'
While Greg and I were at a Hobbs/Herder MegaMarketing seminar recently, someone raised the question of how to do personal marketing for a "Team" and asked how it differs from marketing an agent. It's a great topic, but the positioning of a team is a challenge for many agents who employ a staff to support the business.

The typical branding I see so much is "Team (your name here)" ' Team Hobbs, Team Smith, Team Miller, etc. In these "concepts" we lose sight of who to connect with, because ad campaigns so often show the unknown agent with a group of unidentified people. We don't know the buyer's agent from the listing coordinator. It's a generic group, unless the principal is clearly a standout.

If you're trying to market your business as a group of professionals, then you must remember the basic principle of personal marketing first. It still applies, whether you have one assistant or 10 employees. Personal marketing is all about branding the individual. People can't connect with a company, they can't connect with a team, they can really only connect with the agent, otherwise there's no emotional bond and nothing that links you to potential clients.

Smart marketing ties a product directly to its targeted niche, and your personal marketing should be no different. That's why Proctor and Gamble creates campaigns that bond you with a soap, deodorant, even disposable diapers ' not the company that produced these products. If you have a team, your materials must draw the consumer to you with a human connection. They bond with you and the fact that you're a real estate professional is secondary to the closeness you want to establish up front.

These examples apply to other professionals who market their services, and we can learn a lot from how they position their "team." Effective ads for attorneys and physicians portray Dr. Martin or John Smith, Esq. as the primary "face" of the company. It's assumed that when you show up for an appointment, there will be a receptionist, bookkeepers and admin people who're part of the team. But your first and foremost bond is with that trusted pro who is the face of the company. That's the person you're buying.

And so it should be with you.

Let me know your thoughts about this. As the year progresses and the market continues to normalize, we'll all have to be more precise about getting the most out of our marketing strategies. I'd love for you to share your experiences with me.