Tim's Wise Crack of the Day

"Today's technology is tomorrow’s homework assignment"

Technology is only as good as it makes you money. That is the underlying rule that all marketers (online or not online)are subject.

Many of the great technologies for which investors paid Silicon Valley Entrepreneurs millions, are now simple code being taught to our next generation in high schools across America.

So my question is always, “how does one take a technology such that we get to hear, “Cha Ching!” instead of the vacuous sounds of bells and whistles?”

Begin with the buck and work backwards. This exact process is what made me develop the Five Steps to a Successful Website.

These five steps to online Nirvana are:
1. You need a website
2. You need eyeballs (traffic)
3. You need conversion
4. You need to court them
5. You need to sell them. This is the sales contract or appointment.

All of these steps are really sticking points on the learning curve of most online agents.

The typical scenario is I need a website. And many agents go after every bell and whistle. Flash, heavy graphics etc. In effect they buy into an online brochure. "Plenty of technology in this page",you are told. "Everything but the kitchen sink". It is gorgeous, it has java, it has flash, it has java script and CGI. WOW!

It is all great until you realize no one is visiting your site.

"So traffic must be the answer", you say. You have heard of this SEO thing. Maybe that is what you need.

You finally realize all the bells aren't gonna let you whistle. Bummer :-(

So then you learn everything you never wanted to know about search engines and link popularity this and Page Rank that.

...and we are only on step two.

That is why a website is just a website. Traffic is just traffic. A listings feed is just a listings feed. And as one vendor comes up with a hot item, another three copy it all over the web.

But in the end it is just an exercise in futility. There is no way one person can do all this and still practice real estate. Believe me, I considered it for a few delusional moments.

In the end, truth be known, the spoils will go to those that know how to evaluate and manipulate their technology into market friendly services. You see technology is constantly devaluating and becoming obsolete.

The web process above is really a holistic relationship that must syncronize with the rest of your business. Thus, the technology flavor of the week does not make a hill of beans.

By making your technology your servant you can demand a return on your investment.

Thinking about a new computer? Put it against some sort of multiplier just like an apartment building. You will demand y revenues times the cost from your computer.

This is not always perfect, but it does make your purchase accountable.

I like to show our clients the metrics that will help them determine the value of doing business with us. We look at the predicted cost per sale, the cost per lead, and so on to help prove value to you.

I demand the same from my vendors.