Technology That Helps You Sell -- Anytime, Anywhere
by Scott Ahlsmith's

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Additional good news about clients shifting from brick & mortar to anytime & anywhere is that the potential market size increases and the cost of reaching that market decreases. To succeed with this new breed of clients, you must have a willingness to let go of business-as-usual thinking and acquire technology that gives you the freedom and mobility to operate anytime & anywhere:

[Author's Note: Technology is like cars; some like Chevrolet better than Ford and some like Dell better than Sony. The following list of technologies is not a competitive or objective analysis of one brand over any other. It simply reflects technologies you need and brands that I use. Options exist and the choice is yours.]

Computer: To operate anytime & anywhere, you need the portability of a good laptop computer. Don't skimp here. This is the heart of your business. I have a basement room devoted to old notebook computers that could not take the punishment of portability. I've owned Sony Vaios, Dell Inspirations, and a host of no-name brands. My recommendation for this mission-critical component of your business is an IBM ThinkPad. This computer is not discounted and is a little pricey, but you-get-what-you-pay-for and my ThinkPad with office docking station has earned my trust and recommendation.

Network Connectivity: You need wireless or Wi-Fi connectivity to private networks and to that big public network called the Internet. Whether you are in your home office, your client's home, a local Starbucks, an airline club, or any other wireless environment, you need connectivity to the Internet. The most universal wireless connectivity standard today is called 802.11b. Most new notebook computers contain built-in 802.11b support. If your computer does not, you will need to purchase an 802.11b wireless network adapter in the form of a PCMCIA card. You may also want to purchase a wireless access point for your home office at the same time. I use Linksys access points and PCMCIA cards and have found that by matching the access point brand with the PCMCIA card brand that connectivity becomes almost easy. Linksys is also owned by Cisco Systems, which is one of the largest and dependable manufacturers of networking hardware.

Wireless Internet Service Provider (WISP): Once you have your laptop and wireless (802.11b) connectivity hardware, you're ready to take your technology anywhere. While there is no single universal WISP, I have found that my T-Mobile HotSpot account gives me the best coverage (American Airlines Admirals Clubs, Borders, Delta Crown Rooms, DIA, FedEx Kinkos, Hyatt, PHL, Red Roof Inn, Starbucks, United Red Carpet Clubs, and US Airways Club). For locations not offering HotSpot service, you can buy a day pass or pay an hourly rate to get connected.

Security: After you have loaded the operating system (OS) on your computer, you should load security software. I recommend loading security software before installing a word processor, database, contact manager, or reservation system.

By "security software," we are referring to software that keeps unwanted intruders from messing with your data. I recommend four types of security software:

Firewall -- This software examines all traffic entering and exiting your computer and stops the traffic if some data doesn't pass inspection. I recommend Zone Alarm as a firewall that will work anywhere your computer is connected to the Internet or another network.

Anti-Virus -- This software prevents applications that passed through the firewall, usually attached to an e-mail, to take control of your computer and start destroying your data. I recommend Norton AntiVirus for this task.

Spyware -- This software monitors your computer for programs that slipped through the firewall and did not trigger your anti-virus protection. Among other things, these programs can track your keyboard strokes and send them to a remote server or locate credit card numbers stored in your database and sell them on the open market. I use four Spyware programs because each stops different types of malicious activity. Ad-Aware, Spybot, Spyware Doctor, and Registry Mechanic have kept my system free of spyware and other maladies for more than a year. Their protection overlaps, but each approaches detection of malicious programs from a different perspective and the alternative is not attractive.

Spamware -- No one likes spam except Monty Python's signing Vikings. Also, no one likes a spam filter that quarantines or deletes the good stuff. Cloudmark's SafetyBar attacks the bad stuff and lets the good stuff find your Inbox. SafetyBar determines what is spam and what is not by monitoring its 1.2 million users. The more legitimate spam you report, the more credibility you have in the SafetyBar community. My trust in SafetyBar has reached a level during the past year that I now empty my deleted folder every night and don't even bother to look at the one hundred or so messages identified as spam.

Domain Names, Personal Web Sites, and E-Mail Providers: Is it just me -- or does anyone else think it is less than professional to use an AOL, Hotmail, or Yahoo domain name as part of your e-mail address?

At one time, expense or complexity could have been an excuse for not registering your own domain name, but not today. Through GoDaddy.com (stupid name - great products), you can register a few domain names that describe what you do, secure a five-page Web site that talks about you and the services you provide your clients, and an e-mail address that you can access from your notebook computer or any Internet cafe around the world.

If you are going to compete in the anytime & anywhere market, you need to promote yourself -- not AOL, MSN, or Yahoo. Expedia doesn't use a Hotmail e-mail address and they're owned by Microsoft; neither should you.

Think of GoDaddy.com as your one-stop domain name, e-mail server, and web site shopping center. You can get everything you need and the low cost will make you wonder why you didn't do this long ago.

NEO: Speaking of e-mail, do you feel overwhelmed? Do you print e-mail messages so you can file them in paper folders? Do you spend hours trying to find an e-mail that someone sent you in the past year about a private guide in Florence? I thought so.

NEO is an e-mail organizer that works with Microsoft Outlook and literally organizes your emails in more ways than you thought possible. You can identify "hot" messages by tagging certain senders with a special designation. NEO will emit a little chime, like your doorbell, when a message arrives from one of these senders. You can tag received messages for High, Medium, and Low follow-up. You can also search your entire e-mail database (mine now contains more than 22,000 messages) in seconds for all messages containing the word, "Florence."

In the anytime & anywhere market, e-mail is the communication tool of choice and NEO will soon become your e-mail organizer of choice.

Client Database: What is your most important asset? Information about your clients and prospective clients? You bet! When your clients expect you to be available anytime & anywhere, they also expect you to be ready to conduct business. They expect you to know the names of their family members, their ages, their passport numbers, and so on, and so on.

They also expect you to call them back when you say you will and follow up with that supplier who promised to clear a wait-list next Monday for that last cabin you needed.

Anytime & anywhere clients want you to know where they have traveled and what they want to do on future trips. They also want you to send recommendations for future trips even if they might not be able to travel.

This is called Customer Relationship Management (CRM), and the best travel-specific product to help you manage your customer relationships and your daily schedule is TRAMS ClientBase+ .

The change from brick & mortar to anytime & anywhere has flattened the competitive playing field and given the mobile travel professional a huge opportunity. To turn this opportunity into an advantage and to turn the advantage into increased earnings, anytime & anywhere travel professionals need to adopt professional technology that equips them to meet the needs of their clients - anytime & anywhere.

* Scott Ahlsmith, CTC is president and CEO of Magellan360, a host agency specializing in processing and fulfillment services for travel professionals. He also volunteers his time to serve as the Chairman of The Travel Institute which sets professional standards and bestows professional certifications for the travel industry. Scott invites your comments and feedback!