Personal Marketing - A Story (Part II)
This is a post on my local blog (part II) which I thought I'd offer up for an open discussion on AR.
The NetworkIN CDA is only a few months in the running and participation is... well, it's nothing like the rain.
Still reading… Great! Let’s continue with our little story. OK. So, the rep from Hobbs Herder offers up one more scenario… John or Jane Realtor is having an open house. While they are always on the lookout for a buyer for the house that they’re showing, they know from experience that open houses don’t usually yield ‘THE’ buyer for it. What it does do, however, aside from keeping their sellers happy, is to produce LEADS, the life blood of the real estate business, or any business, for that matter.
Now, John and Jane, good realtors that they are, follow up with the folks that kindly left contact information, who, by the way, have been bouncing around town looking at any open houses that caught their imagination. The realtor calls, “Hello, this is John (or Jane) Blablabla, and I was just calling to find out if you liked the house at 123 Anywhere St or if I could answer any questions?” Weary from their day’s travels, they politely ask, “Which house were you?”
Herein lies the dilemma. “Which house were you?” Are you kidding? These hard working people have been innocently reduced to an inanimate object, hopefully a nice one, but still a thing. You see those weary souls out that day saw a half dozen houses or more and can hardly remember one from another, let alone who the realtor was. No, no, no… You see we’ve got this whole thing all mixed up. That guy from the marketing company was right. It’s not about the houses.
Here are the facts, as I see it. If you have a good product, it practically sells itself. Anybody can sell it. Of course, we shant reduce our friends John or Jane into a ‘just anybody’. We’re talking real people here. People with a story, a life that’s real, things that make them unique and different from you and I. And, on top of that, people like to do business with people they like… and trust. Not just anybody.
All righty then, this brings us back to Part I of our story and the purpose of this curious tale. Remember? Ah, yes… your profile. No, it’s not arrogant to tell us more about yourself and who you are, it’s interesting. Yes, interesting! Imagine that! You’re a real person. You do have a story. You are a somebody we can relate with. Imagine the possibilities… of a business whereby the most important part of it is YOU, not necessarily the product, the house, the thing, whatever it is. It’s YOU!
Of course, there is a little work involved. Some self-reflection, thoughtful writing, a tie-in with your work and hopefully after a few revisions… Voile, you are ready. Exciting, eh? In fact, you could write a personal brochure. You could create a ‘tag line’ and ‘brand’ all your pieces with a consistent theme. And, if you were really slick you’d even come up with a smooth elevator speech to be able to share your benefit to a new prospect in 30 seconds or less. Don’t worry about those mega-marketers. The best business, in my book, is built one person at a time and by providing excellent service.
In conclusion, I must offer up one more disclaimer. This whole bit is an over simplification of what a worthy marketing company would do. And, from the standpoint of a strategy, I profess no expertise. There’s far more to that agenda than I could or should ever endeavor to relate beyond my initial intent. My point here is simple. JUMP IN! Don’t be shy. Get involved however you can. PARTICIPATE. If you do, I believe that you will be glad you did. So, for now I wish you all the best and thanks for reading.
Steve Miller 208-659-1476 Keller Williams Realty, Coeur d'Alene
Comments(4)