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Branding takes an orchestrated and well-planned brilliant understanding of how an Associate can position themselves as the product (the value added) as compared with identical competitors. It is very important for our Associates to provide an outstanding customer experience, but as important it is what current and potential customers think and do in response to our service and message. At the end of the day it is not what the Associate thinks or does, but what the public feels and perceives about the Associate’s service. The consumer’s perception is made up of part fact, part feeling, and part over simplification. In it’s true form, the brand does not reside in the mind of the creator, but in the mind of the actual or potential customer. |
Why do brands exist?
Because people need to make buying decisions. Faced with many marketplace choices, making a decision takes considerable time and energy. People want to organize, classify, simplify, and evaluate their options. Often this time and energy is in short supply when there are so many choices that can be made. We fancy ourselves as individuals with a unique blend wants, needs, thoughts, and perceptions. As a society we all need to do the same thing. We need to be able to tell the sheep from the goats, the good from the bad, and the better from the best. A brand enables us to do that.
Consumers understand well how branding works with products or services. Often they are able to describe in great detail the perceived differences between two competing product brand names; Volvo vs. BMW, Coke vs. Pepsi, Walmart vs. Kmart. Even something as undifferentiated as commodities, such sugar or coffee beans, can have a brand identity. Commodity branding often goes beyond physical attributes such as size, color, or genetic variety to include subjective perceived differences.
For example the public believes that there are real differences between generic bananas and “Chiquita” bananas, rice and “Uncle Ben’s Converted Rice”, oranges and “Sunkist” oranges. Those perceptions exist because of clever and repetitive mass advertising campaigns can and do convince us the not all bananas are alike. That in some way “Chiquita" bananas are in some way better than or superior to all other bananas.
If products and commodities can become branded than how about people?
Just as mass production and distribution first allowed products to become branded, mass communications today can turn people into public figures, celebrities, and personalities. In short today’s celebrities, sports figures, and politicians are the most conspicuous examples.
We have a dilemma.
Take a look at how most real agents market. Why do agents advertise the house over their own unique personality? When you really think about it the public chooses an agent by default. That is they first find a house they like, typically in a homes magazine or newspaper and then call the agent attched to that house.
Here’s the scenario: You put a full-page ad of homes in your local “homes” magazine. Across the fold is another agent’s full-page ad. Sure, your mug shot is on your’s, the other agent’s mug shot is on his or hers, but otherwise, the ads would be nearly indistinguishable. Every page has a boring Realtor® mug shot. Now, someone sees the house of their dreams in a house ad. Who do they call? Whoever happens to be the listing agent. They pick up the phone and dial the number. They get a few answers, hang up the phone and chances are, never remember the agent’s name again. Why? The answer is simple: House ads do not differentiate between agents, they differentiate between properties. When that person called you, they weren’t calling you, they were actually calling that property — and they got you by accident!
As a real estate professional, your job is not to sell homes, it’s to sell yourself. You need to think like a marketer, not a salesperson. You are your product. Differentiate yourself!
A total waste of money.
Remember learning about supply and demand in school? Well, as much as it might come as a surprise to you as a real estate agent, home sales are not dictated by the number of ads in a weekly throwaway magazine found in grocery stores. Rather, home sales are determined by the number of buyers in the market.
No matter how many houses are advertised in a given week, the number of homes sold remains the same — it simply cannot exceed the number of buyers. If there were three times as many ads in house magazines next month, how many homes would sell? The same number. On the other hand, if there were no house ads next month, how many homes would sell? The same number. Simply put, house ads have no bearing on the number of homes sold in a given day, week, month or year.
You see, house ads make the agents an interchangeable part of the real estate transaction. They give the impression that people are supposed to pick a home and the Realtor® comes with it. You know as well as I do that’s far from being the best way to choose an agent, but the public doesn’t know that. They just think you’re all the same. And a large part of that perception is due to bad marketing that, unfortunately, somehow became the norm in real estate.
Face your fear.
“But wait!” you say. “No one would ever list with me again if I told them I wasn’t going to advertise their house!” See, we know what you’re thinking. You’re fearful to stop. You’re thinking, “Well, everyone else does it, I’ll look bad if I don’t do it.” And just like that, you’ve made yourself one of the herd. In actuality, many of today’s top agents do not use house ads. Joe Wiessner Realty discourages our agents from advertising the home as the product. Think of it as the agent as the product and the house as s commodity. Remember the cost to place bad advertising is the exactly the same as the cost to place good business building image advertising that will differentiate you from the crowd.
In our complex society, strong brand image is a chance for the popular product or person to dominate. The real estate game is not a battle of houses; it’s a battle of perceptions. Unless you are a part of the consumers consideration set (in the conversation) when a real estate need arises your not going to get the call for the opportunity to show your stuff. It’s all about mind share. The agents that create it win! But the real beauty of this scenario is that once you’ve established an image and are generating leads You can become the real estate agent people ask for by name.
You can do two things to make your brand name a familiar one: position yourself on a par with your customers and repeat your message frequently. From your strong market presence, no one’s ever going to even ask if you’re going to advertise their house. If they’re sold on you, they’ve bought you — they have already committed to your system. If and when you tell them you don’t do house ads, their response will be, “Fine. We hired you based on your track record and image in the community. Do whatever you do best.” You see, a strong brand image always trumps a house ad!
Become attractive, be different!
One of our fundamental principles embraced by Joe Wiessner Realty is to have our agent’s brand himself or herself as a specialist in their chosen niche market or geographical zone. By becoming the specialist and consistently marketing themselves as the specialist they become the brand that in turn, creates the perception in the mind of the consumer that there is a perceived difference between the branded agent vs. the generic agent. This works great with doctors and lawyers. If you were having a heart attack, who would you want, a heart specialist or a general practitioner? Thought so!
Call us today.
We have the marketing expertise to take you to the next level.
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