I talked with a real estate professional recently who said he wanted a personal brochure, but he didn’t want it to be about him. I have to admit he had me stumped, because he wasn’t talking about a corporate brochure either. While he tried his best to explain, I tried my best to understand. And as much as I would have liked to work with him, we simply couldn’t get on the same page about a non-personal “personal” brochure.
So, I decided to answer the question, “What is a personal brochure?”
A personal brochure tells your story in a way that speaks to a prospect’s heart.
Every great marketer knows that people buy things for emotional reasons, not logical ones. And most decisions—such as choosing a real estate agent—are based on emotion too. Only afterwards do people use logic, and then only to justify their emotionally based decision.
If you’ve come to the realization that your marketing brochure speaks more to other real estate professionals than to ordinary people looking for help to buy or sell a home, your brochure definitely speaks to the head, not the heart. And you’re probably thinking about replacing it with a personal brochure.
As you’re beginning to see, prospects just aren’t interested in being bombarded with a list of your professional accomplishments and designations. After all, how many of them, faced with selling their home—one of life’s ten most stressful events—can or will translate how your designations benefit them as a seller? People simply don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care.
This is worth repeating: people don't care how much you know until they know how much you care.
Now, don’t get me wrong. I’m not saying these things aren’t important, because they are. In fact, a 2005 NAR survey revealed that REALTORS® who have designations earn over twice as much annually as those who don’t.
My point is that these are your credentials and they have their place. But presenting them to prospects first off will not strike an emotional chord. Facts do not speak to the heart. They have no power to connect you to other human beings. And that’s why they should not be the focus of the information you use to introduce yourself in your most important marketing brochure.
A personal brochure markets the brand called YOU.
As you know, in the real estate business, houses come and houses go. Even when a buyer is set on a particular house and misses out, she finds another. So, what sense does it make to market your business based on something that’s here today and gone tomorrow? It’s the equivalent of building your business on a foundation of shifting sand.
And regardless of your broker, YOU are your own unique brand. As markets and houses and brokers shift, your brand remains unchanged. If the concept of yourself as a brand is confusing, it’s only because you can’t see the forest for the trees. Your brand is your own personal identity delivered in a message that's so simple, strong and singular, it leaves an imprint on the minds of consumers.
And because you’re a multi-faceted individual, you may need help discovering which facet of your identity has the most market appeal. Call it your “curb appeal,” if you will. As a real estate professional, you know the emotional impact of curb appeal and its importance to a home’s ability to attract the right buyers and draw them in.
People are hardwired to listen to and enjoy good stories.
If you're a talented writer, you may have no trouble writing your story in a way that speaks to a prospect’s heart. But if you're not, best-selling author James W. Hall said it best: "Everyone really does have a story to tell. But if they haven't learned how to tell it, well, it'd be like you or me trying to build a house just because we'd lived in a lot of them."
If you want a copywriter, this is where I come in. I’m skilled at storytelling and bringing my clients’ stories to life on the page authentically and with integrity. Through my custom questionnaire delving into your target market and a 60-minute telephone interview delving into your life journey, I discover the facet of your identity having the most market appeal. This is your brand. And—like curb appeal—I use it in writing your story to attract the right prospects and draw them in to liking you before they ever meet you.
What are the results of having a personal brochure?
Once you have a clear vision of your brand, you may realize you’re perfect for a particular niche that you’d missed. Or you may see you’re perfect right where you are. Whichever it is, your personal brochure will attract those prospects most likely to work well with you … the ones most likely to become your happy, satisfied clients. Why? Because you first connected with them heart to heart.
These are the people who will choose you as their REALTOR® even before they’re ready to buy or sell. And when they are ready, they’ll remember you as the REALTOR® they like and call you, because people do business with people they like.
Writing for your success,
Kay Steele Faulk
The Real Estate Copywriter
The Real Estate Copywriter Blog
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