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Listen to Matthew Ferrara’s recent interview with the Massachusetts Association of REALTORS exploring ideas on how to use technology to cut costs, grow market share and innovate in today’s challenging real estate market. Jump start your productivity in the new year with some straightforward and easy-to-implement ideas for leveraging technology to make 2009 a great year to be in real estate.

In this latest podcast, Matthew discusses:

• Using Technology to cut costs in this market
  If this market isn’t making brokers and agents face the harsh reality of print-marketing’s ineffectiveness, then there’s really no hope for other change to come to the industry either. Brokers are simply out of money to keep doing the same old things because they’re afraid to confront their customers – who will ultimately hold them accountable for their ineffective marketing anyway. Kill the classified and leverage print as a channel tool to push customers to the web. You’ll use less print – lower costs – and be more effective. Now that’s a bargain.
• Using wireless and smartphone technology
  Six out of ten agents still don’t own a smartphone. If you think the same number of your sellers and buyers don’t either, you’re in for a surprise. There’s just no other way to be effective while on the road showing and selling homes. Brokers who still have an office full of rotary-dial-tone users should just throw in the towel now and go work for someone else. As for agents who won’t take the plunge, they’re going to find their customers looking at them in utter disbelief.
• Social Networking: Steps to success
  The usual real estate method of “spreading everything everywhere” won’t work in social networking. There are too many sites and not enough hours in the day. Focus on two or three places – and cut the nitwit chatter – to leverage social networking as the new prospecting, the instant customer-for-life-platform. Oh, yeah, and it’s free.
• What’s a waste of time these days?
  Let’s do a double whammy and say that if you’re not using your own digital camera to take your own listing VIDEOS then you’re wasting market time by waiting for someone else to do your virtual tour and get it online, and you’re spending money you otherwise could invest in more productive returns. Truth be told, nobody’s really impressed with those silent movies anyway.
• Predictions for 2009
  The first prediction is that most of the predictions will be wrong – because they always are. But some “already on the horizon” predictions include being connected all the time to your sphere, your database and your inventory through pervasive wireless technology; creating success through integration of technology, not just adding it on top of tired old business practices; and a few other goodies that you’ll just have to listen to the podcast to find out…. :>
• Listen to the podcast now.