Are you a technology Snob?

You're a hard working agent, with a great listing.  One day, just like it's supposed to happen, you get an offer!  Only the offer comes in the form of a link, to a website, where you are suddenly expected to know exactly how to navigate the system.  You find out you should let THAT system know who your clients are and how to get in touch with them.  More importantly - you are supposed to know what you are doing and are now on a timeline to get it done.

Not every agent is neck deep in technology, and that's not a bad thing at all.  Not every client is neck deep in technology, so we really need to make sure we are working with these folks to do what we were hired to do.  Just because you have a nice shiny bauble doesn't mean EVERYONE automatically knows how it works.

A Few Tips On Having Your Tech Be People Friendly

First of all, if you are submitting an offer - it's still professional courtesy to call first.  I know, that weird outdated app on your phone - that actually allows you to connect with other people and use your own voice to talk to them.  Seems weird, right?  Dialing a number...who does that?

Having that initial conversation of, "Hey, I'm sending you an offer, how do you want it delivered?" sets the tone for the whole transaction.  Now, I'm not saying that you have to chisel it out in stone and hand deliver it, but simply finding out how the agent on the other side works, can help you prepare for the whole transaction.  You will be working "together" to get the deal done, right?

If you are going to use your technology system to deliver your offer, make sure that during your conversation you elaborate to the other side, what they can expect when they receive it.  More importantly that system should allow the recipient to export, print and/or email the documents out of that system so they can move forward with their systems.  Any system that does not allow that, or "Hides" its menu items to allow that is probably not worth your time - it certainly won't be worth the time of the agent on the other side of the deal.  With today's low inventory, you do NOT have time to be waiting for them to figure out how YOUR systems work.

In short - we are in a people business, not a technology business.  When Watson the computer askes me to list his server farm, then I can treat my client like technology...until then, I'll stick to working with humans, and behaving...human.