Are You Answering Someone’s Prayers With Your Marketing?

Marketing done right is an answer to someone’s prayers.  This is as true for marketing luxury real estate as it is for marketing products and other services.

An ad, whether online or in print, should focus on addressing the pain point of its target audience.  It should have a message that is so clearly stated that even if the reader or listener is not the target market, they can easily tell someone else about the product or the service.

Many of us watched the Super Bowl to see the commercials.  When a company is willing to pay $5 million dollars for a 30 second slot, to sell its product, we expect to be dazzled by the message and the production.  At the very least, the ads should engender a desire to buy the product the next day, or as soon as our budgets can allow it.

We chuckled at the Dorito ads.  However, neither one of us eats Doritos.  We would not buy them for a party either.  Other ads were utterly confusing when it came to messaging, like puppy-monkey-baby?  How about avocados from Mexico in outer space?  Or the Budweiser political campaign twist?  Or the new laundry soap that is better than Tide?  Funny enough, we can’t remember the name of the soap, and are not even interested in looking it up.  

Are You Answering Someone's Prayers With Your Marketing?

Written by Ron & Alexandra Seigel-

ABOUT:  Napa Consultants, International is the leader in brand strategy for the luxury real estate industry.  They work exclusively with professionals who are passionate about gaining or sustaining market leadership. With an expertise in personal branding, company branding, luxury real estate website design and social media marketing they help their clients become the breakaway brand in their marketplace.

Being Polite and Considerate: It is as Simple, As Saying Hello!

The majority of us are tired of the politically correct noose that has reduced our language to torturing synonyms, inventing hyphenated labels, and ridiculous expressions like “vertically challenged” for someone who is very short.  We think the antidote to all that is to focus on being polite and considerate to everyone we meet.      

This post is inspired by an American ex-pat living and working in Paris.   Her recent post in “The Expat Blog” was titled “The Power of Bonjour!”   Proper greetings are the backbone of French culture, so much so that they have an expression, “Simple comme bonjour”, which translates into simple as hello, or good morning, good afternoon, good evening.  Omitting, bonjour is considered by the French as insulting as spitting in someone’s face.

The French consider Americans rude and we think they are too. The majority of us will walk into a store, notice something we like and approach the salesperson with a request:  Do you have this item in black? We walk into a restaurant and tell the host, we have a reservation at 7PM for 6 people!  Rarely do you hear a sincere greeting, like hello!  We expect the salesperson or the host to greet us without the need to respond, we want them to just move and serve us.  

In France and other European countries the proper greeting is a way to pay respect and acknowledge our equality as human beings, not as master and servant. The simple bonjour opens the door to the possibility of a mutually beneficial relationship. 

We have recently focused on taking the time to say “hello” and mean it.   We have found that this is one of the ways to bring the best version of ourselves to our game. It is as simple as “hello!”

Written by Ron & Alexandra Seigel-

ABOUT:  Napa Consultants, International is the leader in brand strategy for the luxury real estate industry.  They work exclusively with professionals who are passionate about gaining or sustaining market leadership. With an expertise in personal branding, company branding, luxury real estate website design and social media marketing they help their clients become the breakaway brand in their marketplace.

2016 The Year of the Red Fire Monkey & Etiquette Tips

In Chinese culture, monkeys are considered very clever and smart. The red fire monkey is considered to be strong, dominant, and passionate.

This Saturday marks the beginning of the celebration of Chinese New Year. Beijing has declared that from Feb 7-13 is a national holiday.  This is a time when Chinese citizens book travel. In 2015, the count was 3.7 billion trips.

In California, we have a significant Chinese population. Both San Francisco and Los Angeles have Chinatowns. In great school districts such as San Marino, California, affluent Chinese have bought homes and placed their kids with nannies, so that they can benefit from the excellent school system. We heard similar stories from clients in Boston also, as many Chinese parents want their children to be prepared for attending Harvard and MIT.

Luxury retailers have come up with special themed items for Chinese New Year. Your can check them out on this blog written in Chinese with photos of the special collections. Las Vegas puts on the biggest show outside of China during Chinese New Year. Every casino has elaborate decorations, special menus, entertainment and live performances.

The NBA players will be wearing uniforms featuring their team’s name in Chinese characters. Rodeo Drive in Beverly Hills has Chinese banners, and red themes decorating their storefronts.

We have always encouraged our clients to become knowledgeable when it comes to the culture and place of origin of their luxury real estate clients.  This knowledge can facilitate understanding and mutually beneficial relationships.

Here are some important etiquette tips: 

Don’t use white or give gifts that are white (white is a symbol of death)

Don’t use the number “4” (unlucky number) 

Don’t use red writing in correspondence or ads

Do use: 

Lucky colors: gold, blue and red

Lucky numbers are 1,7,8.

Lucky flowers are chrysanthemums and alliums

Happy Chinese New Year!

Written by Ron & Alexandra Seigel-

ABOUT:  Napa Consultants, International is the leader in brand strategy for the luxury real estate industry.  They work exclusively with professionals who are passionate about gaining or sustaining market leadership. With an expertise in personal branding, company branding, luxury real estate website design and social media marketing they help their clients become the breakaway brand in their marketplace.

Common Courtesy: An Uncommon Idea That Can Enrich Your Life

How do you feel when your calls or emails are not returned when you are attempting to create new high-trust relationships?  Do you give the person the benefit of the doubt that the timing of your value proposition may not right?  Do you conclude that you may not be a match, and just move on? Or, do you take it personally?

Recently we reached out, both by email and by phone, to several broker-owners (and managers) of top luxury real estate firms to introduce ourselves and set up face-to-face meetings while we were traveling on business in their town.  We communicated our EVA (Extraordinary Promise of Value) very succinctly. We let it be known that we only work with one company within a given marketplace, although we may work with several agents in the same area providing that they work in non-competing niches.

We had only one free day on that trip to schedule these meetings and actually set up three of them. Most of the broker-owners or managers took our calls. One was just too busy to meet but helped us connect with some agents. Another, one said that he was not interested at this time.

Some did not respond to our email or our calls.  But, one broker-owner of a top independent firm called from out of the country, while on vacation to say, “I am calling to give you the courtesy of returning your call” even though he was not ready to discuss engaging our services at this time.  His was a class act!  It was instantly obvious to us how he and his partner (his wife) set the tone for their company to achieve $2 billion dollars in sales two years in a row.

We always respond to the phone calls or email (providing our name actually appears in the salutation) of those who clearly communicate their value position, even if we are not interested in becoming a customer or client. There is no excuse not to jot off a quick email or text that says, “sorry, too busy right now to chat” or, “thank you, not interested at this time”.  And, it makes everyone feel good (even you).

Common courtesy apparently is not that common. It is an idea that not only can set you apart from your competition, but also enrich your life!

Written by Ron & Alexandra Seigel-

ABOUT:  Napa Consultants, International is the leader in brand strategy for the luxury real estate industry.  They work exclusively with professionals who are passionate about gaining or sustaining market leadership. With an expertise in personal branding, company branding, luxury real estate website design and social media marketing they help their clients become the breakaway brand in their marketplace.

Attract More Business By Discovering Your “Inner Hero”

One of the true luxuries of life is discovering your own resourcefulness, your “inner hero”. As a luxury real estate marketing professional look for ways to become a local hero. It is a great way to become better known in your community and thus expand your potential referral base, because you will gain a reputation as a problem solver. But, more importantly, you will gain more certainty of your abilities. 

Here is an example of someone who discovered her inner hero by becoming a local hero.

The water hyacinth may look like an undamaging, even gorgeous flowering plant. Actually, it is an invasive aquatic weed that clogs waterways throughout the world. 

Water hyacinth is one of the fastest growing and virulent plants known. When not controlled it will cover lakes, rivers and ponds and dramatically impact water flow. Left unchecked it blocks sunlight, starves the water of oxygen, often killing fish and can become a prime habitat for mosquitos that can spread disease.

In Lagos, Nigeria it has stopped commerce, interfered with schooling and disrupted daily life.  But, one woman, a “green entrepreneur”, Achenyo Idachaba, saw an opportunity to turn weeds into beautiful woven products.  

Schooled in the USA, this modern “alchemist” returned to her native country and discovered a way to transform adversity into prosperity.  She orchestrated communities of workers to dry the plants and create rope, furniture, handbags that generated revenue. 

Discover your inner-hero, your inner resourcefulness. That alone can help you attract more business.

Written by Ron & Alexandra Seigel-

ABOUT:  Napa Consultants, International is the leader in brand strategy for the luxury real estate industry.  They work exclusively with professionals who are passionate about gaining or sustaining market leadership. With an expertise in personal branding, company branding, luxury real estate website design and social media marketing they help their clients become the breakaway brand in their marketplace.

Details Make Perfection, And Perfection Is Not A Detail!

The title of this post is a quote from our favorite muse, Leonardo da Vinci.  This Mini has the wonderful details of a racing flag on the rear view mirrors, which highlights the bright yellow paint color of the body.  This detail in our opinion makes it perfect!

Details often complete the look and feel of the brand and its logo.  Although they may seen unimportant in the whole scheme of things, it is what makes a brand stand out.  It may amount to a thin line, a pop of color, or an unexpected image.  Combined they give the design cohesiveness and makes the brand remarkable and unforgettable.

If you ever find yourself in Milan, make a point of visiting the Museum of Science and Technology dedicate Leonardo da Vinci.  It is an inspiring place where they have created working models based on Leonardo's drawings.

Happy Friday

Written by Ron & Alexandra Seigel-

ABOUT:  Napa Consultants, International is the leader in brand strategy for the luxury real estate industry.  They work exclusively with professionals who are passionate about gaining or sustaining market leadership. With an expertise in personal branding, company branding, luxury real estate website design and social media marketing they help their clients become the breakaway brand in their marketplace.

Is Your Logo Eligible For A Copyright © ?

Does your luxury real estate logo consist of simple geometric shapes or text? If so, it may not meet the threshold of originality needed for copyright protection and could end up in the public domain. 

That is the case of Airbnb, the website where people list, find and rent lodging. Airbnb has over 1,500,00 listings in 34,000 cities and 190 countries.  It started in 2008 and has experienced hyper-growth due to its very clear, simple and easy to understand value proposition.  Their logo may be over-simplified but their messaging, i.e., their slogans are spot on.

In the past 18 months Airbnb has introduced the new logo that they call “the Bélo” which stands for belonging and their slogan “Never a Stranger” to reinforce the notion of belonging.  Their magazine is called “Pineapple” which is a classic symbol of the intangible assets we appreciate in a home: warmth, welcome, friendship and hospitality.

Conceiving of slogans or taglines is one of the biggest challenges in strategic branding. The process of developing a slogan for our clients in the luxury real estate industry is no different than crafting a slogan for a major global brand.  It involves the distillation of their unique promise of value into just a few words.  One word is even better and a contraction of that word, like “the Bélo” is a stunning feat of branding!  But, make sure your logo is eligible for a copyright.

Written by Ron & Alexandra Seigel-

ABOUT:  Napa Consultants, International is the leader in brand strategy for the luxury real estate industry.  They work exclusively with professionals who are passionate about gaining or sustaining market leadership. With an expertise in personal branding, company branding, luxury real estate website design and social media marketing they help their clients become the breakaway brand in their marketplace.

Marketing You After The Sale: A Smile Worthy Closing Gift!

As a luxury real estate marketing professional, it would be a good idea if you give closing gifts to choose one that will make remind the buyers of you.  We have always felt that the best closing gifts are the ones that keep giving, growing and smiling.

This lovely potted house will be a conversation piece, and no doubt your name will be brought up.  It will continue marketing you long after the sale of the home. We spotted this delightful planting at our favorite garden art and nursery, Woeste's in Los Olivos, in the Santa Barbara Wine Country.  This would look great at the entry way or on a patio.  

Happy Tuesday,

Written by Ron & Alexandra Seigel-

ABOUT:  Napa Consultants, International is the leader in brand strategy for the luxury real estate industry.  They work exclusively with professionals who are passionate about gaining or sustaining market leadership. With an expertise in personal branding, company branding, luxury real estate website design and social media marketing they help their clients become the breakaway brand in their marketplace.

2016 Theme: Always Bring The Best Version of You To The Game, Part 2!

The inner-game of luxury real estate marketing centers on consistently bringing the best version of YOU to the game.  Whenever you are on a listing presentation, negotiating a transaction, showing property or marketing yourself, you ALWAYS have the choice of which version you to bring.

One of the best techniques we have seen for consistently playing at your “A-Game” level is inspired by retired athlete, Steve Nash, of the Phoenix Suns (and most recently of the L.A. Lakers).  Whenever he was up for free throws you could see him visualizing making the baskets and going through the motions, in between the actual shots.  He would do this while the players were coming on or off the bench and the refs were getting ready to give him the ball. 

What is amazing about this technique is just how much time there is to practice your A-Game.  We are debunking here the myth that “there just is not enough time in the day”! You can practice your A-Game in your mind while you are in the shower, while you are on the “throne”, while you are brushing your teeth, on and on!

The results will show up in the quality of the actual time, the action part of your day. By upping the quality of your action hours, you will gain more energy and make more money, which will afford you more free time. We challenge you to test this for your and let us know how it goes!  Just keep reaching for the best version of your self and bring that to your game!

Part 1   Part 2   Part 3

Written by Ron & Alexandra Seigel-

ABOUT:  Napa Consultants, International is the leader in brand strategy for the luxury real estate industry.  They work exclusively with professionals who are passionate about gaining or sustaining market leadership. With an expertise in personal branding, company branding, luxury real estate website design and social media marketing they help their clients become the breakaway brand in their marketplace.

The Art of Presentation: Making the Ordinary Extra-Ordinary!

As a luxury real estate marketing professional understanding the art of presentation is paramount if you want to aspire to or remain the market leader in your marketplace.  Opportunities for studying presentation abound, all you have to do is focus.

Last evening we ordered a Caesar Salad.  What caught our attention is that the description was unusual.  The menu described it as wedge of Caesar.  We had to order it (pictured above).  This epitomized the art of presentation.  The chef made the Caesar Salad, Extra-Ordinary!

Written by Ron & Alexandra Seigel-

ABOUT:  Napa Consultants, International is the leader in brand strategy for the luxury real estate industry.  They work exclusively with professionals who are passionate about gaining or sustaining market leadership. With an expertise in personal branding, company branding, luxury real estate website design and social media marketing they help their clients become the breakaway brand in their marketplace.

Does Your Head Shot Need Updating? Part 3

The key to your personal brand as a luxury real estate marketing professional is communicating your authenticity through imaging and messaging. You want to send the right message via your head shot, so you get hired for the job.  Here is some additional head shot advice:

Face the camera lens square on. Look right into the eyes of your target market and let yourself shine.  If you look off to the side you are saying to your prospective clients that you are not really interested in what they need and want.  And, you are not sincere.

Do not pose with your arms crossed.  Someone started this ridiculous “meme” because it has been copied ad nausea.  This posture communicates that you are closed, bored, indignant or impatient. It certainly does not communicate professionalism.

Avoid wearing too much jewelry. Less is more. None is best.

Solid colors in clothing are better than distracting patterns. Ideally, your head shot should be cropped to show more of your head than what you are wearing.  The reason is to accentuate your eyes (the window to your soul).

Hairdos and haircuts should not be extreme, unless however, your target market values the extreme.

Keep in mind that this is a business head shot. You are not a model and you are not selling sex. You are communicating your authenticity.

Here is the link to Part 1 and Part 2

Written by Ron & Alexandra Seigel-

ABOUT:  Napa Consultants, International is the leader in brand strategy for the luxury real estate industry.  They work exclusively with professionals who are passionate about gaining or sustaining market leadership. With an expertise in personal branding, company branding, luxury real estate website design and social media marketing they help their clients become the breakaway brand in their marketplace.

Does Your Headshot Need Updating? Part 1

When was the last time you updated your head shot? If you are due for a new one this article series is for you!

Here are some clues that indicate that it is time for a new head shot:

• The outfit you are wearing could be mistaken for “retro”
• Your DYI snapshot looks like it was taken in a photo booth
• You significantly changed your hairstyle, or no longer have as much hair
• You forgot to smile
• When you go to a listing appointment and the homeowner does not recognize who is at the door.

We have been coaching our clients for years on the do’s and dont's of head shots as well as updating old ones. We recommend seeking out the most professional portrait photographer in your marketplace.  The head shot is your calling card, which means it is a very important component of your personal branding.

OK, OK, this article was inspired by our need to update our own head shot.  So we decided to have fun with it.  Stay tuned for more!

Written by Ron & Alexandra Seigel-

ABOUT:  Napa Consultants, International is the leader in brand strategy for the luxury real estate industry.  They work exclusively with professionals who are passionate about gaining or sustaining market leadership. With an expertise in personal branding, company branding, luxury real estate website design and social media marketing they help their clients become the breakaway brand in their marketplace.

Sustain Your Vitality Over Time: Find a Purpose! Part 2

Align Your Passion & Your Brand Story to

Give Yourself the Competitive Edge

What if you could get up each morning totally fired up with passion and eager to dive back into your business of marketing luxury real estate? Align your passion with your brand story and give yourself the competitive edge!

If you are a fan of Shark Tank, you may have seen the episode about Sarah Oliver Handbags.  Creating her hand-knit evening clutches and mini-purses started as “cottage industry” but not in her own home.  After a successful trunk show she was inspired to establish a unique knitting circle, paying a group of residents at The Redlands senior community in Mill Valley California to create the material for the bags. They are now known as the “Purlettes +1” (one guy).

Without any hesitation, Sarah received funding from three of the Sharks who instantly saw the potential for growth based on this awesome “doing well by doing good” brand story.  They saw the potential of a huge market of customers who would want to  “join her brand” by proudly wearing the bags as a vehicle for self-expression of their own values. 

The Sharks also saw this as a “statement” of Shark Tank’s core values: ingenuity and resourcefulness, entrepreneurship at its best!  These bags are made in the USA capitalizing on a previously untapped workforce who not only appreciates the opportunity to contribute in a meaningful way, but also derives a sense of enhanced self-esteem because they are being productive.

Find a Purpose. Fuse your passion with your luxury real estate marketing practice and watch your practice to soar!

Part 1

Written by Ron & Alexandra Seigel-

ABOUT:  Napa Consultants, International is the leader in brand strategy for the luxury real estate industry.  They work exclusively with professionals who are passionate about gaining or sustaining market leadership. With an expertise in personal branding, company branding, luxury real estate website design and social media marketing they help their clients become the breakaway brand in their marketplace.

Punctuality: Are You a Prima Donna or a Royal?

As a luxury real estate marketing professional do you show up on time to your appointments?  Do you value clients who are punctual?

From our perspective, punctuality is a sign of self-respect and respect for others. According to King Louis XVIII, “Punctuality is the politeness of kings”.  Kings do not have to be punctual.  A true royal treats his and her subjects with respect.

In contrast, a prima donna is a very temperamental person with an inflated view of his or her own talent or importance.  To be late is a form of manipulation and a sign of disrespect. 

Alexandra had an interesting experience at her very first appointment as a commercial real estate broker.  Her client, a famous international artist, commented that he was impressed that she actually returned his calls promptly and was surprised that she showed up on time to show him property.

If you have high self-respect you do not want to be kept waiting by anyone; you expect professionalism.  It is only someone with low self-respect who puts up with habitual lateness. 

Treat your clients as if they are Royals and you will become a Royal yourself!  It is a good habit to cultivate.

Written by Ron & Alexandra Seigel-

ABOUT:  Napa Consultants, International is the leader in brand strategy for the luxury real estate industry.  They work exclusively with professionals who are passionate about gaining or sustaining market leadership. With an expertise in personal branding, company branding, luxury real estate website design and social media marketing they help their clients become the breakaway brand in their marketplace.

Just Get Out There! How To Create Your Own Luck

““Luck is what happens when preparation meets opportunity!” ”

— Seneca-Roman Philosopher

A recent blog post inspired this article, when the writer mentioned luck brought a buyer comes his way through what seemed to be unlikely circumstances. The common notion is that luck is an accidental unplanned event brought by chance rather that through one’s actions.   We are in Seneca’s camp, when we define luck and have realized that luck is a constant in our world.

When we were in commercial real estate, we knew that the more time we were out of the office, the more business we would attract.  Out of the office meant canvassing, introducing ourselves to new property owners, business owners and developers and noting new for sale/for lease signs. 

We discovered was that even if there was no immediate evidence of gaining new business from this extroverted exercise, new business would still come our way upon returning to the office.  We jokingly referred to this exercise as “dowsing” for business.  Another phenomena we noticed is that we were inspired to pursue new ways to develop new business.

In marketing luxury real estate this would mean networking by introducing yourself to homeowners with a defined “door knocking” strategy in mind. The majority of our clients spend the bulk of their time out of the office meeting new people. 

One of our clients is an avid sportsman.  He is a triathlete, golfer, practices yoga, flies small planes, and loves to ride his bike on long treks.  This is how he prospects for sellers and buyers.  His client pool comes from his sporting activities.  He considers himself one of the luckiest real estate brokers. 

How do you create your own luck?  Create more opportunities for serendipity by spending more time out of your office.   Delegate everything you can when it comes to transaction processing. Just get out there!

Written by Ron & Alexandra Seigel-

ABOUT:  Napa Consultants, International is the leader in brand strategy for the luxury real estate industry.  They work exclusively with professionals who are passionate about gaining or sustaining market leadership. With an expertise in personal branding, company branding, luxury real estate website design and social media marketing they help their clients become the breakaway brand in their marketplace.

Are You Marketing With Heart and Passion?

 A well-designed marketing strategy makes selling irrelevant.--Peter Drucker

Knowing and understanding your target market is of paramount importance.  Most luxury real estate marketing professionals use an ineffective buckshot marketing strategy that lacks focus. They have not clearly identified an under-served audience to whom they could market with heart and passion, which is the surest route to success in this business. 

There are many women who suffer from low self-esteem, because they have bought into aesthetic cultural biases.  This represents an under-served market niche for the cosmetic industry. Here is an example of how M A C Cosmetics strategizes to tap into this under-served market niche in the cosmetic industry.

Yesterday, we noticed this M A C Cosmetics display (pictured above).  These women are not models. They are contest winners. M A C has an annual contest asking its customers to upload photos and a 100-word description expressing what makes them awesome. 

Contestants were required to share this on MAC’s social media pages.  Six lucky winners won an all-expense paid trip to NYC, where they were given a complete makeover.  A photo shoot followed and they became the next face of the “M A C nificent Me” Collection.

To experience what it feels like to reach your target with heartfelt precision and passion watch this brief video.

Are Your Marketing With Heart and Passion?

Written by Ron & Alexandra Seigel-

ABOUT:  Napa Consultants, International is the leader in brand strategy for the luxury real estate industry.  They work exclusively with professionals who are passionate about gaining or sustaining market leadership. With an expertise in personal branding, company branding, luxury real estate website design and social media marketing they help their clients become the breakaway brand in their marketplace.

Are You A Genuine Expert Or Just Glib?

Many luxury real estate companies and agents claim that they are experts in their marketplace, the leading local authority.  However, when you review the scope of their territory (including the number of homes in their ‘farm”) it becomes clear that they are just glib. In actuality they possess superficial market knowledge at best.  They want to give the impression that they know everything, even if the market place is enormous.  

In our commercial real estate practice, we specialized in a particular target area with specific client profiles.  On occasion the same developers or owners had properties in what is known as the “Valley” just north of Los Angeles.   They would ask us to handle their Valley listings as well.  We turned those additional opportunities down because we did not have the depth of market knowledge to properly market those properties based on our high standards of service.   We were happy to bring potential tenants or buyers to their properties, but not handle the listing.

In one instance a friend of ours who owned several restaurants wanted to open another restaurant.  He insisted that we work with him, even though we just knew the basics about this real estate niche.  But, he offered to teach us.

When we found a space that he liked, we spent a lot of time with his restaurant architects learning the specifics. We gained an extensive knowledge base of restaurant building costs and the massive amount of regulations imposed on restaurant owners by the city, state, and fire department.  This expertise became a niche, and that niche became one of our profit centers.

You can get away with glibness only so long before a sophisticated buyer or seller sees right through you.  Being glib may initially result in a smattering of listings and sales in some marketplaces. But, if your goal is to achieve longevity in this business you need to be a genuine expert.

Written by Ron & Alexandra Seigel-

ABOUT:  Napa Consultants, International is the leader in brand strategy for the luxury real estate industry.  They work exclusively with professionals who are passionate about gaining or sustaining market leadership. With an expertise in personal branding, company branding, luxury real estate website design and social media marketing they help their clients become the breakaway brand in their marketplace.

How to Avoid 2 Major “Client Traps” and Stop Teaching Pigs to Sing!

If your self-esteem is consistently high, as a luxury real estate marketing professional, and you are diligent about accepting only those clients who are a match to you in self-esteem, you will thrive.  To help you keep your self-esteem intact, here is a warning about two major “client traps” to avoid at all costs. 

Client Trap #1:

There are some clients for whom it is more important that you fail in trying to help them, than it is to receive the tremendous benefit of the service that you offer with the best of intentions. They give you ample clues from the outset that they are going to be a pain to deal with like ragging on previous agents or brokers who failed them in the past.  But, you ignore the clues and think you will be the exception, the one who will be able to out-smart their attempts to ensnare you.  

Even after equitably extricating yourself from this type of toxic client relationship you may find that they insist on nattering about you as well. To avoid falling into this trap again you must immediately replenish your self-esteem. By doing so you will no longer be susceptible to such insidious ploys, and you will no longer attract this type of client in the first place.

Client Trap #2: 

A second client trap is working with clients who think they know better than you, while you keep trying to convince them otherwise.  This is the FISBO seller who thinks he or she does not need an agent’s help, or the seller who insists on an unrealistic listing price, or the seller who does not believe that staging the home will make it easier to sell.  This is the buyer who insists on making low ball offers against your warnings that such actions will be futile.

We follow Robert Heinlien’s advice to avoid falling into these client traps: “Never try to teach a pig to sing. It is a waste of your time and it annoys the pig”. 

Maintaining your self-esteem not only feels better than the alternative, but your life depends on it.  Pay attention to the clues.  Stay clear of these types of clients. 

Written by Ron & Alexandra Seigel-

ABOUT:  Napa Consultants, International is the leader in brand strategy for the luxury real estate industry.  They work exclusively with professionals who are passionate about gaining or sustaining market leadership. With an expertise in personal branding, company branding, luxury real estate website design and social media marketing they help their clients become the breakaway brand in their marketplace.

Feeling Puny? Self-Esteem is the Immune System of Your Soul

In marketing luxury real estate, you do not have to be as wealthy as your clients to be very successful.  You just need to be equal to them in self-esteem and not feel puny. Self-esteem a measure of your intrinsic value and it is the immune system of your soul.

Most high net worth consumers are very sure of themselves especially if they are “self-made”.  They are a pleasure to be around when you feel self-assured. But, if you feel insecure and transmit that uncertainty you might just loose the client.

There are those high net worth consumers who are insecure and sometimes try to treat you as inferior. If your self-esteem is high you will be immune to this. When you do not react to them they will usually cease this behavior at least with when they are around you.

When you are fixed in your point of view this is a clue that your self-esteem is low. If you feel like it is more important to be right you are more inclined to tune out other people’s perspective rather than allowing them their right to their difference in opinion.  This does not bode well for you if your goal is to build a healthy luxury real estate practice.  You certainly can kiss goodbye to potential referrals!

When you have high self-esteem you do not have to prove anything, nor do you need to be pretentious.  Other people’s opinions do not diminish your own.  You might say self-esteem helps you to be immune to a disease we lovingly call “the punies”, or feeling small.

Self-esteem is not something you attain and then it is yours forever more.  It is something you need to build and maintain your whole life, like your health.  But, having it sure makes it easier to deal with tough situations. Self-esteem is the immune system of your soul.  It is also like an insurance policy for a successful career as a luxury real estate marketing professional.

Written by Ron & Alexandra Seigel-

ABOUT:  Napa Consultants, International is the leader in brand strategy for the luxury real estate industry.  They work exclusively with professionals who are passionate about gaining or sustaining market leadership. With an expertise in personal branding, company branding, luxury real estate website design and social media marketing they help their clients become the breakaway brand in their marketplace.

Is Humor Part of Your Brand Marketing Strategy?

In order to stand out and be top of mind in your marketplace as a luxury real estate marketing professional, one of the avenues to be memorable is to use humor as part of your brand strategy.  Humor is humanizing, because it is a universal language.

Humor in marketing if done right can catch attention and become unforgettable. When we lived in Los Angeles, we banked at the family owned Santa Monica Bank.  The service was superb, and they occupied the ground floor of the building where we had our offices.

They launched a humorous campaign on 167 buses in a 50 square mile radius in their target market. The one- liners caught everyone’s attention which included the media: The name is “Bond. Savings Bond”,  “Make Money The Old Fashioned Way, Borrow It!” “Girls just want to have Funds!” 240 months later, the bank was sold, and the last message was, “After 20 years on the bus, we reached our stop”. 

Some of the wineries are also using humor to distinguish themselves from the traditional wine labels with quirky names and eye catching bright graphics.  Michael David is a wonderful example of this.  They still retain the traditional label of Michael David as part of their offerings.  They have added new labels such as Freak Show, Cabernet Sauvignon (90 rating), 7 Deadly Zins (Zinfandels), and Inkblot, Cabernet Franc.

Is Humor Part of Your Brand Marketing Strategy?

Written by Ron & Alexandra Seigel-

ABOUT:  Napa Consultants, International is the leader in brand strategy for the luxury real estate industry.  They work exclusively with professionals who are passionate about gaining or sustaining market leadership. With an expertise in personal branding, company branding, luxury real estate website design and social media marketing they help their clients become the breakaway brand in their marketplace.