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Who Are You? Someone With Low Self-Esteem?
Who are you? Someone with low self-esteem?
"Nobody cares about you, or your #estateagency." is perhaps the biggest limiting belief in this sector.
A limiting belief that is going to condemn you and your agency to a purgatory of competition and comparison.
Why are those that preach this gospel so enthusiastic for you to believe it?
Because their business is fundamentally built around any agent being "broken", not being good-enough.
Their 'job' is to fix you. To have you compete with every other agency. To demonstrate 'better than.'
For this, your agency will have to be considered "the expert". The most knowledgeable. The most experienced.
What we end up with is an industry so consumed with sharing data, information and with greater visibility that it verges on winning the coveted award, Boring for Britain.
What the market is doing. How many homes sold this quarter compared to last year. Percentage of fall-throughs. Best streets to live in your town.
All very simple stuff that can easily be replicated by ANY agency, if they are so inclined. Stuff that fails to address the ONE concern every homeowner has when choosing an agency - can they be trusted?
Not are they competent, are they experienced, do they offer great value - but can they be trusted?
If you're an agent that believes trust emanates from competence, there are hundreds of examples of competent people/professions that aren't trusted. Politicians and journalists immediately spring to mind. Similarly with qualifications and mandatory licencing, plenty of consumers still live to regret their decision on instructing a "professional".
Statistics prove very little, especially when taken out of context. They stimulate left-brain activity that uses logic.
People, though, first decide emotionally with right-brain activity and then justify that decision internally, even against all the evidence provided by the 'expert'.
Information is appropriate - later on. When the potential client knows WHO you are.
That unique individual. Unlike any other agent. Someone, not simply confident in themselves, but certain of their core values, beliefs and convictions. Someone that is worth knowing for WHO they are, rather than what they do and how well.
Nobody Care About You, Or Your Agency? My response has always been to make them care.
Everybody, everybody, even estate agents have their story. The story that only they can tell.
That's why biographies outsell every other category of book. People are interested in other people. Particularly other people that are different.
I've worked with enough #realtors and agents to know that no two are alike. Even for those with nearly identical values, the story is never the same.
The majority of agents choose NOT to embrace Personal Brand.
Whether that is for reasons of fearing transparency, or preferring to associate themselves with corporate branding to establish credibility, is unclear. I can only hazard a guess.
My guess is that, despite the show of bravado, they have low self-esteem.
They perhaps believe their life is not interesting enough to be put under the spotlight. Many people will agree because it is far, far easier to remain in the chorus line than to be centre-stage. Being worthy of all that attention.
But, if #realestate is the people business that everyone claims, there needs to be a degree of transparency. We don't make friends until we at least know something of the other person.
It's far easier to connect if they aren't hiding behind a 'mask' of polished and perfected.
Low self-esteem is the result of constantly being told by others that you're not good enough.
That you "fear" doing something. Whether it is taking the leap of faith into a self-employed business model, or not doing video content, or ignoring social media, it's a form of bullying, designed to shame you into action.
Surround yourself with other people is my advice. People that build you up, not take you down.
Those that 'train' agencies focus on what to do and how to incrementally improve it. Similar advice given to every one of your competitors. And we wonder why these sectors are described as a commodity!
"What to say to overcome objections" Essentially, a script for those that can't think for themselves. If you have a relationship built on Personal Brand, instead of a transaction built on leads, there are no objections to overcome. You have a client that trusts you.
"You are a direct reflection of the people you spend the most time with. The people around you are your mirrors. They are the ones who allow you to see aspects of yourself - and vice versa. If you spend time with people who mirror your own insecurities, or judgements, then you're going to see those traits every single day and begin to believe in them. They would be re-enforced in you to the point where you decide that is who you are.
Deliberately choosing people around you is how you can sculpt yourself. You want confidence? Hang around confident people. You want to learn a new skill, any craft? Hang around people who practice those things and do them well.
The challenge is knowing when to walk away... & where most people struggle. You have to be EXCEEDINGLY deliberate in how you spend your time and with whom." - Nicolas Cole.
Spending time, and money, on people that encourage you to do what has always worked in the past is a risk.
Times change, goals change and what worked before isn't certain to work now.
What remains fairly constant in this hectic world around us is our core values. Beliefs come and go as we make our way through life, but core values are the foundation of WHO we are.
Core values isn't something to fear or to hide away - unless we have low self-esteem. It's not something we need help with, either. It's self-determined.
When we understand what makes us WHO we are, the stories write themselves. They attract the right people into our lives.
Someone they know, like and trust.
If you're curious about your core values, let me know and I will send you a comprehensive list to enable you to choose the five most appropriate. Every piece of content should reflect those core values. Congruence in everything you say and do.
From those core values comes your Personal Brand bio.
Not some thinly-disguised c.v that tells the potential client what you've done and when, but something transparent that tells them what they need to know.
Who You are, What you value and can they trust you?
There is no need for your to be a 'better estate agent' - you have value in simply being You. Let that show.
In your writing, in your video. Be genuine, be open, be yourself. That passion delivers value enough.
Let me know if I can help with your Personal Brand. I already think you're unique.
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