A while back, I wrote a blog about The Dorky Announcement Letter (the DAL). In that blog I tried to explain why the typical rookie announcement of his or her venture into real estate is pretty much a wasted effort because the DAL's are SO boring and SO impersonal and... well... SO dorky!
Most DAL's read something like this:
Dear Mary,
I am pleased to announce that I have recently fulfilled a lifelong dream and have become a licensed real estate professional! Blah blah blah
I decided to join ABC Company due to their excellent reputation and training program. Blah blah blah
I would like to be your real estate consultant for life. Please think of me if you or anyone you know could use the services of a real estate professional.
Love,
Joan
BORING. Does anything in this letter motivate you to pick up the phone or bang out an email?
Okay, so this morning, I'm reading through Active Rain profiles. Why? Because I try to send everyone who joins one of my groups (Selling Soulfully and Introverts are (Sales)People, too a little welcome note. After all, I'm really honored when someone wants to hang out with me and I do take it personally (in a good way)!
But I hate the idea of just sending out a canned copy & pasted note to everyone, so I review each profile to try to get to know this person a little better.
I tell ya... it's tough to do. I read the profile and there's rarely a real person there, not that I can find anyway.
Where are YOU?????
It's okay to show some personality in your online persona. Give people a reason to like you, other than the fact that you're a great real estate agent, home stager, or mortgage broker. We KNOW you want our business, give us a reason to form an opinion about you as a real person.
The vast majority of Active Rain profiles are boring. Sorry, they just are. Now, I KNOW you guys have personality - I see it in your blogs every day. Some of you are hilarious! So, why, oh why do you hide all that charm when telling the world about YOU?
To give you an idea of some profiles WITH personality (IMHO), check out the links below:
http://activerain.com/susanmovesyou - Susan Haughton
http://activerain.com/charmingolddenver (Yeah, that's me - gotta practice what I preach)
http://activerain.com/roaring - TLW
http://activerain.com/jeffo - Jeff Olsen
Can you think of other profiles that make you want to know more? Please share (yes, even if it's YOURS. It's okay to be proud of yourself.)
Hi Jennifer...
I agree with you 100% and then some.
The Consumer wants to work with "real people" not the personas that are put forth in some of the profiles.
I love reading profiles...However most of the time I find myself bored to tears :)
P.S. Let me know if you would ever like me to deal with a 'counter offer'. My services are FREE :)
TLW...ROAR!
J-Dawg - I would do a better job with the profile if I knew all those neat little tricks about picture inserting and changing fonts and all that jazz. I read the ones you mentioned. Yes....I am boring. That being said, I will support your right to call me boring till the death.
And if anyone knows how to do all that fancy stuff, they can just step over the line and stand with Travis and Colonel Bowie and me. As for the rest of you know that portion of it alls, you can leave via the front gate.
"Remember the Profile"
Jennifer~ Thanks a bunch! One more thing to add to my mile long laundry list. Of course, you are so right, so on to adding some personality!!
Jennifer~ I forgort to add my other thought. When profiles are written I think it's important to write in the first person, not in the third. Why are so many profiles and websites written in the third person? I just don't get it.
I'm feeling kinda bad that I called this blog the DORKY Active Rain Profile. I don't think anyone's profile is dorky, just a little dull. So hopefully no one took offense. I was just trying to build off of my earlier blog - y'know trying to BRAND myself as the one who calls people DORKY!
Hmmmm, might not be so good for business.
Anyway, every single one of you who is reading this has written an interesting blog or two or hundred. Get into that mode when writing your profile.
Does it really matter what your AR profile says? Maybe, maybe not. But if you can write up a great little ditty about who you are, imagine all the other places you can use it!
Thanks Jennifer!!!
<blushing>
I did the sphere mailing...and got zip zilch nada. They weren't all waiting for me to get my license!!!!I hope that my profile isn't dorky. I am going to go through and read it again. I think mine is very personal and the truth.
It is OK to show off your talents and personality ... as the old saying goes, "If I don't do it, whowill?"
If you cannot read your profile out loud and smile or laugh ... it probably needs some work (mine included)
Not sure if this is relevant: What I noticed that there are 2 very distinctive profiles that join AR. There are some who solely use this as a business generation tool. Hence, their writings almost never interest most members. Nothing wrong, just pure blah......
Then, there are some who shows their personality very well.
John Occhi's profile page is kinda cool.
Jason - I love the new profile! I do prefer a less formal look, but everyone has different preferences. Great job!
Rob, Rob, Rob... you're way too nice of a guy to be dorky! Your profile doesn't suck at all, but yeah, it wouldn't hurt to spice it up a bit. Just put some more YOU in it... and keep me updated.
Jennifer,
Thanks for the post. I hope I'm not dorky. Maybe if I continue to smile that would make up for it. :)
Dave
Hi Jennifer,
I probably have a dorky profile, but am try to let my personality show through. Just am fairly new to blogging and active rain.
Jennifer, don't feel bad!!! I JUST CHANGED IT TODAY!!! LOL!!! You didn't include it before because it WAS dorky then!! hee hee! And you have my grateful permission to use it any way you see fit!
HI JENNIFER!
I read this post because I was refered by Karen Rice. I love the yawning pic! Got me wondering about my own profile. I'm going to reevaluate it. I definitely don't want to bore anyone!
All the best,