What is the best way to build a brand?
As I write this email to you, I am sitting in an apartment in Nice, France. We're in the middle of a 6-week holiday with our 2 kids (ages 7 & 5) travelling around the UK, France and Belgium visiting family and friends.
During our time away, I've spent a lot of time reflecting on the fact that this trip (and the life we live in general) would never be possible without the experience I had selling real estate. I'm truly fortunate that I got into this industry way back in 2007 when I was just 23 years old, fresh from flunking out of university with a whole pile of debt. I'm deeply thankful for the freedom, financial security and opportunity I have been blessed with and to all the mentors and friends who have helped me along the way.
My purpose with Agent Monday is to support you in achieving whatever level of success in real estate you are personally seeking, because this is a job which allows you to set up and design whatever kind of life you desire.
During our trip, I've wandered past and stopped to look at dozens of real estate offices (I can't help myself) and perused hundreds of 'for sale' signs. But what I haven't seen is a single photo of an individual salesperson. Not one.
This experience reminds me of the unique nature of the Australasian real estate world, where local salespeople fight to build their profile, trying to become local celebrities in the process. Cruise around NZ looking at real estate signboards and anyone would think this must be the approach that works. Many individual salespeople who achieve success quickly become major local brands in their own right, building sizeable teams with GCI numbers higher than many small offices.
And yet, how much of all of this profile-building is actually necessary? Is it just a copycat phenomenon? We see another agent with a massive photo of themselves on their signboard, so we think we need the same? Or is there more to it?
