You’re a new agent. Or, you’re a seasoned agent getting back into the game. Let’s be real: You don’t have a track record to brag about. So, how do you promote yourself, stand out from the crowd, and convince potential clients you’re the agent for them?
You Create a Credible Bio–but Not Like You Think.
Unfortunately, agents try to be credible by making the mistakes I outline below. But, I’m not going to just tell you what NOT to do. I’ll also guide you to create a biography that reflects you–your skills, talents, and uniqueness. That way, you will stand out without making false promises or statements you can’t back up.
What was your first thought as you were going into real estate? “What do I have to do to get a sale?” Fine. But, then we find out that there’s a whole myriad of ‘get ready’ and support activities we need to do around that goal. Many of these activities set us up for long term success—not just picking off that easy sale—if there are any easy ones around today.
Your Biography Is Much More Important Than You may Think
One of the most important actions, and least studied, is your biography. In truth, most agents don’t bother, or just put a few sentences together copied from someone else (the harsh truth!).
If You Knew…
If you knew, though, that potential clients were checking you out online before they committed to you, would you be more purposeful in creating that biography? Sure. And NAR says that 71% of buyers check out a potential agent first, while 81% of sellers check your online presence.
Don’t Copy Others. Avoid These Common Errors
Unfortunately, most of our challenges writing our biographies come from either not knowing—or copying others.
Here are the major mistakes that cost us clients—and we don’t even realize it.
- Bragging about yourself
This shouldn’t really be from your perspective. Everything you write in your bio should point to benefits to the potential client. Bragging like “I am number one in the area” lets the client think you may not care about her.
- Making promises you may not be able to keep
“I will always be here for you”. “I will answer your inquiries immediately”. “I will provide excellent service”. Oh, boy. You aren’t the judge of those promises. The client has expectations that may be different than yours, and so is making assumptions you may not be able to fulfil. Leave off the future promises! If you’re projecting any action into the future, erase it from your bio.
- Too many abbreviations
I’ll admit it. I don’t know even half the abbreviation of designations today. Why? Because everyone has gotten into the designation business. It’s not pretty. Running off a big list of abbreviations without spelling them out is off-putting to clients. And, putting too many abbreviations on your bio makes it sound as though your job is going to classes…
4. Not attaching benefits
Agents’ bios are full of statements—but without attaching the benefit to the client. And, if the client has to think of a benefit, he will generally create an objection. For example: “I have been in real estate twenty years.” You may think that’s awesome, but the client may think you’ve become complacent–or you’re too busy. Instead of leaving a client to their own assumptions, provide a benefit to the client for most of your statements. For example: I’ve been a full-time professional for over two decades. That means to you I have the breadth of experience to guide you in making difficult real estate decisions.
The questionnaire below leads you to attach benefits. Take full advantage of it.
A Questionnaire and Tips to Write that Awesome Biography
I want you to stand out from the thousands of real estate agents that compete every day. Also, feel free to share these tips with others in your office so your clients can choose the best agent for them.
Grab your questionnaire and tips for effective bios here.
Managers: Use this as a training session to give your new agents confidence–and help them avoid the pitfalls of poor bios.
Is It Time to Get a Concrete, Proven Plan of Action?
It’s time to get serious about your success. So, do you have a start-up plan–a plan that’s proven to get results? No, not that one-page mamby-pamby plan you picked up that promised you gazillions of bucks of income by working 20 hours a week….a real proven business start-up plan, modeled after successful new agents’ real activities.
Check out Up and Running in 30 Days–the only internationally published start-up plan by the biggest publisher of small business books in the world. From Carla Cross, who sold 50 homes her first year in real estate (and only knew 2 people in the area!) Credible, proven, and practical. Start now.
