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How the Sign Police Helped Us Build Our San Ramon Business – It’s a ZEN Thing

One of the most expensive and time consuming efforts on the part of a real estate agent is to brand themselves. It’s a long-term process and commitment. To ignore it is to fail before one begins. With over 50% of business still coming from referrals, it’s imperative that people get to know you. It’s a ZEN thing – you, your reputation, your branding – are one. See earlier post – Who You are Speaks Louder than Words.

Your branding deserves some quality alone time. It needs face-time with you – up close and personal, with the cell phone off. The last thing you want to experience is redoing your branding after putting in a year of effort and thousands of dollars.

Your signs are one of the most critical pieces of branding in your marketing program. To skimp on signs is worse than a cheap business card. With a business card you can always tell the person you’re passing it to that you ran out of the good ones and had to print up a bunch of inkjet junk to get by. But your sign just sits there communicating to people who you are and how you approach your business. So, please don’t use cheap, no image, no branding signs like these mentioned in the last post. Here are examples of our signs

Which of these stands out? One day this past summer, there were fifteen directional signs on this very corner. We received a comment from one of the home hunters that day that our sign stood out from the crowd – MISSION ACCOMPLISHED! In the course of business, we often hear – oh yeah, I see your signs in the neighborhood – HIGH FIVE!

Because we have sign police in San Ramon, we have to place our directional signs on private property. Our signs are valuable assets to our business. So, this provides us a great reason to knock on doors and ask permission from the homeowner to place our sign in their yard. Can you believe this – most of them tell us that we are the first real estate agents to ask for permission!!??

Well, you can imagine how it goes – a business card leaves my hand, we chat a bit, and establish a relationship that gets reinforced every time we need to place a sign in their yard. If they ever need a Realtor, who are they going to call - the agent who just plops their sign down without even a "may I," or the agent who shows some consideration?

In my next post, I am going to share how we mange to get homeowners to chase us down to thank us for putting our signs in their yards.

The Harper Team – San Ramon & Danville, California Real Estate – We want your business and referrals. We guarantee our services in writing because – It’s a ZEN thing.

Posted by HarperMees & Associates on 11/24/2006 09:40 AM

Comments (17)

danville, california, san ramon, police, real estate, agent, zen

17 Comments on How the Sign Police Helped Us Build Our San Ramon Business – It’s a ZEN Thing

Great post. Branding is the key to getting you and your company recognized. I have worked with some very major brands like Ford, Warner Bros. and Coca Cola. The one thing they know is how to capitalize on their brand and use it to differentiate themselves from their competition. With so many Realtors out there, the simple act of branding either online or in print is truly the key to increasing referrals and leads.

11/24/2006 10:30 AM

by Mary McKnight (1parkplace)

The asking permission thing is also a VERY important part of this post. So many simply assume that it's "okay" to use others' property for their own purposes (like signs), and real estate agents should be, professionally, more concerned and informed and aware of property rights (real property and intellectual property) than the average citizen. What you do - simply asking first - "brands" you as being a cut above the rest of the pack in that regard, as well.

And now, off to read your prior post (Thanksgiving has thrown me all out of order, having to cook and read intermittently).

11/24/2006 10:35 AM

by Tricia Jumonville, EcoBroker® (ERA Colonial Real Estate)

GREAT job guys, you do it because it's the right thing to do, and it nets you benefits. Imagine that? Doing the right thing actually benefitting your wallet? i wish more brokers would realize how important the little things are. I bet you guys even send thank you cards and anniversary cards for your clients purchase anniversaries! I also bet you're successful! Happy thanksgiving!

11/24/2006 10:42 AM

by Pierre Calzadilla (Trulia.com)

I always use the sign posts for a little extra "zing". It stands way out above the competitions push it in the ground and get it over signs! Bravo for a good post

11/24/2006 01:24 PM

by Chris Tesch College Station, Texas Real Estate (RE/MAX Bryan College Station)

Always ask for permission. Unless you like losing signs and having your reputation take a beating. A great way to expand your "met" database.

11/24/2006 02:08 PM

by Suzanne Marriott, Associate Broker, CLHMS, e-PRO (Keller Williams Realty Professional Partners)

Our community only allows signs on private property, or between Friday afternoon and Sunday Evening in a few other select locations.

We have also had the response ... "Wow! You are the only people who have asked permission. Thank you!" We even got a client from one of these "Courtesey Knocks" - they wanted to sell, too!

11/24/2006 03:43 PM

by Mariana Wagner ~ Colorado Springs REALTOR® (Wagner iTeam -Keller Williams Clients' Choice)

We can't put signs anywhere in St. Paul. I stopped using the directional arrow signs because even when I put them on private property with the owners permission they dissapear. I think other agents take them. :(

11/24/2006 06:48 PM

by Teresa Boardman (Keller Williams)

Leave it to a KW agent (s) to be polite! We too have sign police in one of the towns in our county, i haven't had the need to knock on anyone's door and ask permission yet, but I will.

The sign police have turned out to actually be beneficial, it make it a little more difficult for the FSBO. Of course, they give them a little more slack for not knowing the law.

11/24/2006 08:06 PM

by Joanne Brown (Keller Williams Hudson Valley Realty)

Great post- we also use our photo as part of our branding - the only problem is having to redo all our signs everytime we change photos (which is every 2-3 years).

11/24/2006 08:15 PM

by Rick & Ines - Miami Shores Real Estate (Majestic Properties)

Thanks for sharing. I know I have to improve on this....

11/24/2006 11:35 PM

by Kaushik Sirkar (Call Realty, Inc.)

Great post!

Too many agents collateral material, business cards and signs are just noise. They look generic or like a dozen others. No one will remember them.

11/25/2006 03:01 AM

by Randy L. Prothero - Hawaii REALTOR® (Century 21 Liberty Homes)

Choosing the right sign is just the first part - make sure the sign and the post are clean, and replace any that are bent, scratched, etc.

In the photo it looks like all the signs are still in the right of way portion of a person's lot - or don't you have the road easements that we do?

11/25/2006 07:48 AM

by Sharon Simms St Pete Florida CRS CIPS CLHMS (RE/MAX Metro)

Good to know and validate that it's always good to ask for permission when placing signs. I try to do this whenever I place a sign on a corner where a home is at. Also, it shows your professional and gives contact with one more person out there.

11/25/2006 10:12 AM

by Cynthia Sloop (Community Property Manager)

We don't have sign police here, but I'm sure it won't be to much longer. Great job on picking up clients just by using sheer courtesy! We'll definitey be doing the same.

11/25/2006 02:42 PM

by Jim & Maria Hart ~ Charleston, SC Real Estate (Agent Owned Realty)

Great Post. What a great icebreaker and wonderful opportunity to talk to someone about how successful you are in there neighborhood. We don't have sign police but I am going to start asking anyway.

11/25/2006 09:42 PM

by David Love,CRS,GRI,SRES (Zip Realty,Inc)

I have been asking if people were okay with me putting out my signs for the same reasons mentioned above (mainly signs being thrown in the street). Out of all of the people I have asked, only 1 said No.

It makes people happier and you don't lose your sign. Show people some respect. It may just be a lawn, but they pay for it.

11/30/2006 01:47 AM

by Patrick Sharples, Broker (Cox Commercial, Inc.)

The Harper Team:

Your signs are beautiful and very professional! I love it!

02/26/2007 06:38 PM

by Jaclyn Erwin, ABR (Wilkinson & Associates )

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What does the graphic say?