Seriously, why do folks in the real estate and lending industry put their mugs on their business cards? I don’t. At least I don’t any more. It just seems silly to me.

I understand the logic behind it: we’re visual, potential clients will remember a face before they remember a name. Got it. I like movies too.

But is that really the only differentiating factor between you and some other real estate professional? Your face? Ho boy. You’re in trouble if it is.

So how do I differentiate myself from other real estate professionals? Here are two suggestions:

1. Concentrate on a niche market. Maybe it’s your goal to be a great investment adviser. Or maybe you want to help folks relocate. You might want to delve into commercial real estate. Fine. Learn everything there is to know about that niche and the business will come to you. They won’t care what you look like, they’ll want you for your brains.
2. Break from tradition and offer substantial savings. Let’s all take a little reality check here: one size does not fit all. There will always be traditional real estate agents and brokerages out there. I’m not arguing that. But the fact is that there are lots of people out there who do not fit into that traditional mold. Maybe they like doing the searching by themselves. Maybe they just want someone to do the paperwork. Or, maybe they only want you to enter their property into the MLS and they’ll handle the rest. Oh my God! He’s advocating FSBO’s! Relax. Since when was the do-it-yourself approach so unusual? Ever change you own oil? Trade a stock online? Find a cure for a medical issue that was ailing you? I’ve done all three of those things. And I did them all better than the professionals who I went to in the first place.

The real estate industry is ripe for change. It is changing as I write this. A company like mine that offers buyers 75% of our commission was not even a possibility a few short years ago. I’m passionate about saving my clients money. I’m passionate about building a green company. I’m passionate about what I do, and so my business is thriving.

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This entry was posted on Friday, April 27th, 2007 at 10:13 pm and is filed under Colorado Real Estate. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.