Are you in a rut?

Shake things up a bit with a few (small) changes to the way you do business.

by Ward Lowe   You’ve seen many "revolutionary" ideas come and go during your years in real estate. Whether a new technology or business strategy, most must-have developments burn bright in the spotlight for a while but are eventually discarded as agents revert to their previous practices.

Of course, you never get swept up in the latest business fad or technology. You know real estate and you know people. What else do you need to be a successful real estate professional?

However, not all business-improvement ideas lack merit. Just because you are successful doesn’t mean you can’t enhance the way you do business. Maybe you should retire your Rolodex or upgrade your five-year-old computer. A few updates and minor changes that streamline paperwork or how you handle clients can result in a more productive business that attracts buyers and sellers. Besides, change is good, right?

My assistant lives in Alaska

If you’ve ever considered hiring an assistant, chances are good you would benefit from one. But before you strike down the idea because of the costs associated with increased overhead or providing employee benefits, think virtual.

With a virtual assistant, you get the flexibility and cost savings of a temp with the benefits of a full-time employee. A virtual assistant bills you only for the hours he works, pays for his own overhead, and develops a long-term relationship with you and familiarity with your business. The assistant can perform basic administrative support—answering phones, scheduling appointments, word processing—or more advanced tasks like personal marketing or advertising.

Of course, "virtual" means these assistants work remotely and often rely heavily on computers. But that doesn’t mean you need to be a computer whiz to hire one. You and your assistant determine how you will communicate, whether by mail, phone, fax, or e-mail.

Visit the International Virtual Assistants Association online at IVAA.org to search for a virtual assistant and learn more about the profession. The Web site also offers an extensive request-for-proposal system that enables you to contract with an assistant for one project before you commit to a long-term arrangement.

Why spend $500 for an address book?

Put the day-planner down and back away slowly. There was a time when nothing could beat your little black book, and that time may have passed. You might insist that spending several hundred dollars on a personal digital assistant with all its bells and whistles would be a waste of money—and you’d be right.

Many of today’s PDAs possess an astounding number of functions, but Palm has introduced a stripped-down version of its popular models called Zire. While it doesn’t make phone calls or surf the Web, Zire does perform all the basic Palm functions: It stores contact information, appointments, to-do lists, memos, runs third-party software written for Palms, and synchronizes with your computer—all for $100.

A PDA may take some getting used to, but it can help you do business better by putting data in your hands at all times, backing it up on your computer, and enabling its transfer in digital format to and from clients. It’s a low-risk investment, so try it; you might like it.

Print your own stamps

If you send a lot of mailings to clients or just don’t want to wait in line at the post office anymore, the U.S. Postal Service offers an online service that turns your PC into a postage meter. PC Postage, which is offered by vendors authorized by the Postal Service, enables your PC to print a postage bar code on labels and envelopes. You can even print your own stamps.

The service differs slightly from vendor to vendor, with packages for low- and high-volume customers. Most charge a start-up fee, monthly fees, and postage costs, and a few offer additional equipment like scales and secure data-storage devices—for a price. You can also choose vendors who offer you the option to print postage off-line, which benefits those with slow Internet connections.

Visit the Postage Solutions section of USPS.com for more information about the PC Postage program, or contact the vendors directly at Neopost.com, Stamps.com, PintneyWorks.com, and Endicia.com.

Get personal with your computer

Upgrading your PC doesn’t always mean buying a new one. If your computer doesn’t work as fast as you’d like, lack of memory may be the culprit—not processor speed. Check to see how much memory (RAM) your box has. Experts recommend a minimum of 256 megabytes, and with most recent machines it’s possible to add memory without fuss or too much expense.

Storage space on the hard drive can also be a problem on older PCs. Install a CD burner and transfer old forms and documents onto a few compact discs to leave room on your hard drive for more recent transactions. Sure, you can move files to floppy disks, but CDs can store up to 500 times more data, which means far fewer disks to keep track of.

Most PCs come with extra panels on their front cover that can be easily removed for an additional drive, or you can purchase an external burner that connects to your PC like any other peripheral device. Prices of basic CD burners range from about $60-$160, depending on who makes it and whether it’s internal or external.

You might also consider installing a new, larger hard drive for about the same cost.

More than a passing fad

No one today would call these suggestions revolutionary; these are tested, practical ideas, not change just for change’s sake. Embracing different aspects of technology or adding other resources to your business helps you evolve along with your clients. And that will keep you in business long after the next real estate fad fades away.

home   current issue    top 10    resources 

discussions   contact us   search

Buyers & sellers, visit www.texasrealestate.com.
REALTORS®, visit www.texasrealtors.com.