June 2003 Newsletter

And what is so rare as a day in June? Then, if ever, come perfect days; 
Then Heaven tries earth if it be in tune - and over it softly her warm ear lays.
- James Russell Lowell

“Building our Family with Friends” Promotion

At ADVANCED ACCESS, we like to think of you - our valued clients - as part of our extended family.  It was only a few years ago that we were a small family business working out of our home.  Our family has grown much larger over the years - with about 20,000 members - and we would like to thank you for your years of business and support with an exciting new promotion.

You - our family - can now help us continue to grow by referring us to friends who will benefit from a state-of-the-art website and innovative marketing tools to help MAXIMIZE their Internet presence.  Everyone’s a winner in our “Building our Family with Friends” promotion.

A $100 Gift for the first Referral who joins the Family
and a Drawing for Over $10,000 in Prizes
for each additional referral!

Here’s how it works:  Between now and September 1st, 2003, simply complete our online form to send us the name of your colleague and/or friend who might be interested in our products and services for the real estate industry.  When the FIRST referral purchases our products, YOU will be awarded a $100 FREE gift certificate toward anything offered at GiftCertificates.com.  For each additional referral, your name is entered in our GRAND DRAWING for over $10,000 of prizes, AND if your referral purchases our products you will receive a FREE month of hosting added to your contract!

Your Friend Wins too!  During our “Building our Family with Friends” promotion, we’re offering a special discount price on our web products and services to the person you refer to us.  All they have to do is tell our sales representatives that YOU referred them, and they’ll receive the special price.*

It’s EASY to be a winner in our contest, and there is NO limit to the number of referrals you can send us.  EACH TIME you send us a referral your name will be entered in our GRAND DRAWING.  The more referrals you send us - the more chances you have to WIN! 

Your $100.00 certificate to GiftCertificates.com allows you to choose from hundreds of gift categories, including Apparel, Beauty products, Spa Certificates, Entertainment, Hotels and Travel, Electronics, Dining, Sports products and MUCH more. 

Our GRAND PRIZE lineup includes over $10,000 worth of prizes, with the GRAND PRIZE being a fabulous GEM CAR (Global Electric Motors) by Chrysler (Retail Price $6,995.00.)  Other prizes include an HP Multimedia Notebook Computer, Sony Digital Cameras, and PALM m515s.  Our drawing will be held on September 15, 2003 and the results will be posted on our website and announced in the September Newsletter. 

So don’t delay - fill out our referral form TODAY.  You and your friend will both reap the rewards of our “Building our Family with Friends” promotion. 



(Photo Copyright© Global Electric Motors, LLC)

* Our online form must be filled out in order to receive credit for the referral.

 

Two AA Websites that WOW Win Awards in Florida

Congratulations to two ADVANCED ACCESS clients who were recognized recently as ‘Top Ten’ sites for both the Salesperson and Company categories.  The winners were announced in Florida Realtor Magazine’s 4th Annual “Point, Click and Profit: Web Sites That Wow!” Contest.

Placing second in the Salesperson category was Louis Wery, Coldwell Banker Previews, from Longboat Key, Florida .  Louis’ site was recognized for “a great use of a template website that’s fast loading with a clean home page design,” and also noted features like recent sales and current mortgage rate information which is a plus for visiting consumers.

Finishing third in the Company category was Equity Max, Inc. - located in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.  The residential investment site takes a different approach, aimed at “making the process of buying and financing investment properties in South Florida faster and more cost effective” to its customers.

Brad Emmer, founder of Equity Max, Inc., reports "We are averaging 7500 hits monthly, the highest it's ever been! The advertising and educational value provided by our Web site, and its accompanying functionality have arguably been the single biggest factors in fueling our growth over the past several years. There has never been an easier or more cost and time effective method available to us for the purpose of introducing people interactively to the real estate investment business than our Web site. We thank ADVANCED ACCESS, with their keen focus on the real estate industry, for helping translate our creativity into effective, revenue-producing cyber-tools and for being most accommodating over the years in helping to refine and improve our Web presentation."

The criteria for the awards was a combination of evaluating sites for unique features such as clear focus, simple design which allows visitors to find what they want, organization, and finally being “user friendly.”

How has the Internet changed the way you do Business?
AA Clients Share Their Thoughts in our Forum

One of the latest subjects in our AA forums was introduced by Gregg Wiatt from Prescott , Arizona.  Greg posed the question, “How has the Internet changed the way you conduct your business?” 

Some of our clients had some interesting thoughts that reinforce the fact that the Internet has truly revolutionized the real estate industry.  Read on for some of their opinions...

Geri Sonkin, from Long Island, New York, says, “The Internet has had a profound impact on the way I do business.  Because 65-70% of my business currently comes from the Internet, I can be more selective in deciding which buyers to work with. I used to spend my days driving people all over.  I find the web consumer to be much easier to work with (most of the time). They've already done a lot of the groundwork and by the time they come out with me, they're ready to buy (or close to it).

I've had a presence on the Internet for several years now. In the beginning, I was attracting buyers, almost exclusively. At this point, I've started attracting many sellers as well. I've picked up a number of listings from the web and that's wonderful because they feel they know me before we even meet.”

Kristin Noll, from Milwaukee, reports that the Internet has streamlined her listing process.  She writes...

“I just got my first completely on-line listing!  I have had many buyers from the internet, and my Home Value Form traffic was increasing, but this is the first time a listing came from on-line.

The seller filled out the Home Value Form, I e-mailed him a simple list of actives and sales for the last 12 months. But I told him "If you would like a full marketing and pricing strategy of your property, please contact me to arrange a viewing and I will give you a report detailing the best way to get the highest price in the least amount of time."

He said "I'll be in town Friday at 10:00."  After viewing the property, I e-mailed him the marketing plan and suggestions for improvements and pricing.  A few days later he said he wanted me as his agent. I emailed him a listing contract (Zip Forms) and it goes on the market next week!   Thanks AA and here's to many more!”

Dan Hill, from Scottsdale, Arizona, can’t imagine doing business without the Internet.  He writes, “I do not refer to out of area Agents who don't have a website or e-mail address.  I find the same is true locally.  When you do a transaction with an Agent who has web savvy, they always seem to run more smoothly with less speed bumps. “

Wendy Pickard, from Thousand Oaks, California, writes “The buyer in my most recent transaction found my website indirectly but it was my website that sold her on me.  She looked on Realtor.com first, fortunately for me I had just joined for a minimal fee. She clicked on my AA website and liked what she saw. She said my site was informative, full of information and I looked friendly and she felt I would be great to work with.   We looked at property the next day, found a great home for her. Multiple offers of course! but we got it!

I believe that most of my business this year will come from my website. I'm working with another buyer directly from my site. We are on our 3rd offer (again, multiple offers) and we hope to get it this time!”

How has the Internet changed the way YOU do business?  To share your thoughts, visit our forum and post your response.  We invite you to check out the conversation, ask questions, learn more, and chat with your colleagues around the country. To see who's participating, log in to your virtual office and locate the banner at the bottom of the page.

Winners of the ‘Most Impressive AA Website’ Contest

In our May newsletter, we announced the nominees for The Most Impressive AA Website.  The nominees were submitted by contributors to our AA Forum.  Congratulations to all who participated in the contest - with hundreds of votes submitted, it was a close race between all of the contenders.  The people with the highest number of votes are...

#1 - Dan Hill  - Phoenix, Arizona

#2 - Debbie Ferrari - San Clemente, CA

#3 - Hanan Levin - Yorba Linda, CA

The three winners in the Most Impressive AA Website contest have all worked hard on their link popularity, MEGA content and unique features for the homebuyer and seller.  In addition, they feel their participation in our AA Forum sharing ideas with their peers helps them to further improve their visibility on the Internet.  The results are higher rankings on the search engines and large numbers of unique visitors each day.   Congratulations to all the winners!

“Just the FACTS” About the Internet and Real Estate

  • According to the NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS® (NAR), real estate agents who use more sophisticated technology tools earn up to 75% more than typical agents who do not. The plain fact is simple: technology helps REALTORS® excel!
        
  • Internet Buyers increased in one year from 37% to 41%, signifying the comfort level with use of the Internet among homebuyers nationwide. Interestingly enough, Traditional Buyers decreased from 63% to 59% in that same year!
       
  • 72% of Internet Buyers found their home through a real estate agent compared to only 63% of Traditional Buyers. In fact, the 37% of Traditional Buyers who found their home on their own were more prone to visit open houses (37%); drive around looking for "For Sale" signs (34%); and search through newspapers ads (19%). These numbers along underscore the importance of having a well-developed presence on the Internet for potential homebuyers to locate, research, and utilize the entire home buying process.
       
  • Internet Buyers also spent 4.5 weeks investigating the market before contacting an agent; almost 3 weeks longer than the average of 1.8 weeks spent by the Traditional Buyers. Amazingly, the Traditional Buyer then spent 6.6 weeks looking for a home compared only 2 weeks for the Internet Buyer. At the same time, Internet Buyers saw significantly fewer homes (7.5 homes) in their home search than Traditional Buyers who saw about double at 15.2 homes.

The powerful statistics above demonstrate that the Internet is not just “the wave of the future” - it’s here and NOW.   Working with Internet savvy buyers and sellers means you’ll have MORE prospects, and you will be spending LESS TIME showing property to a MORE INFORMED audience.  That’s why it’s so important, if you’re not already doing so, to commit your time and resources to your personal Internet Marketing program today.    

Every week you receive a marketing tip from us via e-mail.  We’ve seen PROOF that our clients who read their marketing tips and put them into use are those with the greatest success on the Internet.  We keep all of our marketing tips on the ADVANCED ACCESS website for your review, and invite you to take advantage of this valuable resource.  

Find out all the news in our NEW Media/Press Room

We’re pleased to announce the addition of a new Media/Press Room on our ADVANCED ACCESS website.  We have provided this convenient page so that you can read about the exciting news and developments that have taken place with our company over the history of our service to our customers and clients.

On this page you’ll find an archival history of our press releases, and also a complete listing of all our Monthly Newsletters (past and present) that we distribute to you via e-mail.  

Thanks to our new Director of Marketing and Advertising, Gary Brackle, for the creation of this new section in our website.  

Featured Employee of the Month

This month we're featuring one of our talented and efficient Customer Support Representatives, Brandon Hagewood. Although Brandon has only been with the company for six months, he is a rising star with a huge fan base of happy clients.

A charming personality with an instinctive gift for working with people, it's natural that Brandon would gravitate to customer service. Prior to coming to ADVANCED ACCESS, Brandon worked for the Walt Disney Company in reservations and travel operations. He was also worked for Carnival Cruise Lines out of Miami, Florida, as a staff musician in the Broadway Show Orchestra and Shipboard Safety.

Brandon grew up in La Mirada, California and on various Caribbean Islands with a younger brother and sister. He graduated from La Mirada High School and Cal State Northridge as a jazz saxophone major.

In his free time a talented freelance musician (he plays sax, bass, and keyboards), Brandon is also a remix engineer, currently working on his own album. Not in a relationship at this time, Brandon likes to think of his musical equipment and over 600 albums as his "children."

Here's what some of our clients have to say about Brandon:

"I just had the most delightful rewarding and helpful experience with Brandon you could ever imagine. He was so very courteous in helping me evaluate my web site. I just can't even begin to describe how much I liked his approach to making his customer (me) feel great. He must have real Raving Fans. He is definitely a Keeper!"
- Greg L. Falconer GRI CRS

"Outstanding customer service! I called support and spoke with Brandon who "on the spot" tweaked my home page. I could have logged into my virtual office to make the changes, but Brandon offered to assist me immediately. Customer service like this is a lost art in this day and age. The promotion of the level of service you provide on your site is very true. I will definitely recommend your company to my peers."
- John F. Usher, Realtor, Century 21 Desert Palm

"I want to take this opportunity to commend ADVANCED ACCESS for their outstanding customer service. I recently had what to me was a serious problem with my domain name. Brandon not had a solution to my problem but took the initiative to call the other company hosting my domain and transfer it over to another company for me. I was at my wits end and ready to give up and he came through like a knight in shining armor. He went way out of his way to help me and then followed up with me the next day. Again thank you for such gracious customer service reps. I am looking forward to another year with ADVANCED ACCESS."
- Judy Haley, Lake Havasu City, AZ

Well spoken and intellectual, Brandon is a talented communicator with a terrific sense of humor. Brandon's passion and enthusiasm for his work set him apart, and we're proud to work with him here at Advanced Access.


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