With their mastery of personal computer and Internet basics, students in this course focus on understanding Internet-savvy buyers and preparing themselves to transact business with this emerging market segment.  As real estate professionals, we must face these new competitive realities proactively, and the e-Buyer course was developed to tackle that challenge head on.  In this course we will address such questions as:

• Just what is e-Business, and what is the structure that supports and feeds it?

• Who is the e-Buyer, or online consumer, and how will he or she change the future of the real estate transaction?

• How do we find e-Buyers, or online customers, and acquire their business?

• What is the status of the online transaction now, and where is it headed in the future?

• How do we transition online and offline customers into the For Life Mode (The process of maintaining the relationship through the entire Home Ownership Lifecycle)

• What are the opportunities, and associated challenges, for real estate professionals in this constantly evolving business environment?

The answers to these questions create a clear message for forward-thinking real estate professionals:  New “e-Home buyers” shopping in the new “electronic real estate market” constitute a growing segment too significant to ignore.  Early adopters will be rewarded; late starters will be severely penalized.

I.    The e-Buyer

• How is e-the Buyer Different from the Traditional Buyer?

II    Tools of the New Economy

• e-Business: How It Got Where It Is Today.  Where It Will Be Tomorrow.

III.  What is e-Business?

• e-Business is Still Sound Business, Quality & Service

• Types of Products/Services

• The Shift of Power to the Consumer in a New Way of Doing Business

• A New Way of Communicating & Managing Business

• A Whole New Set Of Tools    

IV.  A Changing Consumer Demographic

• Why Buy Online?

• Continuing Need For “High-Touch”

V.   The New e-Buyer

• Overall Demographics

• Moving Non-Internet Users Online

• Baby Boomers

• Generations X & Y

• Seniors

• How Do the New e-Buyers React and Transact?

• Real Estate e-Buyer

VI.  Predictive Modeling

• Targeting Your Customer Lawfully

• Targeting Your Market Lawfully

• Determining Your Option

I.    Finding the New e-Buyer

• The International Market

II.  Anticipating Customer Needs

• What Do e-Buyers Expect?

• How to Conclude a Transaction with Someone You Might Never Meet

III. Customer Confidentiality

• Using Technology To Lawfully Target Customers

• Tools

• Driving Traffic To Your Website

• Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP)

• e-Newsletters

• e-Mail

IV. Communication

• Importance Of Communication

• Customer-Centric Communication

V.  Creating Value Through Integration

End of course outline