My exploration into using videoconferencing as a marketing tool for real estate has taken me down many roads. There are many products out there, including  TokBox, DimDim, and Skype.

I like Skype. It makes me feel very “international!” Some of my clients are located overseas, and Skype is their product of choice.

In class, more and more of my students tell me they are using Skype to communicate with their clients across the country, and across the world.  But, what is Skype

According to Wikipedia, Skype (pronounced /ˈskaɪp/) is a software application that allows users to make voice calls over the Internet. Calls to other users of the service and, in some countries, to free-of-charge numbers, are free, while calls to other landlines and mobile phones can be made for a fee. Additional features include instant messaging, file transfer and video conferencing.

Speaking to some of my coaching clients, here are some business uses for Skype:
• Return long distance phone calls to clients
• Check your voicemail when you are traveling
• Make business calls from areas without cell phone coverage

What makes Skype even better is that it starts out free if the person you are calling also has a Skype account.

Video calls, like Skype-to-Skype calls are free, updating your clients is free, no matter where they are in the world. All you need is a webcam and software. You can start by downloading the software: www.Skype.com/download.

If we want to be successful with today’s buyer, we need to remember what is – and always has been – at the heart of the sale: People will only buy something from someone they trust. Only the methods have changed. If you can’t meet them face to face, webcam to webcam will have to do.

Skype options:

• Skype to Skype (free)
• Skype to Local or Long Distance
• Skype to International
• Skype with iPHONE (mobile)
• Skype with video
• Payment options: free, pay-as-you-go, or monthly

Skype-enabled audio and video are already infiltrating business settings, with users recording their Skype conversations and adding the recordings to their blogs as podcasts.

And the ultimate – the ability to see each others’ webcam, and, if necessary, to record the call. A great software at Pamela.org will enable you to do this.

According to NAR and other research we have done independently, 80% of leads generated by you or your company over the Internet are lost, marked as dead, or simply thrown out. But, why is this happening?

An online consumer contacts you by e-mail. They want an immediate response to their question. And, as we all know, the first one to contact the consumer has the better chance of engaging the consumer.  Speed matters, and the speed of the Internet has created this consumer need.

The reality is that the online lead many times is not ready to commit right way.
So, we give up, lose interest, or don’t have systems in place to keep track of them to convert them at a later date.

Today’s online consumer does not want to be captured by the real estate professional. They want to stay in control of the process. They feel that if they share their information, the agent will bug them until they buy or die.

The technology needs of a buyer-based marketplace are so different than those of the past five years that many real estate professionals find themselves back at square one.

Here are some of the challenges:

• Knowing who today’s consumer is and how they consume information on the Internet
• Having all of the tools to respond properly

In other words, the challenge today is to understand which values are desired, and retool our business around them.

What about the leads that you send information to and then they won’t give you enough information for you to qualify them as a lead?

One import fact to remember is that buyers are online long before they are ready to purchase. Try to eliminate the 45-day mentality we attach to leads. Remember? A buyer walks into your office, you speak to them, read their tells, and within half an hour you know if you’ll have a commission check in your inbox in 45 days. Ah, memories. Those days are gone forever.

Many buyers enter the real estate search arena up to four years before they sit at a closing table. This is the subconscious stage. When something triggers to them to the next phase they actively engage in pre-research. This is the thinking-about-it stage.

Another trigger sends them into active research. They are finally pre-qualified and they actively begin searching online for homes and neighborhoods.

The actual buying stage is when they need help writing an offer, negotiating, and closing. Keep in mind, the actual buying phase can last as long as four months, or more.

What are these triggers — job change, income change, family change? You name it.
Managing all these leads can be overwhelming; so, look through all the software programs you own, especially products attached to your website and see if there are any automated e-mail campaigns available to you.

Please note: I am not an advocate of pushing unwanted data to people. And, I NEVER recommend this type of product to your sphere and past customers.

Even Oprah is doing it.

The discussion, the conversation.

That is my answer when people ask me why they should participate in social networking.

I was home one day a few weeks ago after a minor procedure on my eye, which required an eye patch. So, the only thing I could do was watch TV. I tried reading, working on the computer, it was a NO GO.

After catching up on all of the recorded TV shows that I had missed for the last month, I ended up watching Oprah. It seems that on Fridays, instead of one guest, she hosts an entire panel and they discuss all sorts of topics. They have a real conversation, everyone stating their opinion in a lively discussion.

Kind of like Twitter on TV.

The conversation is important. Since the creation of  the digital divide (using the computer to communicate more and more, instead of face-to-face conversation), the fast pace of our busy lives prevents us from seeing as many people in person as we used to, and part of our relationships are taking place online. I recently read that Generation Y (18-32) will never lose touch with anyone in their lives. Think about it baby boomers, haven’t you secretly Googled an old flame to see where they are today? Not a problem with Gen Y, they grew with the conversation online.

When I meet someone in person, first of all they say that I look like my picture, and secondly that they know my voice, because they follow my posts on Facebook, Twitter, or they read my blog. They feel like they know me even though it is our first face-to-face meeting.

So, I encourage you to enter into the conversation. Choose one network, and be consistent. Just remember not to sell while you’re there.

Oprah does it … and, yes, I am recording her show now as well.

It’s 10 o’clock Monday morning – do you know where your company’s reputation is? As sites like LinkedIn, Twitter, and Facebook become intertwined with business uses, real estate companies need to establish guidelines and best practices.

Whether we want to admit it or not, companies are learning that social networking, used properly, can be an effective business tool. We know by experience that having your sales associates involved in the community can enhance your company’s reputation and bring in more business. We are now embracing the concept that our sales associates can blog, tweet, and participate in forums and social sites and also increase business — so long as it’s done right.

But how do you monitor the conversation? You need a social media policy that explicitly lays out what is and isn’t permissible, both on the company’s network and outside of it if sales associates presenting themselves as representatives of the company.

If you do decide to take the “easy” way out and just block social networking sites at the company firewall, remember that what people post from home can still affect your company’s reputation.

How to get started

Consider creating a task force with people in your company who understand policy and procedures and others who are responsibly using social media. Together they can create a company platform. As always, before you can develop a policy, you need to define the company’s overall attitude toward social networking. A well executed social media strategy helps consumers and licensees follow an online dialogue protocol that shows promise of a successful outcome for consumers in real estate transactions. Create a statement that reflects the company’s mission statement and commitment to the consumer.

• Do you know what your agents are doing on the web?
• Do you know where your agents are placing their listings and what other listings they are claiming
• Your company’s copyright dos and don’ts
• Logos and company names – Who has the authority to start an online group using a registered trade name?
• Q & A Platforms – Are they generating leads in the discussion thread, or are you putting your real estate license at risk?

Social Media Tools To Monitor and Maintain Reputation Management Controls

Educate agents in the correct use of tools to avoid problems and pitfalls and, engage consumers in a fashion that will BUILD and ENHANCE a company’s reputation online. Remember to always reward responsible interaction online. If you can show examples of online fires doused as well as positive examples of building reputation online your sales associates will be better informed. Consider hiring a social media director for your association or your company.

Brokers and agents need to learn how to use tools to MONITOR their online presence.

Google or Yahoo alerts. Set up alerts based on your company’s name, principals’ names, etc. These alerts will send you an email every time one of your search words is found by the search engines.

http://www.google.com/alerts

http://alerts.yahoo.com/

Twitter Search

http://search.twitter.com

http://tweetbeep.com

StepRep

http://myfrontsteps.com

Yelp

http://www.yelp.com

Here are some other reputation management tools to look at. They charge a fee, but will do the time consuming work for you.

Privacy Gurus

http://www.privacygurus.com/firm.php

Quality Service Certified

http://www.qualityservice.org

Incredible Agents

http://www.incredibleagents.com

Real Estate Ratingz

http://www.realestateratingz.com