Real Estate Agent Personal Branding: Learning from American Idol - Part 9

Diana Krall

This is part nine of our blog series entitled: Real Estate Agent Personal Branding: Learning form American Idol. It is a fun and easy way to learn the principles of personal branding. You do not have to be an Idol fan to enjoy!

Part 9--“Own” Your Brand Category

American idol had a surprise ending in Wild Card round. They selected four additional contestants to go through to the Top 12 making it a baker’s dozen (13) instead. Keeping your brand fresh is very important and this twist did just that for the show. But, it is important to stay on your brand signal. This applies to real estate personal branding as well.

A very clear example of a distinct talent that stayed true to her brand signal was Megan, who sings jazz.. She has a very marketable appearance and a great voice. There is no question about her talent. But, what makes her stand out is her brand category. No other contestant “owns” jazz.

The ideal opportunity in branding is to own your category. When you think of a MP3 music player what brand comes to mind? IPod is by far the winner.

Think! Who’s the first female singer to come to mind in the current, contemporary jazz category? Diana Krall now owns the category. There is definitely room another singer in this category.

What do you think Megan’s chances are of being the next American Idol? Let us know your opinion.

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Luxury Real Estate Personal Branding: Learning from American Idol: Part 8

Part 8: Can You Hear Your Own Voice?

This is part eight of our blog series entitled: Real Estate Agent Personal Branding: Learning form American Idol. It is a fun and easy way to learn the principles of personal branding. You do not have to be an Idol fan to enjoy!

David Cook, American Idol, 2008

There is much more involved in real estate agent personal branding than creating a look and a logo. Essentially, it is the process of discovering and consistently broadcasting your own unique voice. Only by hearing you own voice can you know when you are on and off your brand signal.

Last year’s American Idol, David Cook, consistently broadcasted his authentic brand signal throughout the entire season beginning in his first audition. He knew his mind and constantly chose the right songs. His pop rock brand was apparent in everything he sang, even Little Sparrow by Dolly Parton. He definitely is not a musical comedy artist. But, his version of Music of the Night from Phantom still showcased his outstanding vocals.

Cook’s song choice in the final sing- off was not Billie Jean, the obvious crowd pleaser. David took a huge risk in favor of artistic integrity and it paid off, much to the surprise of Simon who thought he blew it. This victory may have been even greater for David Cook than winning the top prize.

David exemplified the principle of striking the balance between commercialism and artistic integrity. You CAN please others and yourself simultaneously. It does not have to be either-or. When you pick the right brand category and the right song all is aligned. Only then can you hear your own voice and share it with the world.

David Archuleta, American Idol Runner Up

Although, David Archuleta was (and is) adored by millions of fans, his American Idol journey was more of a roller coaster in terms of being on or off his authentic brand signal with his song choices. However, when he sings Imagine by John Lennon it is as if you are hearing an angel; his signal is that pure.

Listen to his video. Can you feel the oneness between the right brand category (pop) and the right song? Can you hear Archuleta’s authentic brand signal, his voice?

This purity comes from the absence of contradiction between artistic integrity and commercialism. The personal branding process is all about dialing into your authentic brand signal and consistently staying on signal.

Are you broadcasting your authentic brand signal? Can you hear your own voice?

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Luxury Real Estate Agent Personal Branding:Learning from American Idol, Part 7

Part 7: Test Market

This is part seven of our blog series entitled: Real Estate Agent Personal Branding: Learning form American Idol. It is a fun and easy way to learn the principles of personal branding. You do not have to be an Idol fan to enjoy!

Jordin Sparks 2007 American IdolOne method of discovering the balance between commercial success and artistic integrity is test marketing. Determine what is needed and wanted by your audience. Then find a way to deliver just that, but in your own inimitable way. To be able to say, “I did it my way” is extremely satisfying. This is the sweet spot of commercial success in any field: Not compromising and still winning it all.

In the case of real estate personal branding your audience is your target market of buyers and sellers. Find out which niche has the most underserved demand. Then find a way to serve that niche better than anyone else in your marketplace. That is the ultimate purpose of test marketing.

On American Idol, choosing the right song within the right brand category or genre is of paramount importance. The right song needs to appeal to the widest audience in order to win the most votes. With instant audience feedback, test marketing can be very effective, but risky. Perhaps, this is the case of Adam Lambert.

What is your take on Adam Lambert, the Top 12 contestant? Adam definitely has talent and is therefore marketable. What we know about his background story, apart from living in Los Angeles, is that he toured in the Broadway play, Wicked. Can you name his brand category? Does he want to be pigeonholed as a musical comedy singer based on his background? Here are the songs and the brand categories he has chosen to test so far:

Bohemian Rhapsody by Queen, the British rock group

Some Kind of Wonderful, by the American R&B group, Soul Brothers Six

Believe, by Cher (pop)

Satisfaction, by The Rolling Stones (Rock)

Adam is obviously very popular. But, have we experienced his authentic brand signal, yet? It will be interesting to see if this becomes clearer throughout the show. He has changed genre several times. Is he showing us a wide range of possible brand categories to avoid the “pigeonhole trap”. Or, perhaps he is just “test marketing”.

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Luxury Real Estate Agent Personal Branding: Learning from American Idol, Part 6

Part 6: Pick the Right Brand Category: Pick the Right Song!

This is part six of our blog series entitled: Real Estate Agent Personal Branding: Learning form American Idol. It is a fun and easy way to learn the principles of personal branding. You do not have to be an Idol fan to enjoy!

American Idol judges seem to admire those contestants who know who they are in terms of their brand category (country, rock, rhythm and blues, etc) and those who stay within that genre. Real estate agent personal branding requires the same clarification of brand category. That is why selecting a niche and sticking with it is so important.

American Idol, Carrie Underwood’s brand category is country. David Cook’s category is pop rock. Fantasia’s category is rhythm and blues. Once you clarify your brand category you must find your own “voice” or your authentic “brand signal” within that category and you must choose the right songs to showcase your unique talent.

Song choice is extremely important. Many artists fall into a trap when it comes to choosing songs. They encounter what appears to be a paradox: the choice between artistic integrity and commercialism. The trap is that the two are considered to be in opposition. Commercialism is considered the excessive emphasis on profit making. If you opt for commercialism you are selling out. But, keep in mind that American Idol is about creating commercially successful stars!

The underlying false premise here is that there is a scarcity of songs from which to choose. The truth is that there are plenty of songs that may be chosen that are both commercially appealing and right on your brand signal.

In part 3 we referred to the two blue collar workers, Michael and Matt. Michael, the oil rigger, was voted through to the top 12. Matt, the welder chose one of his favorite songs but it was unanimously considered the wrong song choice by the judges. Matt insisted that he would still have picked the same song even if he was warned not to sing it prior to the live show. He fell into the “either-or” trap!

As we mentioned before, Matt already had the odds against him because his competitor, Michael, in “the blue collar” brand category went through; the likelihood of the audience selecting two in this category was already very slim.

Who knows? Perhaps the judges will reconsider Matt for the wild card round. Although, we doubt it!

Real estate agents beware! Pick the right brand category. Pick the Right Song!

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Luxury Real Estate Agent Personal Branding: Learning from American Idol, Part 5

Part 5: Know Your Brand Signal

This is part five of our blog series entitled: Real Estate Agent Personal Branding: Learning form American Idol. It is a fun and easy way to learn the principles of personal branding. You do not have to be an Idol fan to enjoy!

In our previous post, we said: “If Nick stays true to his unique brand signal and gets some coaching to hone his signal, he could have a meteoric rise to success, faster than any other contestant at this stage because of his distinctiveness in a sharply defined brand category”.

“Does Nick have enough empathy with the audience to be voted through to the top 12? His chances are very good if he has an outstanding performance in week 2 that is ‘right on signal’. We shall see”.

Well, Nick may have blown a major career opportunity unless a sharp talent coach or agent picks him up! He sang a song from Dream Girls (the Jennifer Hudson show stopper). He was definitely in the right brand category (musical comedy) vs. country or rhythm and blues, etc. But, his performance was neither outstanding comically or musically/vocally. Had he come out and shown his vocals as Nick and thrown just a slight comedic twist (as Norm) in an understated way, he could have done it.

What was so exciting about Nick was that he broke all of the rules. And, the judges were willing to give him the benefit of the doubt. Just based on the comments we received on our blog post, he had support of a large segment of the audience who was rooting for him to pull it off because of his unconventionality. But, he was unsure of his brand “signal”.

In real estate personal branding it is important to know your authentic brand signal, clearly define your personal brand category and then stay with it. American Idol makes this point very clearly.

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Real Estate Agent Personal Branding: Learning from American Idol - Part 4

Part 4: What is Your Personal Brand Category?

This is part four of our blog series entitled: Real Estate Agent Personal Branding: Learning form American Idol. It is a fun and easy way to learn the principles of personal branding. You do not have to be an Idol fan to enjoy!

It is extremely important to understand the concept of brand categories because that is how we remember brands. So much is at stake, in terms of market share for any product or service, if yours is the first brand that comes to mind when your target market thinks about your brand category. In the cola brand category #1 Coke outsells #2 Pepsi by 2:1. Three times more people choose #1 Google over #2 Yahoo when it comes to the category of internet search, with MSN a very distant third.

There are many categories of music from classical to heavy metal. American Idol is all about the category of Pop. But, there are many sub-categories of pop such as pop soul, pop rock, pop rhythm and blue, musical comedy, country, etc. When you think of the category of 50’s pop rock and roll what name comes to mind first? Most people would say Elvis, by a vast margin.

This year the American Idol judges selected someone who is both a singer and a comedian with a very quirky personality. He has two names, his real name, Nick Mitchel and his alter ego, Norman Gentle. Because of his uniqueness, Nick is a one-man-brand, a category of one. Nick has absolutely NO COMPETITION in his brand category. He IS the standout in his category. He definitely has talent, marketability as a musical comedy star and has a funny story. It doesn’t even matter if he becomes the next American Idol or goes on to the next round. He has already won the competition in his category! All he needs is a bit more exposure and the branding process will be complete in the minds of the audience.

Once branded however, it would be extremely difficult for the audience to take Nick seriously as a pop rock star like Chris Daughtry. If Nick stays true to his unique brand signal and gets some coaching to hone his brand signal, he could have a meteoric rise to success, faster than any other contestant at this stage because of his distinctiveness in a sharply defined brand category.

Does Nick have enough empathy with the audience to be voted through to the top 12? His chances are very good if he has an outstanding performance in week 2 that is "right on signal". We shall see.

Think about how you can strike a chord with your audience, and be distinct from your competition in a sharply defined niche or brand category in your marketplace.

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Real Estate Agent Personal Branding: Learning from American Idol - Part 3

Part 3: Watch Out for the "Pigeonhole Trap"

This is part three of our blog series entitled: Real Estate Agent Personal Branding: Learning form American Idol. It is a fun and easy way to learn the principles of personal branding. You do not have to be an Idol fan to enjoy!

In the selection process to determine the top 36 contestants for 2009 American Idol, the judges called two contestants in for a final sing off: Matt Breitzke and Michael Sarver. Why these two together? Because they are both blue collar workers, married with kids. They were “pigeonholed” in the same brand category by the judges: burly blue collar workers. From a personal branding standpoint, this is perhaps one of the most important stories to watch on the show.

Based on appearance alone, one could say that they do have similar body types. But, this competition is not about acting based on looks, it is about having a great voice. In post #1 we said, “If you have talent, you have marketability”. Both guys have talent and marketability.

In post #2 we talked about the importance of your background story as a building block of your personal brand. But, what if you have virtually the same story as your competitor like Matt and Michael? How do you stand out? How do you differentiate yourself from your competitor? This is the most important question about real estate agent personal branding!

We will answer this question of differentiation and also explain how to avoid the “pigeonhole trap” in subsequent posts in this series. But, here we look at what can happen if you fall into this trap.

In the case of Matt and Michael the judges decided to let America vote instead of picking one or the other. Both contestants went on to the top 36. The sing-off on TV essentially created a brand category by linking these two together in the minds of the voters, a brand category that may not have been formulated otherwise.

It was Michael Starver, the oil rigger, who was voted into the top 12 in the first week of audience participation. His counterpart will come up in the second week. What do you think the chances are the Matt will also make it?

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Real Estate Agent Personal Branding: Learning from American Idol - Part 2

Part 2: The Importance of Your Background Story

This is part two of our blog series entitled: Real Estate Agent Personal Branding: Learning form American Idol. It is a fun and easy way to learn the principles of personal branding. You do not have to be an Idol fan to enjoy!

The key to real estate personal branding is finding a way to stand out and engaging the emotions of your target market. The role of your background story is very important. You want to present your personal brand in such a way that potential clients can identify with you. Then you want to turn them into “raving fans”.

When you think of Martha Stewart what emotional associations come to mind? Wholesomeness, down to earth, helpfulness, cheerfulness, comfort food, hearth and home are some. Emotional bonds with Martha’s loyal fans are so strong that they were able to readily forgive for her past indiscretions. Rating for her show actually improved over time.

The American Idol judges look for the stand outs in the initial selection process. To build empathy the opening shows begin featuring background stories of candidates especially if there is pathos or they have a particular human interest story. Certain themes emerge which begins to create personal brand categories:

The single mom on her own

• The blue collar workers who audition because they want a better life for their family
• The young man whose wife died
• The guy who gave up his life to take care of his mother
• The country girl living on a farm

These aspects contribute to the entertainment value of the show, and also influence the voters’ selection of the best performers. Prior to each performance, the viewers are reminded of the lives of the individuals and their initial auditions. This reinforces these brand categories. You will see in the next post just how important brand categories become in the competition.

This season’s first selection included a young mother of 20 with pink hair and a sizzling performance, an oil rigger, and a widower. Each struck a chord with the voting audience, and they received the highest number of votes.

Watch the video performance of Danny, the young man whose wife died. The talent is definitely there. But, the interesting background story definitely helped him win. What is your background story?

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Real Estate Agent Personal Branding: Learning from American Idol - Part 1

Jennifer Hudson

Part 1: If You Have Talent, You Have Marketability

This is part one of our blog series entitled: Real Estate Agent Personal Branding: Learning form American Idol. It is a fun and easy way to learn the principles of personal branding. Requirements: Watch American Idol and follow along! Not an Idol fan? That's OK. No problem: we will post some brief videos that illustrate the principles of personal branding. But, don't be surprised if you get hooked!

It all begins with the selection process. First, the American Idol judges look for talent and marketability. The top ten are usually good enough to sign record deals. Some have gone on to become actors. Jennifer Hudson won an Oscar and a Grammy for Best Album.

If you are going to form your own personal brand that will endure over time and stand out from the crowd you need to start with talent and a strong desire to rise to the top. So many American Idol candidates who really do not have much talent have been encouraged to pursue a career in music by well meaning friends and family. They are actually shocked to find out that they have been sold a bill of goods. They cannot even hear themselves sing off key. Take a good look at yourself in the mirror. Ask yourself these questions:

• Do you really think you have the talent to be a star?
• Is this something you want for yourself or to please others?
• Are you truly passionate about becoming a standout in your marketplace? Or, are you looking for approval?

Answering these questions can save you a tremendous amount of time and aggravation as a real estate professional. Use this video to help you answer the questions.

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Luxury Real Estate Agent Personal Branding: Create Your Own Brand Category

The most important principle involved in creating a luxury real estate agent personal brand is to find a brand category that you can own like Cesar Millan, the Dog Whisperer. People think in terms of brand categories. The key is to be the first person to come to mind, rather than your competition, in a brand category and become the category “killer”.

Here are some examples of brand categories and the most dominant brand in the category or the category killer:

Category	Category Killer
Facial Tissue	Kleenex
Copiers	Xerox
Cola	Coke
Internet Search	Google
Window Cleaner	Windex
Adhesive Tape	Scotch Tape
Spreadsheet	Microsoft Excel

The easiest way to claim ownership of a brand category is to create a new brand category. That is exactly what Cesar Millan did by proclaiming that he is the “Dog Whisperer”. He took a general category, dog trainer, created a new category of one and became the most famous dog trainer in the world. Anyone else that calls themselves a dog whisperer automatically becomes a “me too” and is dismissed as unoriginal.

The original horse whisper was Daniel Sullivan, a horse trainer who made a name for himself in the 19th century by rehabilitating horses that had become vicious and intractable due to abuse or accidental trauma. He kept his methods secret, but people who managed to observe him noticed that he would stand face to face with the troubled horse. They seemed to think that he must be saying something to the horse in a way the horse could understand and accept.

Cesar Millan borrowed this concept from the horse training world, a concept that was already familiar to the general public because of the Horse Whisperer book and movie. Now, he owns the category of dog whisperer. Cesar is obviously the category killer. No one can come close to competing with him.

How can you stand out in the general category of luxury real estate agents?

1. Do some soul searching and identify something you can do better than anyone else in your marketplace

2. Create a whole new category where you can provide extraordinary value

3. Promote the new category that fills a unique need in the mind of your target market and your market will promote you!

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Real Estate Agent Personal Branding: What’s In a Name?

Luxury Real Estate Marketing Professionals must pay close attention to word associations when choosing a personal brand name, a domain name for their web site or blog, and also a brand name for their team. Sometimes it is helpftul to look at some luxury brand name disasters to avoid pitfalls. Here is an example of what some experts consider to be a disaster waiting to happen by the ultra-luxury division of Mercedes Benz—Maybach-- that produces limited production models of 100 cars priced between $522K and $609K.

The newest model has been named Maybach Zheppelin. With the crash of the Hindenburg (a Zeppelin airship) and the 1970’s iconic heavy metal rock group from England, Led Zeppelin, what were they thinking? These two word associations spell disaster! The marketing department intended to refer the newer model group to its ancestors built in 1932-34, the Maybach DS8 Zeppelin. The Zeppelin name was chosen to honor the experience gained from designing the Zeppelin airship engines.

In 1937, the Hindenburg caught fire and was destroyed within one minute while attempting to dock. This accident destroyed public confidence, and ended the reign of rigid airships. The cause of the fire is still unknown. It may have had nothing to do with its engineering. However, reviving the name evokes the inescapable association with the crash and burn of the Hindenburg disaster.

Led ZeppelinDoes Led Zeppelin mean luxury to you? The manufacturer’s credo is “to create nothing but the best from the most advanced materials, cars of lasting value, manufactured to the highest level of perfection. The Maybach Zeppelin is the ultimate answer to automotive wishes, with a distinctive character, and the highest levels of elegance and power. “-(From a Maybach 1934 leaflet)- Check out this video, then reflect on the Hindenburg and Led Zepplin? Get the picture?

When choosing a name do your homework by making sure it reflects well on the image you are trying to convey to your clients. Don’t get caught up in history and romance of the past. In today’s world, it is easy to investigate the different meanings of a word and their associations by using the internet. Happy Naming!

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Luxury Real Estate Web Design Essentials: What does Your Store Front Look Like?

As a luxury real estate marketing professional, one of the best ways to think of your real estate web design is to compare it to a fine retail establishment. A luxury retail store is designed to attract its customers and maximize sales. Here are some guidelines to consider:

• The store front usually has a huge window display. The idea is to let customers see the merchandise within the store, as well as a special vignette of the latest merchandise.This is your home page. Is it appealing to look at? Does it have curb appeal? As part of the home page, several iconic images of the area in which you work may be appropriate.

• Is the merchandise aesthetically pleasing? When looking at what you are displaying, i.e. your listings, how do they look on the page? Are the initial photos inviting the potential client to click further and find out more? Is there logic to the way they are displayed?

• When you are in the store are the colors complimenting the displays? Is the site easy to read? Often black is overused as a luxury color particularly with white lettering. If the whole site is black with white writing, it is hard to read. It may be beautiful from a design standpoint, but difficult on the eyes. Is the type large enough? Again, functionality is more important than the look. The purpose of the site is to attract clients, not to win awards.

• Is it easy to access the inventory? Is the search function easy to use on your site? If the client has to fill out a lengthy form to find information, they will click away. There are plenty of sites on the World Wide Web that can be searched by remaining anonymous. Is it easy to access you?

• A luxury store avoids clutter and anything that may detract from focusing on the merchandise for sale. Avoid all extraneous information. Accessorize with pertinent and insightful information about your marketplace such as the nature of your community and why it is special.

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Luxury Marketing Web Design Essentials: Forget the Flash. Keep the Focus!

It is important for luxury real estate marketing professionals to understand that consumers expect the internet to be a “Time Saver”. Your clients and potential clients want information now! They want it quickly, and easily. Complicated navigation, flash  animation, links to other sites, and other add-ons do not enhance your website. They are the source of clutter and confusion. Forget the flash.  Keep the focus!

A new study by Forrester Research, focusing on the impact of technology on business and consumers, confirms the fact that 80% of high-net-worth consumers use the internet daily, and they regularly buy products as well as research online. According to this study, high net worth consumers is defined as those with annual gross income and assets of at least $500,000.

Wealthy consumers are among the most tech-savvy in the world. To appeal to this crowd, many luxury companies have created luxury sites with bells and whistles including flash and sound which often takes a long time to load. Unfortunately, this is a turn off, and your clients will often leave the site before the images display. Once they have seen the “special effects” they do not want to see them again.

Adhere, to the “Keep it Simple Rule”. It is important to communicate to your clients online in a way that makes them confident in your expertise.

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Luxury Real Estate Branding and Marketing Essentials: If the Shoe Fits…

The World's Largest Clog

This is part two of “Hug Your Clients”, one of the best business models we have found that can help luxury real estate marketing professionals distinguish their brand from their competitors. It can help you to increase client and employee/team member loyalty. So, if the shoe fits...

Have you heard about Zappos, the $1 billion online shoe company? Zappos , a take-off on the word zapatos, which means shoes in Spanish, specializes in footwear, handbags as well as niche shoes (vegan shoes and narrow and wide shoes). It has a central warehouse and two brick-and-mortar outlet stores. Zappos really understands how hugging their customers and their employees translates in to big profits.

The Zappos business model is based totally on loyalty and relationship marketing. A loyalty model means that a company focuses its resources so customers’ expectations are consistently met or even surpassed. Relationship marketing is also about the long term value of keeping customers but is focused on the importance of triggering word-of- mouth advertising as a means of acquiring new customers.

How do they do that? They hug their customers! Zappos builds the culture of the company and promotes its brand through superlative customer service. Their slogan is “Powered by Customer Service” The result is 60% of Zappos’ customers are repeat customers, and the rest have come from word-of-mouth marketing. Naturally this business model reduces marketing costs.

Zappos puts the “WOW” in every customer interaction. They do so through free shipping both ways (receipt and return), a 365-day return policy, a 24 hour call service. Hugs!

Zappos also hugs their employees! New employees, regardless of position are required to attend a 4-week Customer Loyalty Training course. This includes two weeks of talking on the phone with customers: hug training. After the first week of training the new employees are offered a “quit now” bonus of $1,000 to leave the company immediately, no strings attached. This ensures people are there for the love of the job and not just the money. Over 90% turn down the buyout.

Tony Hsieh, the CEO, is somewhat of a celebrity in his own right. You can follow him on Twitter along with over 62,000 others (as of this writing). If you called Zappos customer service over the Holidays, chances are you reached Tony himself. Personal CEO hugs!

In your luxury real estate marketing practice, how can you put the wow in your service and hug your clients today?

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Luxury Real Estate Marketing Essentials: Hug Your Clients

Sometimes we rush to innovate looking for the latest and greatest marketing ideas, forgetting the fundamentals of doing business. Here is a wonderful reminder of the basics for luxury real estate marketing professionals.

Successful retailer and owner of three high end boutique stores for men and women, Jack Mitchell wrote a wonderful book titled, Hug Your Customers. Jack feels that relationships are the heart and soul of every transaction.

Here are some of the recommendations that are applicable to selling anything especially luxury real estate.

• Remembering the name of your customer’s dog
• Calling a customer to make sure he is happy with his purchase
• Introducing customers to business contacts
• Letting your customer make a call from your office
• Have a kid friendly area in your office

Here is his explanation for hugging:

“Hugging involves touching and listening to and caring about the customer, getting so close to the customer that the customer becomes more important than anything else. Over time in a hugging culture a unique personal and professional relationship develops between the business and customer-a loyalty built on trust and, in our case, sales that fill closets with clothes customers love to wear and are right for them.”

See Part 2 of Hug Your Clients--If the Shoe Fits...

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Luxury Real Estate Branding and Marketing Essentials: The Importance of Differentiation Part 2

Whether its luxury real estate marketing or product marketing, differentiation sells! This is an update to our previous post regarding the Superbowl and the case for differentiation as a means to drive sales back to you, the advertiser.

NBC sold out its ads spots for the game and set a record for revenue at $206 million. The key selling point is that 100 million viewers watch closely during the game breaks. Furthermore, these ads could be viewed on NBC.com, Hulu.com, and SuperBowl.com, for additional viewers who were not interested in football.

One ad stood out for its differentiation. The Teleflora ad stated simply that their flowers come arranged in a vase, and not in a box. Their slogan was clear and concise. “There is a difference”. Although, the part when the talking flowers critique the recipient was in poor taste, they got the point across: Boxed flowers are for losers, and arranged flowers are for winners.

Can you see the power of differentiation? Associating just ONE word with your brand that distinguishes you from your completion is the ultimate marketing achievement: Box or Vase? , ProFlowers or Teleflora?

It makes you think about who you send flowers to. If your recipient does not have a vase, or does not like to arrange flowers themselves, or is pressed for time and just wants to be able to take the flowers that arrive in a vase and put them right down on a table. Teleflora is the right choice.

What one word differentiates you from your completion? If you simply answer “service”, think again. It is a service, to those who have their own vases and enjoy arranging flowers, to receive gifted flowers in a box. Both Telflora and Proflowers offer outstanding customer service. The word must describe a fundamental difference that you can own and your competition cannot.

See Part 1 of this post

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Luxury Real Estate Branding and Marketing Essentials: The Importance of Differentiation

As a luxury real estate professional, you must examine what makes you different from your competition. Then, focus all of your promotion around that single concept. Follow the example of market leaders in other fields who really get this concept. For example, Southwest Airlines has low fares and no hidden fees. In just three words, “no hidden fees” Southwest simultaneously differentiates itself from its competitors and clearly communicates one of the company’s strongest values: Transparency.

Just a few days prior to Super Bowl Sunday 2009, 67 commercial spots remained unsold. Before Labor Day, the network was getting advertisers to pony up for a record-high $3 million-per-half-minute spots. When the economy did an about face, so did the advertisers because ad spending came under close scrutiny.

In his latest book,” In Search of the Obvious, The Antidote for Today’s Marketing Mess,” marketing guru, Jack Trout, critiques the mindset of most Super Bowl ads as being entertaining rather than communicating competitive advantages to gain customers. Here is what he said:

“Consider the beer business. No one has poured as much money into Super Bowl ads as Anheuser-Busch. Over the years, we’ve seen Clydesdales playing football, frogs talking funny gag, after funny gag. The latest features a Clydesdale working out so as to join the team.   Has it helped sell beer? Not that I can see, the beer business has been flat and declining for years. ‘

This year, Anheuser Busch’s competitor, Miller, is doing a series of one second pregame ads. They are emphasizing saving money because, according to Miller, “it takes one second to promote its beer as “common sense in a bottle”. But, Miller falls into the same trap. Neither beer company is differentiating itself from its competitors.

Clydesdales or “common sense in a bottle” is a meaningless reference. What is the clear difference between the two products? Do you buy beer because you like Clydesdales? How does common sense and alcohol relate?

Once you find your primary differentiator, continue marketing it, and don’t be lured by catchy phrases or furry creatures for their entertainment value. Stay true to your distinct signal and you will attract plenty of business as luxury real estate marketing professionals.

See Part 2 of this post...

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Luxury Real Estate Marketing Essentials: Gung Hay Fat Choy/HAPPY NEW YEAR

Lighting red candles on Chinese New Year in the Temple

Welcome to the Year of the Ox which starts on January 26, 2009! The Chinese calendar predates our calendar which is only 430 years old. The Chinese calendar is based on a combination of lunar and solar movements. The lunar cycle is about 29.5 days. Every few years, the Calendar is adjusted and an extra month is added, similar to the leap year. This explains why the New Year falls on a different date each year. The Chinese year 4707 (2009) is known as the year of the Ox, or formally Ji Chou.

It is said that Buddha asked all the animals to meet him on Chinese New Year. Twelve came and Buddha honored them by naming a year after each one, He also prophesized that individuals born under their sign would have the some of the characteristics of that animal.

The Ox is the sign of prosperity (affluence) through fortitude (staying power) and hardwork. Those who are born under this sign are known to be born leaders, dependable, and capable of achieving greatness, which is why the Chinese are optimistic about 2009!

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Luxury Real Estate Agent Branding: Find Your Balance

Here is a question from Doc Reiss of Port Angeles, WA. Doc is one of the members of our Language of Luxury group on Broker Agent Social. We wanted to share this with you because this question comes up quite often.

Doc: We have about 800 homes in our two town MLS with only about 16 priced from the mid-fives to about 2.6 million. Affluent buyers want someone who is very well-versed in luxury homes, but with so few available, is it wrong to also be a great agent for lesser priced properties? I don't want to be all things to all people, but I don't want to lock myself solely into a niche that may not have sufficient inventory to maintain a viable business. Your feedback would be greatly appreciated.

R&A Seigel: We understandi what you are reaching for. It's a matter of striking the right balance. The key is to develop an upscale personal brand that is sophisticated but not pretentious. Whereas Macy's appeals to a wide range of customers, Nordstrom’s is more upscale. However, Nordstrom's does not intimidate Macy's customers. That is the balance you are looking for.

Hope this is helpful to you as well. And, thanks, Doc, for bringing it up!

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Luxury Real Estate Marketing Essentials: Be The Google of Your Marketplace

Luxury real estate marketing professionals need to carefully evaluate the best ways to spend marketing dollars. Despite what is now popularly held as gospel, Internet marketing through search engine optimization (SEO) may not be for you.

If your marketplace is small SEO may not be the best way to spend your time or your money. What may work better is to get involved with a community project and maximize your visibility face-to- face rather than online.

If your market is in a cosmopolitan city and your clientele is global, coming up first on Google makes sense. But, what makes even more sense is being the Google of your marketplace the one standout whom everyone knows. This is a function of building your personal brand and leveraging public relations. Sometimes, online press releases can help drive traffic to your website better than any search engine optimization practices.

Don’t neglect pay-per-click advertising on the search engines. When it is done right, in a targeted manner, it can work much better as a lead generator than spending time and money on improving your natural search rankings. Plus, it is entirely measurable, with immediate feedback that cam allow you to make instant improvements that result in more qualified leads.

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