Today's technology has had a dramatic impact on many areas of our business. Nowhere is this more evident than in the marketing presentation. I still see seminars that are teaching how to get the listing "the old fashioned way," completely ignoring the fact that an agent using today's technology can without question get the listing when competing with an agent who doesn't.

Let me share with you some of the ways top sales associates nationwide are incorporating technology into their marketing presentation. My CyberStars(tm) serve as a good example: it's been a good while since many of them have lost even one listing to a competitor.

Start with your printed material: top agents use PREP Presentations for their printed material. PREP is such an outstanding product that I'm continually amazed by the number of agents who don't use it. With it, your printed presentation looks professional, and it covers all the bases when it comes to what the sellers are concerned with. Each page looks terrific, and the seller's name is on every page ("Prepared Especially For Mr. & Mrs. John Smith"). That fact alone is a significant edge over your competition. Add to that the fact that it is vitally important to present your information in a professional manner, one that has an impact on the seller, and you've got reason enough to start using PREP Presentations as the backbone of your marketing presentation.

Next, consider the possibilities that open up for you if you bring your notebook computer to the presentation. This is the tool that allows top agents to do things during the presentation that the traditional agent can't do. It also shows the sellers, whether they are technologically "literate" or not, that the agent is comfortable using today's technology and that he or she will use the same technology to market the listing.

One thing you can do if you have a notebook is to have your Web site captured to your notebook so that you can show the site to the sellers and so that you can show them, not just tell them, how the site can be used to market the sellers' home and how it can attract buyers for the home. Using a program such as WebWhacker, copy your site to the notebook. During the marketing presentation, you can navigate through the site as if you were connected to the Internet, even if you're not. A tremendous competitive edge over an agent who doesn't use this technique.

Continuing with the importance of a notebook, consider the fact that with it, you can give a multimedia presentation for the seller. You should have three presentations: one on you and your services, one on the seller's home (that will be given away on disk to every open house visitor, emailed to your prospects world wide, placed on your Web site, etc.) and one on the area (to be given out at open houses). Imagine, for a minute, that another agent is in competition with you for the listing and that he or she does not offer this service. Who will get the listing? Obviously, you will. The next question to consider is whether or not you are now providing this service. If not, it's time to get a notebook and PhotoShare, the product that easily and quickly puts together such presentations.

Another tool to use in today's marketing presentation is the digital camera. This alone has gotten a number of listings for many of my CyberStars(tm). The reason? The "Wow Effect." The sellers are impressed, and, again, they see that you use modern technology in your job. Don't forget to use a digital camera as a closing tool as well. Take a picture of the rec room, for example, and immediately turn the lcd viewfinder to the sellers so that they can see the picture you just took. Ask them, "Would it be all right if I use this picture on my Web site? I think it's a real selling point for the home." Again, imagine the poor agent in competition with you for the listing who doesn't have this tool to use!

Another important tool to use during the marketing presentation is a presentation from Know The Neighborhood. Print out the full report on the area, bind it, and show it to the sellers, telling them that you do such reports for all your listings, that you leave copies at the listing for prospects coming through with other agents, that you have them available at open houses, that you include them in relocation packets, etc. Another "Point of Difference" between you and your competition.

Do you use SoftKlone? If not, you're missing out on a powerful listing tool….not to mention one of the best tools around to market your listings. Set up the sellers' home information in one of the voice mail boxes. Demonstrate it's power to the sellers during your marketing presentation. Again, you're showing the sellers a marketing tool you use that few in your market area have, one that really impresses them.

(BTW: If you have SoftKlone or get it in the near future, don't forget to rent some of the mailboxes to lenders, title companies, attorneys, etc..CyberStar(tm) Greg Gorman does this, and he more than pays for his SoftKlone!)

These tools exist today, and they exist for a reason: they get listings. If you're not using one of them, consider carefully what it can do for your bottom line, then buy it!

Published: January 21, 1999

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Allen F. Hainge is a nationally known real estate technology speaker and author with a difference: he builds his seminars and articles around concrete, practical experiences he learns from his CyberStars(tm), a group of top agents nationwide who use today's technology to dominate their marketplace. He is the author of "Dominate! Capturing Your Market With Today's Technology." Allen's seminar schedule and offerings may be found www.afhseminars.com. Subscribe to Allen's Newsletter by Clicking Here