a la mode
news & marketing tips — October
13,
2005
XSites' redesigned My Office
packed with new workflow features
As you know, many of us are licensed, working REALTORS®
as well as employees of a la mode, which has proved to be invaluable
when it comes to designing and creating products that fit into a
REALTOR'S®
lifestyle. In fact, input from our in-house REALTORS®
has been critical over the past few weeks as we redesigned the Agent XSites' Admin area (the My Office area of your XSite) to make it
easier to use the features that matter most to your business.
We'll be rolling
out the newly redesigned XSites Admin at the upcoming 2005
National Association of
REALTORS®
(NAR) Conference & Expo Oct. 28-31 in San Francisco.
"The new My Office gives you an entirely new user experience, with a
much improved workflow and the feeling that you're working within a
suite of products, with a shared goal," said Rusty Lindquist, Vice
President of Agent Products.
XSites' newly redesigned My Office will be
released at the NAR Conference & Expo.
One of the most
important additions to the My Office area is the
XSites Network, which allows you to search properties listed by other
agents or find a home inspector, mortgage broker or agent near you
within minutes. The ease of search and interaction with other
XSites Network participants saves time and money and makes possible
higher quality, more efficient transactions.
We've
also combined the features and tools you need the most
into one central place. Now, you can jump seamlessly from
feature to feature and program to program without leaving your current
application. Need to follow up with a new lead? Send a marketing
campaign with XSellerate in just a few clicks. Can't remember a
customer's phone number? Do a quick contact search. Need to find
out if you're free on Friday afternoon for a showing? Take a
quick glance at your work week schedule. Click
here for an in-depth view of the new My Office features.
Key features of your
XSite are now more visible and accessible, and the new "Notifications"
section keeps you informed of anything happening with your XSite.
In addition to your task reminders and
e-mail, this area will also report any areas you need to set up on
your XSite, how many hits your site received that day and how many
leads were generated. You'll receive daily marketing tips to help you
reach more prospects and turn them into clients. And the new
"Stay In Touch" area provides an easy way access a la mode user
forums, newsletters, feature releases as well as your Inman News feed.
"Not only does the
new My Office area improve workflow, but it paves the way for new
products," Lindquist said. "We've got two new products in mind
that we'll be adding to the XSite Office Suite within the next 12
months that I think you
—
our customers
—
will be excited about."
XSite tools that help you save money on gas
As a REALTOR®,
you're accustomed to driving your clients to showings. However,
now that the average price of a gallon of gas in the U.S. is just
below $3, you may be wondering if there's any way to cut down on the
time spent in your car without sacrificing service.
Here are
some ways your XSite can help you save money on gas and, at the
same time, provide your customers with impressive tools that help them
find the home of their dreams:
Flash listing
presentations
Encourage your buyers to view your impressive Flash animated listings
so they can get an idea about the type of property their most
interested in. That way, you can streamline your showings by only
visiting the properties that best meet your clients' requirements.
Unlike many MLSs, there are no limitations to the number of photos and
descriptions you can have on your listings, so you can make them as
in-depth as you like.
Automatic IDX
connection
Agent XSites automatically connects to the IDX solution for more than
150 boards (including 70+ in Florida). With automatic IDX
connection, your XSite visitors can search through the active listings
from your local MLS without leaving your XSite. This provides your
buyers yet another way to narrow their choices for properties before
they get into your car.
Google Earth
The
Google Earth home-mapping technology, which is a free tool on your
XSite, is one of the best ways for your clients to see a property in
its true context
—
without actually driving to it. Your customers can view aerial
photographs of the properties in which they're interested simply by
typing in the address. Then, they can zoom in to see the block
the house is on, its proximity to schools, parks, freeways, shopping
centers and other landmarks.
You may not be able
to do anything about the current price of gas, but by using the tools
on your XSite, your customers can make better informed decisions about
the properties in which
they're interested —
and you can save money on gas!
Survey says Internet, e-mail vital to
REALTORS®' business
Sixty-seven
percent of REALTORS® find the Internet extremely or very
important in the marketing and promotion of their business,
according to the California Association of REALTORS® "2005 Use
of Technology Survey." With more than half of consumers using
the Internet to find their new home, it's easy to see why it's
become such an important venue for
REALTORS®.
The CAR Survey reported that more than one third of
REALTORS'®
business is generated from the web and 61 percent post listings
to their own website.
Because the
Internet has become such an important business tool for
REALTORS®,
the need for advanced technology has also soared over the past
few years. Ninety percent of REALTORS® have a high-speed
Internet connection at home, an increase from 82 percent a year
ago. And 31 percent said a Treo or Blackberry was their most
important upgrade in 2005.
Forty-six
percent of REALTORS® cited e-mail as their primary form of
communication with their clients, making e-mail marketing a
vital way to generate business. We made targeted e-mail
marketing easier than ever with our XSellerate Marketing Suite.
Don't have XSellerate yet? Buy it
here today for $399 for the entire year
|
