27 Dec Reputation Precedes Revenue.
Reputation Precedes Revenue - Rory Vaden, Founder Brand Builders Group.
If you don't believe that, stop reading right now. You have better things to occupy the next five minutes of your day. Thanks for stopping by.
Important things to you such as chasing up every sales lead that still has a warm pulse. Demonstrating "value", delivering the easy promises, following the script, overcoming objections and most importantly, never taking No for an answer.
Hustling your worth.
It's what most realtors/estate agents do. It's what they've always done. It's never easy and, sometimes, corners do get cut.
That's why the industry Reputation is what it is - ranked bottom three, most years, on The Veracity Index of Trusted Professions.
If you're still reading, maybe that's not you - but, by association, we all think it is.
You're a realtor and until we find out how different you are, the sector is a commodity. In a race to the bottom.
More visible than most, more experienced than most, perhaps less expensive than most - but still simply just another agent. Doing what they always do, unfortunately just incrementally better or worse than the rest.
Do you realise how much harder it is to persuade someone of your worth, if there's no trust? It's a handicap at best; at worst it's precarious.
What makes it even more difficult is that most agents attempt to build that trust by stating and proving their worth.
They have been brainwashed by short-term thinkers that preach the gospel of "better" " bigger" and "innovation."
Our agency is "bigger". Our agency is "best". Our agency is "leading the tech revolution."
It it works for you, keep on carrying on.
You can fool some of the people all of the time.
Here's the thing:
"Better is temporary. It's a flimsy advantage that can be toppled in a second. Better keeps you chained to the same old way of working as your competition.
"Different is better than better." - Sally Hogshead.
We notice difference, we give it our attention, if for no other reason than to protect ourselves.
We ignore things that are similar. We have to because there is so much noise vying for our scarce attention.
So we selectively choose things to which we give our attention.
Mostly, they are things that interest us. So boring people and even more boring subjects don't get the time of day.
Until we need them.
Enter the real estate agent.
A stranger knocking on the door. Hopefully by invitation, but not always.
Introducing themselves and being ever-so polite, professional and polished.
They're getting an hour or so of our time to explain themselves. At the end of which we will compare them to their competition.
What do we know about them?
Not much - they're "award-winning". Isn't every agency?
"Passionate",
"Dynamic",
"a local property expert",
"dedicated to 24/7 customer service",
"experienced".
"5-star reviews"
Could they be less transparent?
A string of adjectives dreamt up by the "marketing" department that says absolutely nothing about Who is behind the brand.
Instead, try inspiring. Try fascination.
Then you get attention.
Potential clients, that are inspired or fascinated in you, are so for a reason.
They find affinity with who you are and/or resonance in what you say.
What you do, how well you do it or how much you know? Not so much.
Who you are matters. Perhaps not to you, but certainly to those that would hire you or make a friend.
And if you don't share that glimpse of humanity with others, guess what?
They ignore you and your best efforts to persuade.
Hiding behind the mask we all wear to overcome our insecurity is safe, but damaging.
The transparency required makes us vulnerable and that's a scary place to be.
They say that Personal Brand is like an iceberg. 80% is invisible. So take a deep breath and dive. Find what lies beneath. Share it with others if you can.
If the courage is missing, that's fine. Not everyone has it in every walk of life.
But if you're working in a people-business, relying on the power of persuasion to succeed, it's probably a good idea to embrace a touch of vulnerability.
If nothing else, it will help you stand out from the toxic, masculine, competitive, win-at-all-costs culture that is prevalent in this industry.
The culture that hooks the naïve with" Look how many homes we sold." "Look how much our agents can earn".
Goal-obsessed, tenacious, Leads, Listings & Leverage-focused agents that will do "whatever it takes to win."
Agents that embrace competition as though it is something that improves the industry, or builds its reputation.
Competition does neither - it's myth designed to fill the pockets of others.
"It ain't what you don't know that gets you into trouble. It's what you know, for sure, that just ain't so." - Mark Twain.
Of course, it can be attractive. The millionaire lifestyle, the get-rich-quick "money magnet" that flows from easy promises.
But the collateral damage it eventually does to every agent is the reason we are in this mess.
Reputation precedes revenue.
Not the other way around.
Trust emanates from transparency and vulnerability - not from competence alone.
So the question you need to ask is this: Not do I need a Personal Brand, but,
Do I choose having anybody care enough about me and my business to be inspired and fascinated?
Or do I choose obscurity and fitting-in?
Don't worry about whether a Personal Brand cannot be built unless there is transparency and vulnerability.
It can.
But it brings attention and engagement, front-of-mind recognition and respect, but without the deep trust.
It's superficial and it works. Until those that have clients with deep trust spread their message.
Then the agents with reputation are picked apart.
Because all you've got is your reputation and revenue.
They have trust. Stronger than oak.
Conflating Personal Brand with Reputation is a mistake.
Reputation is simply "the general opinion that people have about someone or something." - Cambridge English Dictionary.
Trust is defined by the same source as : "to believe that someone is good and honest and will not harm you."
On the one hand, the realtor we know that is highly competent and visible.
On the other, the realtor that is good and honest and will not let you down.
If the industry-wide problem is lack of trust, which do you imagine will a vendor choose?
When the entire industry is competing to be "the best", those that are different and choose not to compete will be last agent standing.
Thanks as always for reading.
Here's how to reach me when you find the courage.
chris@andsothestorybegan.co.uk
Mob: (44)07369251435
"Values are like fingerprints, nobody's are the same, but you leave them all over everything you do." _ Elvis Presley.
Chris.
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