Keep Your Cell Phone Number, No Need to Port

As a happily hyper-busy real estate professional, one of my biggest challenges is keeping up with voice mail messages during a typical work day.  On the other hand, when I am “off duty” I like to be present and attentive to my friends and family and purposefully do not answer calls.  Sometimes this is a problem.  What I needed was a more efficient monitoring system to keep up with urgent messages and separate them from non-urgent messages.   I found Google Voice and a dedicated email address on my Blackberry to be an ideal solution, here are the benefits of setting this system up for yourself:

• Voice mails are transcribed to text so you can quickly read them anytime you can’t or don’t want to answer
• The recorded messages are available to listen on your phone or the internet at any time in any order
• A phone log is automatically generated of all your messages to save or plug into CRM later
• You can “return calls” via SMS or email rather than calling back if appropriate
• No need to log-in to voice mail or take notes about the messages (or worry about losing your notes)

Following is “before and after” voice mail story and an easy to set-up system that allowed me to respond more efficiently to clients and customers and also enjoy free time without the stress that I might missing something critical.

My Problem with Voice Mail

Here’s a typical scenario that used to happen to me all the time, which I refer to as Voice Mail Hell:  I have a two hour meeting in the morning with an investor group.  Because I need to focus completely on the meeting, I have my phone set to silent.  But the phone lights up every 15 minutes and people are leaving voice mail messages.

At the end of the meeting I have seven new voice messages to listen to and then return calls.  The first message I take down notes in my handy voice mail log sheet, but the second is urgent, so I hang-up to return the call right away.  There are still five messages left in my voice mail box.

After I finish the urgent call, I dial in again to the voice mail system.  I get three more messages written down and the phone rings.  It is an important client calling.  Again, I drop the voice mail system to take the call.  During my twenty minute client conversation, two more calls come in and more messages stack up.  You get the picture.

How did I cope?  I have always been pretty diligent about updating my contacts, so when people call who are in my database, I can see their name on caller ID.  This is helpful because I can just call them right back without listening to all the voice mails.  But I also get a lot of calls from numbers that are not in my contacts, some of which may be urgent calls.   In order to get to those messages, I have to troll through the voice mails in the order they came in.  I am a pretty committed Blackberry fan, but do envy iPhone users who can skip over and listen to voice mails in any order.  Even so, I think this system is better yet…

Google Voice Mail Transcription, Free!

The answer to my voice mail challenges was a new Google Voice phone number that transcribes messages into text, and then forwards them to my SMS and/or email inboxes.  Here is how it works:

• Callers dial my cell phone number, which auto forwards to my Google Voice number if I do not answer
• Voice mail messages are recorded at my Google Voice inbox rather than my cellular voice mail
• The voice mail is transcribed by Google Voice into text, which is programmed to send a copy to a dedicated email account on my Blackberry (it can be programmed to deliver SMS text messages of the transcription also, but I prefer just the email version on my phone)
• The recorded message is stored in my Google Voice inbox online.  The message is also available to listen on my phone browser.
• I can quickly view a list and the complete contents of all my voice mails on my cell phone in text so I can read them during meetings
• I am now free to read, listen and respond in order of priority either via email or by returning the calls.

This system is extremely efficient for me compared to having to dial into my voice mail and listen to messages (in chronological order).  Also, I don’t have to write down any messages, or worry about losing notes.  Having a written log and the recordings kept in an inbox on my computer has been heavenly.   When convenient I can save or delete or plan extended follow-ups for the calls.  Finally, a text system is discreet enough to check messages during a meeting (or at the ballpark) without having to hold a phone to your ear and take notes!

Thanks Google Voice!

Web 2.0 – Real Estate Blog – Realtor Networking

Dramatically Increase your Sphere and Reach.

(wink., Follow Me to the Twitterverse…)

We all know that more than 90% percent of people starting a buy or sell real estate transaction begin their research online.  But what are you doing about it?  If you haven’t already, it’s time to master the incredible marketing advantages and potential for real estate agents of social marketing via sites like these:

• Twitter – short but sweet, use links, don’t spam, meet LOTS of new people
  
• Facebook – OK, nobody is looking for a Realtor on Facebook, but you WILL connect with old friends
  
• You Tube – start recording NOW, figure it out later, web surfers LOVE video
  
• Plaxo – keeps you organized and works as a drip campaign
  
• LinkedIn – expand your “rolodex” – remember that word?
  
• WordPress Blog – trust no one else with your blog (trust me on that)
  
• Naymz – bad spelling, but the best search engine plug ever
  
• ActiveRain – the standard for agent blog networking
  
• BiggerPockets – Active Rain for young, fun types
  

Start by Doing a Little Test…

What comes up on the first page of results when you Google “Your Name” in quotes?  What about “YourCity real estate market?”   Imagine the difference in your business model and productivity if your name and website came up on top pages of either of those Google searches:  instant credibility; leads filling your email inbox everyday; the ability to be choosy about who you do and don’t work with because you are a busy professional that people are eager to talk with about real estate!

Internet marketing used to be expensive because a good website would require the services of a technical coder.  The good news is that new tools make it easier than ever to create and maintain a domain and website and utilize powerful internet and email marketing techniques.  Today, there are lost of resources on the web that enable novice computer users to set-up and maintain an online presence with very little experience and very little expense.  That resulting message to your potential clients will be that you are internet savvy and technologically competent.

Before you go online to explore the resources below, take time to write professional and personal biography.  It does not have to be long, just a few paragraphs about your business experience, education, specialties and interests.   You will also want to have at least two pictures of yourself, one professional photo and another more casual personal photo.

Below is a list of resources that I use to market my real estate business and steps you can take to improve your search engine rank and awareness among prospects doing real estate research online.  It does not take long to begin realizing the benefits.

20 Steps to Mastering Internet Marketing!

Preliminary Steps:

• Write a professional and personal biography – not too long, just a couple paragraphs about your business experience, education, interests
• Get two great pictures of yourself, one professional and one personal (fun)

Beginner Steps:

• Download Mozilla Firefox internet browser
• Get a Gmail and iGoogle account
• Set-up a Google Reader account
• Set-up accounts at Facebook and LinkedIn
• Set-up a WordPress Blog
• Write (or hire writer) to create good original local interest content for your blog site

Intermediate Steps:

• 100% complete profiles on Facebook, LinkedIn
• Add profiles at Naymz, Plaxo, ActiveRain, BiggerPockets
• Get a Twitter account and download Tweetdeck
• Get an Avatar and start blog surfing and making comments using links back to your blog
• Buy an inexpensive camcorder and begin videotaping house tours, interviews with clients, etc.

Advanced Steps:

• Visit GoDaddy.com, get an account and register one or more domain names
• Set-up Gmail to use your POP3 email address from the domain you purchased
• Go to MediaTemple.com or HostGator.com for website hosting
• Upgrade from WordPress.com to WordPress.org hosted domain blog
• Choose Aweber or Constant Contact (or both) for your email marketing management
• Create a YouTube account and upload some short videos of yourself or house tours
• Open a Google Adsense account and drive traffic to your blog site

To be continued…

Would you like to read the in-depth post article that has detailed instructions for implementing each of these steps?  The full version includes live links and a video tutorial to walk you through the entire process of dominating your local market with internet marketing.  Enter your first name and email below to be notified of the link for this new post and video. I promise I will NEVER sell or use your email for any purchase other than sending you my permission based information and you can unsubscribe at any time.  Or, feel free to subscribe by RSS (if you don’t know what that is you really need to read the next post!).

See some web 2.0 marketing examples for this company in action by clicking the icons below. Then be sure to subscribe get this valuable and targeted information specifically for real estate professionals.  Thanks for reading, I look forward to communicating further with you.

photo credit: marketingwithmiles

I had lunch recently with a real estate agent who was pitching me to hire him as a buyer’s agent for investment properties.  He presented himself as a having a solid work ethic and excellent knowledge of the market.  But when he handed me his card, he had a firstname86 at hotmail dot com account as his email address.  This turned me off to working with him because of my impression that he was not technologically savvy. 

This may sound silly to some, but I assure you than many of your potential customers are evaluating your professionalism and business by your email address (and your website or blog, but that’s another post).  The good news is that getting and using a more professional email address is very easy.  Below is a review of the different types, and instructions to move toward a more professional image.

Best

Purchase a domain address for your business name and/or your personal name.  Your email address should be as short and memorable as possible.  firstname@mycompany.com ,  firstlast@myfullname.com are both excellent.  You can also purchase a catchy domain like billsellsfast.com.  To do this visit www.Godaddy.com and register a domain.  During the sign-up process you will be coached on how to set-up pop3 email hosting which can be accessed through any email client like Outlook or on the web through a Gmail account.  If you are a computer novice and configuring your own domain through Godaddy seems too much, you can perform similar domain set-up through Google Aps.  Go to www.google.com/a and “get the details.”  This option gives you less control over the domain, but the email address will be the same.

Very Good

If you hang your license and a recognized brand in the industry like Coldwell Banker or Remax or otherwise and you have the ability to use yourname@yourbrokerage.com this is a solid choice.

Good and Acceptable

Finally, if this still seems like too much tech, a Gmail address is the most “acceptable” free email account you can have.  Many internet savvy people understand the power of Gmail and will view this address as novice, but less so that any other web based email.  Even if you do get a domain, getting a Google account and Gmail address should be on your list for reasons I’ll address in another post.  If any variation of yourname@gmail.com is available grab it now before its gone!

Poor

An email address with yourname@someinternetservice.com, which usually comes with cable or DSL service, advertises that you operate your business out of your home and should be avoided.  It is one step up from other web based free email accounts, but having name@comcast.com or name@qwest.com as your domain is not professional enough in today’s market.    If you are using the dreaded @aol.com I can assure you that you are losing almost all internet savvy clients!  It screams “rookie.”  The most common email addresses, like name9876@hotmail, something@msn, and kindofname@yahoo.com are fine for personal addresses but should not be used as your professional email address.

Agents:  Please don’t advertise on your card that you are behind the technology curve by using a free web based email address.   It is fairly simple only costs $10-$20 to purchase a domain name and the accompanying email address. I guarantee it will help portray a better image to your prospects!  Do it today!