ADVANCED ACCESS March 2004 Newsletter

March 2004 Newsletter

“Great effort springs naturally from a great attitude.”
- Pat Riley

Time for some Online Spring Cleaning?

Capture the spirit of the season! The days are growing longer, the weather is warmer, and soon we will be shedding our winter coats. The the first day of spring, also known the Vernal Equinox, marks a time of renewal, both in nature and in our homes. More than just physical activity, “spring cleaning” removes any negative energy accumulated over the dark winter months and prepares you for the positive growing energy of spring and summer.

If you think your website is looking a little “dull” there’s never been a better time to start some online spring cleaning. Our talented and creative designers have been working hard to provide you with more styles to choose from for the look and feel of your home page. And the good news is….it’s easier than ever!

Our recently released “Flex Design” Classic Package 3.0 makes it SIMPLE to give your website a brand new look. Our designers are adding new styles every WEEK to our already comprehensive selection of world class designs. You will find our latest designs in your Virtual Office in the Design Center. If you’ve been a valued AA client for years and have previously visited our Design Center, to locate our most recent styles you can view some of the choices under the “Latest Additions,” or the “New” categories.

Pictured above are a few of our NEWEST designs. We offer LOTS more attractive styles for you to choose from to change the look of your website. And, with our Classic Package 3.0, you have more power and versatility in choosing your own graphics, colors, text and fonts for a truly custom presentation.

Check your virtual office to view the selections available for many of the holidays, seasons and events that occur throughout the year.

FLASH your Website Visitors….In one of our recent Marketing Tips, we featured our FLASH Slide shows and provided advice on how to incorporate them into your website for a custom look. Web surfers are attracted by movement, motion and photo images that present a visual message. Slideshows will capture the viewer’s attention – even if it’s only for few seconds. And, chances are when your visitor finds your presentation captivating and relevant, they will spend MORE time on your site and venture beyond the initial presentation. For more information about slide shows, click here.

Trying to drum up some new business? Send out a Holiday or Seasonal Intellicard today! We also offer COLORFUL and GRAPHIC Intellicards that you can send to your clients and prospects to welcome the new season, to remind someone of Daylight Savings Time, or for St. Patrick’s Day, Easter, Passover, or any of the upcoming holidays. Sending holiday or seasonal e-mail greetings to your clients and prospects is good marketing. Your e-card will keep your name fresh in your prospects’ minds and will give them a reason to return to your website.

Spring is an excellent time of year to buy or sell a home. Why not remind your prospects that you’re still “out there” with a colorful greeting from their local real estate professional.

For additional information about the Classic Package^TM 3.0 website or Intellicards e-mail marketing system, please visit our website or call us toll free at 866-518-1571.

AA to Exhibit at Next Month’s Online Real Estate Convention

The Third Annual National Real Estate On-Line Convention and Exposition is expected to attract over 50,000 real estate professionals over the week-long event from April 18-24, 2004. There is no charge for attendees to register and the event is open to the entire real estate community worldwide. FREE convention passes and convention scheduling information can be found here: www.recyber.com/preconvention.

The convention will feature three Keynote Speakers, and over 30 nationally recognized real estate trainers, authors and industry experts.

Also featured will be the products and services Expo. Attendees can visit the On-Line Expo to check out the latest products and services of, and to qualify for door prizes, drawings and raffles. The Expo features special navigation and with a simple click, the visitor will be at the booth of his or her choice! Over 300 Booths will be open 24 hours a day during the event. Your friends at ADVANCED ACCESS will be one of the featured exhibitors at the On-Line Expo.

This virtual event is produced by the Real Estate Cyberspace Society. Over 6000 real estate professionals from 28 countries have joined the Society with over 120 Chapters worldwide. Over 200 real estate organizations worldwide have joined in sponsoring this unique virtual event.

As the Society’s Executive Director, John M. Peckham, III says, "All of the elements of a "hard floor convention" will be there. The only thing missing will be out of pocket costs for airfare, hotel bills, lost shoe leather, aching muscles, travel hassle and registration fees - and time away from home!" For more information about this event, click here.

Search Engine Guide Now Available in your Virtual Office

Last month we reported the upcoming release of our new Internet Marketing - Search Engine Guide. This comprehensive Guide contains the latest information gained from our research. We are pleased to announce that the Guide is now available in your Virtual Office, under the “Support Center” category. The following subjects are included:

· Paid Advertising Gains Momentum

· Search Engine Optimization and Search Engine Marketing

· The recent Google Update and how it affects real estate

· Internet Marketing Resources

· Which Search Engine is the Most Popular

· Pay Per Click and Paid Inclusion – the Future of the Internet

· Link Popularity vs. Link Analysis – What Works?

· What Authoritative Sites Should Be Included?

· Measuring Success

We wish you the best of success with your website, and as always, if you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact us on our TOLL FREE Customer Support Hotline – 866-518-1571 or via email at support@advancedaccess.com.

AA Releases Exhibit Schedule for the Upcoming Season

We are pleased to announce that our own staff and speakers on behalf of ADVANCED ACCESS will be attending a variety of trade shows, meetings and expos, to publicize and demonstrate our products, programs and services.

We are looking forward to seeing you at any of the events listed below. Be sure to stop by and say hello – we always enjoy talking to our clients across the country. And, if you bring a friend or colleague who may be interested in purchasing a website, we have a special gift for you.

· Century 21 Carolinas Region – March 25 – Charlotte, NC

· Asheville Board of Realtors Trade Show – March 31 – Asheville, NC

· Nebraska Realtor Association Trade Show – April 12 – Omaha, NE

· National Real Estate Online Expo – April 18-24 – Online!

· San Diego Association of REALTORS® - April 27 – San Diego, CA

· Tech Faire – April 30 – Walnut Creek, CA

· Illinois Association of REALTORS® - May 5-8 – Collinsville, IL

· NAR Mid-Year Convention – May 12-14 – Washington, D.C.

· Pacific West Association of REALTORS® – June 15 – Anaheim, CA

Jane Ellsworth, Sr. Vice President of Sales for Advanced Access, commented, “…we’ve got an active exhibit schedule this spring and are gearing up for a more involved summer and fall season with the various shows and expos that we have scheduled throughout the country.” She continued, “…we are thrilled about getting out to these various events and demonstrating our newly upgraded product-line, and especially visiting with some of our current customers.”

Long time ADVANCED ACCESS client, Debbie Ferrari, of Prudential California Realty, is flanked (L) by ADVANCED ACCESS executives Jane Ellsworth, Senior Vice President, and (R) Deborah Boza Valledor, Southeast Regional Sales & Training Representative. The three conferred in front of the newly expanded ADVANCED ACCESS trade show booth during the Prudential Realty national Convention attended in Miami Beach last week by 6,000 Prudential agents.

We’re looking forward to seeing you at one of the upcoming conventions.

Visit our AA Forums…Most Impressive Website Contest

If you haven't yet visited our ADVANCED ACCESS Forums, now would be a great time to check it out. You'll find a fabulous exchange of ideas, opinions, suggestions and marketing strategies contributed by our smart and savvy Advanced Access clients across the country.

In addition to sharing ideas and success stories, we offer an online "Help Desk," a Wish List for our products, and a place to pose your product information questions. One of the more lighthearted and fun sections of the Forum is "The Lounge," where AA users stop and chat for awhile about whatever is on their minds. New topics are introduced in the forum every day, on subjects such as Link Popularity, FSBO pages, unique content, search engine optimization strategies, and MORE.

We've found our forum contributors to be excellent sources of helpful information and encouragement for their colleagues. We are amazed by the depth of our members' knowledge, experience, and support for one another in a friendly and nurturing online environment.

So stop in some time, enjoy the conversation, and have some fun in our AA Forums. Be forewarned however…..the forums CAN become addictive – ask any of our “regulars.”

Last year at this time, we introduced the "Who Has the Most Impressive ADVANCED ACCESS Website" contest. Next month, we are planning to expand our contest and allow nominations under numerous categories such as “Best Use of a Template,” “Most Original Content,” “Best Looking Design,” “Most Innovative Ideas,” and more. The final categories will be determined before the nomination process and will be announced in the AA Forums and in our April newsletter.

Nominations for “most impressive” candidates in the chosen categories will be accepted for 30 days through the AA Forums, beginning at the beginning of April. The voting will begin on May 1, 2004 for a two-week period, and the winners in each category will announced in the May 2004 AA Newsletter.

Don’t Forget to Spring Forward on April 4^th

Daylight Saving Time begins for most of the United States at 2 a.m. on the first Sunday of April. This year, we must remember to set our clocks forward one hour at 2:00 a.m. on Sunday, April 4.

The main purpose of Daylight Saving Time is to make better use of daylight. We change our clocks during the summer months to move an hour of daylight from the morning to the evening.

A recent poll conducted by the U.S. Department of Transportation indicated that Americans liked Daylight Saving Time because "there is more light in the evenings” and they “can do more in the evenings."

Daylight Saving Time also saves energy. Studies done by the U.S. Department of Transportation indicate that Daylight Saving Time decreases our electricity usage by a significant, but small amount of less than one percent each day. We save energy in both the evening and the morning because we use less electricity for lighting and appliances.

ADVANCED ACCESS offers a selection of Intellicards to notify your clients and prospects about Daylight Savings Time. Below are a few examples of our colorful and graphic e-cards. Why not send one out to your address book today!

Featured Employee of the Month: Scott Jarvis

This month we’re featuring Scott Jarvis from our Customer Support Department. Scott has been a part of the ADVANCED ACCESS team for two years, and we have received countless letters from our clients about how wonderful Scott is in customer service. Scott has a terrific sense of humor and is well respected by his colleagues and clients alike. In fact, last year Scott was voted as Best Overall Customer Support Representative by his peers at ADVANCED ACCESS.

Scott grew up in Cypress, California as the oldest of two brothers and two sisters. He attended Cypress High School and holds a degree in Multimedia/Web Design. Scott enjoys working with computers, and he built his skills in customer service and tech support for a credit card terminus, E-commerce Exchange.

A “natural” people person, Scott enjoys his work. “What I love most about working at ADVANCED ACCESS is that I am able to give the kind of quality service that most people do not receive when dealing with phone support. I strive to give my clients a “personal” experience so that they feel comfortable while on the phone and fulfilled and educated after the call has ended.”

Scott is an avid video game enthusiast and movie buff. He especially enjoys Action and Sci-Fi movies. Star Wars and Lord of the Rings are among his all time favorites. In his free time he loves playing guitar, and he has played for 17 years. Scott is currently looking for band mates - for 3 or 4 individuals to share his musical vision. Pictured at right is Scott with his colleagues, from left to right, Vanessa Holguin, Jamie LaCroix and Missy Grosser.

Favorites/Most Influential

•           Album: “October Rust” by Type O Negative
•           Artists (bands): Type O Negative/ The Beatles/John Lennon
•           Movie: Star Wars: Return Of The Jedi
•           Food: BBQ’d Ribs
•           Tattoos (He has 4 so far)
•           Quote: “Life is what happens to your while your making other plans” John Lennon

Knowledgeable, friendly and accessible, Scott is someone on whom we can always rely for friendly, courteous and prompt service. People like Scott Jarvis really make a difference, and we’re thankful he is a part of our team.

February 2004 | Back to Main Page | April 2004