The Real Estate Sales Professional Brand – Does What You Know Really Matter?

From time to time we hear about real estate sales professionals who feel that technology is impacting personal relationships in real estate and that personal relationships are what makes real estate sales professionals thrive. While online technology, social media and mobile apps have changed the way that we market, communicate and work, these things are also changing the landscape in terms of a real estate sales professional’s ability to expand their business, targeting more areas.

In the past, and even now, some real estate sales professionals would focus on a small specific area and become an expert in that area. That is because, before, to become an expert in an area, you would need to know the community to be able to knowledgeably discuss its demographics and also the types of properties in the neighbourhood.

The question is, does a real estate sales professional still need to have boots on the ground to know enough about a particular area to discuss it with a client? We would like to challenge this thinking.

What does a client want to know about a neighbourhood? Who lives there, age of families, religions, ethnicity, types of homeowners (renters vs owners), where schools are, transportation, churches, community centres, etc…  They will also want to see things like locations of rail roads, factories, golf courses, ravines and other things that could improve or reduce the value of the property.

What does the client want to know about the property? What is the sales history, is it worth the list value, what chances does it have to increase in value?

All of this information can be discovered through the use of different applications that can, at the click of a mouse, answer all of the above questions and more. So how does this change the real estate landscape? While you may want to be integrated into a particular neighbourhood because of the value in establishing recognition and marketing yourself – you don’t necessarily have to be to be an expert in that particular community.

Well now you can cast a wider net (how wide is up to you) and deal with larger regions, which in the end will mean more business!!! This is a big world and if you want to be more competitive being able to offer more matters.

It seems as though, with the numerous changes on the real estate landscape, it isn’t so much about what you know anymore as much as it is about what you CAN know, and how quickly.

For more about the tools that can make obtaining this information easy, quickly, please visit www.geowarehouse.ca today. 

Real Estate Branding – What is the Brand That is You?

Your personal brand as a real estate sales professional and your personal recognition plays a vital role in your professional success. Real estate branding is a topic that has been widely discussed in the industry and good real estate branding can lead to increased customer retention, not to mention new business.

Mobile technology and social media has changed the way that your prospects and customers receive information, so being digitally connected to them is critical.

 

Once you make a connection to a customer you open up a gateway to remarket to them, maintain recognition and be there to support them the next time they are ready to buy or sell. A real estate sales professional who is a thought-leader, providing wise counsel and not just information, sets the stage for life-long learning and life-long relationships.

When trying to hammer out the “brand that is you,” Fast Company released an excellent article with a list of things to consider (view it here: http://www.fastcompany.com/28905/brand-called-you). Here are some quick tidbits:

1.      What makes you different?
2.      What is the pitch for you?
3.      What’s the real power of you?
4.      What does loyalty mean to you?
5.      What is the future of you?
6.      We have added from an excellent TED talk – What is your why? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qp0HIF3SfI4

Establishing the brand that is you is only the beginning of the battle – next will be promoting the brand that is you.

How can you promote the brand that is you? By embracing and leveraging the tools that you have available to you, like mobile apps that keep you connected and investing time in your social networks,  making a concerted effort to grow those networks through sharing information that is of real value.

You must remember though that digital networking exposes you to a wide audience and so the information you share is a direct reflection of your brand. Accuracy and professionalism is paramount. You can digitally establish the brand that is you and the public’s perception of your personal brand by putting great consideration into how you go about sharing and engaging and the type of information you publish. The information that you publish and the information you share should be consistent with your core values.

You are on the road all the time so another important factor that may influence the perception of your personal brand is accessibility. Mobile tools that keep you both connected to other real estate sales professionals and the clients you serve are vital in a fast moving market place. Mobility and having instant access to information that enables you to serve your client with quick and accurate information on-the-go enhances your personal brand and credibility.

In a recent article by Ozzie Logozzo, executive director of the Ontario Real Estate Association Real Estate College, there is a great discussion regarding what the brand of a real estate professional could be. Logozzo discusses stigma in the industry and how real estate sales professionals can rise to a standard that changes perceptions of what the real estate professional brand in Ontario should look like.

How do you feel about the perception of what a real estate sales professional is in Ontario? Would you prefer to be judged by the brand that is you or by the brand that has been established for you by the industry? Do you think that there is a perception of what a real estate professional is or is capable of simply in reference to the identification with the words real estate? We’re listening…

If you would like more information about GeoWarehouse or upcoming mobile resources please visit www.geowarehouse.ca or call 1-866-237-5937.