Commercial Investment Real Estate is the magazine of the CCIM Institute, the leading provider of commercial real estate education. CIRE covers market trends, current developments, and business strategies within the commercial real estate field.
Issue link: http://cire.epubxp.com/i/82355
WHAT'S A PLACE MAT? For examples of property place mats, PowerPoint alternatives, and video-enhanced presentations, read the Web Exclusive "Presentation Tools" at www.ccim. com. recently expanded his arsenal to include Brainshark, Prezi, and SlideRocket. Brainshark is cloud-based soſt ware that allows users to transform Power- Point presentations into mobile-opti- mized videos. It automatically streams presentations in the appropriate video format, regardless of the device. The Brainshark app for iPad/iPhone/iPod Touch and Android devices off ers addi- tional tools. "It's business-oriented and it plays well on my Android phone," Weis- kopf says. Prezi is another cloud-based alterna- tive presentation soſt ware, which off ers pan-and-zoom features and can import PowerPoint slides, images, videos, PDFs, and more. Users can create a unifi ed graphic — an offi ce building image, for example — and zoom in on relevant text or interactive elements placed throughout that image, instead of present- ing separate slides. SlideRocket allows users to combine charts, audio, and images and integrate free Web resources such as Flickr images or YouTube videos to create shareable, measurable online presentations. "It has the best look of any platform I've seen," Weiskopf adds. As this soſt ware illustrates, videos have begun to play a more prominent role in business presentations. For com- mercial real estate professionals, that usually means vir- tual tours that give clients an in-depth look at a property. But there are other creative ways to incorporate video into presentations. Gladstone records himself talking about rental rates, vacancy factors, absorption, and other fac- tors that might aff ect the property in question. When he plays the video at the presentation, his on-screen persona introduces him, and he engages in a dialogue with the recording. "T e hardest part is practicing to make sure I respond on cue," Gladstone explains. But the practice CCIM.com pays off : T is approach recently helped him get a listing for a vacant property. "It has rein- forced my opinion that a pre- sentation needs to be not only accurate and factual, but also entertaining," he adds. And when it comes to enter- taining ourselves these days, nothing beats a mobile device. T at's why Gladstone conducted his fi rst iPad-based presentation a few months ago. The client was a convenience store chain looking for potential sites to purchase in a given area. He displayed aerials, zoning, and tax map parcels, and his assistant, Fahd, could easily pull up additional informa- tion when requested. "It had everything they would see in a traditional presentation, but it was simpler and faster," he says. Gladstone uses the iPad's Photos app to capture Google Earth images and maps, and annotates them using Skitch. "I can outline a parcel just by dragging my fi nger across the screen," he explains. And he plans to add more apps to his presentation repertoire soon. "Clients are becoming savvier, and they expect you to be engaged with technol- ogy," Gladstone says. But no matter what technology is used, it should ulti- mately help the presenter strengthen his or her professional identity in the eyes of the client or fellow agent. "My goal in every presentation is not to win the business but rather to be memorable," Tucker says. "If I accomplish that, I will ultimately win the business because I'll be invited back." And if all else fails? Order that pizza. Rich Rosfelder is associate editor of Commercial Investment Real Estate. September | October | 2012 35