Jason Forrest

I like the idea of personal branding, as explained by Tom Peters in “The Brand Called You,” and believe that every salesperson and new-home sales manager should understand what sets them apart.

The following are nine ways sales people and sales managers can define their personal brand:

Know Your Vision and Purpose

Rather than letting the winds of chance blow you around, have a clear vision of who you are and what you want to become. When you have clarity and understanding about where you stand in life, people will see it in you.

To clarify your purpose, write out your vision of where you’d like to be in a year, five years and 10. Ask yourself what kind of career you want to have, what you want people to say about you, and what your purpose is as a salesperson, a parent, etc.

Essentially, determine your vision and how you are going to fulfill it.

Define Your Philosophy

Determine and record your philosophy on selling, marketing, work, labor and life.

Here are three of my own philosophies:

• Live life to the fullest ― Live in such a way that you feel good about each passing year. Ask yourself, “Did I just fly by that decade or did I enjoy life and make decisions that helped me live life to the fullest?”
  
  
• Pick a career (not a job) that you love ― When we’re happy, we do better work. Consequently, my assistant has been instructed to tell me if she really hates doing more than 20% of her daily work. I want her to enjoy what she does.
  
  
• Make decisions based on what’s best overall, not just for yourself ― What do you want your kids to have learned from you when they go to college? I want mine to be able to say, “My dad taught me x, y, and z and I’m better because of it.”

Set Goals

Set goals because they will create your brand and help give you purpose. How you achieve them will follow.

Assess Your Top Brand Attributes

Define your top brand attributes, then work to strengthen them.

For example, if you want to be a premier sales professional, then learn everything about your community and neighborhood, construction and all the working relationships involved.

If your brand is to be known as someone who is easy to talk to and work with, then work on your emotional intelligence ― your ability to connect with all types of people.

Identify Your Strengths

Whatever you’re good at — working with Realtors, selling existing inventory, developing deals through creative financing options, etc. — do more of it and get even better. Focus on your strengths while working on your weaknesses.

And speaking of weakness…

Get Feedback

Feedback is one of the most important, and often the most difficult, things to accept. But if you change the way you look at criticism, you will be able to grow — by leaps and bounds.

Get feedback from loan officers you work with, your boss, customers and just about anyone else involved in the sales process. Ask them how you can improve and to identify your weaknesses.

Once you know how others see you, you can work to become the best version of yourself.

Define Your Target Audience and Learn How to Sell to Them

Know your target market and how to connect with them and motivate them.

In Dallas, we have communities near Lockheed Martin, so we have salespeople who are detail-oriented and can break down the numbers.

You can’t be all things to all people. Find your niche and focus on it.

Know Your Competition

Shop the competition and learn their strengths and weaknesses so you can clearly explain what sets your builder apart.

Don’t bash the competition. Just be clear about how you can meet their needs and why other customers have chosen you. Things run together and can be confusing for prospects, so the clearer your niche, the better you’ll do.

These attributes can also help you define your brand. “If you’re looking for a salesperson that’s the best at x, y and z, then I’m the one.”

Remember the Three Characteristics of a Strong Brand

Three characteristics can help you define your brand — and be successful, even in a difficult market. They are:

• Clarity — Be clear on who you are and what you want to accomplish — and be proactive. Visit with Realtors, don’t just distribute flyers and post information on social media sites.
  
  
• Consistency — Present the same brand whether you’re communicating through social media or face-to-face.
  
  
• Constancy — Put yourself in a position to be the obvious, top-of-mind person for Realtors in your area.

Take the next 30 days to define yourself, determine how you want people to define you in the future, figure out what you need to do to evolve and start working on your brand.  

I reassess my goals and brand every six months or so because the market is constantly changing and evolving and I have to evolve to succeed in it.

In new-home sales, it’s not the product, location or price that makes the sale. It’s you. So make sure you are the best “you” you can be.  

Jason Forrest is a new-home sales trainer and consultant and the author of “Creating Urgency in a Non-Urgent Housing Market” and "40 Day Sales Dare.” For more information, email Forrest, or visit his website at www.jforrestgroup.com.

Create Urgency Among Prospective Buyers With Help From NAHB BuilderBooks

Urgency is the key component to a strong market, but in tough markets, sales counselors must create that urgency. In “Creating Urgency,” available from NAHB BuilderBooks, Jason Forrest explains how to tap into this important, high-powered, emotional resource.

Based on the principle that every home buyer has a desire is “to improve their life,” the publication illustrates how to fulfill this powerful impulse and create an atmosphere of excitement and immediacy — no matter the state of the market.

To view or purchase this publication online, click here, or call 800-223-2665.

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This informative resource includes strategies on how to compete online, apply formulas for search engine optimization, identify and incorporate the right keywords and boost open and click-through rates for email marketing.

Order this publication online, or call 800-223-2665.

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The publication explains how builder can use social media sites to build their brand, engage new and existing consumers, manage their online reputation and sell more homes.

View or purchase this publication online, or call 800-223-2665.