Sometimes when I write a post, it is done in little bits at a time- a few minutes here and a few minutes there. Then news or shift happens and oh bloody hell, it changes my post, or horrors-I just trash the whole thing. Take this post for example: It sat in draft mode growing old and stale for about two weeks. This morning I took it out, shook the dust off, spruced it up, and was going to give it one final proof read this evening before posting. Now thanks to Seth, it’s a few hours worth of old news and I’ve rewritten some of it. I hate it when that happens, but for better or worse it’s going to print.
I recently switched brokerages and have been up to my eyeballs in changing my marketing materials, creating new information, ordering new business cards. Yes, I ordered business cards last week, and after some discussion with my husband and much research, I took the big leap of faith and listened to my market. I now have business cards without my photo on them. And now I see that Seth approves- if only I had posted this morning.
No picture on my business card. This goes against everything I’ve been told to do by Realtors and “experts” but in addition to Seth questioning this, both my market and my husband have asked me “Why do Realtors put their photos on their cards?” My husband, Jamie, who kinda sorta likes the way I look, was thrilled that my photo isn’t on my cards, “It’s more professional” says he. While I don’t market directly to my husband, I do market to people like my husband, so it’s probably safe to say that if he likes it without the photo then people who think like Jamie will prefer the photoless cards as well. Even my teenagers prefer them- “Yeah, it’s different”. High praise, indeed. In truth there are other things about my cards that Seth would probably hate but what do I care, I’m not marketing to him.
Recently I received an email telling me that I am missing opportunities by not being more aggressive about promoting myself. The email was referring to my blog and it came from another Realtor. I have respect for this Realtor and I believe the advice was given with the best intentions. However, I received a very different email from someone who is actually in my market, and my market speaks thusly:
“People do business with people they like. Especially as Realtors. Insight into the market- connections to the community- being nice- being professional- are the qualities that so many Realtors gloss over. The number one way people find Realtors is Word Of Mouth, by connecting with a community on a level as a citizen of the community as opposed to a real estate shyster- and I think you are doing that… it’s not about now, it’s about a year from now- who has the best connections… I don’t want to read a blog about RE every day unless I’m in the market for a house- and that’s a very small community…”
That is Dayton Ohio talking, thanks Dayton.
Since I started writing this, I have had the pleasure of reading Michael Cook’s two recent Bloodhound posts on the consumer’s perception of Realtors. I love these posts. If a consumer of real estate services is giving me information on how to better do my job, then I’m all over it. This information is going to tell me how to connect with clients and what it takes to inspire devotion to me as the only Realtor on the planet worth working with. It’s a goal.
Obviously there is a big disconnect between what we do and how consumers see it. There are things real estate agents do to market themselves that make no sense to anyone else, and I’m just the type of person to question those things. Hey, I gotta be me. So if it doesn’t make sense, if I can’t explain it to myself, well then honey, I ain’t going there. And as an added bonus, I have Seth’s blessing.
Now I just need to write more quickly.
Jonathan Dalton says:
For me it’s a moot point until I burn through the rest of the cards I currently have. Going the logo route may not be best because the primary logo still will need to be Century 21.
If there’s something I could do with Tobey and without me, I would do it. There’s documented stickiness there with people who connect with the dog. Been doing it since before Odysseus went online and it works.
I always figured no one would remember my punim but the dog’s another matter.
August 21, 2007 — 6:54 pm
Kris Berg says:
Teri,
I’ll give you my (unsolicited) spin on the picture (no pun intended) on the business card practice. This, perhaps unlike most other businesses, is extremely personal. Much like your blog is a depiction of you, giving the customer a mental image of having a cup of coffee with you, your picture on your marketing material attempts to bridge that gap.
I met a Mr. Seller at a listing appointment this week. When I inroduced myself, he said, “I know you; I recognize you. If I was selling audio components at Tweeters, this would not be the least bit important. In our very personal business, however, for right or wrong, it still packs a punch.
I am always the first to give the standing “O” to renegades, and in this spirit, I applaud your approach to being different. In a business where reputation and experience and track record are everything, however, I think the pic on the “stuff” has merit. In my neighborhood, even the doctors and the dentists and the plumbers are doing it.
It all goes back to branding, and your image, as much as your logo, will reinforce that brand in the minds of your would-be clients.
Who am I to argue with Seth? But, I think he is wrong.
August 21, 2007 — 6:54 pm
Teri Lussier says:
Jonathon-
I hate to tell you this, but I can “see” your photo right now, I know you are holding a dog- I couldn’t tell you a thing about the dog, but your ‘punim’ I remember.
Which brings me to Kris. You have mentioned several times that people recognize you from your photos- so something is clicking with folks, and I understand that. I didn’t make this decision lightly. I’ve had my photo on my cards from day one, but it has never felt right to me. No photo “feels” like me. I love these cards, I’ve always hated the others. That counts for something, I hope.
August 21, 2007 — 7:16 pm
Chris says:
I have my picture on everything but my signs. Because the number one agent in my city who will sell almost 200 homes this year does. I figure she must be doing something right, so I might as well follow along. I have to say where I work its about 50/50, just as many agents don’t have a picture on there card.
August 21, 2007 — 7:34 pm
Russell Shaw says:
At one time no agents put their pictures on their cards. Then it became fashionable for all Realtors to put their photo on their cards. Some agents use really stupid (glamour) pictures of themselves. There are now numerous experts saying take them off. The “public” doesn’t like that, it is unprofessional. I disagree. I believe that a good picture on a card and in other promo materials is a GOOD thing. I pay precisely NO attention to unsolicited crap about “people don’t like it” and “it’s unprofessional”. Professional is getting the job done. Not someone’s lofty ideas about how “professionals don’t have their pictures on their cards”. I am just now in the process of ordering 2,000 new cards, with my picture.
This is not to suggest that if it doesn’t “feel right” to you, personally, that you should ignore that feeling, either. I believe that all highly successful salespeople seem to operate on what would seem like a “6th sense”. All top salespeople are highly intuitive and have learned to trust their instincts. Really trust their instincts.
This is a business that has many ways to be highly successful. Many many ways. Anyone who thinks otherwise is mistaken. But without exception, if you are at a large conference (Re/Max, Starpower, etc.) and are hoping to get referrals by giving your card to agents from other cities that you meet, it better have a current picture of you on it. The very first cards that will get tossed will always be those that do not have a photo.
August 21, 2007 — 10:41 pm
Greg Swann says:
Woof!
We do them this way for a lot of reasons — iconography, because the dog is much easier to remember than the person, because we don’t do personal marketing, etc. — but the reason the dog is where it is is an inside joke about Realtor business cards.
August 21, 2007 — 10:50 pm
Teri Lussier says:
Chris- I far as I know, I’m the only agent in my area without a photo. It wasn’t an easy decision to make.
Russ- I appreciate the input. I’ve heard you say to put your photo on listing packages, I’ve read Kris say that people recognize her from her photo, everything in RE tells me to put my photo on as many pieces of advertising as possible- everything but my gut. At this point in time I’m willing to take the risk, see how it goes.
Appreciate the tip about the conference, maybe I’ll have photo cards made for RE agents. Actually, I was considering having several different but similar cards made for different marketing purposes, so perhaps my gut is on target.
GS- Yeah. If I had a face like Odysseus, I’d slap that puppy on all my advertising, too. 😉
August 22, 2007 — 3:42 am
Reuben Moore says:
> But without exception, if you are at a large conference (Re/Max, Starpower, etc.) and are hoping to get referrals by giving your card to agents from other cities that you meet, it better have a current picture of you on it. The very first cards that will get tossed will always be those that do not have a photo.
I have little doubt that Russell is correct. Sadly, I think this speaks volumes about the type of people in our business. While marketing is a vital component of our business, most real estate agents could use a bit more substance.
I love Teri’s comment about doing what “feels right” for yourself and your market. If you believe your target market will respond positively to a photo, by all means include it. In terms of mass appeal, photos are probably more positive than negative (hardly a ringing endorsement). But, I cannot afford to mass market and my target market laughs at the photo business card concept. Needless to say, I respond accordingly.
August 22, 2007 — 5:47 am
Teri Lussier says:
Reuben- To move completely off subject- border collies, Caravaggio, and Hopper? A man after my heart. 🙂
Okay, back on subject: I’m not mass marketing either, my target market feels a photo implies self-importance and they don’t cotton to it.
And before anyone hits the keyboard in response to that, I’m personally making no judgement calls here, just coughing up what I hear with my own little ears from my own little market. YMMV
August 22, 2007 — 8:03 am
Russell Shaw says:
Sorry for the extremely poor communication on my part. The reason that the cards without photos would get tossed is they can not remember and associate the name on the card with the person who gave it to them. It has nothing to do with other agents liking the design of the card. Would a photo of Odysseus work? Maybe. But unless you really got into their head, probably not. But it is a great icon for the company name.
If you are dealing with someone who knows who you are would a picture of you help them to keep you in mind? I doubt it, as they already have you in their mind. The picture makes a difference when they don’t know you. If you were at a Re/Max convention it isn’t going to help that they remember you as “the guy from Re/Max”. Many agents with Re/Max have found networking at conventions to be their primary source of business. Likewise, Starpower has been a fruitful territory for many agents – giving their cards to everyone they see. And yes, some agents will have different cards made just for conventions. And even if their regular day to day business cards don’t have their photo, I’m thinking you’ve already guessed that those cards do have a picture of them.
August 22, 2007 — 12:48 pm
Russell Shaw says:
This probably should be in a post, but I just remembered WHY all the “marketing experts” started saying pictures are no good. It was found that someone landing on a web page – looking for houses – was far more likely to stay on that page if it did not have a huge picture of an agent’s head. It seems giant photos of heads was not what they associated with getting the information they wanted. This, btw, had nothing to do with did they buy from the agent, etc., but would they stay on the site. I found this out when I was part of a Keller Williams study group a few years ago and took my picture off of my home page as a result. I know I did the right thing. The “experts” have managed to extrapolate this piece of information into “pictures of agents are bad”.
I tend to see it as the expert’s logic is bad. It is a specific piece of data not a unifying principle.
August 22, 2007 — 1:00 pm
Teri Lussier says:
>It seems giant photos of heads was not what they associated with getting the information they wanted.
Funny.
Just to be clear, I’m not arguing for the “experts” here. My decision was gut-based backed by some hard listening, (during which time Seth was probably busy posting about some interesting coffee cups or ice cream spoons he saw in NYC).
I only brought up Seth because I thought it was an odd coincidence that I had just ordered headless biz cards and was preparing to post about it, when Seth, then Greg, beat me to the punch. Dammit. 😉
August 22, 2007 — 1:32 pm
Michael Cook says:
If its about memory, I actually like Greg’s idea. Its so much easier to remember the bloodhound because its different. I dont really think pictures matter because no one seems to look like their pictures anyway. Every time you all post picture of yourselves at conferences, I think wow, I had no idea they looked like that.
It could be good for internal networking, however. I could see it being easier to remember people at conferences that you may only see twice a year.
August 22, 2007 — 2:58 pm
Wade Young says:
I know a mortgage broker who puts the list of documents a borrower will need to gather on the back of his business card. Another idea is to put your niche on the back of your business card.
November 27, 2007 — 10:21 pm
Teri Lussier says:
Wade, you got it!
I am going the multi-card route. It simply makes sense for me. A card for this, a card for that, everybody gets what they want. Cards are so cheap, as long as there is consistency, why not?
November 28, 2007 — 4:47 am