Cutting Down on Internet Use Improves Work Performance

Few people would deny that the Internet has revolutionized the way we practice real estate. The Internet has increased our productivity beyond any other tool introduced to the real estate community.  We choose what we want to know by searching for properties with the click of a button or finding out information about decision makers.  However, the Internet creates a major problem that weighs against all these benefits.

As a manager and broker, when I stroll leisurely past my agents’ offices, I find the Internet being used for everything except securing a real estate transaction.  For a number of brokers, the Internet is the biggest waste of their time. The Internet could easily be used to accomplish individual goals, such as cold calling and spending more time on their latest deals. Unfortunately, brokers often do not use the extra time they save for promoting their business further.  Instead, spare time is used to check stock quotes, read the sports section or check personal email.  Consequently, a productive eight-hour day easily turns into a six-hour day.

Another aspect that the Internet may deduct from agents’ productivity is a leading method for obtaining new business opportunity, discussing deals with colleagues. In 1984, when I first started in the real estate industry, we had little more than a telephone.  Despite the lack of technology, we profited, simply by chatting in the office.  My friend, Doron, often came in to tell me about his latest listing.  He would ask if I knew someone who would be interested, and usually, I did.  Communication is what turns an office into a team, not staring at a computer screen.

Some steps could ensure an increase in your Internet productivity, and reduction in time wasted online. First, spam should be removed from your email account. Spam can represent up to 90 percent of one person’s daily emails.  Currently, there are many decent spam programs and several ISPs offer spam protection. Although most programs need instructions to determine what constitutes spam for an individual, once trained, the time spent reading emails is reduced by over 50 percent.  It also helps to read your email before arriving at the office.  The majority arrives later than 8:30 and spends the following half hour reading emails.  Mail2web.com, along with most ISPs, allows email access from any location, so emails can be read at home.  Special filters can also be added to alert you immediately when a message arrives from an important email address.  As a result, emails can be flagged with an alert when a situation requires urgent assistance.  Finally, avoid humorous emails at work.  It is a waste of time for you, as well as your friends, to read them.  This should be done privately and on your own time.

Time spent on the Internet should be restricted to real estate issues only.  Setting your home page to a real estate site, such at TCNWorldwide.com, may serve as a reminder when you open the Internet, instead of a page with the latest game scores.  If you lack willpower, try placing stock quotes and personal interest items within TCNWorldwide.com.  This enables you to catch the headlines while still using real estate resources that will help increase your productivity and profits.

Remember that a capable real estate broker should value his time at a minimum of $150 per hour.  Three hours wasted per day perusing the Internet and reading emails result in a daily loss of at least $450. Thinking in these terms will quickly change your Internet habits.