Why do you put your personal photo on EVERYTHING?

[CAROLRN]

I think this may be a characteristic unique to real estate. I can see putting pics on websites. But the business card and signs in front yards?..I'm sure there is a good reason and interesting history behind the technique. Would love to hear it!
PS I can see where this may actually work against the agent. Is there any trend to getting away from this in the future?

I'm taking classes now (midlife career change) I have to tell you I'm a little uncomfortable with the modeling part of the job.
:confused:

[LOTrainer]

This gives a face to the name and helps brand you and your business. I have my picture on my flyers, my loan proposals, my "rider" signs, business cards, and my 100% financing yard signs.

[Bill Hauck]

Hi Carol,

IMO, it's important to have your photo in your materials for several reasons. The reality is that people do judge us and others by the way we look, how we dress, do we look positive, etc.

I've found over the years that people have picked me out while they're searching for Realtors online. It's not because I'm anything special but they feel some kind of connection (maybe I'm about their age, look trustworthy-who knows?). I've found personal biographical information is very helpful in creating a connection as well.

Secondly, when I search for out-of-state agents to refer clients to, I use the agent's photo as one of several criteria. If the agent is clearly using a photo from the 1970's, is dressed poorly or inappropriately, had an office buddy take his/her business picture next to the water cooler, has their "main" picture with an animal (sorry to all of you that have pictures with pets) as seems to be the "popular" with some agents, I'm probably going to nix them in the search. Again, this is only one of the criteria I use.

Best of luck in your career!

Bill

[wood1e]

I think you are right, it is particular to the real estate business...why? I do not know why. I certainly would never force my ugly mug on my clients!!! lol

[CAROLRN]

I think nowadays, people look at email addresses the same way. I know I do. There are some employment applications I trash as soon as I see the email address; chunkaluvin, voodoobaby, I can go on. I figure either this person isnt aware that its inappropriate or they don't know how to get another email address. Obvious skill set deficit!
OK, so I'm hearing professional photos, not candids. No feather boas or boa constrictors. I'm a little wary of the "power poses" myself. Any other secrets to this subliminal marketing tool? colors? Does the brokerage do this or does the agent submit whatever they are comfortable with?

[DBQ]

Facial recognition is going to increase the chance of you selling to anyone you ever meet for the following reasons.

Branding - Your face becomes your reputation.

Selling - Your face is what your client is going to see and seek comfort in when making the "big decision"

Marketing - All of the above. ;)

-T

[rama1]

Facial recognition is going to increase the chance of you selling to anyone you ever meet for the following reasons.

Branding - Your face becomes your reputation.

Selling - Your face is what your client is going to see and seek comfort in when making the "big decision"

Marketing - All of the above. ;)

-T
Very good. The feeling of presence and comfort with an agent is very important. Client start trust you. And if they do, you will close the deal. Most important be knowledgeable and strict with words and actions

[Greg]

This is old style marketing and as you suspected in your original post it actually works against the agents. Those teaching classes have to come up with new stuff to get us to spend our money with them and back in the last century putting your picture on everything was all the rage.

It has been proven to not only not work but to actually cause an agent to lose business.

[LOTrainer]

This is old style marketing and as you suspected in your original post it actually works against the agents. Those teaching classes have to come up with new stuff to get us to spend our money with them and back in the last century putting your picture on everything was all the rage.

It has been proven to not only not work but to actually cause an agent to lose business.

Greg, I'm curious; I definitely would like to see the stats that show a decline in business from people having their picture on a yard sign or business card. Is there anything out there that has that measurement?

[DMike]

I guess that photos on flyers, yard signs, visit cards are for branding your business. As the agent's photo, i guess it's easier for people to give a call to someone they know what he looks like (i'm talking here about the call they give to the agent before meeting him), than to give a call based just on a phone number

[Greg]

The reality is that people do judge us and others by the way we look, how we dress, do we look positive, etc.

I've found over the years that people have picked me out while they're searching for Realtors online. It's not because I'm anything special but they feel some kind of connection (maybe I'm about their age, look trustworthy-who knows?).

Bill says it all right here. People judge people by their looks. It is human nature. If they don't like the way you look you lose. There is no rhyme or reason to it.

If you are skinny, overweight people will avoid you.
If you are overweight, skinny people will avoid you.
If you are attractive you stir up jealousy.
If you are ugly you are out of luck.
If you are bald you will have more bald clients.
If you have a beard you will have more clients with beards.
On and on and on and on.

No one's picture can appeal to everyone so by using your picture you are turning away potential clients before they ever have a chance to see what you have to offer.

I took my picture off my website and my leads went up immediately. That was proof enough for me. I have given this advice to lots of people over the years and they all come to the same conclusion.

I have yet to see any proof that your picture will make you more money. It is mostly an ego thing.

[Macye Kirkpatrick]

Not all of the realtor signs in our area have faces on them. I do admit I notice when they do. There is this new one and the kid looks like he is 16 and that is what I think everytime I see it.

We are unfortunately a visual people and make a judgement on appearance whether we like to admit it or not. I think a professional looking outfit for the sign is best. Color wise don't they say red is powerful. Maybe a red tie for a man and suit with red shirt for a woman.

I have this theory you watch it and see. When our current president gives a speech check the color of his tie. Blue tie what he is say is believable but red tie watch out he's sell something that probably is not what he is talking about.

Just my thoughts

[LOTrainer]

Bill says it all right here. People judge people by their looks. It is human nature. If they don't like the way you look you lose. There is no rhyme or reason to it.

If you are skinny, overweight people will avoid you.
If you are overweight, skinny people will avoid you.
If you are attractive you stir up jealousy.
If you are ugly you are out of luck.
If you are bald you will have more bald clients.
If you have a beard you will have more clients with beards.
On and on and on and on.

No one's picture can appeal to everyone so by using your picture you are turning away potential clients before they ever have a chance to see what you have to offer.

I took my picture off my website and my leads went up immediately. That was proof enough for me. I have given this advice to lots of people over the years and they all come to the same conclusion.

I have yet to see any proof that your picture will make you more money. It is mostly an ego thing.

This is actually are really good post! I have never thought about it like that, but I think you are absolutely on track. I have a family picture up on my website, but never thought that it could potentially lead to more people with families and less people that are single? Intriguing...thank you!

[flhousesuk]

If you are bald you will have more bald clients.
If you have a beard you will have more clients with beards.




I am 100% behind this and i try adapt to every client i meet. If i have a client that talks fast and aggressively i will talk like this. If i talk to a softly spoken character, i will try matching it. I even had a guy that was constantly scratching his head, i started doing this and i eventually gained his trust! (not sure if it was just the scratching though!! - but sure helped him feel a little more relaxed i think!)

I try go as far as to even match the breathing rate at which my client is at - it can help.

[northcaptiva]

I do think that branding with personal pics can work well for real estate agents. That said, my wife and I use our pics on our websites... but not on letterhead, signs, etc. The reason is that we might want to sell our business some day down the road. If our faces are the entire business, it isn't worth much to someone else.

[MicroBalrog]

There are advantages to both approaches, IMO.


On one hand, if you post your picture, then your company will have a more 'personal' look, and that appeals to a lot of people.


On the other hand, if you look unappealing (shifty/strange/too young/too old/too fat/too thin) to people, then this will drive customers away, and that's bad, too.


So only do that if you're 100% sure you fit for this – look sufficiently serious and professional in the pic, and yet not aloof. If you do post your picture, it is best to have it done by a professional photographer, IMO.

[DMike]

I guess it also depeneds on who want your buyers to be - if you want families as buyers, you'd have to look as a family guy, you want young buyers, you'll probabily have to look slick, ..But after the agent and the buyer meet i guess it depends just on how good the agent is to sell a home

[Codythebest]

I don't generally speaking.
And overall, it works against the agent when the picture is nt accurate.
98% of the time, it is not accurate and updated.

Last story is when I had an appointment with an agent to show a property. I got there and saw a person sit on the porch. I approched and said " Mrs. Owner, I have an appointment with your agent to show your home". She replied " Cody, it's me, the agent".
I had her business card and believe me, high school graduation picture is not the way to go when you passed the your 50's...
If a agent lies right there...when can you trust? That's the public question...

[jessie_roberts]

I want to add a perspective I haven't seen so far in the replies, and that is a matter of SAFETY. In my training classes, many of the speakers spoke about the possible repercussions of having your face plastered everywhere, especially if you're female (unfortunate, but true). It's the same as giving too much personal information - the more visible you are, the more likely you will be targeted.

Another perspective is - what are you selling, your face or your skills? You're face should have nothing to do with it.

I personally do not post my picture on my business cards, website, or marketing materials. I do not want people making assumptions about me based on my appearance before I've demonstrated my knowledge.

[RobM]

I guess I'll chime in and say this is branding. You want seller and or buyers to recognize you. And if you have alot of listings...this is a great way to get more listings. It shows market dominance or market saturation.

[ILoveRealEstate]

Well, Realtors want buyers to feel welcome. What is more welcoming than a smile? It makes your first visit to see a home more personal even if the Realtor isn't actually there - much better than just looking at a logo. That way the buyer feels like they are important and the fact that they are buying a home seems more real because the Realtor is already involved even before the buyer calls them.

[bpolist]

face recognition is just as important as brand recognition

[RobM]

I agree with you 100%

[HHI Golf Guy]

I found this thread to be an interesting read.

There are two primary reasons why agents plaster their head shot on everything:

1. Real estate is an ego driven business.
2. It has been done that way forever.

The number one rule of ANY marketing is to appeal directly to the wants and needs of a specifically targeted buyer demographic. Most agents don't understand that concept. That's part of the reason why they all run the same ads in the same publications.

Real estate agents are among the least trusted professionals (http://www.harrisinteractive.com/harris_poll/index.asp?PID=661), so it's no wonder they spend time and money trying to promote themselves. What they should be doing is develop a marketing campaign for each listing they have that appeals to the ideal buyer demographic for that property.

Properties would be on the market for a shorter period of time if they were marketed correctly.

If their advertisement is geared towards sellers, then the ad should target their ideal seller client.

Branding? That's a stretch. If you're a pretty boy or a pretty girl, that may have limited possibilities. But if you look like Karl Malden or Phyllis Diller that's not exactly going to work for you.

What agents should do is develop a tag line that appeals directly to their ideal client and then lead with that tag line on all of their marketing materials. That's how you get your foot in the door.

[krolfe]

I agree with part of that statement. Part of why agents put their photo on everything is because that is the way it has always been done. As far as the ego is concerned, yes the industry can be very ego driven, but keep in mind that the ego (in most cases) comes with success. The picture usually comes from the beginning. It is in a way branding. All real estate agents are independent contractors. This means that no matter what brokerage the license hangs, they are self employed. Agents are their own business, so a picture or logo that represents them is fitting. It does help people to feel more comfortable when meeting the agent for the first time, but as far as generating business I would have to say that it ranks very low. Good topic, many good insights.

[Wally]

I've been putting my face out there for many years, either on a web photo or on a video. It is very powerful, but.

I have been in the Network/Internet Marketing industry for a long time. Over the last few years I've been teaching others how to market. I used to tell everyone to build their own "who is" or bio page and ad their personal video and or picture.

But I found a down side to that advice.

Society has a picture of the person they want to do business with. Of course this does vary based on the location and demographics. The bottom line, not everyone should put their face on a billboard.

It is harsh to say but it could give the oposite effect in some cases.

My area here in Texas has a group of Realtors who all use one ladies face. This lady just got awarded on behalf of her team as being the number 14 realtor in the US. Her picture is all over town on every billboard and yard sighn. Is it her face that set them apart from the rest of the teams here? I'm sure it's not but I'm also sure it didn't hurt.

Wally Carmichael

[Real Estate Referrals]

Wouldn't it be nice if we could all go back to the old school ways...I agree with Greg that photos on yard signs, etc. may not be all it use to be...with EVERY realtor out there having their face on everything they market with, I wonder if it has dulled the relationship building aspect that started it all to begin with. I have seen photos that were 10 yrs old. What if you just send a hand written note to someone and told them about yourself, qualifications, experience, etc. and asked for their business...is this to much?

[Wally]

Personal letters work great. They are a great way to connect with prospects and clients. But again adding a picture let's the person know who they are communicating with. Post cards work very well too, especially when the addresses are hand written.

I also use video post cards that are sent via email to everyone on my data base. People come to expect them every quater or so.

When it comes to connecting with clients creativity is a must. That's exactly why I created my who is/bio page. People get to know who I am and feel they can trust me before they even meet me.

Oh, one more thing about connecting with potential prospects. Always use your name when communicating via email, letters, post cards, forums or what ever. Most people will discard anything without a name attached to it.

[4mysales]

For most agents, their picture is their personal brand, and the only what to differentiate themselves from other agents in their office or firm. The picture humanizes the marketing communications to the target audience.

[carlam]

People associate face with name and any printed material you use to promote your business. It makes you a real person for one. Two, we all make judgement calls when dealing with a new person on the way they look, the way they carry themselves, among other things.

I hate the way I always seem to look in photos and am always tweaking mine, but I think I have accepted my current photo and don't even think about it any more.

Don't go to any "glamour" place and look unnatural, everyone knows you don't look that way everyday and it could hurt your business. One other thing; use a current photo not one from years ago, again people will know. I think a shot where you are enjoying being with family or friends and you are relaxed would be a great choice and most natural.