Recently, I was talking to the owner of a real estate company in a neighboring market about one of his listings. He asked me where I worked, and then he said, “Production Realty? What’s that?” I was shocked… and irritated. I immediately wanted to go on the defense- telling him all about us, how long we’ve been in business, our many accolades, how we’ve had deals close with his company (how could he not know that??), and accuse him of not being current on anything outside his market.
But then I remembered a story my dad told me.
Years ago, our local college’s basketball team was playing for the National Championship. My dad was the radio broadcaster for the team bringing the game live to local residents for about 40 years. This particular year, there was a sports reporter at the tournament who, from the very beginning, mispronounced the school’s name. My dad would correct him, and he would mispronounce it again. My dad would get increasingly irritated, and the reporter’s misuse would become more rampant.
When the team progressed through the tournament, people started to take notice of this little team from nowhere. The reporter continued to say the wrong name, commented about how no one knew who they were or where they were from, and so when they shockingly made it to the quarterfinals and won, my dad turned to the reporter and said, “Now do you know where HILLSDALE COLLEGE is, you $%##@?”
I’ve always loved this story. And it teaches a powerful lesson, too.
Sometimes the best way to tell people who you are is to SHOW them who you are. You can tell people all day long how great at your job you are, but until they see it in action, they don’t believe it.
If someone tells me they have a phenomenal singing voice, the first thing I think of is all those horrible auditions on American Idol. But if that same someone then breaks into song and fills the air with beautiful music, I’m immediately on board with their proclamation. Most people need proof through action, not words.
Marketing for a Realtor is a tricky thing. You have to tell people how great at your job you are without actually telling them how great you are. You want people to know how diligent, knowledgeable, and professional you are, without coming across as arrogant or as a braggart (read: Annoying).
It’s one thing to advertise a product- a new marketing tool or service and explain how awesome it is, but it’s completely different when it comes to actually advertising yourself. This is why online reviews have become so popular. When someone else brags about you, it’s easier for people to believe. When people mention you on social media sites, it gives instant credence to your abilities.
And while it’s easy to have other people attest to your abilities for you, you can also do a few things to show it, too. One of our broker friends in a (different) neighboring market has started collecting questions from viewers and answering them on video. Genius. He is showing how knowledgeable he is by not actually saying how knowledgeable he is. He’s showing how professional he is by wearing a suit in the video, not by telling you he’s a professional. It’s effective, and the increasing amount of business he does proves it.
Action, not words.
When talking to that other broker last week, I decided to show him, not tell him, what we were all about. I knew he’d be at the showing, so when I got there with my buyers, I made sure my colleague and I came prepared with the listing information and questions to ask. He brought nothing. We were dressed up while he was wearing jeans and a Carhart. Which company, which agents, were deemed more professional at that appointment by the clients?
Think of ways you can show who you are as an agent. Show it through the actions you make, not the empty words you speak. And as for that other broker? I bet now he knows “what” Production Realty is. #@$%&.
Amy Gilpin, Associate Broker, Manager, ABR, SRES.
Fourteen years of helping clients. Six years of helping agents. All for this crazy thing we call real estate.
Production Realty 517-879-4141 Jackson, MI Amy@ProductionRealty.com
