My definition of marketing is, “The management of perception“. As we dive into driving awareness to our businesses, our focus must be on what perception we are creating. Perception: Immediate or intuitive recognition or appreciation, as of moral, psychological, or aesthetic qualities. Insight; intuition; discernment. What a person feels or believes about a product is actually more true than the truth itself. Here are a few ways you should consider making sure your brand is communicated effectively. Thus, making sure that you are in charge of your perception. 1) Create Positive Associations – Never allow your company name or your brand to be placed in conjunction with something that does not represent a positive value. I had a client one time who was convinced that buying bus stop signs was more valuable than billboards. Due to traffic patterns. After thousands were spent and the advertisements were placed, a photo went viral with a vomiting homeless man standing beside the advertisement . This viral photo was seen by millions. This was “poor association” to say the least! 2) First Impressions are the most important and the longest lasting – I know that sounds cliche but it is so true. I can not tell you the amount of times I have done business with someone only once due to the impression that I received. I could quickly rattle off multiple businesses I will never do business with again and they only had one shot at earning me as a customer. The ruined future chances based solely on my initial impression of them! 3) Holding Trust – When a consumer does business with us, we place a commodity in our pocket that has intrinsic value. That commodity is trust. We must guard that item with utmost respect. If we truly value that customer, we will do our very best to keep every promise, and fix every complication that we create! In closing, let me leave you with this simple statement: if you want your company to reach new benchmarks of achievement, you must master the art of communicating your brand! ...
Read More »
When it comes to your business, one of the most important things that you deal with is your “brand“. This is also one of the most over-used words in the corporate work place today. It has become a catch phrase like the term “synergy“. Understanding how valuable your brand is ranks right up there with profit and loss statements at the end of your year. There are extreme studies that can help you determine your brand equity. What concerns me most of all is the flippant way small businesses use their brand. They carelessly make changes to their look, their materials, their logo, and various other visual representations of who they are. They wonder how these large brands have arrived at where they currently are without ever considering what it took to get there. Take Walt Disney for instance. One of the most recognizable brands in the world. Its logo is a scripted font without much contrast or color. It has remained the same for decades. Their brand has superseded a man’s name and as become what children wonder about and what parents are comfortable giving to their children without question of its content. It has become a magical place filled with enchantment and fun. How did all of that come out of a man’s name that was written in a lackluster font? Maybe it’s in this that we find that our emphasis should not always be on how we look, but who we truly are as an organization. This reminds me of how I used to pick movies or books off of a shelf. My wife would always rave about what she had seen or read while I was always disappointed with my choices. I have always been fooled by the glitz and glamor of the cover while my wife would always take the time to discern based on content. We are in an age where our content is available everywhere and our content is far more important that the look we give it. Consider looking at one of our brands that we use to set us apart in the markets that we invest in. Ann Lee Interiors, www.annleeinteriors.com. There are many advantages to developing and utilizing our own interior brand: 1. A brand makes one’s company look legitimate 2. A brand sets one apart from the competition 3. A brand allows one to avoid the appearance of a “rehabber” and rather appear as a custom home designer – which results in a higher purchase price 4. A brand gives one the feeling of being “custom.” People equate “custom” with expensive. We are able to provide the customer what THEY want on all price points So, get out there and start “branding!” To receive information or to register for our live “Marketing Academy” events, visit www.andrewcordle.com To register...
Read More »
When teaching our students how to invest in real estate, one focus is our brand. When Ann Lee was founded, as with any new business, there was a multitude of decisions we had to make. One thing was crystal clear. We wanted our buyers to have a different experience. We wanted to set ourselves apart in the marketplace. Frankly, the majority of flippers were all beginning to look the same. It was getting extremely boring to be a flipper and have your product stand out. We changed that quickly! We created a brand called “Ann Lee Interiors” and built our own army of dedicated agents, lenders, contractors and employees who follow and promote our brand. As soon as a potential buyers walk through the front door, we wanted to give them a unique buying experience! We take our buyers on their own custom journey. During that journey, every single small detail is important. It’s the little things that make a difference. Things like custom Ann Lee labeled house keys, custom brand postcards and small customized pop-up promotional cards spread throughout the home. When you’ve built your brand, you’re in-turn customizing every single flip! When you customize the home and the home-buying experience, you have just ensured that your potential buyers feel special. Your product, in turn, stands out from your competitors. You may ask, “what sets Ann Lee Custom Homes apart from their competitors”? Most real estate investors would never share their secrets with the public. We’re different! We want to share our wealth of knowledge to help make you more successful and profitable when it comes to your real estate investment(s). While I do not wish to bog you down with details right now, there are 5 simple ways to ensure that your house stands-out: Be different from your competitors It’s not rocket science! Every buyer has an mental picture and checklist of exactly the type of house that they want. Make your investment stand-out by giving the potential buyer what they want. Instead of what you want or is the least expensive. It needs to look like a custom designed home rather than a home designed by a contractor, or narrow-minded investor! Be aware of how the potential buyer perceives you Our buyers perceive us as custom home designers rather than flippers/investors wanting to earn a quick buck and move onto the next investment without putting any thought or pride into their flip. Our buyers see our homes as ones that they are eager and excited to purchase. Rather than a house that they are just “agreeing” to buy. Again, ask yourself this, “How does my potential customer perceive me? Do they perceive me as a “flipper” or as a “custom home designer”? Tile is “art” not “flooring” Most investors consider tile or laminate floors simply as “flooring.” We’re different –...
Read More »
Let’s take a few moments and discuss one of our more unique branding items – The Ann Lee Interior Custom House Key. The founder of Starbucks, Howard Shultz once stated that it’s “the small details that matter“. With that in-mind, one of the initial things we realized is that the first item that a potential buyer touches are the house keys. When I first started out in real estate investing, I noticed that most investors would take all of the property-related keys and place them in the lock-box. From the get-go, this is something that I’ve tried to avoid at all costs. I have learned that having that many keys in the lock-box can be frustrating. It can also be confusing and can have a negative affect on the potential buyer. Especially in states where weather is extreme during certain seasons. We place one key in the lock-box – the front door key. We want it to be quick and easy to enter the home, hence, we place only one key in lock-box…and its a custom AnnLeeInteriors.com key. Well, after a while, other investors began mirroring us in that they started placing only one key in their lock-box. So, our competition had finally caught-on! After some quick thought and discussion, I figured out a new way to one-up our competitors and stand-out. Sure, we still only place one key in the lock-box, but we made it into a custom AnnLeeInteriors.com key! We even brand our keys! Our custom keys cost us about $1.75 each. Now you tell me – is $1.75 worth it for something that might just make the difference in your sale? That answer is a resounding “yes”! Since we want our buyers to not only remember us, but to pass our good name on to others, we ensure that every single house-related key is a customized AnnLeeInteriors.com key upon closing. Also, before you hand the keys over for good, ensure that all the locking mechanisms on the door are working flawlessly. Make sure that the keys slides in and works smoothly. Ensure that the locks line-up perfectly. You want the locks to work perfectly as this all goes back to the buyers experience. The entire experience should be just like the customized key and locks – everything is smooth and easy! ...
Read More »
