Meet Internet-savvy Sally.

Sally specializes as an Exclusive Buyers'Agent for high-tech employees relocating to Silicon Valley. These folks typically use the Net to search for both properties and agents.

Well-targeted marketing has enabled Sally to identify them and develop a tidy niche that rewards her with 20 to 30 closed transactions per month. No "techno-wizard," Sally understood early that the Internet was much more about people than technology.

She realized it represented a new, richer way to connect with clients, prospects, and co-workers. Without it, she couldn't begin to cover the "territory" and do the amount of business that she does. The Internet, a virtual team of three live assistants, and the supportive company with which she affiliates, enable her to easily handle high volume, and she still has most of her evenings and weekends free.

The day Sally "met"Jane Santor, was fairly typical. She begins each day by answering e-mail while fixing breakfast. As a friendly male voice reads her e-mail aloud, she responds to each by simply speaking back to her helpful natural language, voice-activated software "assistant" as she moves about the kitchen.

Virtual Team Marcy, Sally's Marketing Assistant, is a former employee of a high-tech firm with experience in sales and human resources.

She's a new mom and does all her work from home while enjoying her daughter's never ending antics. John, the Transaction Coordinator, monitors transactions and makes sure they go smoothly. He too works from home, but also runs errands as needed.

Lynn, the Administrative Assistant, keeps Sally on-track both in business and personally to maximize results with minimum stress. Lynn is a retired Executive Assistant who works from home without the stress of corporate life.

This virtual team gives Sally great talent at reasonable rates, and low overhead. Because there is no office, they only meet in person at parties or a nice restaurant periodically to celebrate and reward themselves for their continued success. Otherwise they connect every day via videoconference to discuss the agenda which they each view on a Net-based workgroup calendaring system.

During the morning conference, Marcy mentions a potential new client, Jane Santor. She's relocating to the area from Virginia and already has picked a property. Marcy plans to check the properties showing activity. She will contact two or three agents who have shown the property for their insight into the nuances of the house so Sally can be well prepared for her conversation with Jane.

These days, intelligent lock-boxes record the ID, date, and time in and out of every showing agent while automatically posting that information to a special Web site.

Sally, Marcy, John, and Lynn discuss transactions in process, new business, and their long term marketing strategy. Lynn reminds everyone of an evening training session on net-based marketing innovations that Sally's company is hosting.

The company also provides ongoing Net-based training that allows agents and other employees to stay on top of the latest innovations, yet learn at their own pace. Sally chose the company for their marketing and operational use of the Internet, support for their agents, and minimal demands on her time.

She especially appreciates the support and coaching she receives from her local manager, Jack O'Neal.In addition to great training and support, she also was impressed with ongoing company innovations, like the legally binding online forms that simplify transactions and minimize processing time.

Sally winds up her team meeting and spends the rest of the day talking to new clients (including Jane Santor), making offers, and closing transactions.Two closings, four offers, and three new clients later, Sally sends an e-mail to Jack O'Neal confirming her attendance for that evening's live online training session, and then she relaxes, looking back on another successful and satisfying day.

A New Class of Captain For any marketing endeavor to be successful on the Net, it needs to be highly targeted.

Sophisticated real estate consumers with Net access to incredibly detailed property information will demand services and fee structures tailored to their specific needs. In this context, corporate branding and marketing efforts can only go so far in reaching these consumers.Effective strategies will necessarily include leadership that supports highly professional, Internet-savvy agents in their front line position as the main originators of business.

Successful companies will understand that their primary customer is not the consumer, but rather the successful agents who work directly with the consumer. They will need smart, Internet capable managers who can anticipate and respond to agents' needs rather than "riding herd" on them as in the past. Jack O'Neal recruited Sally and has managed to retain her by creating and maintaining excellent support and services that are uniquely tailored for her.

PART V: Real Estate 2001: Technology from the Manager's Perspective

Published: February 24, 1999

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Editor's Note: This article reflects the opinions of Michael J. Russer only and not necessarily the views of this or any other publication, organization or Website owner.