Real Relationships, by Contactually

Branding is still kind of a mystery to many people, and online branding is even more of an enigma. But when you get the chance to talk with someone who's an expert at it - like my guest today, Jed Carlson - everything becomes clear. I'm excited to share this chat with you because Jed is such a generous guy and gives so much incredible help about how to establish, grow, and sustain a branding machine that can drive your business over the long haul. If you listen to this episode and don't leave with something actionable, you'd be one of the few. Take a break in your day to listen to this one. You'll thank me for it.

What IS branding and how can you do it effectively?

Branding is the process of infusing your company or personal name with meaning and emotional energy in a way that causes those who see you to know who you are, what you do, and what you stand for immediately when they see your name, picture, logo, or advertisement. In short: It's how people think of you. On this episode, Jed Carlson gives quite a few examples of how effective branding works to drive business over the long haul, motivates referrals from happy clients, and keeps you in the minds of your customers long after you've had your initial interaction with them. He's also going to share why it's more possible and affordable than ever for branding to be done online effectively.

How the internet makes it possible to do paid advertising affordably.

Paid advertising is one of the most powerful tools in any online branding arsenal. That's because with the tools available online anyone can get themselves positioned directly in front of their ideal, target audience repeatedly - and repetition is one of those tried and true marketing principles that can't be underestimated. The more you are able to get your brand message in front of those people, the more positive returns you're going to see. It's the simple way that marketing works over time. And it's more affordable because you are ONLY paying for those you're targeting, which is a smaller audience, to begin with. Join me for this chat with Jed Carlson, a guy who knows this stuff backwards and forward and eagerly shares what he's learned. It's on this episode of Real Relationships.

The reason successful businesses never turn off their branding machine.

When Jed Carlson, my guest today chats with real estate agents who are consistently doing a large amount of business, he discovers one thing they all have in common: they never turn off their branding machine. They know the value of keeping their face, name, and brand in front of the people in their community, etc. It's that consistent presence that embeds their professionalism, skills, and benefits into the hearts and minds of those they are seeking to serve. Jed shares a few of the stories he's heard on this episode of the podcast so I encourage you to take the time to listen to how this stuff works in real life situations.

Why you need to preach to your own choir over and over.

Jed Carlson says that one of the things he consistently hammers into the minds of those he advises about branding - both online and offline - is that they need to build and sustain a habit of preaching to their own choir. That means keeping up the connections and interactions with satisfied and happy customers. That combines with the online branding machine you've got in place to reinforce the legitimacy of you as a professional and the quality of services you provide. When those people who have seen your face or brand repeatedly and need what you have to offer hear directly from one of your clients just how great you are, it's almost guaranteed that they will become customers too. You can learn how Jed Carlson blends those two tactics together for his own online branding machine on this episode.

Outline of this great episode

• [0:41] My introduction of Jed Carlson, founder of Adworks and ReverbNation, my guest today.
• [3:18] What made Jed focus purely on branding and awareness in a paid product.
• [5:02] What's driving the interest in paid advertising online?
• [6:48] How can a company afford to add Adworks to their marketing budget?
• [8:29] How do companies track the return they are getting on this kind of system?
• [12:49] How the average real estate agent can use retargeting to up their marketing game.
• [15:15] The biggest mistakes people make with online marketing.
• [16:59] How Jed gets clients to focus on the long game when it comes to branding.
• [21:27] Why successful branding fuels business long term.
• [23:07] What does it mean to preach to your own choir and why is it important?
• [26:03] How Jed learned to build great relationships: empathy and anticipation.
• [30:00] The one business connection that has changed Jed's business and life.
• [30:45] Jed's biggest "ask" right now.
• [31:15] One key thing you should walk away with from this conversation.

Resources & Links mentioned in this episode

• Adwerx
• Reverb Nation
• Connect with Jed at J(at)Adwerx.com

Alyssa Hellman is building a successful real estate business in ways that are contrary to the tried and true tactics of most real estate professionals. She says she's not in sales, she's in the service business. She majors on caring for people before closing transactions. And she's truly helpful rather than sales-y. On this episode, I'm chatting with Alyssa about the things that are working for her as she builds a successful real estate and training business in Raleigh, NC. You'll love her contagious attitude of caring and by the end of the conversation, I know you'll really believe what she's saying: Relationships matter more.

How building a real estate business was almost accidental for Alyssa.

It was Alyssa's own experience of buying a home that motivated her to check out the real estate business for herself. It's not that she had a bad experience, she just saw how it could have been so much more than it was. The customer service was lacking, it was much more transactional than relational, and she felt that she had something of great value to add to the real estate industry that could change all of that. Now she's ultra successful as a result of applying her service-first mindset and is training other agents how to experience the same type of success through a real estate business that they can be proud of. I like Alyssa. A LOT. I think you will too, so I hope you listen.

Do love and service belong in the real estate industry? You bet!

Though every real estate agent needs to sell homes, Alyssa Hellman doesn't believe the business is primarily about sales. It's about caring for people. A real estate transaction is one of the most nerve-wracking, stressful purchases the average person will ever make and Alyssa believes that serving people in a compassionate and caring way as they go through that kind of transaction is what makes the process not only successful for her but enjoyable for her clients. On this episode, you'll get to know why Alyssa's mantra is, "Care More." And you'll see how she applies it to her own real estate business and the training she provides to new agents.

If you don't know what makes you different, neither will your prospects.

Differentiation is a powerful concept that most business people simply don't understand. It's not necessarily that you have a better product or smarter approach (though you may), it's how you make the purchasing experience different that sets you apart. Is dealing with you enjoyable or even fun? Do your clients refer you because they know, like, and trust you as a person? If not, you need to discover the things that make you and your sales process a unique and powerful experience for the customer and get to work applying it. My guest on this episode is Alyssa Hellman, a superstar real estate agent in Raleigh, NC who majors on making her client experiences wonderful. You'll learn a lot by listening to what she has to share on this episode.

Every opportunity is an opportunity to care, not market.

Every business person needs to know how to market and how to sell. That's a given. But not every opportunity or relationship is about marketing or sales. Before it ever goes there it has to be about caring for the person. So don't throw your business card into every birthday card. Just send the card because you care. Don't bring up your latest closing in the next conversation you have. Just listen and show interest in the person you're talking with. Your real estate business will thrive when your prospects and clients get the feeling that you care about them - and that it doesn't matter if you ever sell them a home or not. You just want to care for them. Find out how Alyssa Hellman has made a successful real estate career out of caring for people, on this episode of Real Relationships.

Outline of this great episode

• [0:49] My introduction of Alyssa Hellman and why she's a great person for this show.
• [1:43] Why Alyssa chose the Real Estate path: to provide amazing experiences.
• [6:15] How can a person learn how to build good relationships?
• [8:55] How to make the transition from loving people to relationships as part of business.
• [10:07] Advice for new agents to turn relationships into a source of business.
• [12:31] The most important key marketing tool for new agents: a handshake.
• [13:30] Why all the new online paid advertising options?
• [15:23] Why differentiation is a powerful concept agents need to learn.
• [18:15] How to make the "ask" in the right way, without being pushy.
• [21:23] What are agents forgetting the most when it comes to lead generation?
• [27:23] Tactics to spend 50% of your time to build your pipeline and future leads.
• [30:57] One connection who has impacted Alyssa's life.
• [31:31] Alyssa's biggest "ask" and challenge.
• [31:47] The greatest tool Alyssa encourages you to get.
• [32:06] Alyssa's biggest piece of advice: care more.
• [32:45} How you can connect with Alyssa.

Resources & Links mentioned in this episode

• http://www.alyssahellman.com/ - Melissa's website
• www.GoRealty.biz - Melissa's realty office
• Go School - Melissa's real estate school.
• Contactually
• Alyssa(at)GoRealty.biz