Building a PIPELINE of potential clients these days requires more than just post card that says "I'm Number One!" - you need to establish a personal brand to set yourself apart from the crowded marketplace of other REALTORS® who have the same or similar qualifications.
What is personal branding? Personal branding is the way you clarify and communicate what is special about you, so that you don't have to talk so hard (or hope for the right question) to explain exactly why you're the best choice a buyer or seller could make in choosing a REALTOR®. With branding, you are communicating more information on more than simply a verbal level.
"A BRAND takes the place of an actual personal relationship by making it seem that there is a relationship when in fact, there is none!" The BRAND is ‘what' we are remembered for.
Your personal brand is communicated through all visual and verbal communication, voice mail greeting, letters, listing presentations, personal web site, wardrobe choices used in meetings, handshake, contact card, and even your personal interests and behavior. If any of these are inconsistent with the image you wish to project, your brand is compromised or at least weakened.
When developing your personal brand, ask yourself these questions:
- What do you want people to understand, think, and know when they see you/your marketing/your email?
- What is the essence of your value to an organization?
- What makes you stand out? Your accomplishments, strengths, personal qualities, or just your hair color, the hat you wear ‘glamour shot'?
There is the story of the character actor who was wrestling with his personal brand because his primary value to directors was that he had a forgettable face. He is neither handsome nor ugly, tall nor short, and even his hair was a nondescript color. Although his credits are impressive, new casting directors never remembered him enough to call him back, even when they have been very enthusiastic about his auditions.
After we did some work with the questions listed above, we decided to brand him as the "red sweater guy." Why red? Because red communicates passion, which is how he feels about acting, and the color stands out and is memorable, even though his face is not.
To every audition, he wore a red sweater. On his resume attached to his black-and-white head shot, he wrote in red ink under his name, "the guy in the red sweater." He began introducing himself as "Chris, the guy in the red sweater," as well as identifying himself on his phone messages and voice mail as "the guy in the red sweater."
The result? The guy with the forgettable face became memorable, and effectively communicated his passion for acting by building a brand around a red sweater.
Correctly branding yourself will make you easier to remember, and will communicate much more than you can ever say in a cover letter or even an interview.
If you'd like to learn more about how to effectively brand yourself in ways that the consumer will respect and celebrate check out http://www.parentrelocationcouncil.org/
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