Don’t Let Tom Tell Your Story.

11 Jun Don’t Let Tom Tell Your Story.

Don't let Tom tell your story.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

"Hustle for your worthiness".  I love that.

Encapsulates the very essence of modern-day estate agency marketing.

And now, it's time to stop.

Life's too short and no matter how successful you imagine your future, there's big change in the offing.

The middle-ground for estate agency is fast disappearing.

We've seen it with those at top end agencies. Casting their net just a little lower. Creating vulnerability for the vast majority of agencies that occupy the middle ground. Knight Frank, that bastion of high end property, advertises a one bedroom, Queens Park, flat for £325,000 in The London Magazine.

And those at the lower end, gradually chipping away at middle ground margins, by virtue of perceived lack of differentiation. The PurpleBricks, 99Home and Doorsteps model. A sliver of credence imparted by Homeowners Alliance recommendation and some healthy marketing spend. Vendors that don't know they have a problem, though, are very good at ignoring your mediocre efforts to hustle.

Not only is the middle fast disappearing for agency services, it's disappearing ever faster for brand awareness.

Savills, Knight Frank & Dexters at the top. Purplebricks & their ilk feeding on the bottom.

The rest?

In a race for attention. The purgatory of endless comparison. Aimlessly searching for a point of true differentiation.

Apparently, more passionate. More honest. More experienced. More dedicated & more tenacious. Every one of them.

Busy getting 'likes' and followers on the social media merry-go-round. Sharing photos of the unexpected gift from a very, very grateful vendor. Experiencing a sudden flush of excitement when a post nearly, but not quite, goes viral.

Here's the root of the problem.

"If you're in sales, you're always competing".  -  Tom Ferry

That's become the over-riding problem for estate agency. A deferential willingness, that many agencies have, for the Tom Ferry's of this world to write their story.

To tell agents what to think. And how to act. What to say.

"This is what's wrong with you and your agency. This is what you need to do to fix it.  This is how other agents use the millionaire mindset strategy to win big. This is the script that..."

The same story that Tom is telling every other agent.

No wonder estate agents & realtors, the world over, are seen as a commodity.

They act like a commodity.

Hoping that a few meaningless adjectives, strung together to resemble their script, convince and convert those vendors setting the bar so low, they're in danger of tripping over it.

"You either walk inside your story and own it, or you stand outside your story and hustle for your worthiness."

If you're in sales, Tom, the idea isn't to compete. That assumes you both win & lose.

The idea is to stand out.

To choose, rather than be chosen.

To have the courage to stand out.

To have the courage to be an estate agent, or realtor, that some will reject.

Vendors telling you No, by the way. That's O.K.

As Seth Godin says: "Shun the non-believers. This isn't for you."

Standing out, however, requires that you do things differently from every other agent.

They're advertising.

Don't do that! Everybody hates it anyway.

They're on social media.

Don't do that! It just adds to the noise.

They interrupt and annoy with door-knocking and cold calls.

Don't do that! Your reputation depends on not doing it.

Don't hide behind the safety of a corporate brand.

Not just the Foxtons, Chancellors and Countrywide's.

Any corporate brand.

From the smallest to the biggest agency.

People buy from people.

People trust people, before they trust most brands.

Which is why, when the middle ground for agency disappears and all that's left is top and bottom, homeowners will seek out personal brands.

Not corporate brands.

And the best way to create a personal brand is for you to...

"walk inside your story and own it."

This is who I am.  This is what I believe. This, is my story.

When every other estate agent, realtor, Tom, Dick and Harry is busy competing, that - will make you stand out.

That - will make you different.

That - will get you attention.

And, if the story you tell is good enough, that will get you enrollment from the homeowner.

That will get you an audience. One that share your values, beliefs and convictions.

An audience that wants to go on the journey with you.

Not one that sees you as a commodity.

Don't, then, let someone else tell your story.

It likely will be the same story that every other agent and realtor has been encouraged to share.

Hustle, grind, crush it, compete, win, success.

Just another Grimm fairy tale with an unhappy ending.

"Take the risk of thinking for yourself. Much more happiness, truth, beauty and wisdom will come to you that way."  - Christopher Hitchens

I'm out to persuade estate agents & realtors to think for themselves.

To create their personal brand through the use of story.  To be the unique individual that they have always been.

Before someone else told them what story to tell.

Stand out.  Rather than fitting in. That way you don't have to compete.

Thanks, as always, for reading.

If you would like more information on the power of a personal brand, check out www.andsothestorybegan.co.uk

There's a call to action button at the end that gets you even more information. What it won't get you is a sales call.

If you'd simply like to chat, call me on 07875 141436. Or, email: chris@andsothestorybegan.co.uk

My advice is always free.

Chris.