“I had already accepted failure, so during a Christmas party at the school of my oldest daughter I wasn’t in a festive mood. After leaving a very successful sales career with a national company for personal reasons, I began a career in the real estate industry. However, after less than two years it was clear that I was not going to be a successful real estate salesman if I continued down the same path.
I was feeling rather sorry for myself when an acquaintance approached. Cynthia Mack and her husband Buzz had been in the real estate business for less than 18 months and they were enjoying wonderful success. There was nothing exceptional about their experience. Buzz was a retired Air Force NCO, and Cindy had been a homemaker and mother to three children who, by then, had left home.
Cindy handed me her business card, and while we talked I admitted that I had decided to leave the business, and that I was working part time for Sears selling floor covering at night. I noticed her card read, “Residential & Commercial Investment Consultant”. “Do you sell commercial properties.”, I asked. “Not really.”, she replied. “But, it starts a lot of conversations, and leads to listings and sales that I otherwise would never get.” She explained that by merely having the words “Investment Consultant” on her card people thought of her as more than a salesperson. “Even though I have never sold an investment property people think of me as a real estate “expert”, and my listings have more than doubled”. I asked her if I could do it. “Absolutely!”, she said, “But, you will have to learn something about the other real estate markets, and how they work. You will be amazed how just a little knowledge and strategic “branding” opperates in the mind of the prospect.”
Cindy assured me that I wouldn’t have to change anything I was already doing, and by then Buzz had joined the conversation. “You need to be seen as more than just another real estate salesman if you expect to separate yourself from the competition.”, he said. “It’s called “strategic captioning”. It’s done all the time. Nothing changes, but you will re-set your value in the mind of the client.”