Estate Agents Don't Need A Personal Brand, If...
...they want to fit in, rather than stand out. To be seen as a commodity rather than as someone unique.
They don't need a personal brand if they are happy chasing vendors/landlords, rather than having vendors chase them.
No personal brand required if the agent is happy taking on any vendor with a warm pulse.
They don't need a personal brand if they have an over-supply of 'leads' and are able to convert 100%. Every No, being just a waste of their time.
Personal brand won't work for those agents that are happy to be a small cog in a big corporate system. Their serf-like status will be recognised eventually - if the company is still around. On the other hand, those that develop a personal brand will avoid being overlooked internally for promotion, or find it easier to move.
Not needed, either, for agents that aren't prepared to invest in emotional labour. Connection between vendors and agents almost always requires emotional labour. Getting the vendor to feel something.
Personal brand isn't for agents that require no permission before they interrupt. Those agents that convince themselves a vendor, ultimately, will thank them for their impertinence.
Personal brand isn't for realtors that see themselves as unremarkable. Not bad, but not quite deserving of the accolades heaped on their competition.
Speaking of which, competition doesn't fit well with personal brand either, because having a personal brand means standing out, rather than having to compete.
Compassion, humility, integrity and a whole host of other personal attributes won't be necessary if an agent isn't prepared to reveal them. And, if those attributes aren't revealed, so much the better for those agents that get by on hustle and manipulation. Vendor beware.
Personal brand isn't necessary for realtors, if trust and respect from the vendor/landlord little matters. They'll get by on their state and prove methodology. Answering objections and never taking No for an answer.
Estate agents don't need a personal brand if they're uncomfortable with creativity. Reading intentions and emotions and finding affinity. That, for them, is missing the point. They're here to convince and convert. Nothing more.
No personal brand, either, for those agents stuck in a comfort zone. God forbid that they should attempt anything that might rock the boat.
Personal brand isn't for those agents that profit from making the truth seem relative. The home isn't worth what they claim, but that's not their objective.
Personal brand isn't for risk-averse agents. Change involves risk. Risk involves fear. Far better stay as they are and die a slow death than venture into the unknown.
Personal brand isn't for those agents with a short-term mindset. Those seeking a quick-fix solution should avoid personal brand. It's not for them.
Personal brand isn't for agents that chase width and reach. It's not about how many connections - it's more about how many people care.
"Modern marketing has split. On the one hand are the roboticists. They test & measure and do what works. They do it with no interest in how people decide, or what they believe, or what story they tell themselves. Instead, they treat the human as an ant in ant farm, a robot that does this or that.
On the other hand, are those that seek to get to the heart of what makes us human...they know that truly understanding our narratives is the essence of doing work that connects and that spreads." -Seth Godin
Modern estate agency hasn't yet split.
But it must!
If for no other reason than that those good agents, by association, accord with the very worst traits of other agents, in the perception of those they seek to serve. Said differently, they're all labelled estate agent/realtor, no matter their competence.
That has to change.
And in changing, not for the better. Not by incremental advantages to outperform other agents.
But by replacing what's not working - with something different.
Personal brand is the only true differentiation for estate agents/realtors.
Everything else can be replicated by others.
The advantage, now, is that so few agents have developed their personal brand.
It's a blue ocean. Compared to the blood-red sea where sharks prey on the less competent agents.
There is little competition in Personal Brand estate agency.
Which is why those that do it well, enjoy success and a more meaningful, less stressful existence.
Building reputation instead of disrepute.
Who are you? What makes you different? How can you prove that?
That's where personal brand starts.
It's about framing your scarcity.
So that vendors/landlords care enough to buy into that.
"Marketing isn't about those who arrive. It's about those who stay." - Jay Acunzo
In conversation with Christopher Watkin, I ventured that personal brand would resonate with perhaps less than 1% of agents.
I stand by that statement. It's for the few, not the many.
There goes your identity.Despite evidence from other sectors that it is a fundamental requirement of providing a quality service, few agents have the courage to venture down that route. They prefer instead to hide behind the mask.
Hoping that competence wins the day over character.
It hardly ever does.
All things being equal, people buy from from people they like. All things being not so equal, they still buy from people they like." - Mark McCormack
That's my role.
Not to help you sell more.
I get people to like you more.
Estate agents don't need a personal brand.
Unless they can handle it.
Thanks, as always, for reading:)
Any questions? I'd love to help.
My advice is always free.
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