Brad Roberts

Don't answer the phone!

Fri, 10 Jun 2011 06:20:00 -0700

There's a common fear that we may lose business if we don't answer the phone every time it rings. However, when I'm with customers I've made the decision to put the phone on silent. Here's why.

They deserve my full attention

I'd hate for my customers to feel like they're second place, because they're not. However, if I make them feel that way, they're less likely to refer me to others. To illustrate this, let's say you recently hired a painter. He was always late, didn't finish on time, and didn't give you his full attention. Even though he was an excellent painter, are you likely to refer him to friends or family?

It's important that my customers feel comfortable referring me to others. Let's not forget that the caller deserves my undivided attention as well, so I should make sure I'm in a place where I can give it.

I'll forget to call back

Let's say I answer the phone and explain, "I'm in a meeting right now. Can I call you back?" I then continue with my meeting and after a few hours, I've completely forgotten about the call. I don't remember until the next day, when they call me again. I now learn that the caller simply wanted to give me 30 seconds of information that could have been left on a voice mail, but I didn't give them the opportunity. Also, had I let the call go to voice mail, I would have been reminded to call back the next time I looked at my phone (which is very frequently).

Text messaging

Even if customers are walking through a house ahead of me, I don't want to preoccupy my mind with another project. It's very difficult for me to text and carry a conversation. It's important for me to listen, take notes, and be fully present. Isn't that what I want when I'm the customer?

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Auto-replies are not the answer

Thu, 02 Jun 2011 13:58:00 -0700

Unfortunately, Internet "gurus" have sold us on the idea that auto-responders are the answer to timely communication. They've told us, "You'll lose business if you don't respond immediately." Sure, everyone would like a quick response, but they also want a real one. Here are three reasons why I do not use auto-replies.

They're disappointing

Here's a common scenerio. Let's say I write an email to George, hit the send button, and before I can log off.... Wow!! George replied! That was quick! Excited to read the answer to my question I quickly click on the new email from George, only to be let down by a canned message that doesn't answer my question at all.

They solve a problem your customers don't have

Email is not realtime communication. When a customer sends an email, they're not looking for an immediate response, just a timely one. If they have an urgent need, they'll call. Think about it... when was the last time you sent an email and waited by your computer for a reply?

They're annoying

Many auto-responders are setup to reply to every single email. If a customer emails you seven times, they receive seven meaningless emails in their inbox. We should regard our customer's time as sacred and not fill it up with trash. They're trying hard to fight clutter in their inbox, don't be the source of it.

Real world examples

Here are some silly examples I've received. I can laugh at these because I've done similar things myself. These are not examples of things to avoid. I recommend avoiding auto-responders altogether for the reasons already mentioned.

I am away from my desk at the moment, please leave me a message and I will get back with you ASAP.

"Leave a message"? Isn't that what I did?!

I'm currently showing property at the moment...

Not at 1:30am. Remember, customers will email you at all hours. Also, it's unnecessary to tell customers what you're doing. They're not impressed that you're busy helping someone else. They only care about you helping them.

If you have an urgent need, please call me at....

People are smarter than we think. If they had an urgent need, they would have called in the first place.

I received your email...

Actually you haven't yet, and may not due to spam filters or delivery problems. The customer may not send a follow up if they believe you received their email and are ignoring them.

A better solution

Anyone can setup an auto-responder. If you want to knock your customer's socks off by super quick replies that actually answer their questions, there's only one way to do it. Go mobile.

Most agents have smart phones and can check their email anywhere. However, you may shy away from alerts on your phone because of the amount of email you receive. Here's a solution that I use on the iPhone and it's very effective. I'm sure there are similar services for Android and Windows phones (if not... ditch it and get an iPhone - kidding... kinda ;)

If your'e out of town, auto-responders can be a great way to let people know you'll be replying once a day. Just make sure it's setup to only send at most, one auto-reply a day. Another alternative might be to forward your emails to an assistant or colleague while you're away.

Conclusion

We often look for ways to automate our business, but some things we just have to do. Communication is good example. Real estate is a personal business, and we should find technology that helps us keep a personal touch. I hope you've found this article helpful. Let me know if you have questions or feel free to leave a comment.

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The answer to email follow-ups

Mon, 30 May 2011 07:00:00 -0700

Remember return receipts? Those annoying popups in your email that said, "So-and-so has asked to be notified when you read this message." Maybe you still use them (yikes). Boomerang however, takes an unobtrusive approach. It returns an email to your inbox if you do not receive a reply within a specific time.

Their "Send Later" feature is nice too. It's great for writing email now, and well.... sending it later :)

I've been using Boomerang for GMail for several months and I recommend it to anyone in the real estate business. They have a free version, so give it a try.

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How to create QR codes

Sun, 29 May 2011 17:00:00 -0700

There's plenty of ways to create QR codes. Here's a few that I use.

For web pages

When creating a QR code that opens a web page, I use bitly. Bitly is a URL shortner, but it also gives you a QR code with every shortened URL. Here's how:

Input the URL you want to open when someone scans your QR code
Bitly gives you a short URL that looks something like this: http://bit.ly/ioedud
Simply append ".qrcode" onto the end of the new URL so it looks like this: http://bit.ly/ioedud.qrcode
Visit this URL in your web browser to view the QR code. From here you can save it to your computer (right click and choose "save as..").

You may even consider registering your own short domain name and using Bitly Pro (the free version). For example, I'm using the domain http://homesear.ch

Another free alternative is Google's URL shortner. The steps are almost identical, but with Google you'd append ".qr" to the end of the shortened URL.

For contact information

I don't have a favorite, but I used this QR code generator. It creates a contact card in the MECARD format, which doesn't store as much information as the VCARD format, but I like to keep it simple. If you'd like to store your company info in the card, try Nokia's card generator and choose the VCARD format.

2d Code's list of QR code generators is a nice resource for different types of QR code generators.

Need help?

Check out how I use QR codes in real estate. If you need a hand creating QR codes, please let me know.

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How I use QR codes in real estate

Fri, 27 May 2011 04:00:00 -0700

If you're a real estate agent, you've been inundated with 100 ways QR codes will skyrocket your business. However, we have to understand that currently, the hype about QR codes is mainly within our industry. It's not mainstream yet. Businesses are simply creating excitement around a technology in order to make money, without any evidence to back it up. I'd also like to point out that you can create QR codes yourself for free!

Unfortunately, as a result of over promotion, QR codes are often used haphazardly in real estate without any thought or goal in mind.Here's how I'm currently using QR codes in real estate.

Business cards

This is a very practical application for QR codes. Let's face it, business cards are just old-fashioned. Now-a-days we keep contacts in our phone or computer. When given a business card, I immediately put the information into my phone (I actually use a card scanner app). Then, I throw away the business card.

I placed a QR code on the back of my business card (see photo above). When scanned, the mobile user is prompted to import my contact information. This saves them time and typos, which is my goal. I considered pulling up my website, but that's not as practical. My website address is included in my contact info, so it's easy for them to visit even after they throw away my business card :)

Listing flyers

Another practical application. When scanned, the user is taken to detailed information on my website (soon to be a mobile version). Once there, they can see up-to-date information, additional photos, and possibly a video.

What NOT to do

Here's a few other places I (personaly) will NOT use QR codes:

Yard signs - I know it's popular, but I don't think it's practical. You have to be at least 2-4 feet from a QR code (printed out at 10x10) for it to work. It could be useful if the house sits beside a popular walking trail. However, I still prefer it on the flyer. It's just more convenient.
Billboards - I haven't seen it yet, but I know it's coming. Update (8/8/2011): Ta-da!

Email signatures - Add a link to your website instead. This is much easier than expecting someone to whip out their phone and scan their computer screen.
Websites - An exception might be a printable page or to download a mobile app.
Your car - This just spells geek

If you plan to use QR codes in your business, put some thought into it. As with any marketing, ask yourself, "Does this help the consumer, and will they feel like it saved them time or money?"

Share your thoughts

Let me know if you have an interesting way your using QR codes.

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Email notifications with Boxcar

Wed, 25 May 2011 13:42:00 -0700

The iPhone has push notifications for email, but...

Like everyone else, I get tons of bulk email. It's mostly newsletters, announcements, etc. I don't want my phone to bing-bong every time I receive an email. Only when I receive one from a real person.
I don't want my phone to ring at 3am, even if it's from a real person.

Here's what I did.

First, I created two email addresses. One that I give to real people, and another that I use for online signups.
Next, I installed Boxcar on my iPhone and added a new email service. This gave me a special Boxcar email address that I can forward important emails to, which will popup on my phone. I changed the settings to only notify me between 6am and 9pm.
Finally, I setup a filter in GMail that forwards my important emails to my new Boxcar email address. In this case, an important email is any email sent to my real people address.

You can also tell Boxcar to alert you about new tweets, facebook activity, and a ton of other stuff.

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GMail attachment reminders

Tue, 24 May 2011 19:00:00 -0700

This tiny little feature in GMail is simply genius. No more, "Sorry. I forgot to attach the document" emails.

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