Also, if you or your company hasn't already, your company should build a Web site. It should be a single stop that explains what you have to offer and what your expertise entails. Start by finding a Web designer, or if you are on a limited budget, search online for free Web site templates that take you step by step through building it yourself.

Remember that a Web site is only as good as its content. So update information regularly for your audience. The data on your site should be as current as possible and should mean something to your contacts.

Online outreach

With your new database, you can start online outreach programs. These programs can be as simple as sending e-mails to your contacts about impressive business deals you have conducted or as complex as sending monthly e-newsletters that provide information on new products, programs, processes, services and current events.

Your online-outreach programs are an excellent way to drive people to your Web site to learn more about you. Include hyperlinks in your e-mail messages or your e-newsletters that direct people to your Web site. By encouraging readers to link to your Web site, you can keep your communications short and put most of the details online.

Keep in mind that each contact in your database probably won't use your services right out of the gate. That's OK. If you regularly communicate information that could be beneficial to their business at some point, they are more likely to work with you when the timing is right.

Remember that each contact has different communication needs. Some contacts will want to hear from you every week while others may only want information about major items. That's why it's important to get to know the people in your contact database before you start outreach efforts to them. Understanding their preferences and respecting them is just another way of providing the best-possible service.

When looking for leads, there should be a place in every broker's heart for electronic prospecting methods. The advantage of the Internet is efficiency. But as with traditional prospecting methods, the key is to make beneficial contacts, to share compelling and helpful information, and to create more than a one-time business relationship.

Andrew Bogdanoff has more than 35 years' commercial lending experience and founded Remington Financial Group in 1993. He has served as the company's president since its inception, and under his leadership, the company has grown to a closed-transaction rate of well in excess of $5 billion. Bogdanoff can be reached at andy@remingtonfg.com. For more information on Remington Financial Group, please visit remingtonfg.com.

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