Resource Section

The Internet and computer technology are two vital business tools for the small and mid-size business professional. Consumers are becoming savvier due to access to information on the Internet and are looking for small and mid-size business experts and consultants to help guide them through the home buyer process.

The challenge for small and mid-size business professionals is how to implement and use these resources to enhance and grow their business without becoming time consuming, cumbersome or even worse inhibiting service to their clients. Whether you are taking your first leap into technology or if you were an early adopter, we have compiled several articles to help you with your technology decisions.

General Information
   The Right Technology For Your Business
Just Starting Out
   The Technology To-Do List© for beginners
   Should I have a Web Site
Going to the Next Level
   The Technology To-Do List© For The Next Level
   Designing & Building Your Web Site
   Choosing an Internet Service Provider (ISP)
   Choosing A Web Site Developer
   Technology and Your Web Site
   Marketing Your Web Site
   What is Search Engines Marketing?
   What is Pay-Per-click Marketing?

If you have a specific question that is not covered in one of the above articles, please email your questions to info@uwel.com. We will try to answer your question as quickly as possible.

The Right Technology for Your Businesstop

Technology is a wonderful business tool for small and mid-size business profession. However, most agents and small buiness owners are told only to buy top of the line computer systems. While this advice is fine for the advanced users and computer aficionados, it creates problems for the typical agent or business person who simply wants to use a computer to become more productive.

What's The Problem?

Too many small business and mid-size business owners and agents focus on the specifications and not the applications. Buying computers has become too much like buying HI-FI equipment was in the past - everyone comparing reams of specs so that their dogs will truly enjoy the opera.

I know many small and mid-size business owners and agents who have spent a fortune on technology, but have not received any real value from their investment. The majority have not been adequately trained to utilize the new technology and simply have expensive word processors.

Even worse, many small and mid-size business owners and agents have yet to implement computer technology into their business practices because they are intimidated by the jargon, features, and price tag. As a result their business is being left behind.

What Should You Focus On
The reality is this.......
Buy what you can afford and budget for software you need.

The software applications manage your contacts, create attractive promotional materials and allow you access to the Internet. Additionally, the software enables you to better manage your time, resources, and communicate more effectively with your clients. The computer hardware simply executes the software instructions, and any new machine sold today will run average business software programs without any problem.

Computers are tools, and should be evaluated and used as tools. If you find your needs change over the course of your business or if your system needs upgrading, you can easily manage it no matter the system you buy today.

What You Need

1. Notebook Computer - Sales is a mobile business. There is really no reason for a salesperson to buy anything other than a notebook computer. Notebooks today have the same speed and abilities as their desktop cousins and should be the computer of choice for all agents and small and mid-size business owners.

2. A Good Processor - Most people place too much emphasis on processor speeds. Any machine based on the Intel Pentium III or the AMD K-3 will be more than adequate for small business and mid-size business owner profession.

3. RAM (Random Access Memory) - RAM enables the CPU to work on programs in a very fast atmosphere. You want a system with at least 64 megabytes. If the unit you like comes with less, then you can simply buy an additional memory as needed.

4. Display Screen - If you plan on making computer presentations to consumers, then you will need an "active matrix" display, and at least a 13 inch screen. If you are simply planning on using your computer as a productivity tool, and are sure that you won't need it for presentations, then you can function with a "dual-scan" screen - which will cost several hundred dollars less.

5. Business Features - While there are countless other features and options available, a few that should be seriously considered by the business user are as follows:

· TV or S-Video Output - If you do intend on using your computer for business presentations, then the ability to patch into a TV using a standard RCA cable will be a real treat. Just about any TV or VCR has such inputs.

· Internal Ethernet Adapters - While most notebooks now come equipped with internal modems, newer business models not often come with internal Ethernet adapters as well. If your office provides a network, or if you think you might like to network your personal notebook computer and your desktop unit, then this is an invaluable feature to shop for.

· Firewire - The newer data ports that are in conformance with standard IEEE 1394 are commonly called Firewire ports. This standard is great for transferring large amounts of information, quickly.

6. Everything Else - All of the extra features such as modems, CD drives etc. are pretty much standardized and I wouldn't spend too much time focusing on these features.

The Bottom Line

If you're in sales you need a laptop, not a desktop. Buy anything with Windows 98, do not buy a Macintosh and I would advise against Windows ME for business use as well.

You can get a solid business machine by shopping in the $1,500 to $2,000 price range. You can certainly spend more than that, but most business users do not need to. If you are new to computers, plan on spending another $1,000 in software within the next six months.

Finally, give serious consideration to attending quality software training programs. It is downright depressing how many of the business owners and agents who are spending too much are also using too little of what is already available to them

The Technology To-Do List© for Beginnerstop

Too Many Choices?
With constant advances in technology, the most difficult question facing the average small and mid-size business owner is exactly which technologies they should implement first.

It would be easy for most of us to assemble a "to-do" list of technology that we would like to start using this year. Unfortunately, that list would most likely exceed both our budget and our ability to implement.

Investing In Technology

Rather than thinking about buying all the technology you need at once, you need to start thinking about it as an on-going investment and budget accordingly. Successful business people invest in education, marketing and technology on a continual basis. Like it or not, technology is an ever growing part of our future, and the future is not something you buy at once.

How much to invest every year is going to depend on where you are on the technology curve right now, where you want to be, and when. As a rule of thumb, I suggest you budget as much on computer-related technology as you spend on your personal communications, meaning the total of your business line, cell phone and pager combined.

What to Do First

For small and mid-size business owners who are just beginning to develop your business technology, I have compiled a list of technology that should represents the core technologies that any salesperson that takes the future seriously must fully exploit. Each of these tools are just about guaranteed to be worthwhile investments, as long as they are thoughtfully, and aggressively used.

The A List:

Notebook Computer - For most salespeople, the days of needing a desktop computer are over. Notebooks today have more than enough power to run entire businesses, and can also plug into all of the commonly desired accessories such as: monitors, keyboards, printers, scanners, back-up drives, etc. As long as you're running a Pentium III class machine (or the equivalent AMD K3) and have an "active" display, you can operate as a truly mobile professional.

Contact Management Software - This is the must have software for sales productivity. The programs enable you to keep track of every detail regarding your prospects, sphere of influence, geographical farm and past clients. Managing thousands of contacts is amazingly simple and the ability to mass mail personalized prospecting and follow up letters is just the beginning of their power.

Palm Pilots - Now that the latest versions of Top Producer and Online Agent offer the ability to synchronize information between your computer and the Palm Operating System (OS), it is a great time to explore the Palm series. The power of having access to every contact, appointment and to-do list in your jacket pocket cannot be underestimated. In fact, combined with the cell phone that you already own a Palm computer will allow you to be organized and in touch whenever you please.

Broadband Internet Access - Services like ATT are popular among consumers, and Internet Service Provider (ISP) provide stable dial-up Internet access from anywhere in the county. However, cable and DSL make high-speed Internet access available for any business, even home-based offices. The added speed of any broadband connection may not seem necessary, until you start to use them. Then, you will never want to access the Internet any other way!

Professional E-mail - Any technology that enables salespeople to contact more prospects, while providing better follow up communication, is a valuable one indeed. The telephone, pager, fax machine voice mail and cellular phone are all examples of how technology can improve productivity. With professional email software such as Eudora Pro or Outlook, email has the potential to rival the function of all of these devices combined.

Personal Web Site - Web site provide an amazing return on investment. For a fraction of the cost of a quality classified advertising budget you can have an effective web site on the Internet. As long as you include your web page's "address" absolutely in all of your marketing materials, you really cannot fail to receive value on this kind of investment.

Digital Cameras - Few technologies are as satisfying to use as the digital camera. Not only does it save both time and money, but it also represents one of the few technologies that can directly impress your customers and clients.

Once you have successfully integrated these technologies into your business you will begin to see a change in how you do business. Continue to evaluate and grow your technology investment while keeping the purpose of the technology in mind...

To Enhance Your Business Practices.

Should I have a Web Site?top

The number one question posed by my clients and potential clients is "should I have a web site?" The answer is yes. The reality is that the Web and Internet technology in general, can serve many purposes; but no entity should even consider implementing a web site or web tool without developing a serious Internet Strategy Plan.

As with any business or venture, a successful web site starts with a plan. We call this plan your Internet Strategy Plan. In your plan you should answer the following questions:

What is the purpose of our web site?
What are our goals for the web?
Who is our target audience and what will they get from our web site?
How will we know our web site is successful?
How will our target audience know about us or find our web site?
What kind of resources will we need to successfully implement and maintain this web site
How much will it cost?

There are millions people using the Internet. Most people use the web to find information in order to research products and/or service prior to making a key buying decision.

Today we find Web sites being used for promoting short-term events like a movie or play, trading stocks on the market, transaction management solution, Virtual tours, Alert reminder, to mass distribution of human resource information to employees. In general, here are some of the basic uses of a web site.

Promote sales and marketing
Create a company presence
Improve access to information
Reduce costs
Improve distribution
Centralize control
Reuse of information
Improve customer satisfaction

When you complete your Internet Strategy Plan you will have all the information you need to determine whether a web site can be beneficial to your organization or would be more plausible at another time.

The Technology To-Do List© for the Next Leveltop

Now that you've seen the success of implementing core technologies into your business practices, the next step is to truly optimize your use of technology to take your business to the next level. The following are the next two tiers a small and mid-size business owners should consider implementing.

The B List:

The next tier of technology investments may add just as much productivity as the "A-List" but generally not until you have fully integrated core technologies (see article "The Technology To-Do List for Beginners") into your business activities.

Presentation Software - More and more of today's small and mid-size business professional are successfully taking their technology into the field. Armed with a notebook computer and presentation software available from either Top Producer or by using Microsoft's Power Point program, any one can easily create outstanding presentations for their consumers.

Portable Printers - If you're going to go portable with your technology, then a portable printer is an eventual a must-have purchase. While being able to show consumers property flyers,products,services and MLS searches in their living room is a great use of technology to keep you and your properties fresh in their minds, leave a printed copy of the flyer or MLS listing for their review. When you realize that a good portable printer can be had for under $300 and that that these units really are portable, it does not take much calculation to realize their true value to today's mobile professionals.

Scanners - In terms of creating the "paperless office" the scanner cannot be beat. Keep in mind that it is actually the document management software included with your scanner that really helps you get organized and become more productive. To begin cutting the ties to paper and files, consider scanning a copy of all of your standard listing and sales forms. Combined with a portable printer you can truly become a more mobile professional.

Financial Analysis - Most agents and small business owners seem to shy away from offering other advise such as financial, instead simply referring them to others. Unfortunately, this runs counter to growing consumer demands for one-stop shopping and expert advice from all of their business contacts. While no one is saying the agent or small business owner need to become a mortgage underwriter or product manager, having accurate answers to all of your client's questions and offering unbiased and expert advice certainly goes a long way towards adding value to your services, and creating satisfied customers. The financial software programs from Top Producer can make the task of financial counseling extremely simple, effective and accurate.

The C List:

The last grouping of technologies all have value, but are a lower tier in terms of what they can add to the typical small business owner and small and mid-size business agents income, productivity and time savings. This is not to say that you should avoid these technologies, just that they should not be addressed until you have fully exploited the more important, and productive, technologies.

Desk Top Publishing - One of the biggest technology traps that ensnare business owners and small and mid-size business agents is Desktop Publishing, (DTP) software. Whether you're considering PageMaker, MS Publisher or another DTP program, you probably shouldn't, unless you're a truly an advanced technology user. Few agents are competent graphic artists or can spare the precious hours needed to become competent in creating effective marketing pieces. Given that many software programs come with ready to use marketing templates for flyers, brochures, postcards and even door-hangers, you likely don't need standalone DTP software.

Mapping & Demographics - One of the great benefits of the computer age is the ability to purchase electronic information. Every day the availability of software for mapping, demographics, school information, and public records increases. While all of these categories lend themselves to providing greater customer service and personal efficiency, they do not represent products that provide the immediate return on investment for most small and mid-size business professionals and small business owners. Additionally, this information can often be found on the Internet for free.

Digital Camcorders - While the promise of affordable, all digital motion photography is coming, it's not yet a "price productive" technology. If you want to create your own digital multi-media, take a look at the Dazzle Digital Video Creator from Dazzle Multimedia instead. For under $250 you can create computerized video files from your existing camcorder or VHS player and then use these clips for distribution via CD ROM, email or for download from your personal website.

Web-Enabled Phones - While the commercials make these new tools seem both practical and nearly indispensable, the fact is that there's only so much you can read on the small screens that come with these units. Just imagine that you're trying to read this entire article on a cell phone display. In addition, the current technology only allows for communicating at about 10K - less than a fourth of the speed that even dial-up Internet users enjoy. While they may have many uses for business people in general, and certainly represent the future, the typical small and mid-size business agent and small business owners don't need to invest in this technology, yet.

Your Future

As you plan your technology strategy, whether for yourself or your associates, I sincerely hope that you will reflect on these lists to determine how effectively you are using technology, and to set realistic goals for implementing newer technologies into the future.
On a final note, regardless of where you are on the technology curve, realize that the shift to technology for enhanced productivity and production is an on-going process and that without effective training, results will typically be marginal.

Designing & Building Your Web Sitetop

Successful web sites consider the big picture. You must have a comprehensive strategy to succeed. This keeps your business and web site integrated. Your strategy will outline everything you plan to do to engage your target audience to participate in your web site. It will also provide the mechanism for measuring the effectiveness of your site.

Once your Internet Strategy Plan is completed, the next steps to consider are cost, technology needs, and designing your web site.

How much will it cost?
While this question is answered through the development of your Internet Strategy Plan, here is some additional information to help you understand the investment you are about to make.

Web sites can range in price, from as little as the cost of good authoring tool and your sweat equity to upwards of 5 million dollars. What comprises the drastic difference in price? Interactivity and personalization. The Web is an experience and the more personal and customized you want to make it, the more you will have to invest.

Technology Needs
The next decision you will need to make is, will we develop our web site 100% in-house or will we need to outsource. There are pros and cons to both. (As a rule of thumb, it's a good idea that, 1) you always mange the project in house, and 2) if you outsource, develop a plan with your consultants to bring the operation in house over time and in phases.) In general, most entities do a combination of in-house/outsource. The top reasons to outsource are time and lack of internal skilled resources.

Expect to spend money in the following areas:

Internet- Web hosting and access (ISPs)
Site Architecture- Web design and programming
Technology- hardware, software, databases, network, etc.
Staffing - system admins, artists, programmers, writers, editors, etc.
Content- license fees, news feeds, articles, graphics, etc.

Designing Your Web Site
When we think of design, it's easy to think of the glitz, the graphics. But the truth is that although they are important, they are not the most important aspect of the site. Interface design is responsible for radically important things like the stability of your surfer's web site experience. For example, how a surfer navigates around your web site, finding and/or not finding the information they seek is part of that. How information is structured, relates to one another, is organized, is also interface design. In the long run, interface design is much more important than graphic design. Web developers who have interface design skills can provide graphic design, but this is not true in reverse. Remember, a web site doesn't need to be completely graphic dependent to be designed.

It is usually advisable to contract a professional web develop and design firm to handle design, implementation, and maintenance of your website. Monitoring, maintaining and evaluating a web site is a full time job and the majority of small and mid-size business professionals do not have the time or skills to dedicate to this task. Find a group who understands your needs and can help develop the best web site for your budget and needs.

Choosing an Internet Service Provider (ISP)top

The core of any web site is the Internet connection. Without it, your site is not live. Better put, you are out of business. Most entities start off by using an Internet Service Provider (ISP) to establish and maintain their dedicated connection to the Internet.

The alternative to using an ISP is to host your web site in-house. This requires that you have dedicated equipment and personnel to set-up and maintain your domain name, hardware, software, and network. The investment can be great. Large companies tend to do this since they usually have the infrastructure already established in the form of IS\MIS departments. Smaller companies tend to use ISPs.

It's important to keep in mind that ISPs specialize in different things. ISPs generally target their service packages around three different types of client needs: individuals, small workgroups, and large corporations. In order to determine which ISP can/will best serve your needs, try to determine in advance what type of services you require and prefer (in that order). ISPs are located all around the globe. It is not necessary that you use an ISP that is physically in your same geographic area. Unless having physical access to your ISP is important (say for hands-on training).

Minimally, your ISP should provide: 1) domain name registration, 2) web hosting with as much storage capacity as you need and easily upgradeable, 3) cgi-bin access, 4) log file tracking and reports, 5) secure account access, and 6) a speedy server and connection to the Internet. Here are a few questions to consider asking your ISP.

How long have you been an Internet Service Provider?
How are you connected to the Internet? T-1? T-3?
How many other users will share your connection with me?
Do you have plans to upgrade to a higher bandwidth connection?
What network services do you provide? DNS? Usenet News?
Do you register domain names for IP addresses? At what cost?
Do you provide dedicated high-speed connections? Speeds? Costs?
What are your uptime statistics? What references do you have?
What type of statistical tracking tools do you use?
Do you sell or lease hardware for use on-site?
Do you offer support (personal and on-line), training, and guidelines?
Do you restrict access to any part of the Internet?

A reliable and efficient ISP will keep your web site up and running the way you designed. Don't let your ISP keep you from getting the most out of your online business.

Choosing a web site developer?top

Choosing a web site developer can be one of the toughest decisions. The reasons are simple. This industry has developed in a very short period of time. Much has happened since 1993 with its Mosaic browser CERN put the Web on the map. In addition, every Tom, Dick, and ACME has opened its doors as a web site developer (HTML guru).

These people and entities range in experience and cost. We have seen price quotes from dollars per page to $300 per hour. This makes it even harder to narrow down your selection when developers don't all use the same rating scheme. To add insult to injury, you also have ISPs (Internet Service Providers) throwing their hat into the ring. ISPs have started bundling web publishing software and web development services into their basic web hosting packages. With all these choices, how do you make a decision?

When choosing a web site developer, keep these questions in mind:

How long have they been in business
What is their experience (i.e. design portfolio)
What type of web sites do they design
Do they also offer hosting services
Do they have a list of references

Do not be afraid to ask questions that may seem trivial. This is your online business and the developer should be a consultant to help you with design, functionality, web site layout, and content. If the developer cannot deliver these services you may want to consider looking for another developer.

Technology and Web Site Designtop

Technology is the one aspect of the Web that can change 12 times in a single day. Fast-paced is putting it mildly. Everyone wants and needs a web developer who's cutting-edge, ahead of the pack, savvy about the latest standards, rules, and tools. This is a given. What separates the developer pack is the way in which they understand the limitations of the technology.

For example, if most of your target audience is using Netscape Navigator 3.0, your developer should not propose implementing Internet Explorer specific tags. This will hinder the enjoyment of your web site by people using the Netscape browser.

If your site is more than 10 web pages, maintenance becomes a concern. It can cost a fair amount of money to update your vaults worth of HTML files. You may already have a web site that you just need to re -vamp. Does your developer know about Cascading Style Sheets or Database Publishing? These are two state-of-the-art methods that can ease maintenance.

The Web is all about interactivity with the current trend being the more interactive the better. Interactivity has a price, and it not just monetary. If your target audience is comprised of home surfers, they probably use a modem (14.4,28.8 or a few lucky ones 56K) to connect to the Internet. Their connection speed can impact their enjoyment of your web site experience. Your web developer should proactively recommend standards for you to follow to maximize your audience's experience. Ideally, you would like your web developer to have some background knowledge in information systems and/or software development.

Marketing Your Web Sitetop

Surfers do not just end up at your web site. Like anything else, you need to motivate them to participate in your web experience. Marketing is the mechanism by which you drive traffic (visitors, surfers, users, customers) to your web site.

Your company probably already has marketing personnel and a marketing plan. Something that indicates what programs, projects, and products you plan to implement in certain time frames and to whom you plan to target. Well, start thinking of the Web as another channel for your distribution. If your web site is going to be successful there needs to is a clear marketing plan associated with it.

There are many resources to use to market your web site as well as your business as a whole. One of the simplest ways is to tell people you have one. Include your URL on all printed materials, your voicemail, email signature or anyplace a possible client may see it.

Another idea is to keep your URL simple and easy to remember. When planning your web site design be sure to pick a URL that has marketing value. Simple URLs that are related to your business work best.

Search engines and directories are large databases of web sites from all over the world all vying for a few coveted top 20 rankings. If you are serious about your search engine ranking, you should talk to your designer about how to optimize for search engines in the design phase or contact SEO@uwel.com, search engine optimization service.

You web site marketing should tie into the metrics and information pulled from web site traffic and other available gross data concerning your site. Learn how to read the information reports or work with a consultant who understands how to interpret the information for your specific business.

View your web site as an online version of your business. It is your electronic office and meeting place with prospects and clients. Provide valuable information that is changed in a timely manner and visitor will return and spread the word for you.

What is Search Engines Marketing? top

The internet would be impossible to navigate without the aid of search engines. These clever tools include popular brands like Yahoo!, AOL, Google, MSN, and Altavista. Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is the process of structuring the content on your web pages in such a way that it increases the chances of your online assets being among the first to be found when a potential customer navigates through the internet in search of products and services. The objective is to consistently be among the top 10-20 web sites in the list of results for the most relevant searches. This prime positioning is one of the techniques employed by the most commonly visited sites on the Internet.
If potential customers cannot find your site, they cannot buy or participate in your branding. The SEO process is a complex discipline. The methods search engines use to recommend a web site involve a continually changing set of algorisms that vary from search engine to search engine. One requirement is a careful selection of key words that identify your business and its offerings to customers randomly searching to get answers and directions to businesses like yours. Your key words then have to be strategically placed throughout your web site as an integrated component of the content of each page. A professional approach to ensuring the highest placement and visibility for your web site is the most cost effective way to capitalize on your online investment.

What is Pay-Per-Click Marketing?top
Placement in a search engine. By determining which keywords that produce more sales you can determine which terms you are willing to pay for. Companies such as Overture go further, by displaying your link across multiple engines. The top 3 bidders on Overture are listed not only as the top on www.overture.com but, as the top 3 on other engines such as Yahoo!!, info space, Ask Jeeves, AltaVista, Netscape, and MSN. Advertising with a PPC search engine is a great way to drive targeted traffic to your site because you only pay for actual clicks to your site. It is risk free and a cheaper alternative to listing with the bigger search engines. Search engines like AltaVista, Yahoo and Google get lots of traffic but they are expensive. Uwel.com as Your Media Partner. The one true metric used to measure the success of your web site is to ask; is your web site making money? One integral step to achieve this goal is realized by ensuring your placement in search engines when potential customers are looking for products and services like yours.
Search engines are being used by over 85% of all Internet users. We know how important those top search engine rankings are. In fact, over 42% of all online purchases are attributed to users that navigated from the major search engines rankings. That's why, at Uwel.com we continually study and implement search engine ranking guidelines. Our online marketing staff includes qualified SEO programmers from The Academy of Web Specialists (http://www.academywebspecialists.com).
Uwel.com manages the entire process from initial consulting, crafting your marketing message, complete integration of key words into your web site, and continual optimization of search engine performance that delivers top placement on the internet.

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