Going to the NAR convention in Orlando? You might face the same problem as the one sent in by one of my newsletter subscribers Chad and Laura Smith, The Smith Team of Cyber Land Realty, Seattle, Washington.

"We have a ricochet modem on our laptop, and that is usually how we check our email when we are mobile, but ricochet does not have coverage in Orlando. Any suggestions as to how we can check our email at the convention that would be cheaper then us paying the long distance charges from our hotel room?"

"I'm sure that there will be a "Cyber Café" set up at the convention, Chad and Laura, so you should be able to check mail there. CyberStar(tm) Judy McCutchin passes along this other suggestion that anyone who travels will find helpful:

"The easiest way I know to pick up your email when you are traveling is to go to http://www.mail2web.com. Just put in your server name, user name and password, and there you go - you can pull your email from any computer in the world!"

If you haven't done this before, contact your ISP before leaving and find out how you need to enter your server name.

Tweak Your Web Site

As the year draws to a close, it's time to take a look at your Web efforts by reviewing the following questions:

• Do you have a Web site?
• Is your Web site a rich, deep resource for the consumer, or is it a cheap "cookie cutter" site that satisfies your ego but that's not bringing in business?
• Can you attribute at least $20,000 in income to your site this year?
• Have you continued to expand your site, adding more and more information that's of interest to the consumer?
• Do you have response forms on your site so that the consumer can easily contact you, thus starting an online relationship that might bring you business?
• Do you follow up on email leads within 24 hours of receiving them, and do you have an action plan for further follow-up?

If you find that you've got a way to go to establish your presence on the Web, now's the time to get started!

Editor's note: If you're going to the NAR convention in Orlando, mark your calendar to attend the Allen F. Hainge CyberStar(tm) session from 2:30-4:30 on Sunday, November 14th. CyberStars(tm) Wynne Achatz , Greg Gorman , Alice Held, Judy McCutchin and Doug Whitehouse will be Allen's CyberStar(tm) panelists, and they'll show you what technology they're using to capture their marketplaces and how they're using it.

Also See:

Published: November 11, 1999

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