The best way to implement technology improvements into your real estate business is to create a well designed plan that is both viable and realistic. To do this, you need to identify a “technology expert” who can help you implement your plan and accomplish your goals (not just tell you what to do). This expert should stay with you every step of the way until you can take these tasks over for yourself (of delegate them to an assistant if possible).

The BIGGEST problem that I have seen is that most agents, although they may understand the potential future benefits of doing this, are far too busy keeping up with the day-to-day demands of running their own businesses to make any progress implementing technology.

Therefore, I have put together this proposed “Personal Technology Plan” for these agents who may need a little help making sense out of it all. The plan covers at least one critical topic per month for an entire calendar year. I broke it down this way because this gives you some time to learn and then practice your new skills each month. It also pushes you to move on to the next topic and keeps your learning fresh. It will be up to you to find specific applicable examples in your own specific business. I will give you general ideas on how these things can be applied, but everyone’s business is a little different.

You may want to consider this a blueprint for your 2003 educational goals. Mastery of these tasks will lead to higher levels of technological understanding and business performance. For the most part, the topics start off easier towards the beginning of the year and proceed to more difficult topics that require more of a technology “foundation” , which you will get if you go through the topics as outlined.

Please customize this plan to fit your own needs, and let me know if you find it helpful. I will be using this as a blueprint for my 2003 articles for Realty Times.

January

• Windows terminology
• Basic PC skills
• File management skills

February

• Set-up e-mail software
• Basic e-mail skills
• Access Web e-mail remotely

March

• Basic Internet skills

April

• MS Office - Word for word processing (beginning and intermediate classes)

May

• Search engines and use (general and real estate-related)

June

• Beginning digital photography

July

• Domain name registration and pointing
• MS Office - Excel for spreadsheets (beginning class)

August

• Creating real estate flyers (using MS Publisher, or industry-specific program)

September

• Real estate Web site content and improvements

October

• Online data backup

November

• Cutting edge promotional tools

December

• Developing a digital listing presentation

Published: January 14, 2003

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Dave Eliason is President of Computer Business Training Services, a technology consulting business formerly from Atlanta, GA, now located in Concord, New Hampshire. Dave specializes in integrating technology into the real estate businesses of his clients and their brokerages. He has taught numerous hands on classes to Realtors since 1996, and speaks to many organizations throughout the real estate industry. Dave is on faculty at New Hampshire Technical Institute in Concord, NH, a graduate of Rochester Institute of Technology, in Rochester, NY and a Top Producer Certified Instructor. He can be reached at Dave@NHAgentTraining.com or http://www.NHAgentTraining.com