When was the last time you got a friend request on Facebook from someone who hadn’t bothered to upload a profile photo and was still using the grayed-out floating head instead?
I’m hoping it was a while ago, but maybe you can remember how you felt when a faceless person reached out to touch you. When I get one of those I simply delete the request and move on. If someone doesn’t care about enough about their friends and colleagues to even upload a picture I’m not really interested in connecting with them.
Do you see how consumers may feel the same way when they encounter a faceless “secret agent” on a portal or third-party website?
And on portals like Zillow, where other agents can advertise to appear on anyone’s listing, neglecting to add a photo or any other information about an agent could lose clients left and right as buyers gravitate toward the agent who looks like a human being instead of the one who really knows the listing.
Here is a reminder of what consumers see when they go looking for more information about your agents and who they are.
Art, Cheryl, David, Eric and John look like pleasant, competent people, but it’s anyone’s guess what the other 13 agents on the page are like. All we know is that they couldn’t be bothered to upload an image, and we’re probably out of luck when it comes to a profile, too.
Brokers, it’s your brand at the top of the page, so this reflects on you, too. But what can you do about it?
- Make profile set-up part of agent onboarding.
If your agents are creating or updating profiles as another item on the onboarding checklist, they’re more likely to get it done. When you hire a new agent, make this part of the process.
- Host a profile set-up session during an office meeting.
Don’t let your current agents off the hook. Give them an opportunity to get with the program by going over how to write a profile and the ins and outs of updating it everywhere. Host a profile set-up session at your office and have every agent in the office set up their profiles together!
- Have your office managers review profiles for every key site and work with their agents to update them.
A little accountability goes a long way. Asking your office managers to keep track of the scofflaws and help them get current will reap benefits for you.
- Provide examples of complete profiles for agents to use as templates.
Sometimes there’s nothing as daunting as a blank page. If your agents don’t have a profile written, go and look at examples of other agents they can use as a jumping-off point. If you go to any portal or MLS consumer-facing site you’ll be able to find some great examples of agent profiles to use as a starting place.
- Encourage agents to set up their profiles on realtor.com.
Realtor.com is also used by many associations and MLSs, so by providing one profile, you can ensure their profile will be up to date in several locations so make sure you tackle this site in particular in order to help agents syndicate their profiles.
This simple, yet powerful task will make your agents look more professional and make it much easier for potential home buyer and sellers to work with them!
