January 2004 Newsletter

”The Old Year has gone.  The New Year has taken possession of the clock of time.  All hail the duties and possibilities of the coming twelve months!”  ~Edward Payson Powell

An Eventful Year… AA Products & Services Released in 2003

2003 was a colossal year for product additions and enhancements here at ADVANCED ACCESS.  In case you missed some of last year’s news, the following is a review of the products, services, and upgrades we released in 2003.   Our products are designed to help you become more successful in your business, so be sure to take advantage of ALL the fabulous marketing tools available to you in a comprehensive Internet marketing program for the New Year.  

·        To begin the year, we released some upgrades and enhancements on our fabulous Intellicards 3.0 Email Marketing program. 

·        In February, Realty Times, one of our marketing partners, announced even more exposure on the Internet's most trafficked real estate portals, including front page positioning for Market ConditionsTM reporter clients on Realtor.com and MSN House & Home, and a new advertising contract with Google.com.

·        Last year we announced the formation of our own in-house ADVANCED ACCESS Forum.   Since its inception you've posted over 24,000 messages with innovative ideas, reciprocal link sharing, GREAT Internet marketing questions and more.  Our members average over 600 posts per week, and have started 2547 “threads” (individual subjects) for review by our thousands of forum members. 

·        In the spring of 2003, we announced an association with OnBoard LLC to provide NEW comprehensive school information on your website. Offering parents a guide to virtually all of the public and private K-12 schools in the United States, this resource helps your clients evaluate specific schools with information they need to make an informed decision about their child's education.

·        Also in the Spring, over 30 STUNNING NEW DESIGNS were added to our Intellicards collection. In addition to our already extensive collection of attractive greetings, we're continually adding new styles so you can always keep your message to clients and prospects "fresh." Now you'll find MORE reasons than ever to keep in touch with your clients and prospects with attractive new greetings that can be sent all throughout the year.

·        During the summer, we announced that your ADVANCED ACCESS Web site seamlessly shares data with TOP PRODUCER® 7i, a real estate sales productivity system. With just a few easy clicks you can exchange lead and listing information between your Web site and TOP PRODUCER 7i, saving you hours of data entry, and enabling you to provide higher quality client service.

·        And the grand finale – in the fall, after a vigorous beta testing period we announced the release of the NEW generation of web design for REALTORS® - Classic Package 3.0.  Our Product Development team listened to your ideas and suggestions, creating a program that gives you the flexibility and control you need, with more ADVANCED features than ever before. 

This is just the beginning!   Thanks to YOUR feedback (which we always welcome here,) we are already working on new ideas for MORE product improvements and enhancements.  See below for the new features we’ve added since the release of 3.0.  We’ll be keeping you updated through this newsletter and our weekly marketing tips, so be on the lookout for additional products and services to be released in 2004.

To find out how you can use our new products and features to maximize your Internet Marketing plan, please contact us via e-mail at support@advancedaccess.com or by phone at 866-518-1571. 

More New Updates in the Classic Package 3.0

In November we released our FREE Upgrade to the NEW Classic Package 3.0 for current Classic package users, and we’re happy to report that with thousands of new users online, your feedback been extremely positive.  We hope you have been pleased with your NEW Classic Package.  Our clients using the upgraded version agree that the new features and enhancements in 3.0 make their website easier to work with than ever before. 

Although we’ve just released a new version, our Product Development Department has continued to work on NEW enhancements, features, and short-cuts, based on your comments and general feedback.   Here’s a review of the latest and greatest from ADVANCED ACCESS:

MORE NEW STYLES are continuing to be added WEEKLY!  Every week we are continuing to add more styles for you to choose from to make YOUR website the best it can be.  And, and as you know, each one of our styles is completely customizable…from the colors and graphics to the type and style of the navigational buttons.

Schedule a Template Change has also been added to the Template Manager section.  Would you like to schedule your Holiday Template changes a week, a month, or even a year ahead of time?  Our NEW Schedule a Template Change utility allows you to create your new styles and set them up automatically to change on a date of your choice.  This is a great idea to keep your website 'fresh' and keep your visitors coming back!

Our Page Manager section has also been continually updated for you to make editing your pages easier than ever.  If you have many pages created within your Page Editor, we have added a light blue “highlighter” that appears when you scroll over the pages on your list. This makes it much easier to keep track of where you are!  You also have the ability to 'copy' a page from your Page Manager easily by using the new 'Copy' link on the main page of your editor.   If you were looking for new fonts to liven up the look of your page, please note that we have added the following NEW fonts: Arial Black, Impact, Trebuchet MS, and Webdings for your use.

NEW HTML Tools.  If you are given HTML code to enter into your website and you don't know what to do with it... Simply select the 'Insert Custom' and then choose 'Insert Custom Source Code' and you can paste the HTML code into the box.  We couldn’t make it any easier!

Another new category added to the Page Manager section is the 'Under Construction' link.  If you want to 'turn off' your website for a few days or longer, simply enable this 'Under Construction' page and no one will be able to enter your website.  This page has been designed for people who are taking a break or need to turn off their website for awhile.

Slide Show Magic.  We just added a hot new 'Banner Text' to completely customize your slide shows.  Simply type in text into the 'Banner Text' field and a red banner will automatically appear on the slideshow with the text you entered.  This feature is good for announcing homes 'For Sale' or 'Pending' or 'Just Listed,'  and is limited only by your imagination. 

Are you using multiple Pop-Up pages on your website?  You now have the option to select your page to either 'Always Popup' or 'Popup Once'. 

Are you yearning to let people know “You are the 150,000th Visitor to My Website?”  In some cases, you may want to keep your visitors in the dark (if they are the 98th visitor to your website.)   However, you now have an option to add this feature to your website.  

All of us at ADVANCED ACCESS would like to thank you sincerely for your GREAT ideas, comments, and suggestions for the new Classic Package 3.0.   We understand it was a big change for everyone, and we appreciate your patience as the volume in our Customer Support Center increased substantially during the release period.  We know you appreciate the new features, benefits and capabilities of our NEW 3.0 program. 

For continuing updates on new releases (nearly every day there is something new to report!) please log in to the ADVANCED ACCESS Forums, located in your Support Center.  If you have a suggestion for us, please feel free to add it to the 'Wish List' section as well. 

Women’s Council of REALTORS® CONNECTIONS Magazine Article

An article entitled, “Ingredients For A “Perfect” Web Site,” was featured in the Jan./Feb. 2004 edition of the Women Council of REALTORS® monthly magazine, CONNECTIONS.  The article was submitted by Jane Ellsworth, senior vice-president of ADVANCED ACCESS, and provided a brief and concise guideline on how to construct a “perfect” Website.

The story is available on the ADVANCED ACCESS Website, by visiting www.AdvancedAccess.com   Interested viewers then simply “click-on” the About Us tab, and then visit the Media Press Room section.  The article is contained in the on-library of articles and news that is routinely displayed on recent developments about ADVANCED ACCESS.


Become e-PRO Certified in 2004 and SAVE!

e-PRO Certification is NAR's online training program to certify real estate professionals as Internet competent and savvy specialists. Comprehensive and interactive (with other successful real estate professionals who are taking the course at the same time you are), e-PRO is the only certification program of its kind recognized nationwide and endorsed by the NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS® (NAR).  Because of the innovative design, you will be able to complete the course at your own pace, when and where you want, with any Internet connection.... 24 hours a day 7 days a week.

Becoming an e-Pro will help you reach the affluent and rapidly growing consumer group who will appreciate your ability in utilizing the Internet.  Statistics prove that more and more people are using the Internet to locate real estate than ever, and these consumers will recognize that a REALTOR® who is e-PRO certified will provide them with the latest techniques and services for their home buying and selling needs.

The e-PRO Certification Course is an educational program unlike any other professional certification or designation course available, comprehensive and interactive. It is sponsored by the NATIONAL ASSOCIATION of REALTORS® and is specifically designed to help real estate professionals thrive in the competitive world of online real estate.

Taking the e-PRO Certification Course will help you a great deal in working with your ADVANCED ACCESS website as well.  Read on from fellow ADVANCED ACCESS users about how they benefited from the course.   

Lauren Whittaker, from Atlanta, GA, says:

"I first saw the e-PRO certification through other ADVANCED ACCESS websites.  I had my ADVANCED ACCESS website less than a year and had worked hard to get it where I wanted.  I figured the e-PRO certification would be a good asset and signed up last April.  I was thrilled to see that all the "must have" items in the e-PRO course regarding websites were already included in the price of my basic AA site!    (One tip I received which was a good one was to secure domain names in all the various different ways you can spell Lauren.  Now I am the owner of SoldByLauren as well as SoldByLoren, SoldByLorin, etc.  In this way, when I tell potential clients to visit "SoldByLauren.com" I don't have to worry about spelling it for them.  Any way they care to spell it will direct them to my site.)

While I didn't learn much regarding technology, I have learned quite a bit through their forum.  There are hundreds of Realtors who post regularly with insight and tips on how real estate (1) is practiced in their area or (2) should be practiced in their area."

Geri Sonkin, from Long Island, NY, comments:

"I thought the e-PRO course was very worthwhile and one of the best real estate related courses I've taken (and I've taken many).  Though some of the information is basic, there are enough jewels to extract from the data to elevate anyone's online marketing and business management.  One of the things it focuses on is creating a business plan before throwing your hard earned cash at the all too many outstretched hands.  How many of us have wasted (huge amounts of) money on things we wind up never using?  I'm at least as guilty of that as the next man. 

It goes back to what I've said before on this [ADVANCED ACCESS] forum, one of the elemental reasons for doing anything that sets you apart is, "if you're 10% different, you're 100% better."  I'm all for being both.” 

In addition to the worth of being an e-PRO, the interaction with one's peers on this level is priceless.  The gems willingly shared by the group has already helped my business.  From a happy e-PRO!"

Sign up NOW and SAVE…. The Regular Price for the e-Pro Course is $359.00.  Through a special arrangement with Internet Crusade, ADVANCED ACCESS clients will receive a $30.00 Discount for a limited time only.

Sign up by January 24, 2004 for $329.00 and join this elite group of tech-savvy real estate professionals.    For additional information and to sign up, please click here.     

AA is a Preferred Supplier for Prudential Real Estate Affiliates

ADVANCED ACCESS officially began the New Year with an exciting announcement that was made on Monday, January 5th.  The announcement finalized a “preferred supplier” agreement with The Prudential Real Estate Affiliates, Inc., a Prudential Financial Inc. (NYSE: PRU) company.

The Prudential Real Estate Affiliates, Inc., consists of companies that are selected based upon outstanding performance records, high levels of customer service and shared business values.  Upon joining The Prudential Real Estate Affiliates, Inc., companies like ADVANCED ACCESS are provided with many benefits, including access to a free and private Website that links sales professionals to a “24/7” resource, and increased media exposure through an advertising campaign that encompasses some of America’s most watched networks and print media.  The Prudential Real Estate Affiliates Inc. is also the largest real estate advertiser in The Wall Street Journal.

The agreement marks the fifth in a series of agreements over the last few months that continue to establish ADVANCED ACCESS as a leader in the Web design, hosting and Internet marketing industry for real estate professionals.

“We are quite honored to be chosen for this program, and this announcement concludes the most successful year in the history of ADVANCED ACCESS,” announced President Justin Davis.  “Certainly this has been a milestone year in our company’s history, with agreements reached with North Carolina, Kansas, Florida and Illinois, and this cooperative venture serves as a further testimony to our staff’s commitment to excellence in customer service.” 


 ADVANCED ACCESS “Floats” on Nearby Arrowhead Pond 

For one day, ADVANCED ACCESS took to the water…well, kind of!

On that day, January 14th, the sales staff of ADVANCED ACCESS joined an estimated crowd of over 10,000 attendees along with fellow vendors, companies and various real estate industry service providers for the much-publicized Southern California Multiple Listing Service (SoCalMLS) Roll-Out & Trade Show Expo. 

The Arrowhead Pond of Anaheim, is a state-of-the-art 18,000-seat arena situated geographically right in the center of the SoCalMLS customer base, and because of the convenient California freeway system, provided the ideal solution.  It is the home for the NHL’s Mighty Ducks, and often for the NBA’s Los Angeles Clippers. 

While the turnout impressed most veteran industry leaders, ADVANCED ACCESS utilized the opportunity to continue to formally introduce its NEW and upgraded CLASSIC PACKAGE 3.0®.  The upper concourse of the structure provided a wonderful opportunity for real estate professionals to browse the companies in attendance, and also to obtain some in-depth information regarding services and products being offered. 

Meet Aron Spegon … our Featured AA Employee

This month we’re featuring Aron Spegon, Assistant Director of Customer Support.  Aron has been working with us for over two years, beginning as a Customer Support Representative.  A natural manager with superb organizational skills, Aron’s intelligence and ability stood out, and he was steadily promoted through the years to his current position as Assistant Director of Customer Support. 

In his position, Aron is responsible for some of the internal organization of the Customer Support Division.  In addition, he solves some of the more challenging issues that arise in Customer Support, and works directly with many of our valued clients. 

Aron is known as being an “out-of-the-box” thinker, and is always willing to go the extra mile to come up with creative solutions to help the department run more smoothly and efficiently.  He was instrumental in many of the new changes that were recently implemented with the release of the Classic Package 3.0, as he was part of the “think tank” that contributed to the development team. 

Aron was born in Chicago, Illinois.  Since then he has lived in Arizona, North Carolina, Florida, and from one end to the other in California (Santa Rosa to San Diego).  Aron is working on his degree at Fullerton College, with an emphasis in Psychology and Computer Science.  Prior to coming on board here, Aron worked at New Horizons Computer Learning Center, the largest computer training company in the world.  His duties as an Account Executive included establishing and maintaining large accounts throughout Orange County.

Of all the places Aron has been in his life, he has felt most “at home” in Southern California, here in Orange County, and does not plan on leaving.   His father and brother both reside nearby, and also a special girl with whom Aron has enjoyed a developing relationship for about six months.  Aron enjoys spending any free time that he has doing something relaxing. He especially likes going to the movies, taking road trips, and playing video games.

When asked why he enjoys working at ADVANCED ACCESS, Aron said, “ADVANCED ACCESS is unwavering in its pursuit of providing an unparalleled product. The primary driving force of ADVANCED ACCESS’s success has always been service. We are blessed with dedicated and competent staff. I have experienced limitless opportunity to maximize my potential.”  Aron loves making people happy, and when someone gets off the phone with him with a problem solved, happier than before, he feels fulfilled.

We’re proud to have Aron Spegon on the ADVANCED ACCESS team of skilled and enthusiastic professionals.

Our New Year’s Resolution at ADVANCED ACCESS

At ADVANCED ACCESS, our resolution for 2004 is to continue to bring you the most innovative products and services for the real estate industry, and to back these products with reliable and efficient customer service.  We would like to thank you for your business and support, and we wish you a happy, healthy, successful and productive New Year.

An essential element in our commitment to your success is our weekly e-mail Marketing Tips, designed to give you ideas on how to make the most of your Internet presence, how to drive more traffic to your website, and provide you with resources to create more Link Popularity to help boost your results on some of the search engines. 

If you haven’t had time to read your marketing tips each week, start the NEW year right by viewing the previous tips by clicking here!   Listed by date and subject for your convenience, these tips are a valuable resource as you plan your marketing strategy for the New Year.  Together we can ensure that 2004 is the year of SUCCESS in your Internet Marketing.

And finally….a story about our Founder and a Pig

In our November newsletter we announced that John Morris, Founder of ADVANCED ACCESS, had started an Extreme Sports Car Dealership called Radical West Racing.   John now spends much of his time driving his Radical in track events throughout the region. 

Recently Team Radical West attended an event at Willow Springs Raceway in Lancaster, California.  One of the highlights of the event was the "wild pig chase" by John Morris, CEO of Radical West Racing. Before the event could begin on Saturday morning, a wild pig got loose on the Willow Springs racetrack. 

John, being a samaritan and animal lover, volunteered to help herd the wild pig out of the way of traffic.  Things were going well until John caught up with the pig, and he turned around and took a BITE out of John's calf (luckily his pants got in the way of the pig's tusks.)  John, in defense, gave the pig a kick and the pig took off running after John!  Fortunately, the pig got tired of running before John did, and was eventually caught and corralled in a fenced area until after the event.

John said, “It’s somewhat of a relief knowing that the pig got tired before I did!  After my first brush with his teeth, I wasn’t anxious to go a second round.”  We thought you would enjoy this story, knowing that our Founder is still “staying active and keeping busy.” 


The tired pig after his adventure

 

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