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Does Character Matter?

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There's an interesting article in today's New York Times written by one of my favorite writers, David Brooks. The article is entitled "The Character Factor" and it's about Senator John McCain, who is running for the Republican nomination for President. In this article Brooks talks about how the media treats presidential candidates: "We tend to view them like products and base our verdicts on their market share at the moment. We don't so much evaluate their character; we analyze how effectively they are manipulating their image to appeal to voters . . ." And I suppose that struck a cord with me after spending much of my day today writing agent bios for agent websites, and trying to come up with alternate language and better phrases to describe this particular agent or that one.

How much does the public care about character? If we aren't terribly concerned that our political leaders have a good one, how concerned are we about anyone having a good character? Real estate agents are not universally held in the highest esteem by the general public. I think we've all read negative things about the real estate industry as a whole and sometimes agents in particular. (An example is the bestseller Freakonomics, Chapter 2 is entitled "How the Ku Klux Klan is like a Group of Real Estate Agents.") I think in recent years there has been an increasing level of professionalism in the industry and I think the consumer has come to expect more from their REALTOR® than they ever have before. But does character matter in their decision to choose one real estate agent over another?

In writing content for agent websites day in and day out, I am over-saturated in the same phrases saying the same things. I sometimes wonder if every agent espousing their ethics, integrity, dedication, enthusiasm, energy, commitment, expertise, passion, knowledge, training, and promises for a problem free transaction - are actually piercing the consciousness of the consumer. I suppose it's not something most agents ask their clients: "So was it my ethics that was the deciding factor in choosing me, or the fact that my website came up first in the Google search?" So maybe it doesn't matter very much. I would like to think in my own idealistic way, that on some level, it matters to each of us and we would all prefer to work with people of high integrity and good moral character. But having said that, how does one demonstrate good character to a consumer and potential client?

Posted by Catherine S. Read on 11/13/2007 02:17 PM

Comments (16)

marketing, websites, character, real estate agent, john mccain

Post is included in group: Prosperity Mortgage

16 Comments on Does Character Matter?

NOV

2007

I don't think good character is something that you can demonstate in one meeting, or blog. That's why realtors really need to focus on referrals from past clients and friends. Not only do you need to be concerned about the character of the realtor, but of the client also. We've all had buyers and sellers who had no respect for the realtors time or money, and were just as willing to dump the one they had to save a few dollars

Referrals have a different expectation, and usually repect you as a professional, and it gets returned.

In my area, with the amount of scams going on, character counts a lot. However, that said, generally it is the agent that is listed on the first page of Google that will get the calls.

Larry - I agree it's a difficult thing to discern in someone you don't know well. You make an excellent point about clients who don't have a particularly stellar character either. So you can understand the difficulty in trying to convey a sense of that personal quality through "marketing."

Matthew - It's a reality that the Internet has changed the way we do business, how we find people and information, and how we form opinions. My challenge it to try and separate agents from the pack through their web sites, and to find the right thing to say that makes an impression on the web visitor. And the newest agents really have the toughest time of all.

I was having a conversation about that today. It was regarding property management. I commented that if we referred somebody that wasn't up to par, then it would reflect poorly on us. So, whose best interest would we be serving? Clearly our own. We show our character by who we refer and also when we tell people when something is in their best interest but not our own.

So, I think we demonstrate our character when we sacrifice our interests for those of the client. They may not realize it but in the long run, it's more important that we demonstrate our character to ourselves. The rest will follow...and we'll be able to sleep at night.

Oh, and as an REALTOR, I read carefully the chapter comparing REALTOS to the Klu Klux Klan in Freakanomics, and I thought the analogy was ....well, not there!

Nancy, I will go on record as saying I didn't agree entirely with their conclusion in Freakonomics. Their point about information and secrecy was well made, but the Internet has blown that wide open. There are no more MLS listing books, the information is all online. But their actual empirical studies that were based on data in Chicago seemed like a total stretch to me and I didn't agree with their conclusion that is showed agents act in their own personal best interest. But what is the public's perception of REALTORS® when they read things like that? Real estate agents are like any other large group of people - you can't generalize and be accurate. There are some great ones, some good ones, and some who shouldn't be in the business.

I think you either have it or you don't. It's not something you can turn off and on...People can see through you...especially if you're a blogger. It's hard not to write day in and day out without being yourself. Front pages are written the same way on all real estate websites...If the agent is not referred, then character is hard to be pulled from the static websites.

I would think that if not referred, a buyer might use an agent they have found on the internet once...if they had no character.

I'll have to put Freakanomics on my book list. Working on Longtail and Naked Conversations right now.

Thank you Bob. You make me feel better. I have the same conversations constantly with agents about what they can realistically expect from their websites. I encourage them to share what is real and important about themselves rather than just the usual "I love real estate!" I think being authentic is something that people can sense and it's something we value. The more information, noise and clutter in the marketplace, the more we seek "real." I loved Longtail, and my suggested follow-up to that bestseller on micro-markets is Barry Schwartz's The Paradox of Choice. I heard Barry speak at Brand ManageCamp in Chicago in September and he was wonderful. Essentially, his message is that we are overwhelmed by choice on a daily basis to the point where we become paralyzed in trying to make a decision, and frequently decide not to decide. I'm sure any agent who has shown a buyer more than 6 or so houses can relate to that. While I like having thousands of iTunes to choose from, I don't need 81 different types of Crest toothpaste to confuse my decision making. (Yes, there are really 81!)

[searching internet for Crest toothpaste] 81?

Barry showed a slide in his PowerPoint presentation that had all 81 types of Crest toothpaste. Not all of it is on store shelves because no manufacturer could afford to pay for that much shelf space. So different types are sold in different retail outlets. But who needs that many choices? If the Colgate is on sale, it makes it easier for me to decide on that one simply because it has a differentiating factor to it - the price. Now apply that analogy to real estate . . .

NOV

2007

Yep...needs an attractive package with all the bells and whistles and a very attractive price.

Whether it's houses or agents, there has to be a differentiating factor. There is just too much noise and clutter. Another presentation at the marketing conference was on Simplicity Marketing and it centered around having a "dominant selling idea." That dovetailed nicely with the presentation by Dan Heath, one of the co-authors of the book "Made to Stick." Totally awesome book that is the foundation of effective communication. Not just in marketing, but in every facet of life. Of all the books we've talked about, I'd say Made to Stick probably offers the most valuable information that can be applied immediately and consistently to everything you say, do or write. I'm off to teach this morning - 4 offices of eager L&F agents who want to know how to build a web presence . . .

I would be interested in hearing your presentation. Let me know what your schedule is like...I would like to be a guest at one of the offices.

No worries, you would be welcome. L&F is very friendly like that. It will be after Thanksgiving and most likely in one of the VA offices as I have not crossed the river to the north. BTW, Amazon just released their Top 100 books for 2007 and Made to Stick is #26. Just an awesome read. Marshall Goldsmith's book What Got You Here Won't Get You There is #22 on that list, and that is an excellent book as well but in an entirely different way. I downloaded that one as an audio book on my iPod because it's one of those books you go back and listen to multiple times to reinforce habit changing behaviors. I feel that way about Jeffrey Gittomer's The Little Red Book of Selling as well.

NOV

2007

When I search for Ethics in Google, you come up.

FEB

2008

I'm depressed that this was your last blog!

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