A picture tells a thousand Stories Part III Aka... the Good the Bad and the Ugly!

Since Part I & Part II were such a success (lol – the least read of all my blogs ever!) I’ve decided to cap it off with the highly anticipated Part III in my series "A picture tells a thousand stories Aka... the Good, the Bad, and the Ugly”

When I first started in real estate I put my picture on my business cards, and all my Ads because that’s what everyone else did. My mentors and fellow Realtors® said that was what I should do. I was new to this profession having come from the advertising world, and I didn't really know any better. Looking back I should have considered that as women in Real Estate we are put in some pretty perilous situations sometimes. All you have to do is read about the recent rash of brutal attacks on Realtors® in South Carolina to understand what I am talking about. Do we really know why a particular person calls us? Is it because they liked our photo and sought us out? There are just too many freaks out there for us not to at least consider it, but to be honest I never did until one day… I got a call from what I believed to be a prospective buyer inquiring about a house in Summerville I had just listed. It wasn’t until the heavy breathing was done, and I heard the click that I realized what had happened. Had they seen my photo in Homes & Land, or gotten my business card from someone? The more I thought about it the madder I got. To my astonishment this was just the beginning of a series of calls that went on for 2 weeks. My husband didn’t seem very concerned when I told him. He said that I should look on the bright side and be flattered by all the attention! I never considered myself a beauty, and I was no longer a spring chicken; so all this “attention” seemed kind of absurd in a way. I sought the guidance of my fellow Realtors® in my market center. I even asked a panel of experts at a Realtor® of Distinction event if I could effectively advertise without using my picture. Guess what these “experts” told me – no way!

I should have known better, they were clearly too comfortable and stuck in their ways. They just couldn’t conceptualize any other way to connect with the consumer. I’d like to be able to tell you that they were at least supportive and understanding of my situation, but that would be a lie. They treated me like it was my fault, and wrongfully assumed that I had used some kind of provocative glamour shot that had prompted all these calls. One Realtor® (and I use that term loosely here) even accosted me in the bathroom and told me that I had it coming. That was the last straw! I pulled all my Ads, took my photo off my business cards, and began an exciting new journey into Real Estate branding without the use of any personal photos. I hired a wonderful team of designers (Fuzzco) to help me realize my vision. It even spawned the now infamous “Don’t judge a Realtor by their Picture” campaign. I know all of you are dying to see what got the Post and Courier in such a tizzy and made me pull it after only 2 days, so here it is:

In the end it forced me to be more creative, and concentrate on the message. After all, that’s what good branding is all about. I can say without a doubt I’ve never been happier, and after forming my own team I've been given the chance to create a brand I believe in. Our new ads are highly recognized and even copied. They say imitation is the sincerest form of flattery- so thanks “big blue” for the recent pinch even though it pained me to see it.

So my advice to my fellow Realtors® everywhere is: be different, be creative and think outside the box. Don’t just smack your photo on all you’re marketing materials and think you’re done. There is a brave new world out there and this is your chance to be a part of it!