at the printer manufacturers websites.

Windows Phone
Well what can I say, you can do anything with a Windows 8 Phone or tablet that you can do with your desktop computer and web browser. As the Windows Mobile Phone takes a better chunk of the market, apps will come out that you can install that will make your MLS website easier to use. The web browser, Internet Explorer, does fine without an app. You can also print to just about any printer that you have access to. Very Cool and easy to use. Its just like your office Desktop.

Electronic Keypads And Lock Boxes
You can use your Droid or Windows Base mobile device to holster or unlatch a Lockbox. I do not believe that there is an App for iPads or iPhones to unlock a Lockbox yet. A deal breaker for Real Estate Agents.

More is better
Being able to do everything on one mobile device with ease and confidence is what its all about. At the end of the day you want to do your job, make money and have very few headaches along the way. Choosing the best mobile device for your job will make your life much easier.

With Droid and Windows products there is choice, options and backward compatibility. With Apples products like the iPhone and iPad  its Apple's way or the Hi-Way. This is the problem. Apple does not and has never played well with others. Steve Jobs was verbose about fighting the status quo and never played well with corporate America. He made it clear many times that he thought his product was better and deserved more recognition, maybe he is right. That thinking does not make you money nor does it make Apple's products easier for you to use with your MLS and other real estate related applications and websites.
THE WIKI ABOUT STEVE JOBS AND HIS ANTI-CAPITALIST BUSINESS IDEOLOGY 

And worst of all Apple iPhones and iPads do not have standard printing features out of the box. You'll have to buy a printer driver app to print through or find a 3rd party program that is not Apple approved. Many of them screw up other apps on your device. Even if they work Apple reserves the right to delete them from your device or cancel your subscription for breaking the usage agreement. Then you will have a fully charge paper weight. With Windows and Droid devices there are drivers available up the wazoo to print through including network printers and office bizhub appliances. A huge difference in working use. For a Real Estate Agent this is a deal breaker. By the way, you are prohibited from using non-approved programs on your Apple devices via your agreement when you opened the box, turned it on and chose "I Agree To Continue" during the initial setup. So if you do not buy software from Apple then you can not use it on your Apple device. Bet you thought that device was yours after you paid for it...think again.When choosing a mobile device for your work activities be sure that you can do everything that you need to do right out of the box.

Why is there so much hype over iPhones and iPads then?
 iTunes is why. Although the iPad and other mobile Apple devices are popular with the younger and Geek generations, the truth is that if they did not want access to their music, videos and books from years gone by from the iTunes store, they would not care so much. When i was a kid i bought AC/DC "Back In Black" at least 100 times. I bought the 8 Track Tape many times, The Cassette Tape many times , the CD many times and now have the MP3. This all adds up to buying the exact same music 100's of times. So if i have an Apple device i can buy a song or movie once and have it for the rest of my life... as long as i use an Apple device to play them. Most users of Apple products have purchased music and other media through Apple's iTunes store over the years and can not port them over to a device that is not made by Apple. So rather than losing access to their media collections they just keep buying Apples products. Their music and movies will always be waiting for them on Apple's Cloud Servers. Smart for Steve Jobs and Apple, foolish of everybody else. So when you hear your kids and grandkids talking about how awesome Apple iPads and iPhones are, remember why. They don't have to do business with their device, they just play games, videos and music. As a Real Estate Agent you have to make money and work in various web platforms with you mobile device so you need a device that can work with you, not against you. You need to access your MLS and print listings, not play music and movies.

To Sum it up...
Don't get me wrong. In other professions Apples products may very well be superior to Microsoft and Droid products. For music and movie editing and other media based initiatives Apple is a God sent blessing. But Real Estate Agents are on the go. You need fast and easy access to all of your MLS systems throughout the day. When you boil it all down you can see how a Droid or Windows based product is more in tune with your needs. From MLS to Lockbox to Printing, you need it all in one place and working with ease right out of the box. As we make the transition from personal computers to mobile devices and from eMail to tMail (texting email) we will need a device that can grow with us. tMail will be where your attachments are sent using texting rather than your current email. tMail is simply texting a phone number with an attachment for the user to open rather than having to bother to set up and send email on your cell phone. Open, read, edit and return contracts without having to go to a desktop or laptop computer. This way your cell phone number becomes or replaces your current email address(s). Fast and easy and remember, you heard it here first! Make sure your new mobile device can take you to where we are going tomorrow.

I hope this helps you to make the right choice when you update your Mobile Device.
Save some money and buy more Virtual Tours!

Frank Colontonio
©2013 All Rights Reserved

IT Marketing.. Yes Bells And Whistles But Also Dog and Pony....

Host a Virtual Open House Free Using Skype....
We talked about photos and video, the quality of cameras, Agent bio videos and all of that other stuff but as i said earlier successful Brokerages always say, "Put my Agents in contact with the buyer or seller fast and they will make the deal". Lets talk about that a bit.

 Brings Open Houses To The World 

Your buyers are in Canada, New York, California and the UK. You're in S.W. Florida hosting an open house. How are we going to get you in contact with prospective buyers in other areas of the world while you're hosting an open house here? Its easy, we're gonna Skype them in! Its free, easy and you control who can or can not participate in the open house meeting. How are you going to do that?

You will need 3 things.
1) A Skype account.
2) A mobile device with a mobile Internet connection. You can also use the hosting houses Internet connection. There are usually Internet Services in most homes that are on the market and that have the utilities that are required to host an open house.
3) Lastly, a little practice and help from a few friends

Before you try using Skype on your mobile device, set it up on an office or home computer and practice with a few friends. You may ask your office manager to hold a sales meeting and use Skype to invite others to sit in on the meeting from remote locations. Maybe ask some home Agents to sit in on a Skype meeting being hosted in the sales meeting room. This will help you to get the feel of it and to know what you're doing before you start hosting Virtual Open Houses in public.

 Bring Different Devices To One Place 

I have found that using one way audio and video is best. This means that they can see and hear your camera feed but not each others. Nor can you see or hear their cameras unless you choose to. Allowing the attendees to speak openly, or not at all, is your choice as the host. However they can send you a text message in the skype screen that you can answer with speech or text. Everybody can see the question and hear your answer. They may then type a followup question. If a buyer wants to get more information by talking directly to you then call them directly on a voice line. This is a great way to get their phone number and to make personal contact. Tell them you have to call them directly to talk in order to save bandwidth for the video feed your sending in Skype. You can even have a second Agent or an assistant in the Skype meeting answering questions in text while you present the house or talk on the phone. You can then give that person control of the camera and let them take over the open house while you work with a customer. If somebody is unwanted or is playing around in the meeting, just right click and eject them. They are now blocked and can not come back to cause you trouble again.

I know this works because i have seen it in action. Not only did the Agent get offers but the local buyers worried that another person in Canada or the UK may make an offer from Skype. At the same time Skype users watched local buyers walking through the house with other Agents. It made them all antsy to make an offer before another prospective buyers did. Very effective.

As i mentioned earlier see if the property has internet connectivity first. This would be the best scenario, then

 Show Your Open House To Multiple People Across The Country All At Once 

you can use a laptop or tablet to connect. iPads work great and so do Windows 8 phones and tablets. Droids and iPhones both have Skype apps you can install and use. Again practice with friends using your Skype mobile apps before you try to deploy an open house in public.

After the Open House is over you can print the log of text chats to follow up with your guests after the fact. Be sure to advertise the Skype link with the time and date of the event. You can also create a QR Code to allow iPhone, Droid and other Mobile Devices to simply scan the code and connect to the open house. Yes its that easy. Adding the Skype link to your home flyers and Internet advertising will get more buyers to the event. Be patient and remember that you have to be punctual and consistent to make Live Internet Marketing work. If you advertise "every saturday I have a Virtual Open House on Skype", then people will start to attend. Over time more and more people will come. You can also use your MLS Open House Calendar to spread the word. Social Media is a great place to advertise planned events. Facebook has an Event Post you can use to either invite people to attend an event or use it to announce a scheduled events time and date. As a listing Agent this opens markets to you and to your customers that few are tapping. Don't follow the leader, be the leader.
You don't find many Top Producing Agents named "Johnny Come Lately"...and for good reason.

"He who controls the flow of information, controls the world", Bill Gates. Makes sense...

If you're not sure and would like me to stop by your Brokerage and set up a Skype meeting, just give me a call. Its fast and easy... and profitable! Be sure to have a computer with Internet access that's equipped with a  webcam and a microphone setup ready to go.

Hope this helps you to sell more listings and to order more Virtual Tours!
Frank Colontonio
©2013 All Rights Reserved

Retain Your Leads From Realtor.com. What Are You Waiting For?

Making First Contact At Realtor.com... First Impressions Are Everything... 
please keep that in mind as you read on....

I was going through some Agents websites today looking for some new customers to sell Virtual Tour and

 Everybody Stops Here First - Agent Videos Are A Must! 

Photography Services to. I found some great Agents and websites but as i started to look at each Agent's contact information i was stunned to see that NONE of them had an Agent Video on their website. What a missed opportunity to introduce yourselves to potential customers. Is there a better way to make a First Impression on a buyer or seller? I think not.

The personal information was nice. There were a lot of school and job histories and pets and hobbies like fishing and some golfing and boating stuff.... but no

 Time To Update That Agent Photo 

video of the person i went there to meet. Why not? There are two reasons that i believe. One, people are camera shy. Get over it. Set your camera up and start talking to it. Thats right talk to it. Get used to looking at a lens and speaking to an inanimate object. Get the giggles out and the half sentences out of your system before you start filming. Take at least an hour to talk to your camera while its just sitting there. Practice what you're going to say and work toward a natural flow of words. Don't become a dictionary, make fast points staying on topic, as the saying goes, K.I.S.S. it: "Keep It Simple Stupid". Say clearly and quickly, "I'm a professional Agent and I am here for you. You need to call me now". Emphasize that you are the Listing Agent and that you know the property and the seller personally. Always remember truth in advertising laws and be sure to check your verbiage well. You can't unring a bell so get your words right before you post a video. Write down your script, but don't read it word for word. Create an outline and talk through it naturally. A 3 minute clip is plenty and to the point. Talk directly to the camera with confidence. Avoid the bad habit of saying "aaaa" or "and aaa" while you try to remember what to say. The viewer is less interested in your extensive knowledge of Real Estate and more interested in you. The former will come later when you talk in person. Take this time to be friendly, professional and welcoming. Make them want to call you right now, just to talk about whatever assistance the viewer (buyer or seller) needs. This is your one chance to make the viewer your customer before they begin their search of the Internet, don't waste it, get your Agent video on Realtor.com now.

And The second reason that Agents do not have Video's is, "The Technology is too hard to understand". Nonsense! Any camera you buy off the shelf can be used by an 8 year old. Just turn it on and set it to record, it will do the rest. There are many people in your office that will help. And there are websites on the internet that can make it very easy to edit and post videos. Most boards offer classes that are free to teach you one on one. Now that we've gotten that out of the way.....After practicing your script for a while, turn on your camera and start your session. Keeping the camera pointed and focused at your eyes with the zoom set to show you no closer than your shoulders and head. Simply imagine a square around your shoulders and head and never zoom in closer than that. The comfort zone for the viewer would be a square around the upper body keeping your eye level at 15- 20 % from the top of the frame if standing or if your sitting high and showing your entire torso.

Once you have your video, its very easy to upload it to youtube or facebook and then to share it on other websites. We can also include it with your branded Virtual Tours at Realtor.com. If you want to take it to the next level, you can add some local photos, music and narrate a little about your town. There is a lot of affordable software out there or you may even have a title that came free with your camera.

 Secret Tip Dude 

Super Secret Tip: Internet viewers that search multiple sites looking for information remember video clips. One of the reasons there is such a huge transition from plain image marketing to video marketing throughout the Internet is the desire of Fortune 500 companies to retain more leads from their Internet Marketing. Your face is one in a million faces that the customer will see all day, yes even with those Glamor Shots. However, your video will stand out and impress them. They will remember you and the listings that they viewed with you online. Your video made you stand out. They will know you before they talk to you and they will be able to remember your voice from the video. An instant personal connection. So How Do You Make First Contact At Realtor.com... You just did! In all of the years that i have been working in IT and marketing I have found that all of the Top Brokerages say the same thing, "Get my Agents in contact with the buyer or seller as fast a possible and they will make the deal". We've done just that.

 Cover Your Ads With Your Agent Photo 

Realtor.com allows Agent Branded Tour, Photo and Media marketing to be posted there, for the love of God and everything good give them your personal information! Add a Video of yourself to make First Contact at Realtor.com. Retain your leads by actually introducing yourself to buyers there before they go anyplace else. At the end of the day the buyer will remember your video, your voice, your face, and your listings.

As a listing Agent the Seller is going to give you the keys to their house. Their children, family jewelry, money and beloved pets are in that house. Let them get to know you and begin a relationship of trust starting at your website with your personal video. Nothing reflects the persona that a person wants to reflect better than a video. You can make it professional and dressy or relaxed and dressed down. Something in the office, or maybe on the 8th green at the Country Club, its your call.

We offer an Agent Video Service and would be glad to do one for you. but first give it a try. If you like it, post it everywhere. Let customers get to know you personally before they meet you. We did the one below in less than 1 hour. Its over 5 years old but even with old technology the message gets through.With the right Video Editing software, its pretty easy. If you have a video and want to spice it up a bit then give us a call. But no matter what, make sure you have a nice video posted on your website and throughout your listings on the Internet, especially on Realtor.com. If you have an Agent Video and would like us to add it to your branded Virtual Tour links so that it can be seen at Realtor.com and many other websites that your IDX system submits MLS data feeds to, let us know and we'll take care of it.

I hope this helps you to retain more leads, make more money and order more Virtual Tours or an Agent Video!
Frank Colontonio
©2013 All Rights Reserved

Lead Scalpers Are Why You're Not Double Ending Your Listings

EVERY BUYER goes to REALTOR.com FIRST to search for a house... EVERYBODY.... 

First impressions mean everything....keep that in mind as we continue....

 Don't Lose Customers To Portals 

Buyers that start searching the Internet looking for a home usually get allot of the same photos, video and media thrown at them. As soon as they type real estate or anything that hints that they want to buy a house a million sites and ads popup offering them a tour of all of the listings in S.W. Florida.

Listing agents that are fortunate enough to get their own leads will be glad to double end the deal. Most of you will not. There is a multi-billion dollar industry out there design to collect buyers information and resell it to buyer Agents and to Brokers that sell leads to other Brokers and to their Agents.  If not, eventually a lead scalper will get the lead and sell it to some other 3rd party looking to make a few bucks. 

 You Had The Buyer At Realtor.com Who Gets The Leads Here 

I have talked to Agents that subscribe to marketing campaigns that brag about exposing their listings to "20,000 sites and to buyers all over the world"... but who gets those leads? Guess what, chances are NOT YOU. The truth of the matter is that most of those sites have your listing information taken from the unbranded data and show it with an image of a person wearing a headset that says "non-agent spokesperson". The buyer calls an 800 number or fills out a form to give up their lead information, information that you will never see. The lead scalper that runs the site will send out a mass email to all of the people signed up to buy leads from them and sell them to the highest bidders. That bidder is usually an Agent or Broker that wants the 3-1/2% commision on the buyers side of the closing deal. Wonderful you sold the listing!... NOT SO FAST.....

Remember all buyers start at realtor.com... as the listing agent you had the buyer as soon as they searched realtor.com. If you didn't double end the deal, you lost them as soon as they left realtor.com. Why?
   Two reasons, First Impressions Mean Everything and Internet Shoppers love to research. For some reason the Buyer did not contact you from realtor.com or the contact information there is flawed and going to the wrong person. It could also be that the person relaying this information dropped the ball.
Check your realtor.com listing for Picture and Video quality. Remember that listings with all of the Photos, The Video link and with a Virtual Tour link filled in will always come up first in public search results. All others that are not Enhanced or do not have all of the Photos and Video used or do not have a Virtual Tour link will be listed last. Be sure your listings at Realtor.com are overflowing with Photos, Videos and Virtual Tours. Also ask somebody to go to realtor.com and fill out your listing contact form and then call the listing phone numbers to see where the leads are going and how long it takes them to get to you. Its important to make first contact from realtor.com, and to do it fast. Why? Because Internet buyers love to search the Internet for information about everything. The same buyer is going to leave realtor.com and go to Google, Yahoo and Bing to search the house address and mls number and every other aspect of the house that they want to buy. What is returned in the search? Realtor.com, that they have already seen, your franchise's website that they have already seen, no need to see those again. 

But look Zillow! and BuyLow and FastHouse... Cool compare properties by history and sales data and tax data, off the buyer goes to those 20,000 sites that a marketing genius talked you into. You just lost the lead to them and will not double end your closing. Look at the bright side, you did get 50 postcards for a penny or maybe a virtual tour for $25. Both submitted your listings to 20,000 websites. You really didn't need that buyer side commision of $4500 did you? And that website is going to sell the buyers information to your competitors for $20 a pop. A competing Agent will get that $4500 commision and use it to compete against you for listings. How can more marketing and exposure make you less money? It just did! More isn't always better is it?....

Funny in all of the market ups and downs in the last few years, the boards that do not share their MLS system with other boards have the most stable numbers, the best prices and the most robust market numbers. A much higher percentage of listing Agents retain both sides of the deal and the leads are almost impossible to find for sale outside the members of those boards.

Listing Agents can easily check to see if they are getting all of the leads for their own listings. Simply go to your MLS system and look at your production. See how many of your listings sold in the last 12 months. Then check to see how many of those were sold within your own board. In S.W. Florida a very high percentage of buyers drive to the area and buy from a local board member. Most of your sales should normally be sold through the local board. Out of all of the local sales, how many of your listings were sold within your own brokerage? And finally how many of your own listings sold within your own brokerage did you double end?

If any of these numbers seem off, you should review why your not getting the leads from your own listings. Be sure to check that your Internet marketing is not redirecting your leads to 3rd parties for scalpers to sell to competing Agents and Brokers. Be sure that you check to see if your Broker offers a referral program that you can subscribe to in order to better communicate your listings leads back to you. Test the forms at realtor.com and make sure that the buyers information is sent to you fast. Be sure your phone number and contact information is up to date at realtor.com and your franchise website. Always fill realtor.com with as many pictures as they will allow. Be sure to log into the Agent Enhancement area and add everything you can about the property. Buyers get only One First Impression, Make it a Good One. 
Retain your leads from realtor.com, don't lose them to Lead Scalpers! 

 Secret Tip Dude 

Super Secret Tip: Very  important. Your IDX system's contact information is seperate from the realtor.com contact information. Normally the MLS company that hosts your MLS website and data also feeds realtor.com with listings and contact information. Your board generally controls the IDX feed data including contact information. Always open a page in the IDX for your board and lookup your listings. Check to see if this contact information is up to date. I have found contact information on new listings to be years out of date. That means your old Brokerage will be getting your new listings leads generated from the IDX system. Check It Out! PlanetRealtor is a good place to check. Here is the link.. If the information on the IDX feed does not match realtor.com find out why from your board....  http://webapps2.planetrealtor.com/idx/pkg_IDX.pr_IDXSearch?sStateID=FL&sUserType=S&sSearchStateID=FL&sSearchSource=X

Double End That Deal And Buy Our Virtual Tours!
"Your Success Is Our Success"

Hope this help you to make more money!

Frank Colontonio

©2013 All Rights Reserved