Comments on: Let’s Talk About Your Face

By: theodora hummel

theodora hummel — Fri, 18 Apr 2008 16:58:35 +0000

Isn’t it also for a client that if you see the face on the website and even on a business card (some relators advertise on post offices, gas stations by leaving their business card), it gives a trustful feeling when you meet the same person as seen before in the picture.
If you meet a lawyer or a doctor you most likely meet them at their office and that is also a trustful thing, so they don’t need a picture on their business card. Most lawyers have pictures on their websites and how many times do you get a business card from a lawyer? only when you need them not that they are coming into your home when you aren’t there.
Even if you do a background check you are able to see if the person is as who he or she is stating.

By: theodora hummel

theodora hummel — Fri, 18 Apr 2008 16:50:43 +0000

I disagree with not having a picture on your business card as being a realtor and Norma’s comparising with a doctor is comparing a apple with a pear IMO.
Doctors don’t go into your home without knowing who they are. Realtors do and to me it is like a realtor is afraid to be seen if there isn’t a picture on the business card. It is a red flag to me, and I would certainly do a background check on them. I had a bad experience once with a realtor who did a similar thing and was right to find out that this person had a criminal past. In all my real estate experience I have only one business card without a picture left at a home, all others had a picture on it and it isn’t a beauty contest, just a trust issue.

By: mike Kirner Real Estate Marketing Director

mike Kirner Real Estate Marketing Director — Thu, 28 Jun 2007 16:52:20 +0000

I have worked for several real estate companies over the years, with a five year stint at a major North Bay Residential Realtor….
…ah the memories……the endless lists and awards of who produced this and that…and the parade of mug shots….with face lifts, without facelifts and……
There just has to be a new, fresh way to promote Realtors without their dorky photos?…..
…but I just can’t think of one!?…
Doggonnit.

By: Jay - Arlington Virginia Condos & Real Estate

Jay - Arlington Virginia Condos & Real Estate — Wed, 28 Feb 2007 14:33:31 +0000

I wrote about this last week in a post called “Realtor Egos Gone Amok”. Check it out as it comes with some sample realtor business cards and a dose of biting satire. 🙂
http://www.justnewlistings.com/arlington-virginia-blog/jay-seville/realtor-egos-gone-amock/show/
jahy

By: Danilo Bogdanovic

Danilo Bogdanovic — Wed, 21 Feb 2007 03:51:24 +0000

Thank you for posting this! I went at is with several agents on a certain real estate community blog a while back about the same subject.
I refuse to put my face on my marketing materials, blog (except for the “About Author” page), business cards or listings. It’s not about what we look like. It’s about how well we can service and represent our clients.
I think that pictures of agents on marketing materials stems from the egos and pride of agents of old. As time has gone on, most agents have jumped on the band wagon. Perhaps agents need to start worrying more about what their clients want (and don’t want to see) and less on their egos and pride.

By: Norm Fisher

Norm Fisher — Sat, 17 Feb 2007 19:20:40 +0000

I believe it was Bernice Ross who wrote an article some time ago suggesting that some experimentation had been done on marketing pieces which were identical, except that some contained an agent’s photo and the others didn’t. She said that the pieces without photos were more effective than those with photos. If I recall correctly, she believed that many people have a tendency to judge whether or not they’ll like you solely on your photo.
On the other hand, I added a small series of personal images to my website to promote my blog and I have had lots of very positive feedback about them. People have described them as “fun.” It seems to me that the leads the site has been producing over the last couple of months are fun people to work with as well so I’ve kind of liked the result. I wonder though if I’m failing to attract people who might be turned off by fun, but I’m not overly concerned at this point. Given the choice between fun and no fun, fun is much more fun.

By: Teresa Boardman

Teresa Boardman — Fri, 16 Feb 2007 00:53:19 +0000

Norma – I agree they do want to know what we look like and I am O.K. with that which is why my picture is in my profile pages. I just want people to know something about me before they judge me based on my face.
As for the pet thing I have seen some good pictures with pets and some really bad pictures. I ended up sending Jim one of the pictures I had in mind when I wrote the post and he had to agree that it was really bad.
I also think that pictures used should be no more than five years old and if they are to be displayed on the internet the dark background just doesn’t work.

By: Norma Newgent

Norma Newgent — Thu, 15 Feb 2007 23:11:12 +0000

Finally someone agrees with me on this. I do have my picture on my grown-up site and one of me in my jammies on my blog but they are both small. I will not put my picture on my business cards. My doctor doesn’t have his picture on his business cards and I trust him. Ditto my lawyer and accountant.
I will say this however. I worked with a team of graduate advertising students and their research focused on this very topic. The results didn’t please me. In real estate, it seems people want everything the other fine folks have mentioned in their comments, but they do look for that picture. It turns out that no matter how much info has been provided, before they pick up that phone, consumers seem to want a glimpse of what their Realtor looks like. (So shallow…)
Thanks Teresa for a great article, but it looks like we are stuck with at least one mug shot.
Norma Newgent http://www.TheDogThatBitMe.com http://www.luckysailor.com

By: Geordie Romer

Geordie Romer — Thu, 15 Feb 2007 18:45:58 +0000

I agree that the headshot is agent-centric. However, I think in small town marketing it is really helpful. People from my neighborhood, my church, my networking group, ultimate frisbee, etc tell me that they have seen my ads. Without the head shot many of these folks wouldn’t put the ad together with me. When I go to restaurants or grocery shopping, people recognize me. When I slid my truck into a Suburu at an icy intersection this winter, the other driver recognized me. Photos help brand us in a way that a logo might not. My photo on my website helps in another way. I sell a lot of homes to vacation buyers from out of town. when I meet them at a restaurant or other location they recognize me without me needing to wear a pink carnation or white fedora. I was agreeing with you when I read the article, but the more I think about it the more I realize my photo works for me.

By: John Coley

John Coley — Thu, 15 Feb 2007 17:11:28 +0000

Agreed. Realtors have enough trouble battling the stereotype of being cheesy without having our pictures posted everywhere. It is not Glamourous. A great example in my market deals with the default report that people can print out from our MLS online. The realtor’s picture is as large as the default picture of the property. Our MLS has finally allowed us to make changes on that report, and I am scrambling feverishly to figure out how to reduce my self pic. I do plan to keep it on there, however small. I work in a second home market, and most of the time the first time I physically meet new clients is on location before showings. I think it helps them identify me when we meet. So – realtor pics are one of the rare cases in life where smaller is better.