What if you could connect with online prospects in real time giving them a tour of your area, listings or even financing options from the comfort of their (and yours) own home?  In addition to saving them and you time, it provides a level of service they are not likely to see from your competitors.  And now there is a way to do it at no cost to you.

GoToMeeting On Steroids

It seems like we use this kind of technology every day in my business.  And until recently the tool of choice (for years) has been GoToMeeting from Citrix.  This is a perfectly good option except that it costs about $49/mo.  Then I discovered that Adobe has an online service called Acrobat.com that provides several online services including virtual meetings through its ConnectNow platform.  The cost of the service depends upon the maximum number of people you need to be in your virtual meetings at any one time.  If you can live with the limitation of three people (you and two others) then this service is absolutely free.  Considering that in most cases you are dealing with a husband and wife (who may or may not be in different locations during a meeting) you are pretty much covered.

Like GoToMeeting, Adobe ConnectNow meetings allow you to share your desktop, give control to others in the meeting and allow them to share or give control to you. You can either use a conference line or your microphone and speakers for the audio.  After that however, the similarities end and Adobe ConnectNow really shines, because:

• You (or everyone in the meeting for that matter) can use webcams to give the meeting a more intimate, personal touch;
• Use sophisticated drawing tools to annotate anything shown on the shared screens;
• Use a separate White Board for brainstorming purposes;
• Share files in a collaborative way.

You can have as many meetings as you want for as often as you need without additional cost (as long as you stay within the three person limit). Inviting people to your meetings couldn’t be easier since it involves just sending them a link whose address never changes.  The only thing they need on their end to attend is Flash, which nearly everyone has installed anyway.

There’ More…

ConnectNow is just one of the useful tools available to you as a free Adobe.com subscriber.  Similar to Google Docs, Adobe.com has a suite of tools that include an online word processor, slide presenter and spreadsheet along with the ability to convert documents into PDF.  And because Adobe uses the Flash platform to deliver all of this functionality, you will find that everything you do, whether conducting virtual meetings or sharing an online slide presentation, has a powerfully elegant look and feel about it.

How to Get Started

Just go to Acrobat.com and click the “Sign Up” button in the upper right-hand side of the page.  It is as simple as that!  No credit card information required.  I personally have been using virtual meeting services for years and can honestly say that Adobe’s ConnectNow service is extremely functional, and (perhaps just as important) easy and fun to use.  Run, don’t walk, to sign up for this free service and see for yourself the power and possibilities this incredible free service holds for you and your business.

DISCLAIMER: Always investigate any third-party products or services to your satisfaction prior to using them.  RUSSER Communications, its officers, staff and consultants do not receive any compensation whatsoever from third party vendors and are not responsible for any damage or liability you may incur as a result of using products or services mentioned herein.  If you do not agree to these terms do not use the product or service mentioned.