How To Avoid Connecting With People

Whether it's Active Rain, Facebook, Twitter, Google +, Linked In, or so many other sites where we can connect and form friendships, associations, and strategic partnership with each other - literally across North America and around the world, I have discovered 3 ways to sabotoge those efforts:

(1) Don't include a photo of yourself. Just use the "witness protection" mug shot that is the default. So flattering in basic gray. Also, rather than a photo of yourself, since we are connecting with you, use one of your dog, your logo, your horse, your kids, or anything else. (You can include those shots on your sites, but we are connecting with you, person-to-person.)

Along those lines, make sure the picture was taken years ago - maybe for a high school or college yearbook. Those stiff, posed, air brushed studio shots make great keepsakes but don't really look that much like us.

Digital shots are so easy to do, and many people opt for something dark, out-of-focus, or too far away to recognize anyone in the shot.

(For best results make it easy for someone meeting us for a showing or for coffee to immediatley recognize us from a recent photo.)

(2) As your tagline or description, include something cutesy such as purveyor of fine properties, your one stop for this area's real estate needs, or anything else that doesn't say what you actually do. Just using your town name might tell us where you're from or your market, but it hampers a search if we don't have more to go on. Are you a Realtor, broker, coach, stager, investor? How can we help each other?

(3) Omit the profile. These are just a bunch of words that clutter up your site. Better yet, leave the original language on the site that shows the world you don't understand what a profille is or haven't figured out how to take advantage of it.

 

If you follow these 3 simple rules you are sure to get almost no connections, friends, circles, or associates - except from close friends or associates.

You might want to save the time you spending on social media and do something else.

 

 

──

 

For more information on my coaching and educational programs and services, visit my website or go to my other blog "Steve Hoffacker's Home Sales Insights" for additional sales tips, insights, and commentary. Listen to my free podcast messages at "Steve Hoffacker's Happenings."

Steve Hoffacker - Consultant, Coach, Author, Blogger, Photographer, Motivator, Podcaster, Teacher, & Strategist - for Realtors, Real Estate Sales Professionals, Home Builders, New Home Salespeople, Entrepreneurs, Small Business Owners, and Independent Sales Representatives.

© Steve Hoffacker, 2011. All Rights Reserved.