Real estate markers and those in the mortgage business alike both have incredibly good reason to portray the most professional image possible.  After all, a home purchase or real estate transaction is almost always the largest monetary deal the average American will ever put together in their lifetime.  Your customers want to know that their transactions are being dealt with by completely competent experts.

So chances are if you’re in the business, you do strive to maintain that edge.  You probably dress your best when meeting with customers.  You probably always put on your politest demeanor when working with a customer.  Oftentimes, real estate agents find it appropriate to drive an especially clean and sharp-looking vehicle to help portray the professional image.

All of this is great.  But so often, the real truth lies in the smallest of details.  Are you paying attention to them?

How Does Your Website Look?

A majority of your customers will probably visit your website at some point or another during their business dealings with you.  Maybe they’re looking for your contact info or perhaps some background information.

Whatever you do, avoid the frills and the clutter on your site.  You probably don’t need the little weather gidgets or the stock ticker scroll.  Make sure you’re design is clean, well organized, and functional.  The last thing you want to do is confuse your customers.

What Impression Does Your Email Give?

A lot of business today is conducted via email.  Are your customers seeing a polished professional behind each message they receive from you?  Naturally, good grammar is important when writing, but also pay close attention to your subject line.

And if you’re still not using company-branded email, you should start immediately.  The Future of Real Estate Technology recently posted a great tutorial on setting up a professional email image all for about $7 a year – the price of a domain name.  You can find it here.

Is Your Voicemail Sending the Right Message?

While most of us rely on our mobile phones as a primary means of communication, often times we don’t even bother taking just a couple of minutes to set up our voicemail greetings.  What does your customer hear when you can’t take their call?

“Hi, this is Bob, leave a message” isn’t very professional.  Plan out and record a friendly and thoughtful greeting, but also keep it brief and to the point.

Do Your Business Cards Mean Business?

Again, this is a seemingly minor detail that can make a huge impression – for better or worse.  If you’re still printing business cards from your dot-matrix printer at home, for goodness sakes, have some professional cards printed up already!

You can usually find deals for 1,000 cards for as low as $20.  They certainly don’t need to be fancy or have your picture on them or anything.  Just make sure your name, phone, email, physical address, and web address are all clearly listed.  And keep a fresh supply with you at all times – a sweaty, pocket lint covered crumple doesn’t exactly portray the image of a pro.

Tags:loan agents mortgage brokers real estate agent real estate marketing