By: Collin Ellingson

Much recent media attention has been focused on how the web and technology is changing the way people search for a new home.  Just as significant, however, is the effect that all this new technology is having on how we, as real estate professionals, conduct our daily business.  The tools at our disposal, some of the most significant of which have emerged within the past six months, can connect us to existing and future customers in ways we never would have considered just 12 months ago.  A myriad of hardware, software, and web-based tools allow today’s real estate professional to remain fully tuned-in to the “conversation” occurring in today’s real estate marketplace. Despite the challenges of the current market conditions, these truly are exciting times!

Recently, I attended the Super Sales Rally at the Georgia Homebuilders Show, facilitated by Meredith Oliver, of Meredith Communications.  If you haven’t heard Meredith speak, make sure you do in the future.  She is a treasure trove of tech-savvy sales and marketing practices.  A key theme of Meredith’s discussion focused on the idea that “sales” and “marketing” are now fully integrated activities.  As an agent, if you aren’t using technology and the virtual social arena to sell yourself and your community BEFORE a customer ever sets foot in your office or sales gallery, you are missing an opportunity to connect a homebuyer with the home which suits them perfectly…..yours!

The exciting thing is that today’s technology allows us to be so much more than mere order takers.  We can be a truly valuable consultative resource to any prospective homebuyer.  Melissa listed a vast array of hardware, software, and social media tools which can transform you from order taker to a proactive hub of real estate information

One tool I was particularly enamored with is the Flip-Camera.  This cool little device can, among other things, allow you to take live video of a customer’s property presentation, pop the device into your USB port, and then email the clip afterward as a follow up and memory point of their visit.  Imagine how that small extra step makes your community stand out to a prospect after a day’s worth of back-to-back property showings.  Meredith also focused heavily on the emergence of Facebook as a vital positioning tool used to define your personal niche as a real estate professional, and generate traffic to your website.  There is far too much to list here.  Go to www.creatingWOW.com to learn more about Meredith Oliver and her services.

The bottom line is this:  Sales IS marketing and marketing IS sales.  Enter the virtual marketplace and set up your shop!