by Michele Newbern Gillis
Staff Writer
Tim Kinzler, a South Florida Realtor who’s the technology chair of Women’s Council of Realtors of Florida, can send a fax from his dashboard and do an entire transaction sitting in his car.
Kinzler gave an energetic and informative presentation to the Jacksonville Women’s Council of Realtors meeting last month at the San Jose Country Club.
First, he separated the crowd into Realtors and affiliates to show them that their customers are in the room with them and they shouldn’t let them get away.
He used several different technological gadgets including wireless printers, TeleMeasures, Blackberrys, Palm Pilots, Palm Treos, iPods, a tablet computer, a Sun Pass and more to demonstrate how business can be done faster and better using technology, leaving more room for fun.
“Technology is not just computers,” said Kinzler, a Realtor with Coldwell Banker Residential Real Estate in Delray Beach.
He had anyone who had a Blackberry, Palm Pilot or Palm Treo stand up.
“Wow! By the end of the week, you should get one,” he said to those not standing. “The consumer has them. Kids have them. People who buy homes have them. The next time you go to the Jacksonville Airport, look at what people have in their hands. Watch when the plane is landing. They are scrolling through their Blackberry and looking at their calendars.”
He demonstrated with a Blackberry how people can beam someone their card rather than hand them a paper card.
“If you give me a paper card, then I have to put you in my system, but if someone beams me their card, I have to choose to take her out of my system,” said Kinzler. “You may never get into my system because you are handing me a card.”
He explained how iPods are used for more than just music -he said you could put a whole photo album on it or back up your computer and files.
“You can be mobile,” he said. “For me, the phone and the camera are the two most incredible pieces of technology that you could own. A Blackberry or Palm Treo will give you everything. My Palm Treo has 400 names in it and they are broken down into different categories. I can also text message. Thirty-eight million people are text messaging. The next generation of buyers is using this technology. Do not be afraid of it. Learn it. It’s real simple. Text messaging is a standard way of communicating, more so than the phone.”
Another tip he gave was to use the technology available to send you reminders of other’s birthdays.
“Everyone I come in contact with, I get their birthday,” said Kinzler. “It’s a 15-second phone call. I call them and either tell them happy birthday or leave them a message. Either way, you are one of the few people who remembered their birthday and it blows them away.”
Kinzler said we should take advantage of technology like scanners to create a paperless society.
“I have been in business for 26 years and every file, closing, listing, floor plan, inspection report, significant document, legal issue, transaction and everything imaginable resides on this computer,” he said. “We live in Florida. We have hurricanes and tornados. My entire business is right here on my tablet computer. I no longer use paper or I use as little as I have to. Everything is moving towards paperless. You need to have a scanner, even if you just use it as a backup.”
When someone needs a document, he emails it to them and has a copy on his computer that he has scanned in previously.
He said his tablet computer costs about $1,500 to $2,500 and is very user-friendly.
“On my way out here I was doing business,” he said. “I was checking email, getting contracts and faxing. It’s also my GPS because, since I am a male, I don’t ask for directions.”
Kinzler said all of the technological gadgets he showed could be acquired for under $5,000. After purchasing the gadgets you want, he said it costs about $1,200 a year for his laptop air card and other services to fuel his technology.
“These are just some of the things that allow us to do more things and have a good time,” said Kinzler. “Blackberrys, PDAs, Palm Treos, cameras and scanners. Whatever technology you have - use it!”
photos by Michele Newbern Gillis