The Art of Staying In Touch- A Luxury Real Estate Marketing Tip!

Are you staying in touch with your clients after the sale? Staying in touch does not mean boring them with articles about recent real estate related court cases, or telling them to change the batteries in their smoke alarms. Boring, canned, impersonal e-newsletters just do not cut it anymore with web-savvy clients and friends.

Your communications must be about the things that people value. Moreover, they must be about the things that a particular person values. Consistent, personalized one-on-one communication is an art form that most time-starved luxury real estate marketing professionals have neglected. Yet, if you could quantify the results of personal communication in terms of referrals and listings you would think twice about doing it more often.

Most agents haven’t noticed that once a client moves into his or her new home THE LAST THING they want to communicate about is real estate. In fact, if they do not hear another word about real estate for another five years or more it would be too soon. Sure, they are curious what the house down the street is listed for and what it sold for. They are interested in their own property’s value. But, what they are most interested in is their own lives not the lives of Realtors®.

Whether the subject is golf, tennis, or perhaps a new restaurant with a very special cob salad on the menu, these are the topics that interest people. This is far more interesting than a reminder to clean the leaves out of their rain gutter before the rainy season. Interacting personally, one-on-one, this is the key. Focus more attention on your people’s particular interests and watch your practice soar!

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WHAT IS A PERSONAL BRAND? -A Luxury Real Estate Marketing Tip

Photo by Alan Light

To stand out from the crowd as a luxury real estate marketing professional, just think like Oprah. She is a one woman brand.

A personal brand is a statement of who you are, what your preferences are, what your values are, and what you stand for. It must be specific enough to reflect your core, yet broad enough to stay fluid. Your personal brand should allow you to adapt to the times and also the changes we all experience as we grow, hopefully wiser and kinder.

Your brand must express your authentic self in all situations. You need to feel comfortable in your own skin whether you are having tea with the Queen of England, discussing the ripeness of peaches with the produce person, or negotiating a multimillion dollar deal with a titan of industry. It is like wearing comfortable clothes that fit perfectly and you love how you feel in them.

Your personal brand speaks for you. It tells people exactly who you are every time it is encountered, like a polished presentation. It gives them a lazy way out, because you are doing their mental work for them; the work of figuring out how they should categorize you in their mind.

A personal brand must be consistent in all aspects. If your signal is clear, it will attract people who identify with it, the right people. When your signal resonates with your target market on an emotional level they become passionate about supporting you, because your brand expresses that which is near and dear to them.

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Two Key "Vocabulary Words" for Luxury Real Estate Marketing Professionals

Two key "vocabulary words" in the Language of Luxury that you need to know as a luxury real estate marketing professional are Hermes & Bugatti. These are quintessential luxury brands that have teamed up in an extraordinary collaboration endeavor.

In the everlasting quest for differentiation among the richest of ‘richocrats’, where the importance of bigger and better is on the daily to do list, here is a fun subject for you to talk about.

At the end of 2008, Bugatti Veyron, will be unveiling a new model. It is designed for those who want to set themselves apart from the very rich who are spending only $1million on the Buggati Veyron.  The “Buggatti Fbg par Hermes” is listed at $2.3million.  By the way Fbg stands for 24 Faubourg St Honore, the address of the historic flagship store in Paris. 

This is an example of co-branding at the highest of levels.  On the automotive side, you have the exacting standards of Ettore Bugatti, the founder of the Bugatti line as interpreted by designer Gabriele Pezzini and the rigorous quality standards of Emile Hermes, son of the founder of Hermes. 

This is in my opinion an exceptional looking sports car. It is available in ebony and brick.  Only 20 will be made.

The seats of the car are covered in two-toned bull calfskin as is the dashboard, a matched wallet, and a suitcase designed to fit in the leather lined trunk. The radiator grill has the letter H, and so does the wheel centers.  “As one automotive enthusiast put it, you wouldn’t want the peasants to think you're driving a plain old Bugatti. At least I wouldn't.”

The pictures of the car were copyrighted, and we could not put them on the site without permission, so here is the next best solution.  To see pictures of this magnificent car, follow this link The Bugatti Veyron Fbg par Hermes - Photo Essays - TIME

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Are You a Road Runner? Take the Luxury of Time to Refresh!!

ROAD RUNNER--IN YOUR OWN BACKYARD?

Have you have heard about stopping to smell the roses? How about stopping to watch the road runner?

!We were working from our home office when our cat called our attention to a roadrunner in our backyard. Now, this is Santa Barbara, California  not the desert!  We were in awe! Such an unusual creature, and a fast one at that! 

Taking a few minutes to appreciate nature and also to use our camera to capture a rare moment was a real treat! These moments are what what we call the ultimate luxury of time. That is taking the time to just enjoy life as it surprises and delights us all.

If you are a road runner. Take the luxury of time to refresh!

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Defining Your Personal Brand as a Luxury Real Estate Marketing Professional

Define What You Value the Most

Part of the exercise of articulating your personal brand is defining what you value the most. Think about some of your favorite things and why they are meaningful to you. This can reveal your personal values.

Here is a personal example to illustrate how to do it:

I love going to the open air Farmers Market. I appreciate the farmers who grow the food organically. My eyes are wide with anticipation as I look at all the beautiful produce. I feel connected to the food I eat. I enjoy the vendor’s kids who are helping their parents sell as they weigh tomatoes, and tell me which ones are sweeter. I applaud the restaurants who are buying organic and fresh for their patrons. I am overwhelmed by the varieties and the choices and I am thankful to be in their midst. At home, I unpack my goodies and plan our meals. Everything tastes better.

From this, you can surmise that I probably buy organic when possible, as it is my preference and an important value. I am also likely to patronize restaurants who buy direct from the farmers. I talk about it, I write about it, and I look forward to going. I am passionate about fresh food and the care that goes into bringing it to market.

By Alexandra Seigel, Partner - Napa Consultants, International

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Kindness—Take 2 -Differentiating Yourself as a Luxury Real Estate Marketing Professional

 

A photographer friend whose children attend a private school in told us why she was chosen to be the school’s official photographer. The story revolved around a novel way that the school selected their homecoming queen.

The students vote, the administration votes and the faculty votes. One of the candidates selected was a girl on scholarship whose single mother cleans houses for a living. She was loved by everyone. The other candidates were equally wonderful girls from affluent families. These girls decided that the scholarship gal should be the homecoming queen and set out to make it happen.

The competitors secretly campaigned for her. Our friend the photographer, moved by the story, offered to do the photography at no charge. One of the competitor’s parents took her to the hairdresser. It was the first time she had her hair done professionally. Another parent took all the girls shopping and bought everyone dresses and accessories.

The results were announced at the football game. My friend was in the know and positioned her camera to catch the look of surprise and joy. The picture turned out beautifully. She used the picture in her company ad, congratulating everyone.

Wonderful things started happening to our friend the photographer. The school contracted her to do the photos for the year book. Many parents recommended her, and had their family portraits taken by her.

This was a natural gesture, a spontaneous act of kindness, coming from a mother who supports two daughters in private school. She just naturally wanted to contribute her expertise to make someone’s day that much better. She was not asking for the photography job, she was volunteering and making her brand known. We also rallied behind her and sent a considerable amount of work her way. We were moved by her genuine kindness and this story.

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Kindness: A Novel Luxury Real Estate Marketing Strategy

In marketing luxury real estate, you want to have always be thinking strategically. Prior to Mother’s Day, Saks Fifth Avenue came up with a new Mother’s day gift and a great marketing strategy. They joined www.charitywater.org , a non-profit organization that helps bring water, clean water, to the Third World . And, they engaged customers to participate in the program in an exciting way.

1.1 billion people on the planet do not have access to safe, clean drinking water. That is one in six of us. Charity Water can give 100% of its donations because big corporations and generous individuals underwrite their expenses. Every dollar raised goes directly to digging wells and purifying water.

Saks understands its clientele. They know that the majority of mothers who are Saks shoppers do not really need a major gift from their family members on Mother’s day. So, they came up with the concept of giving the gift of water. It is inexpensive, and it is innovative. $5.00 gives someone safe drinking water for 5 years! The gift was a black rubber band style bracelet with Charity Water printed on it. For $20.00, you could send an email, in your mother’s name and she could pick the country the water went to for 20 years. For additional dollars you could provide a well, and so on.

This was an elegant strategy. Mothers in the Third World are the ones who walk miles to get the water. Mothers in America were helping mothers on the other side of the planet. The beauty of this strategy is that it exposed people to a worthwhile cause and gave the gift of water, a gift of luxury. It also illustrates that luxury can be defined in many ways given the circumstances one lives in. I felt moved by this, and I felt inspired that someone came up with an idea of making it affordable for anyone to give the luxury of water. Thinking strategically, as a luxury real estate marketing professional, can make you feel great, help others and also generate business. When these components all align, that is as good as luxury gets!

By Alexandra Seigel, Partner – Napa Consultants, International

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Marketing Your (Authentic) Self In Luxury Real Estate

YOUR AUTHENTIC SIGNAL

As long as we interact with people, we are continuously in the process of marketing ourselves to others, presenting ourselves in such a way as to attract what we want. But, are we projecting our authentic self? And, are we being deliberate about crafting our marketing message? These are the questions.

By virtue of our very existence we send out broadcast signals about who we are. Our success in attracting the right people and circumstances depends on the clarity of our signal. This applies to personal relationships as well as business relationships.

Static reduces the fidelity of your message. Eventually, people turn off to you and your message if there is too much static on your lines. Static comes in the form of not knowing who you are, having a mixed message, and pretending to be what you are not.

Here is an example from nature. Orchids come in many varieties and shapes. Each species has a specific flower suited to a particular insect that will fertilize it. The shape attracts the right insect and repels all others who would be useless to that plant’s procreation, but precisely right for another variety.

Marketing yourself has to be the same as the orchid. When your signal is clear it becomes easy to decide who is right for you and also where to spend your productive time and energy. You have to stay true to your signal. You cannot waver, if you want to consistently attract the right referral sources, customers or clients.

When marketing yourself, be deliberate in sending out your signal. Stick to your own true voice, your authentic self. And, thrive!

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Buzz Marketing For Luxury Real Estate Professionals - Part 1

The Big Yellow Cab

In the growing international wine market wine, how do you stand out? What is your brand position? How do you differentiate your brand? And, even more importantly, how do you create word-of-mouth marketing or Buzz? If you are a luxury real estate marketing professional you need to ask yourself the same questions.

There is glut of wine brands throughout the world offering consumers an overwhelming amount of choice. Utah, Oregon, Washington, Texas, New York, Virginia and more states have now jumped into the market. California produces more than double the wine that Australia produces. 

People often buy wine based on the label without having the slightest idea of what is inside the bottle. Here is a marvelous example of a winery that succeeds at differentiating their wine and standing out in the crowded Cabernet Sauvignon category.

Mendocino County in California produces Big Yellow Cab. The label has yellow as its dominant color. It has the picture of an old fashioned Yellow cab, giving it the allure of heritage. The Yellow Cab’s slogan is “The Name to Trust Since 1920”. Everyone knows what a Yellow Cab is. This is a play on words. The bottle contains cabernet sauvignon, a red wine. Wine jargon often refers to the taste of a full bodied rich Cab (an abbreviation of Cabernet ) as a” big Cab”.

It is a friendly label. The color yellow suggests warmth, friendliness, and in this case, fun. At $11.99 a bottle, I bought it, both to photograph it and to taste it. It was good, and it was fun, and it made for interesting conversation. It made it to our blog, which means it was “remarkable” (worthy of our remarks). This is the word-of-mouth advertising that can happen just by clever branding. In other words, Yellow Cab wine is “buzz-worthy”. It is so clever, you have to tell someone about it.

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Listening Appointments vs. Listing Appointments

THE LISTENING APPOINTMENT

This is a story about a luxury real estate marketing professional who applied the principle of “the listening appointment vs. the listing appointment. When our friend went for out on a listing presentation the seller was sitting gingerly on his chair and straining to pay attention. She asked him if there was something wrong. The seller told her his back was hurting him.

Instead of continuing the presentation, she told him of a chiropractor friend who was so good that he would be feeling a 100% better after one visit. The seller agreed to see her friend. She made the appointment for him that very day, canceling her presentation.

Sure enough, his back felt better. He rescheduled the appointment and gave her the listing without interviewing anyone else. Her care spoke volumes. All parties benefited, and it was the beginning of a great relationship which continues to this day.

Listen for what is needed and wanted by your client and make that your priority during your listing presentation rather than your own agenda. You will get clues about sealing the deal.

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Get Your Own Show! A Marketing Tip For Luxury Real Estate Professionals

We are all subject to prejudicial branding. We are expected to stay within the norm, that standard that someone sold us. When we stray it can create a revolution. That is what happens when you carve out your own brand.

Martin Luther publicly disagreed with the Catholic Church resulting in his excommunication. Undaunted he created a new religion, Lutheran. People had to examine their beliefs again. Others merely dismissed him as evil and bad. His namesake, Martin Luther King, disagreed with the status quo. He did not want to blend in and accept the brand that was he was given. We are still feeling the positive effects of his movement. Leonardo Da Vinci did not fare well with the church authorities either, nor did Michelangelo.

Emeril Lagasse, the popular chef, often debunks some of the cooking rules as he learned them, and always exclaims, “If you don’t like this, get your own show”. He dares us to reexamine the sacred rules of cooking. He made cooking fun and easy. We have to thank these people for carving out their own brands.

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A Luxury Real Estate Break-Away Brand Story

Here's a luxury real estate "break-away" brand story. In the 80’s in Los Angeles, an independent luxury real estate broker decided to open his own office in the Los Angeles. At that time there was a garbage strike and solutions were not in sight. He decided to divert his ad budget into picking up all the garbage. The local media picked it up. Then CNN and other national TV news joined in. People were jamming his phone lines wanting to switch their listings to his new company. Instant success was his reward through very effective public relations. He had a new reputation and a new brand: The Go-To guy who could get things done, fast! Before that, he was just another real estate agent in a start-up company. This luxury real estate marketing professional made an instant connection with this marketplace, became an overnight success, and soon thereafter sold his company to a larger firm. That is an example of connecting, big-time with your target market and becoming a break-away luxury real estate brand.

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Rice Without The Price-A Luxury Real Estate Marketing Tip!

For those luxury real estate marketing professionals who like to play games on the Web, here is a site that is amazing. Go to www.freerice.com. It is a vocabulary game. For each word you get right, they donate 10 grains of rice. It is free, it is fun, and hunger is on its way out. You improve, and life improves for someone hungry.

So far, since its debut in October of 2007, 39,541,334,330 grains of rice have been donated. How do they do it? You can advertise on the site, and those dollars buy rice. A great marketing idea for luxury real estate professionals would be to donate some rice in your client’s name and include that in an ad. This is a great return on investment, and think of all those eyeballs seeing your ad while learning a new word.

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