Perception Versus Reality

I remember when I first began my career in real estate back in Lawrence, Kansas.

(Rockchalk, Jayhawk, GO KU!)

I was affiliated with Realty Executives/Hedges Real Estate, a franchise owned by Bryan and Laura Hedges, great friends and even better brokers. I had a wonderful experience there and it served as a solid foundation for the years ahead.

Follow the Leader

When you're a new agent, you seem to spend an inordinate amount of time observing what everyone else is doing. Right, wrong, or indifferent, we real estate folks have the habit of playing 'Follow-The-Leader' and simply mimick the behaviors and practices of those who have gone on before us. And many times, we make the mistake of trying to be something we're not.

Smoke & Mirrors

There was this agent in another office across town who appeared to be very successful, or at least, created that perception through her promotional advertising. She used glamor shots that would rival the air-brushed photos in Cover Girl. She took out ad space at the local theater, and before the previews would run, the audience would have the privilege of viewing her glorious visage plastered across the big screen.

Weird thing was, when I finally had the opportunity of meeting this agent in person, she actually bore very little resemblance to the image she had created and promoted. I remember feeling disappointed and slightly deceived. I learned then that perception can be reality, until such a time as reality contradicts perception.

Monkey See, Monkey Do

And so it is with blogging. When we first enter the social media fray, we lurk around conversations. As we feel braver, we add a comment or two to various threads. We spend time observing what others are doing - what they're writing about, how they convey themselves, how they format their blog, etc.. We then attempt to mirror the efforts and style of those who are seemingly successful. But eventually, we make the painful discovery that we're trying to be something or someone we're not.

Finding Your Voice

For beginning bloggers, it's usually referred to as 'finding your voice.' It's the journey that most of us are familiar with, a road we've traveled before. I call it the "3 P's of Conversational Blogging" - Personality, Perspective, and Passion. It's the process where you learn to comfortably communicate a sense of who and what you are through your writing. It's where the essence of what makes you different and unique is revealed in your blog posts.

Being Comfortable in Your Own Skin

And therein lies the real beauty and effectiveness of blogging as it relates to our real estate business. Do our clients and potential clients want hardcore real estate information? You bet! Do they want market conditions and statistics? Absolutely! Are they interested in currently available listings? Of course! But additionally, they want to know our convictions, our ethics, what distinguishes and sets us apart from the masses of other agents out there.

And they also want to know the 'real' you, the genuine you, the 'authentic' you.

When you are fortunate to finally meet-up with clients you've attracted through your blog, will they recognize you? Will your profile picture match-up accurately with what you look like today? When you speak to them, will your words and style be identical to what they've come to know about you through your blog? Or will they feel disappointed and deceived?

For more "Blog Tips for Rain Drips" go to the archive HERE.

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Rich Jacobson is a licensed real estate professional providing knowledgeable empowerment and relentless representation for his clients of residential properties and vacant land throughout all of Kitsap County WA and portions of Pierce, Mason, and Jefferson Counties. You can also find him at KitsapLife.com, SOUNDBITEBLOG and Crabbing in the Hood, or e-mail:  kitsapagent@gmail.com