Technology...

What emotion does that word evoke for you? Excitement, knowing all that technology can add to your life and business? Frustration, feeling that you will never understand all that you probably should? Fear, wondering if you are already falling far behind your tech-smart competition? Or maybe it's a combination of all three. Regardless of where you find yourself on the "techno-savvy scale," you know how important it is to display a professional image, especially where technology is concerned. And the simple fact is that in today's world, more and more consumers will make their choices of which professional to work with based on that professional image.

There is some good news, however: It doesn't take much to have a terrific professional image where technology is concerned. Here are two quick ways to shore up your own techno-image...fast.

First – if you do not currently have your own unique website address reserved, STOP. Do not pass go – do not even think about collecting $200. Even if you do not have a website created yet, go to register.com or any of the many other domain registration sites, and reserve your own unique website name. A "dot-com" address will always be preferable to a "dot-net" or "dot-org" address, or any other variation. Start by registering your own name as it will be the most memorable for your clients, but if your name is already taken – many are – come up with a variation that you like. IE: instead of rebeccabrown.com, try rebeccasells.com or realrebecca.com. It's best to have something with your name in it, but don't simply tack on some numbers to make the website work with your name – i.e., rebeccabrown1214.com – it looks cheap and unprofessional. Further, don't kill yourself trying to find a generic name that describes your profession, like greatrealtor.com or superplanner.com. Many of the great "dot-com" names are taken. But good news – most of the domain registration sites will tell you if the "taken" name you like is available for purchase from the current owner.

As a side note, consider buying the rights to your children's dot.com names. Even if they don't have a website now, they might be glad later that you reserved it for them! Give this tip to your clients as well...they'll thank you!

Second – your email signature. You don't have one? Good news, this one is easy too. Next time you log into your Outlook Express, hit TOOLS, then OPTIONS – you will see a tab for signatures there. If you use Outlook, hit TOOLS, OPTIONS, and then MAIL FORMAT to open the signature editing area. In this box, you can decide how you would like every email to close. Add your name, your "tagline" if any, your phone numbers, and your full website address – which will create a "hotlink" your clients can click on for immediate access to your website. Additionally, you can create a hotlink to send you an email by adding your email address with the words "mailto:" in front of them. Of course, they can always hit reply to your email, but why not make it one step easier for them to reach you? Adding this small touch to each and every email you send to prospects and clients puts all of your information easily at hand, and gives a nice touch of professionalism to your correspondence.

You don't have to fear technology. Give us a call if you'd like to discuss this or other great ways to use technology to your advantage.