Image is everything in business. And for agents, our business is "personal". Real estate is a service oriented business, highly customized to each client and provided directly by the agent. Essentially, we are self employed and independent contractors of the broker. The daily ups and downs of the business, along with seasonal cycles, and economic trends can take a toll on a new agents attitude, energy, and enthusiasm.

I have found that my logo is actually a motivating force for me in my business ' and this is an important factor in building a new business. There are days when I don't think I can take it anymore, and yet I find the motivation to keep pressing on. My logo is actually a positive source of encouragement ' it is like a goal to strive for.

When I first started in real estate, I had the opportunity to work with Hobbs Herder advertising. Don Hobbs and Greg Herder have been helping real estate agents develop their brand and differentiate their businesses for 20 years.

One of the first things we had to design in my marketing plan was my logo. I allocated quality time to complete the questionnaire that the creative design team uses to develop the branding idea for the agent, and in doing so, I was able to give them ideas on concepts that deeply mattered to me. I did not realize how powerful these ideas were going to be in the long run.

For some people, identifying an image or brand is easy ' they "see" themselves in a certain way and their ego strength and "high I" (DISC) personality allows them to enthusiastically come up with ideas for personal marketing. They are comfortable in the spotlight and being in front of the public. For others, like me, we stretch to come out of our shell, our comfort zone, and don't really want the spotlight to shine too brightly on us ("high C").

Can you identify with me on this? So, as I began to brainstorm on ideas for branding, I concentrated on things in my life that made me happy, memories, concepts, images that I responded emotionally to. I came up with several ideas. The one that the design team focused on and developed was the eagle.

Let me explain the concept that is behind this idea. Hobbs Herder says that you have to be true to yourself. You can market any image that you want, but, eventually, if you cannot live up to it, you will fail. Your personal brand is a reflection of who you really are, and, if you design it well, it will fit like a pair of old jeans. Comfortable. This idea is really consistent with personal integrity ' everyone can tell when someone is not being real. You can sense it - something doesn't feel right. You can really sense when the person you are working with is calm, centered, comfortable. You can't fool people. This is at the heart of referrals -"? people will refer you to others when they have had a good experience with you. So, your image, your personality and your professional results are fused together. Obviously, a good design at the beginning of your business is important. You want your personal brand to thrive over time and become memorable (create mindshare).

Back to the logo: I have always loved the eagle. It is a national symbol, representing the strength of our nation. Scripture references of the eagle connote powerful images of eyesight, care of their young, strength.

There is this beautiful verse in Isaiah, "They that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up on wings as eagles; they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint."

I had the privilege of seeing eagles in flight in Alaska during two separate work assignments in the 90's. So, for me there was a powerful connection to the life of the eagle. "Soaring Higher' became my logo. Finally, I had completed a study on the life of eagles that was developed by Joyce Meyer Ministries. I used her concepts to teach staff during my work as a healthcare consultant. I have attached some of the powerpoint slides for you to take a look at! It is cute in some ways, but the point is well made, that there are a lot of different personalities and human characteristics, some of which are not so helpful to team building and strong interpersonal relationships that are needed to succeed in this highly competitive business.

Take a minute and look at the slides and think about the concepts! Make sure you are living to your full potential, encouraged by those around you, and not drained by ineffective attitudes and behaviors. Finally, when you develop your logo, be sure to think about how personal it is and how it will continue to motivate and encourage you as you build your business.

Have a great week,

Kendra