Why a Resume’ Doesn’t Replace an Agent Bio

You’ve read plenty of resume’s. They all outline a person’s education, work history, and skills. Employers use them to try to find the most qualified candidates for a specific position.

Since the home buyers and home sellers who choose you are also technically employers, shouldn’t your resume’ be enough to convince them that you’re the real estate agent they need?

No, because the relationship between a real estate professional and his or her clients is more personal.

When a corporate employer chooses a new employee, that employee may never work directly with the employer. And the employer certainly won’t be sharing the personal and financial details of his or her life with the new hire.

When a home buyer or home seller chooses an agent, they will work closely together. Since they’ll necessarily be sharing details they would probably never share with anyone outside of their immediate circle of friends and/or family, the new “employer” will feel a need to trust that agent on a level that goes beyond professional credentials.

Trust is an elusive thing, and we trust for many reasons, some of which don’t always make sense. One of those reasons is that we simply like someone – and one of the reasons we like people we don’t even know is that they are “like us” in some way. It may not be rational to like someone because they love dogs, play tennis, or volunteer at a soup kitchen, but we humans aren’t always rational.

That’s why I encourage agents to share a bit of personal information. It could be about where they grew up, past employment, hobbies, family, pets, volunteer activities, passions and interests that led them to a career in real estate – or preferably a combination of a few such details.

I recently wrote a bio for a lady who shares her home with a service dog, and the two of them visit nursing homes to bring comfort to the residents. How do you think that information will affect potential clients who read her bio?

Does your bio let the “personal you” shine through? If not, take some time to spice it up. And if you can’t figure out how to do that, get in touch. I love helping agents build trust with total strangers!