AT ANY GIVEN POINT in time, a home seller has any number of choices in a real estate agent. Lane Cathcart has some tips on personal branding and how you can stand out from the crowd.
TRADITIONALLY, REAL ESTATE professionals have commonly held that the more hours worked, the more money they will make. Logically, it makes sense to think that the more hours an agent spends prospecting and networking, the more clients they will contact. There’s the potential that more sales will be made, thus increasing income. The flaw in this approach is that there are only 24 hours in one day and if milliondollar agents aren’t miraculously finding more hours in their working day, how are they continuing to write one million dollars’ worth of sales year on year?
PERSONAL BRANDING
It’s simple; to make more money in real estate you need to work smarter, not harder. Rather than wasting hours a day cold calling and prospecting, successful real estate agents have recognised the value of personal branding. Nothing is more important for a real estate agent than to create, maintain and market their personal brand. When successfully implemented, personal branding is recognised as the difference between writing $50,000 worth of sales by working 12-hour days, and becoming a million-dollar agent with a healthy work life balance.
Your personal brand is an invaluable investment. People will follow you for your personal brand from agency to agency if they feel connected to it; it has the potential to guarantee that you never have to start from scratch again.
HOW TO IMPROVE YOUR PERSONAL BRAND
1. Keep your appearance in check
Like it or not, appearance matters. People use visual cues to build an idea of who you are, your competence and your trustworthiness. Keeping yourself well groomed and looking sharp will help you build a personal brand that says ‘I’m in control’ and ‘I take my job seriously’.
2. Have an authoritative presence
Building a strong personal brand is as much about your presence as it is your appearance. Practice speaking with authority to increase and maintain people’s confidence in you.
3. Ensure you’re ahead of the pack: become a fully licensed real estate agent
Due to an oversaturation of agents in the market, this is one of the first things potential clients are looking for when searching for an agent. In a market overflowing with real estate agents, make the choice between yourself and the next agent an easy one.
4. Once you’ve become fully licensed, advertise it
There’s no point being a cut above the rest if no one knows about it. Include your new qualifications in your job title and description, amend your business cards, send emails out, change your LinkedIn profile and spread the word.
5. Keep your social media professional
Either ensure your privacy settings are set to ‘friends only’ or get rid of inappropriate posts and pictures. Potential employers often use social media to research and hire, so keep it classy and avoid embarrassment.
Time is money in the real estate game. Spend your time wisely and you’ll build yourself a reputation that will not only serve, but follow you throughout your real estate career.
