09 Jan More of Who You Are.
More of Who You are - at your best.
There's a perpetually alarming myth in the real estate industry.
That Expertise, Competence, Experience and Qualifications are the bedrock of success.
Don't get me wrong, I'm in favour of those attributes but they come way down the list.
They're nice to have but not essential.
Especially when it relates to the inspiring message of any agency brand.
The obsessive focus on competence has created a commodity market in this industry. A market saturated with proactive and passionate "local property experts" who "know the area, have a database of active buyers, offer a FREE valuation and who only get paid once you sell."
Providing a "local property market update" and evidence of them "award-winning" their socks off.
The same message, more or less, that we hear from every agency.
The result is that vendors cannot differentiate - even when they read the glowing social media approval that every agency seems to delight in.
When we operate in a commodity, the focus is always on fee. Never on competence.
A few limited-thinking estate agency "trainers" will tell you to demonstrate "value". Claiming that in providing the "value", there is the opportunity of a higher fee. If you're in a commodity sector, supply and demand ticks that particular box.
The reality is that unless an agent can demonstrate a radical difference, unless what they offer cannot be replicated, they are competing in a 'game' that is infinite. The 'rules' aren't clear. It's expensive and wins are only ever temporary.
Surely, nobody in their right mind would choose to operate a business that way.
But that is precisely what most agencies/brokers do.
Needlessly chasing the next 'shiny object', usually technology, that will help them stand out. All the while, them trying to fit in.
"Comparison is the crush of conformity from one side and competition from the other - it's trying to simultaneously fit in and stand out" - Brené Brown.
Every day, agencies are inviting vendors to compare. To compare them as "better than" instead of being "different from".
Unmistakably being crushed in their efforts.
Unless an agent can demonstrate radical difference.
How?
There is ONLY one thing that cannot be replicated.
Not what you do. Not how you do it. Not where, why or when.
WHO YOU ARE.
That is the only radical difference between you and every other realtor.
It takes courage to be transparent. To be different. To stand out rather than to conform.
Even those high-profile, attention-seeking, media 'tarts' lack that courage. Perfectly content to be in the spotlight but when we dig deep, having little to say about themselves. Only about how well they do what they do.
The courage to be vulnerable, to embrace the possibility that some may not like you, is key to building relationships that matter.
When we have that, we build trust and then loyalty.
Loyalty that stands the test of time, despite the interruptions of those agencies that believe it's simply a transaction and that everyone is looking for "the best".
As with the ubiquitous "incremental improvements" preached to those agents intent on being "better", so too with Personal Brand that allows "incremental changes" in being "different". Our identities change as we embrace new beliefs. They are not set in stone. We sculpt a different version of Who we are with every day.
Have the courage and the transparency of character to be found in a Personal Brand. Be more of Who you are.
Shun the micro-celebrity dressed as competence.
There is no right & wrong Personal Brand - there is only Who you are.
And we need more of Who you are, at your best.
It's a simple straightforward process. It helps with self-awareness.
It helps potential clients choose an agent without knowing anything about the process of selling their home. There's no need to 'educate'.
It shines the light onto character, integrity and trust rather than appraised value and fee. It shows that you care enough to be vulnerable.
Your choice, as an agent, is also simple: Do I choose to be more of Who I am, or more of What I do?
If you choose the former, here's how to reach me.
chris@andsothestorybegan.co.uk
Mob: (44) 07369251435
I can help. My advice is always free.
If you choose to share more of What you do, the future is coming. You might not be a part of it.
Thanks, as always, for reading.
Chris.
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