In real estate, you’re only as good as your brand; make sure you avoid these damaging habits!

As a real estate agent, your value is in your brand – and no, we don’t mean your brokerage! Of course, brokerages can bring undeniable value to an agent’s respective business, but when it comes to how consumers perceive you, it’s your own personal brand that matters.

Don’t just take our word for it. A recent survey from Inman found that 57 percent of consumers valued an agent’s individual brand the most, compared to just 15 percent of the franchise.

Considering how important a brand is, it’s imperative that you do everything you can to not only foster it, but also to avoid damaging it – and oh lord, are there many ways to damage a brand! With that in mind, here are three of the most common ways, and how you can avoid them:

1. Now Let Us All Praise…Myself – Few things are more obnoxious than an agent who is in love with themselves, and it’s particularly egregious when that egoism extends to advertisements. If you’re really the greatest real estate mind since the early days of the MLS, why feel the need to shout it from the heavens? Instead, let your clients do the talking; after all, any great real estate business is driven by referrals.

2. Crappy Service – We’re going to go out on a limb here and state that nothing irritates clients more than real estate agents who do not A) answer their phones, and B) return voicemails. We hear about it all the time, how infuriating it is to be left in the dark and hear the same voicemail again, and again, and again.

With that in mind, why not simply return your client’s phone calls? Cell phone technology nowadays makes returning calls a snap, and when you really think about it, we’re talking about mere minutes of your day; heck, smartphones even allow you to pre-program text message responses, so even if you’re showing a home or with other clients, you can always text the client that you’ll get back to them. Answer your client’s calls, and if you miss the call, return it promptly; they’ll appreciate it!

3. Attacking Other Brands – Negativity and real estate go together as well as sand and mayonnaise, meaning not in the least. Why would someone think about hiring you if your brand is built upon knocking another agent’s brand? Real estate is supposed to be about opportunity, and negativity only gets in the way of that – plus, chances are high that you’ll be doing business with that person at some point in the future, so why even bother? Be positive and optimistic, and clients will consider you.