Despite all of its advantages, some folks just don't see the value of spending $40 for a quality program, when something else is available for free. Soon, price will be no consideration!

Joining the ever-growing wave of free Internet products, Qualcomm will begin providing a sponsor-supported version of the full-featured Eudora Pro email program at no charge.

What they're actually doing is rather ingenious; and that is developing a single program that can run in three different operating modes.

Starting with version 4.3 anyone can download Eudora from the web and then choose to run the program in:

• "Light Mode" - As a "light" product, it will have limited capabilities, but will be entirely free. The user will actually be "paying" for the program via a single advertisement banner or logo that will be part of the software.

• "Sponsor Mode" - This will be a full featured program, with nothing held back; yet still free! In this case you'll simply have to endure rotating advertisements in lieu of paying cash.

• "Paid Mode" - As you can probably guess, this mode is full featured, without any advertisements displayed whatsoever.

1. There's only one piece of software to download, (though if you like, the "paid version" will still be available in a box through traditional software retailers) and this will make upgrading in the future a breeze.

2. You get to control the choices at your leisure. Thus, most people will probably choose to run the program in "Sponsor Mode" for a while. Then, if, and only if, they find the advertisements too annoying, they can simply choose to pay a fee to make the marketing pitches go away. Fortunately, in this case there will be no new software to acquire, install or configure.

While the full-blown rollout will not happen for another month or two, there is a "beta" version now available at: http://www.eudora.com/

NOTE: If you don't want to be a "test subject," then skip the beta download. Instead, check the site occasionally until the official release is available.

- WHAT'S YOUR PHONE NUMBER SAYING?

Can you think of a name or slogan you would like to convert into a phone number?

In either case, you can thank Ben Friedlander of Big Ben Realty in St. Peterburg, FL for this little gem!

Just visit the PhoNETic web site at: http://www.phonetic.com/

Once there, you can quickly answer both of the above questions, and in several languages, too!

- HOTSEND YOUR DOCUMENTS

Because of this trend, it is increasingly important that business professionals become more able to serve these connected consumers.

While the majority of agents do use email on a regular basis, most still consider email to be not much more than simple text.

What's lacking from the average agent's customer service arsenal is the ability to think "paperless" - or at least about less paper.

On any given day, there are still thousands of agents printing MLS searches onto paper, only to feed them into fax machines (before throwing them away). This is done so that they can pay long distance phone charges to convert the paper into bits and bytes, if only for a moment, and then back onto printed paper from the recipient's machine; destroying the quality of all photographs and graphics in the process.

The same is true of contracts, highlight sheets and forms.

In several of my seminars, I demonstrate Adobe's Acrobat software in order to render the above scenario even more obviously obsolete than it already is. However, while powerful, at $240 (street price) Acrobat isn't cheap.

On the other hand, there is an Internet solution (of course) that's nearly as good and absolutely free (again, of course) due to built-in advertisements.

The site to visit is: http://www.hotsend.com/

The purpose of your visit is to download their free software.

The reason you'll want to download their software is simple. Once installed, you will then be able to:

• - Print anything you like to a computer file
• - Which, can then be emailed to anyone else
• - So that they can view it, just as you created it
• - Complete with color, photographs and graphics
• - Without having to use the same software that you do

• The first step is that you just print whatever you want to send (contracts, highlight sheets, MLS searches, etc.) not to your actual printer, but to the "Hotsend-Email-Attacher" which, for lack of a better word, pretends to be a real printer. This step simply creates the file that you will send.

• The second step is that you email the file to your customer or client. When the recipient opens their email, they can simply double-click the attachment, and they'll see the document - just as you created it. They can even use their own printer if they need a copy on paper.

Simple: When you "print" to the "Hotsend-Email-Attacher" you are given the option of packaging the "Hotsend Viewer" software right into the document you're sending. They get your document and the appropriate "viewer" at the same time!

It's worth noting that the "viewer" does add considerable size to the file you send, but you only need to send it to them once.

So, the FIRST time you send a client or customer any document, go ahead and send them the "viewer" too. After that, send future "printouts" without the viewer. These subsequent files will be much smaller, and thus faster to send.

Once you start using this software to email documents, then you'll probably want to explore a great number of other ways to take advantage of it. Consider distributing highlight sheets and forms electronically on floppy disks or CD's, for example. Or, simply let customers download them directly from your web site.

I would like to make it clear that HotSend is NOT as sophisticated, flexible or universally supported as Adobe Acrobat; a program I find indispensable and use daily.

Additionally, Acrobat will create files that are much smaller (meaning faster transmissions and downloading) than will HotSend; and obviously doesn't bundle advertisements within the program, either.

If you've got Adobe Acrobat, stick with it. It IS the standard-bearer of electronic documents. But, if you don't, then consider HotSend your first (not last) step into the realm of paperless customer service.

-

ANOTHER GREAT SHOPPING SITE

While I've certainly embraced Internet commerce, many people are indeed concerned with whom they're going to do online transactions. For good reason it would seem, as countless surveys have shown that the follow up service from many online retailers leaves much to be desired.

If you're looking for an electronic and technology web site that offers great prices AND can be trusted with your business, you might want to visit: http://www.Computers4Sure.com/

Larry Mitchiner, CRS, GRI, CBR from Greenville, South Carolina writes:

"I highly recommend Computers4Sure. This is my third order via their secure server and everything has gone without a hitch." "I especially like the fact that immediately after the online order is placed an auto-response confirmation is sent followed shortly thereafter by an e-mail message with UPS tracking information."

- ENJOY!

In addition to serving on the GRI faculty for the Michigan and Tennessee REALTOR® Associations, Stephen offers a wide variety of seminars on sales, technology and marketing.  For more information on his educational offerings visit: www.canale.com or contact him at either 734-481-9000 or Stephen@Canale.com