Any real estate professional can tell you the three most important factors in determining the value of real estate are location, location, and location.

Any successful real estate professional will tell you the three most important factors in determining the success of a real estate professional are relationships, relationships, and relationships.

The lessons I’ve learned have given me an edge in business.  Each has served me well.

Lesson 1: Here’s one that I have mixed feelings about, but, at then end of the day, I tend to support “pictures.”  Pictures help establish a relationship. In our very visually oriented culture, people respond first to pictures, and then to words, so the more you show the less you have to tell and sell.  Just make sure that your picture is a real reflection of you, that it is warm, approachable and emotionally oriented.  Ask youself “how does this picture make me feel?”

I have used UPDATED photos of myself in my advertising; my picture is on my business cards, and pictures of happy families in their new homes along with their letters of thanks in my ‘book’ of client successes.

These days we put all those photos on their web sites.  Show photos of your work, your satisfied clients, and yourself on your web site.  This helps prospects see the results you offer, and begins the relationship even before you actually meet. Which brings me to the next lesson?

Lesson 2: The relationship starts before you even meet your prospects, so make sure it’s a good beginning. 

In a perfect world, all prospects would come to us through referrals and SOI (Sphere-of-Influence), so they would already have some trust and confidence in us, but that’s not always possible.

Your relationship with your prospects (your future clients) starts the moment they become aware of you.  That means your web site, your ads, and even your reputation will often precede you, giving your prospects some idea of what to expect (or not) from you.  So if you make promises you can’t keep in your advertising, or your web site if full of errors and outdated information, you could be starting that relationship on shaky ground.

Lesson 3: Treat everyone who shows up as a prospect – even those who are “just looking” or looking on behalf of someone else. 

Since it can be difficult to determine exactly who is a prospect sometimes, it is important to treat every inquiry with the respect and courtesy you would offer your best clients.  Just because someone is not a prospect today doesn’t mean he won’t be tomorrow. 

Although she may be “just looking,” she could be looking for someone who is ready to buy, and relies on her recommendations for the short list of possibilities.

Carpe diem,