Secrets to Successful Branding – The Law of Borders

If, we, as the real estate community really understood the concept of branding and its importance, we would save a fortune by cutting the misplaced dollars we are spending in the name of “getting their name out there.”

Most of us are re-treads – people who fell into this business and came from some other background. In 15 years of asking, I’ve only found one person who grew up wanting to be a real estate agent (and she is no longer in the business). I can’t tell you how many people I’ve interviewed as a Broker that said the reason they wanted to be an agent was because they liked houses and people. If that is the sole reason they are here my advice to them has been – “Don’t get started in this business because in 6 months you will hate them both.”

Those that make it in this industry in today’s world are those that approach it with an amount of business prowess. Unfortunately, that isn’t taught in the “learn everything you need to know to become successful in real estate in two weeks” class. So, we throw the newbies to the vultures (vendors who sell BS products that do nothing but line the pockets of the vendors and serve as filler our nation’s dumps). We let them sling mud on a wall and see what sticks and hope against hope that they will be one of the very few fortunate ones who will survive the first three years.

Over time, those that emerge as mega agents realize that to truly win in this you must realize that it is a business not a career (and there is a major difference) and start learning how to become the “RainMaker.” Although we have dozens of proprietary campaigns to generate more leads, from time to time, we need to strip back to the basics and dive into the philosophy to align ourselves with the right thinking to launch our business to the next level. This week, it’s all about how to brand effectively so that you may maximize your ROI in any marketing or advertising program your engage in. From Al Ries, a master of marketing and branding in the retail sector, we take the lessons and apply the fundamentals to our real estate businesses.

One Secret in Branding is the Law of Borders

Be very careful about tying your brand to a potential variable. A brand should know no boarders and be independent of outside controls. Take your broker’s brand for example. What if the deal changed and it was no longer the best place for you to hang your hat and serve your clients? What if they became adversarial to supporting to your real estate business? Would your personal brand travel with you or would you have to start over from scratch?

I have known to many fantastic agents who have spent years promoting someone else’s brand. None of us enter into relationships with our broker or office with the idea of leaving, but I will tell you that having and promoting your own brand will allow you to have better options should the unforeseen happen. Having your own brand is also necessary to position your business for a future sale. Again, it may not be on the map at this point, but having the option will never hurt you.

Carpe diem,