Many real estate professionals live in a state of confusion. They have trouble defining two major components of their brand that are a critical part of doing business with clarity. First, they struggle to define their ideal customer. We’re not talking about buyers or sellers; we’re talking about a thorough snapshot of exactly who they want to attract. They should know more than just the demographic information. They should know their phase of life, lifestyle preferences, types of cars they drive, ages of their children, etc.
Second, they have a difficult time determining their point of differentiation. The truth is, we each have multiple points of differentiation, so agents need to decide what they stand for that will also be meaningful to their ideal customers. When those two very basic things are not identified, it can cause confusion, and you can’t calculate the cost of this confusion. It is a double edged sword that affects you and your business in two different ways.
IT CAUSES CONFUSION WITH PROSPECTS.
When your brand causes confusion with your prospects, several things start to happen. Your prospects don’t know how you are different from your competitors. Unfortunately, in the world of sales, people tend to lump all salespeople into one category. If you do not tell them how you specialize and what sets you apart, then you’ll automatically end up in the ‘almost invisible’ category. That puts you in what we call the ‘sea of sameness’. And that means that prospects will view you according to their own perceptions and experiences of an agent, until you tell them otherwise.
IT CAUSES CONFUSION IN YOUR OVERALL DIRECTION.
When you don’t have your brand dialed in, it not only causes confusion among your prospects, it can derail your business direction. You make decisions on a daily basis that affect your success, and it’s almost impossible to make those decisions without clearly defining the answers to five very important questions:
- What sets you apart?
- Who do you serve?
- How do you serve them?
- What qualifies you to serve them?
- How does it make their life better?
Until you can articulate those answers within your own story, you will not be as focused toward the success you desire.
HOW TO FIX IT
You have special qualities that are very attractive to an idyllic group of customers, so the first thing you need to do is define both the qualities and the customers. A strong brand is a perfect mixture of your point of differentiation, and those prospects who appreciate those unique points about you. The famous saying ‘birds of a feather flock together’ applies perfectly in this situation. Just as you have similar friends, groups, organizations, etc., you will also have idyllic customers that are similar in some way to you. People want to do business with someone they connect with, and frankly, someone they like. The confusion you may be experiencing can be easily corrected if your brand is properly defined, developed and displayed.