Persona, Reputation, Personal Brand??? Any difference?
Three years of blazing a trail for Personal Brand. Shouting it from the rooftops.
Only for it to be misunderstood by some of the finest marketing minds around.
Seth Godin, for one. I asked a question on his Akimbo podcast. To which he replied:
"Another question about semantics. Personal brand vs. reputation. I'm not sure that there's much of a difference or a distinction. Just different ways of looking at the phrase.
https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/pods/akimbo/e/77060594
His answer in full on the above link, ten minutes from the end. Essentially, that reputation is from a "looking back" perspective, whilst personal brand is "looking forward - what we can expect."
That, in my opinion, doesn't go nearly deep enough.
Christopher Lochhead, for another.
"Personal Brand is bullshit" Episode #018 of Lochhead on Marketing Podcast.
"Christopher encourages everyone to re-think this idea of personal branding because he believes that what people prefer is reputation. Reputation comes from producing legendary results. Personal branding is, by definition, contrived and inauthentic."
So, my immediate response was to post: www.andsothestorybegan.co.uk/dont-confuse-reputation-with-personal-brand
And, just for good measure, with Don't criticize what you cant understand.
I remain certain that there is a difference. A huge difference. Its not simply semantics and neither is it 'bullshit.'
Contrived (def: deliberately created rather than spontaneous) is a good thing if done honestly. Inauthentic is simply a judgement made by someone who prefers to rely on hard facts and figures rather than by someone who has the courage to be transparent.
But the world is confusing enough without adding to it through commutable definitions.
So, I've coined the term PERSONA to convey my intent.
def: noun: the aspect of someone's character, or nature that is presented to or perceived by others.
source: Oxford Languages & Collins English Dictionary.
Someone's character.
That's it!!!
The difference between PERSONA and reputation/personal brand.
Keep your personal brand if that means identifying with the Kardashians. Even if they do have 13 million followers.
Keep your personal brand if your #estateagency #realtor business is built on social media likes and shares.
Keep your reputation. One built on "producing legendary results". Results that can easily be manipulated if required.
Uncover Character and you unlock the one thing missing from run-of-the-mill relationships - trust.
So, in future, my posts will be under the heading of PERSONA.
Specifically, PERSONA for realtors, estate agents and those within the real estate industry. We don't care what you do, or how well you do it, or even why - we care about who you are!
An industry where what's clearly lacking is trust - and where the one thing that can lead to that missing trust is character, demonstrated through PERSONA.
If you're a realtor, estate agent, that finds it hard to convince and convert, it most probably isn't your competence. Your ability to list the property. To conduct viewings. To negotiate offers and to progress the agreed offer to completion. Your difficulty is in persuading the vendor that you're the best fit for them.
You probably state and prove your worth, just like all the other agents. Lean a little too heavily on the question of fee and follow blindly what every other agent has been told to do by those that purportedly 'train' the industry - you close!
And wonder why the answer was often No!
The whole listing presentation needs a different perspective.
I'm not offering incremental improvements for the listing presentation process, not trying to offer something better - it's a broken system. I'm offering something completely different.
Agents go in ever so excited and confident that the vendor is really interested in what they have to say. About the agency's marketing. About the prevailing market conditions. About the list of qualified buyers just waiting for a home like this. About the valuation figure. About the agent's passion for the business. And their local expertise.
They've been told that they have an hour to get the vendor to know, like and importantly, trust them.
"Be personable, be charming, be enthusiastic, be the authority." say the 'gurus'.
Not a word about being yourself - not one.
What transpires is a 'beauty parade' of agents desperate to impress.
Pity poor vendors.
Vendors that choose, without deciding, because they have to.
There has to be a 'winner'.
Standing there in the spotlight, crown, sceptre and flashing smile.
Chosen, because the vendor had to, isn't a great accolade. The best of a bad bunch, in other words.
If a vendor makes a conscious decision, on the other hand, that's preferable.
But the earlier that conscious decision is made, the firmer the foundation for it being a great decision.
The listing presentation should be seen as simply the logical conclusion to what's been before.
What's been before should be a conversation between two like-minded people.
Getting to know each other. Finding affinity. Sharing emotional moments.
In order to get to that place of trust.
If you think that happens in one hour, I understand why you have to hustle for your worth.
You're simply not strong enough to build relationships.
PERSONA requires transparency.
Transparency is for those who aren't addicted to other people's opinion.
So, that excludes about 99% of realtors & estate agents.
Leaving those that are transparent, not only different, but trusted.
The industry, as a whole, may lack trust. That shouldn't exclude a realtor from standing out.
From being transparent.
From allowing their PERSONA to do the 'selling' for them.
I believe that such transparency permeates every other aspect of our lives. Dropping the mask that we all wear to overcome our fears.
It's always been a strain for most to be someone that they're not.
Perfecting & polishing the 'perfect' life. Until it hardly resembles the person inside.
Be authentic. Be transparent. Be remarkable, if you can.
Tell the story that only you can tell.
That's how you build reputation - not with "legendary results."
But by sharing your PERSONA with those who matter.
Thanks, as always, for reading. It's much appreciated.
If you have any comments, good, or not so, I'd love to hear from you.
There's a sign-up form on the blog page that notifies whenever I post something new. It would be great to have you as an audience member. No spam, no unsolicited anything. Just a notification.
Chris.
The post Persona, Reputation, Personal Brand??? first appeared on And so the story began.