NAR Day 2 – Unlimited Power for Your Real Estate Business
On the second day of NAR 2009 (in San Diego) I did attend 3 sessions including Paul Martinelli on “Levels of Decision Awareness” and an inspirational talk from Dr. Condoleezza Rice, but I wanted to briefly discuss a fundamental shift on the horizon, in the way that we do business.
Getting Your Head into the Cloud
Until now, in order to be on the cutting edge of technology, you needed a top of the line computer, the most recent, updated versions of software, and a vast amount of knowledge to ensure that you could utilize even a fraction of the functions available to you. This is all changing at an alarming pace.
For the Calgary real estate industry… I would like to introduce the idea of Cloud Computing. The concept is simple. If someone else has a powerful computer, the software programs, and the huge storage space, and if you have an internet connection, you can now access everything they have. This vast internet network of storage, processing, and applications is called the Cloud.
How Will the Cloud Explode Your Power?
Web based client management software (Prospects.com, Top Producer, Google Calendar), accounting programs (Quickbooks), online data backup & storage, video editing, and outsourcing can all be done through the Cloud. In fact, if all these applications and power are able to be accessed through the Cloud, the computer you own will not need software or updates. The hardware needs to be very simple, only get you online, and everything will be done through a browser type interface (not unlike the current IPhone).
Picture this… you get a listing signed up (signed on your laptop using a Wacom Bamboo tablet), take some photos, a 1.5 min video tour on your digital camera and write down a few point form notes on some key features. With your USB internet stick, you upload the contract, the pictures, the video and the text bullets points to your online data center (no hard drive space or back-up required). Your virtual assistant in Dubai takes the files and sends them to your real estate brokerage, uploads the listing on your behalf, edits and uploads the photos and video, uploads everything to Facebook and Youtube, sends the file to a professional copy writer to complete the comments, and inputs the listing information into Homefeedback.com to track your showings. Furthermore, the feature sheets are created and sent to a local printer of your choice, and couriered directly to the seller the next day. Total cost $50 or less & 30mins of your time.
The Next Evolution of DIY
If you wanted to do this all yourself, but don’t have the software, you can use the Cloud to access services such as picnik.com (photo editing), box.net (file storage), jaycut.com (video editing), execsheets.com (free feature sheets) and elance.com (copy writing). The power is awesome and growing quickly.
Get your head in the Cloud and tap into virtually unlimited power for your business.
– Lindsey Smith
Corporate Training Manager
lsmith@cirrealty.ca
www.cirrealty.ca
Lindsey Smith
Tags: 2009, calgary real estate training, cir realty, Cloud computing, nar 2009, outsourcing, san diego, web based applications