Do you communicate...I AM A COMPETENT REALTOR...or something else?

When Realtors first get their licenses, they send out announcement cards and mailers and make the phone calls to announce to the world..."I'M NOW IN REAL ESTATE AND WAITING FOR YOUR CALL!" We expect others to get just as excited as we are about our new venture into the world of land, homes and condos. Some agents even hope that their friends wake up every morning and say..."How can I help Al Maxwell get clients today?" Well it's time to get real.

Many of your friends don't even know you are in real estate and those that do probably don't know the company you work with. Some think that you don't need clients ("cause you're drivin' that big fancy car")

And there are others who just don't think that you can get the job done. Yes, really!

I think we have all had friends chose other Realtors over us. We expect that our "sphere" will put us at the top of the list when it comes to real estate services, but sometimes that is not the case.

THE POINT of this blog is to ask you what you do TO COMMUNICATE THAT YOU ARE COMPETENT! Being a friend or family member is not enough when they want someone who can sell their house quickly and at a good price. You have to demonstrate your ability to do this! Here are some examples of what I think that people perceive when they get something in the mail:

• Announcement of getting your license- Great, he has just been licensed and not sold a single house. I can't call him for real estate services until I feel that he's got some experience. I'll give it a year or two.
• Just Listed Card- He got a listing, so something is going on
• Just Sold card- Hmmmm, maybe he does know how to sell homes
• Recipe of the month- I guess Al can cook, but what about selling homes?
• Sports Calendar- I guess Al likes sports, but can he sell real estate (Especially if he's out at all those football games)
• Daylight Savings Card- I guess Al's not doing much business. This is all he could come up with

We've all sent these type of cards, and let me say that they ARE NOT BAD! I'm saying, just don't rely on this exclusively to portray COMPETENCE!

Think about sending out things like: neighborhood sales figures, info on the mortgage industry, how to lower taxes, home efficiency suggestions, how much home improvement increases (or not) the value of the home, list of preferred vendors, new home products, avoiding termites, etc.,etc.

We have so many tools and articles at our disposal that we can use them to let people know THAT WE ARE PROFESSIONALS! Communicate that effectively and you will get business. I promise!