I decided to stop at the local Panera Bread the other morning to get a Cobblestone (try one - they are great!) and some coffee. It was really rainy out and I didn't feel like driving to the office yet so I set up shop in the corner with my laptop hidden from the hustle and bustle. I was a psychology major and love to people watch especially for my training ideas.
As I sat there I instantly became overwhelmed by the number of real estate related conversations going on. Within my earshot were 5 tables all talking about real estate.
First was the man all by himself on the phone talking to someone about how his house isn't selling and he doesn't think that it will sell regardless of what he prices it at.
Next there is a man and woman meeting. When he arrived at the table she asked him how the house was coming and he just looked at her like a deer in headlights wishing for a less bleak response to pop into his head.
There was a group of 6 older women having a bible study. As they packed up to leave one of them became the personal spokesperson for her mortgage lender who was apparently doing her refinance. She asked her group, but loud enough for the whole room to hear "is anyone refinancing or planning on buying a home?" When asked why, she raved about her mortgage lender and started passing out cards to the group.
Four 30 something men sat around talking about flipping houses, creating LLC's evaluating property... I recognized that one of the guys was a real estate broker and has been a top producing agent in our market for some time.
Finally at the table closest to me was a real estate broker that has been in the business for a very long time in our market as well. She looked so familiar yet I couldn't come up with her name. (Maybe it was because my mind was sidetracked trying to eavesdrop on everyone's conversationsJ) However, I quickly noticed that she had on a name tag so I was quickly reminded who she was. She was speaking with a lender about how to set herself apart for a new condo project in the area that was taking proposals for marketing.
So what do we internet friendly folks go? Stick her name in google and see how she is doing right? Awe come on, you know you do it! What came up surprised me and taught me two lessons.
- Wearing a name tag does help...If I were a consumer sitting in the café I would not have known that the man was also a real estate broker. If I figured it out based on the conversation and been impressed with his knowledge, I could have found him online by googling his name as I did with the female agent.
- There may be many people that recognize you from your advertisement and marketing or they have done business with you in the past but just can't remember your name. When they see you in public with your name tag on it can trigger that memory and get them researching you again and talking about real estate
- Make sure that your website address in purchased and updated - This is really a totally separate blog in itself. But when I found her online her website address had obviously not been renewed and now displayed things on the home page that I am sure she would not want to convey as belonging to her.
Am I wearing my name tag today? Not yet... As a trainer I like sitting back in the corner just observing how real estate agents act in a public setting when they don't think anyone is looking!
Remember always be on your toes. You never know when you next best customer will be watching you!
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