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John L. Scott Real Estate

At John L. Scott Real Estate, The Internet Means Instant Processes "In real estate, personalized service is still the key, but the Internet is bringing "instant processes to the equation," says J. Lennox Scott, president of John L. Scott Real Estate in Seattle. "When you combine personalized service with instant processes, it creates quality customer service." With 35 company owned offices and 46 franchises in Seattle and Washington manned by 2,300 agents, Scott is in a position to know. The company's Web site, www.johnlscott.com, is now in its fourth iteration and receives 150,000 visitors a month.

Scott's instant Internet processes offer several advantages. Buyers receive instant information from the Web, and sellers get instant marketing- houses can be listed on the Internet within one day. E-mail enables instant communication between agents and customers. And the Internet speeds many transactions associated with every sale. Computer technology will soon reduce the process of getting a home loan to five days or less. Says Scott, "If it isn't instant, it's not fast enough."

The impact of all these instant processes? "Customers are coming in more motivated and qualified." Scott says, "They've seen the homes and they're aware of the community from information on the Web site. This shortens the buying process."

To help buyers get up to speed, every house John L. Scott advertises in print contains a code, which buyers use to call up photos on the Web. "That's huge," Scott says, "because it brings our ads alive." The site emphasizes this unique feature, as well as 26,000 listings and general information about the area.

Scott's Web presence also caters to the needs of agents. Every agent has his or her own home page with e-mail, photos, and a system that keeps the agent's frame in front of users as they navigate around the site. "The Internet is bringing all our marketing programs together," Scott says, and they market the site everywhere - banners at the bottom of print ads, business cards, and all their signage. Aided by the Internet, each agent is doing more business, which, according to Scott, means fewer agents in the industry down the line.

To ensure his agents are among the survivors, Scott is investing in technology to the tune of $500,000 a year. The current program includes at the minimum a 200 MHz Intel Pentium processor-based system on every desk, equipped with high-speed digital access. The company also has a legacy mainframe, and four Windows NT networks running a variety of Pentium and Pentium II processor-based servers. Internet access includes a fast T1 connection from corporate headquarters and several separate arrangements with ISPs at the branch offices. All agents have e-mail, and soon will have pager notification of e-mail messages.

For the personal touch, Scott uses voice on the Website and agents' individual home pages Soon on-line video will allow customers to take virtual tours of the listed homes. To help everyone take advantage of all this technology, the company has hired a technology trainer for agents, support staff, and managers.

Despite the high technology expenditures, Scott reports good return on investment, especially since he's aligned all marketing activities with the Internet. "It's a real win-win," says Scott.

"Our agents like it, but they would not have access to these programs without being aligned with a large regional company."

Coming Next Week:
Conclusion: Getting Started

Contributing Author
Michael J. Russer
Michael J. Russer, President of RUSSER Communications, is an internationally recognized speaker, writer, and strategic consultant for the real estate industry about the Internet. His 22 years experience in the real estate field include the development of marketing and software systems as CEO for a high-tech mortgage consulting firm he co-founded. Also an authority on Internet risk management, he recently authored the industry's first comprehensive Internet policies and procedures manual for those companies that have agents active on the Net. He can be reached at (805) 882-1170 or mrusser@russer.com.