By: Marcus Wally – Published in the September 2012 issue of Wisconsin Real Estate Magazine.<\/p>\n
We say we are REALTORS\u00ae<\/sup>, helping people fulfill dreams of homeownership. But to connect with those people, we need to be known. When we chat about sales and marketing, my biggest tip is to be yourself \u2014 everybody else is already taken!<\/p>\n By being yourself and allowing people to recognize you for your talents and differences, you will become recognizable \u2014 and also bankable; so when potential customers in your geographic area or industry segment think of your specialty, they will think of you! Type your name into Google. How many search results point to you? However known or unknown you are today, plan for activities that will increase your name recognition over the next six to 12 months.<\/p>\n I recently asked a contractor if he could look at a plumbing problem at one of my rentals on Monday. His response was, \u201cMonday of which month?\u201d I loved that. How many times do we receive calls from prospects who want us now? And because we want the business and need the money, we are concerned about saying \u201cno.\u201d The secret is that working for everyone dilutes your brand. It\u2019s okay to turn down business that isn\u2019t right for you; sometimes, it just might not be the right fit. When you turn down someone, you have the opportunity to say \u201cyes\u201d to someone else.<\/p>\n In 2012, I asked customers for support through online reviews. Each time I closed a sale, I asked those customers to post on Google Places about their experience with me and with New World Realty. When real people with real e-mail addresses post credible and reliable testimonials online, Google increases my exposure. Simply make online reviews easy for others to help you, and they\u2019ll do it! To see my online review tutorial, visit www.agileinternetmarketing.com\/2012\/7-easy-steps-to-registering-and-posting-a-google-places-review<\/a>. And, use this in your business to gain positive online reviews!<\/p>\n You\u2019re in the driver\u2019s seat \u2014 don\u2019t let prospects grill you. When you are the one with the thought-provoking questions, engaging questions in the conversation \u2014 be it with a new prospect or a longtime customer \u2014 you immediately move yourself up a notch and gain control of the discussion.<\/p>\n Embracing your differences allows others to make a connection with you, especially if they can personally relate to your story. Your story will help them decide if they want to do business with you. Just keep your story true, consistent and authentic, and you\u2019ll make the connection.<\/p>\n As you build on your strengths, concentrate your efforts of building your reputation as a leader. Always under-promise and over-deliver \u2014 that\u2019s the secret to offering great customer service! Providing excellent customer service and going that extra mile will definitely get you noticed. Answer your phone messages and e-mails promptly, fix problems with a smile and always keep your word. And never miss the opportunity to say, \u201cI apologize,\u201d when making a mistake. Owning your actions and admitting your shortfalls will set the stage for your prospects to see you as a credible, honest and trustworthy advisor.<\/p>\n The bottom line is to be yourself and take steps today to move closer to being known in your market. Don\u2019t allow yourself to be just another commodity and another tradable expert for hire \u2014 allow yourself to develop into the best-known and recognizable REALTOR\u00ae<\/sup> with recognizable value. And folks will want to work with you and pay for you! Do more \u2014 be more \u2014 achieve more. But, of course, be yourself!<\/p>\n Marcus A. Wally, MBA, is an active REALTOR\u00ae<\/sup> in St. Augustine, Florida. Marcus is the founder and broker of New World Realty, which also manages the coaching and facilitation of education classes around the world. Marcus earned his MBA from the University of North Florida in Jacksonville. He can be reached at 904-669-1081 or at marcus@newworldrealty.com<\/a>. Learn more about him at www.newworldrealty.com<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Use Your Difference to Make a Difference! By: Marcus Wally – Published in the September 2012 issue of Wisconsin Real Estate Magazine. We say we are REALTORS\u00ae, helping people fulfill dreams of homeownership. But to connect with those people, we need to be known. When we chat about sales and marketing, my biggest tip is […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-458","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-wallys-wisdom"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/newworldrealty.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/458","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/newworldrealty.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/newworldrealty.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newworldrealty.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newworldrealty.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=458"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/newworldrealty.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/458\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":460,"href":"https:\/\/newworldrealty.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/458\/revisions\/460"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/newworldrealty.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=458"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newworldrealty.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=458"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newworldrealty.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=458"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}Be yourself tip #1: Be selective<\/h3>\n
Be yourself tip #2: Ask your customers for online reviews<\/h3>\n
Be yourself tip #3: ask the questions<\/h3>\n