M a r k e t i n g t i p
New technologies and tools can help you communicate faster and cheaper
Whether your brokerage has office space or you work from your home, your communications are wired directly to your bottom line. The faster and more professionally you communicate with customers and partners affects your sales, and the efficiency and cost of communications is important in controlling expenses.
Recent technology advances offer the latest enhancements in online, verbal and fax communications. Below are some of the many opportunities and popular providers of products to enhance your communication effectiveness while minimizing costs.
Online
Modern Web sites are more than text and pictures. Animation and video are popular and effective tools for conveying marketing messages. AuthorStream converts your standard PowerPoint presentations into video and animation that can be easily included on your Web site [more info].
Real-time collaboration during presentations and negotiations has become expected. What once required substantial investment and complex processes is now simplified. Glance provides simplified and low-cost desktop sharing for pitching new vendors or larger lessees and can be used to facilitate negotiations and the lease application and documentation process [more info].
Voice
Several new technologies and their corresponding tools in the telephony space allow you to do more with less. If you and your team network across several locations or travel frequently you may benefit the most.
One of the leaders in VoIP communications is Skype. Their system uses the Internet to connect calls instead of phone lines or mobile phone networks. This enables them to offer free and low-cost calling options. You can talk to other Skype users for free no matter where they are located. Recently they added free video conferencing between users so you can collaborate with your team or key partners [more info].
Options for mobile communications over the Internet are becoming more common. Skype offers one of the few mobile phones on the market that connects calls using the Internet instead of standard mobile networks. Manufactured by Netgear, the WiFi phone uses standard wireless Internet connections to place calls through Skype. This means you could have a mobile phone you can use in the office, at home or on the road to make mobile calls for free at any time of the day [more info]. If you don't want a separate phone to take advantage of VoIP cost savings, there are options available from both Skype and T-Mobile. Look into Skype's downloadable software that will turn any smart phone running the PocketPC operating system into a wireless VoIP phone [more info] and T-Mobile's HotSpot system which gives you a phone that can connect calls over the Internet when within range of a WiFi signal (home, office, hotel, etc) or use their standard mobile network if a WiFi signal is not available, again saving on pricey daytime minutes [more info].
Another front-runner in the VoIP market is Vonage, who has historically competed by offering VoIP telephony that acts like your regular land line. A new product offering from Vonage is the V-Phone. It turns any PC with a high-speed internet connection into a VoIP phone using only a small USB drive. This allows you to make very inexpensive long-distance and daytime calls with the flexibility to take your phone number with you from the office to your home or hotel [more info].
For larger organizations, you may find yourself wondering the location of team members - are they in the building? on a sales call? at home? Verizon has a simple solution that enables you to know the whereabouts of an individual's mobile phone using GPS tracking. Designed to help parents track their children, the Chaperone system can be used with many of Verizon's most popular phones that executives or salespeople would be glad to carry [more info].
For the multi-tasker, using your mobile phone while driving is now cheap and easy. Only a couple years ago, you had to either purchase your vehicle with Bluetooth capabilities already installed or pay hundreds of dollars for the modification to your vehicle. For less than $100, the ToothPik empowers you to talk to your office, vendors and lessees while driving without fumbling with an earpiece and with both hands on the wheel [more info].
Faxing
If you are still faxing through a machine, you are due for an upgrade. Digital (or electronic) faxing is quickly becoming the standard for a number of reasons. Digital faxing produces cleaner, more professional-looking faxes. It enables you to receive and transmit faxes from anywhere you can connect to the Internet, meaning you can get and send faxes when working remotely or when you are on the road. Digital faxing removes the need for paper, machine maintenance and toner, which can be a big savings. Some of the leading providers of digital faxing are...
Check out these and other technologies that will help you communicate faster, more clearly and with less expense.
