"The creative process is fueled by divergent thinking—a breaking away from familiar or established ways of seeing and doing."—The Innovator's Toolkit, Harvard Business Essentials.
The key to marketing the real estate business is creativity. It's easy to get overwhelmed by the fierce competition and feel you're offering the same thing as everyone else.
The classic PB&J analogy can help us understand how to differentiate ourselves and stand out from the crowd.
I work with real estate builders and developers, assisting clients in managing their projects, from procuring raw land to building townhomes and condominiums. And market them as new constructions.
At this junction, we recruit local realtors to sell my clients' homes using the PB&J analogy to market these new properties.
The PB&J analogy I use with my clients goes like this: There are two peanut butter and jelly sandwiches on a table in front of you. I describe the first PB&J sandwich as "a peanut butter and jelly sandwich—Classic and Timeless."
I describe the second PB&J sandwich in more detail, like "a toasted peanut butter and strawberry jelly sandwich on two sliced pieces of fresh sourdough bread. Crunchy toast on the outside and the most delicious, oozy, gooey peanut butter and jelly on the inside. This sandwich will bring you back to your childhood memories."
Which one would you prefer to eat?
Like the classic PB&J sandwich, as you already know, there are endless ways to market real estate to increase sales. For example, you can add different kinds of bread, homemade jellies, and authentic spreads to make your PB&J sandwich unique and attractive.
The same applies to selling in the real estate market: you can set yourself apart from your competition by offering creative solutions.
Focus on the details when describing your listing, blog, or ad piece that make it stand out from others, and use words and phrases that help your potential clients visualize themselves living there. You could turn a cozy two-bedroom home into a luxurious retreat with minor upgrades. Or you could design sleek real estate images to promote your properties on social media and digital channels.
Expand your focus and look at how you can improve your pitch. Come up with a creative home staging plan to help your clients envision themselves in the property before seeing it.
It's not just about selling the same thing as everyone else—it's about finding something unique to make clients love you and your work.
The classic PB&J analogy has helped my clients stand out in the competitive market, build a successful real estate business, and hence, help my business prosper. And in any market conditions!
Note: Margaret Rome Baltimore 410-530-2400 inspired this post as she and I casually commented on one of her posts: Why Am I Still Blogging? Thank you, Margaret.
Photos by Shutterstock
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