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A few weeks ago, I posted a question on LinkedIn that sparked a bit of adebate: What makes someone the best estate agent in the world?
Our office had been talking about it. Market share? Conversion rate? Customer reviews? Awards? Profit? Social media engagement? It quickly spiralled into a (very polite) argument, because no one could agree.
And that’s exactly what made it so interesting.
The post got great engagement, but while the answers were smart and varied, it highlighted something more important: It doesn’t really matter if you are the best agent in the world, albeit we couldn’t agree on how we’d determine it anyway, what really matters, and what agents should focus on, is whether people know who you are.
In other words, it’s not about being the best. It’s about being the best known. Grant Cardone said that, and in this industry, it couldn’t be truer.
It’s natural that estate agents obsess over lead generation, after all, leads help pay the bills. But if you’re always in lead-gen mode, you’re always paying for your next customer. Whether it’s Rightmove products, paid ads, or canvassing – it costs time, energy or money.
Brand awareness is different. It’s long-term and it compounds. When people know your name, your face, and your values, you’re at an advantage when you walk into the room for the valuation. When a prospect has seen you consistently adding value, showing up authentically, and demonstrating expertise, you’re in another league.
I’m not saying it guarantees you the listing, but you are sort of starting 3-0 up against your competition.
This isn’t just opinion. The stats back it up:
• 82% of consumers choose a brand they’re already familiar with when making buying decisions.
• According to Edelman, 81% of people need to trust a brand before they’ll buy from it, and trust starts with awareness.
• Brands that are well known see far higher conversion rates from organic marketing than those constantly having to buy attention.
And this is true on a personal level too. In fact, increasingly, the personal brand is beating the business brand.
We’re in a relationship business. And people don’t build relationships with logos, they build them with humans.
If you’re only showing up online as “Acme & Co. Estate Agents,” you’re a step behind. Compare that to the agent who’s posting content as themselves, or sharing insight into their day-to-day, or talking about the local community.
They are letting their personality come through and it resonates with their target audience. That agent is building trust before the first interaction with any prospective client. They’re creating familiarity. And that familiarity turns into business.
It’s my belief that the most important thing an agent can be, is known, because all the skill and expertise in the world gets you nowhere, if nobody knows about it. And it all starts with building a brand that people remember, respect, and want to work with.
Ben Madden is director at Fine & Country Chiswick and chair of the estate agency’s National Advisory Council.
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