Dear Mr. Internet: I know the Internet is great for marketing, but can it help my agents run their business as well? Vikki Morvant, ABR, CRP, CRS Keller Williams Realty Mandeville, LA

Dear Vikki:

I remember one agent bragging about how she sold 43 homes -only to admit later that 3 actually closed. It takes more than great salesmanship and marketing to make it in real estate. Since a critical aspect of marketing is "delivery", how you run the operations side of your business is also important. This is another area where the Internet shines!

Get Rid Of Your Fax Machine

The biggest problem with receiving faxes is that you have to be where the fax machine is to receive one. Not anymore. Thanks to a free service called e-Fax, you can receive faxes anywhere you receive your e-mail. When someone faxes you to your exclusive e-Fax number, it gets converted to an image that is attached to an e-mail sent to you. With the free e-Fax viewer you can view or print your faxes as you like (saving a few trees in the process).

This saves you from buying the machine, paper, toner, and the need for a dedicated phone line. Also, your clients will be soooo impressed that you can receive those all-important counter-offer papers right there on the spot, just by plugging into the Net!

Fire Your Printer (the one with ink on his hands)

If you use four-color printing, your days of delays, high costs, and poor quality are over. With Expresscopy.com you simply upload your layout files to their Web site and in 24-48 hours you will have high quality finished pieces delivered to your door. The most you will pay for an 8.5" x 11.0" piece is 39 cents (using standard bond paper), and there is no charge for overnight delivery or taxes.

Imagine walking into a listing appointment with an armful of beautiful four-color flyers with photos you took the day before using your digital camera. Standing out from your competition while doing it faster, easier, and at less cost is winning proposition!

Ship Like A Fortune 500 Company

Ever send critical papers overnight only to wonder if they actually got there? And how about that hand scrawled shipping label -sure to impress the recipient with its professional look...

Well, FedEx, Airborne, UPS, and other overnight shippers have stepped up to the virtual plate to solve these problems. Each gives you the ability to track shipments instantly online. In addition, you can download free shipping software from each one. This will allow you to quickly and easily print professional looking shipping labels and schedule pickups. Now let's see: you save time, look good, and it's all free!

Send Your Post Office A "Wish you were here!" Card

No more trips to the post office for stamps, because with E-Stamp.com you can download postage over the Net. Using just a laser printer, you can print special digital "stamps" directly on your envelopes (sorry, no digital Elvis stamps - yet!).

Also, if you are still doing bulk "snail mail", a new service called Eletter.com can help. You upload your letters, flyers, and even booklet files along with a mailing list database and they take care of the rest. They will merge, print, fold, stuff, and mail your bulk mail campaign in record time. Clever cost calculators on their site even tell you how much it will cost to the penny before you order!

Think of your business as a highly competitive sports car race, where you are the driver and your operations, the car. Just as many a race have been won or lost because of the vehicle, your business is strategically affected by the quality of operations that support it. The Internet is a faster, easier, less expensive, and fun way of turbo-boosting all aspects of your important operations!

**Mr. Internet, RUSSER Communications or any of its staff receive no compensation of any kind from 3rd party vendors for mentioning their products or services. Any incentives that would have been earned are given back to you, the real estate professional.

More by Michael J. Russer:

Published: August 26, 1999

Use of this article without permission is a violation of federal copyright laws.

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.

Michael J. Russer (a.k.a. Mr. Internet®) is an internationally acclaimed speaker, trainer, author, and strategic consultant to the real estate industry and small business. He is also the exclusive Internet columnist for REALTOR® Magazine, the architect of the revolutionary e-ProductivityTM system and leading voice for the use of Virtual Assistants in small business. You can subscribe to his free monthly leading-edge newsletter ePOWER NEWS by going to ePowerNews.com.