Want more clients? Of course, you do.
We're guessing that's the number one reason you decided to become a Smart Agents member.
Part of our book ordering process includes writing a biography. Have you added yours? What does your bio say about you?
Many agents don’t give much thought to their book bios and send a quickly written blurb simply because we’ve asked them to include a bio.
What they don’t know is that the “Author Bio” directly impacts sales. This is the first thing the client sees when they open your book. It could convince them — or dissuade them — from reading your book and ultimately giving you a call.
Think about it for a second.
Let's say you're a Realtor and you drop off a book at a potential client’s door. You talk to them for the first time. They're a stranger; they've never heard of you. Then, you give them your book. When you leave, they’ll probably start reading your book. Your bio is the first thing they're going to see.
It's a first impression. It sets the precedent for what they think about you and your capabilities — whether you're good, whether you're not good, whether they should work with you, et cetera.
The client will be investing time to read your book, and they’re looking for a good reason to do so.
The bio will often give you more credibility or authority in the subject of your book than the actual book will. Why, you wonder?
Reading an entire book takes a lot of time — depending on the length of the book. It is, however, quite easy to read a bio and make a quick judgement of the author.
Most people do judge the book from the bio, so take your time to write a powerful bio that will make the client say, “This is a professional who knows what they're talking about. I should pay attention.”
Home buyers and sellers interested in working with an agent will be searching for the “perfect agent.” So it’s your job to show them why you’re the best agent for the job.
This is where a powerful bio comes in.
Your bio should position you as an authority and expert in the real estate business. It should make the reader feel lucky to have you as their agent. The bio is your one chance to toot your own horn!
When writing your bio, the most important thing to keep in mind is that although you’re marketing yourself, it’s really not about you, but what your potential client stands to gain from working with you.
Your bio should answer these three questions:
And how do you do this?
The first thing you need to do is to show the reader you’re good at what you do and you have expert knowledge on the subject of your book.
For instance, if you’re using the “Sell Your Home for More Money” book your bio should demonstrate how you’re capable of helping homeowners sell their homes for the best price possible.
Without getting into too much detail, talk about your experience, knowledge and accomplishments in regards to selling homes for more money.
Once you’ve established your authority, next you need to build credibility. This is where you substantiate the experience, knowledge and accomplishments you’ve mentioned.
Talk about your accomplishments in a way that’s meaningful.
Let me explain what that means. A lot of people say, "I'm the best. I'm number one. I'm this, I'm that." It doesn't really mean anything. It just means you think you're better.
What you should do is include something that's tangible — such as, “I have a track record of selling homes that other agents couldn't sell.”
Now, this is a skill. Clients want a skilled agent.
Another good example is; “I use the latest marketing techniques to help you get more money for your house.”
Everybody wants more money, so more money is tangible. Don’t forget to tell them a little bit about how you're going to do it, or why you're able to do it.
This is where past experience comes in.
Mention a case where you were able to achieve something big in your real estate journey. This could be a deal that you once brokered for a client that helped them get a $10,000 better price on the home they were buying.
If you don’t have such credentials or exciting things to mention, you can always put in your passions and interests. Mention anything that you enjoy doing, or consider a hobby, especially if those hobbies are relevant to the book topic. This makes you sound real and relatable.
Do NOT go on and on about things that are irrelevant to the reader. Put yourself in their shoes and ask, “Does this fact really matter to anyone but me?”
People want to know how real you are. They want to read a bio that they can believe. You want them to see you as they read your bio.
Therefore, tell your story — a story that makes you human and not a fictional character in a book. Tell stories that people will remember and ask about in person.
Share unique stories about your life and your work. This is what people are interested in knowing about you.
Your bio should be able to tell the reader who you are and give them a quick glance into your life, both in and outside of work. Make your bio stand out enough to turn the reader into a lead.
Overselling yourself is one of the biggest mistakes most people make in their bios. Avoid using phrases that try to sell you to the reader, like, “I’m the best agent for the job.”
Your bio is meant to be an introduction to your readers so that they know why your book is important for them.
The goal of your bio is not to sell your services but to create a well-rounded picture of you and your experience in the industry. This is enough for the reader to make a connection with you and be open to working with you.
It can be tempting to write your whole life story in your bio, but you should resist writing a second novel.
Even though the readers are interested in finding out more about you, they don't need to know everything.
Keep your bio short and relevant. Don’t overstate your accomplishments.
A good bio should be about 250 words. If you do have a long bio, you should include a summary at the top for people that don't read the whole thing. Begin with a summary of your biggest accomplishments that show people why they should work with you.
Admittedly, tooting your own horn without sounding like you're bragging isn't the easiest thing to do — and for most people, it may just seem impossible.
If you are having a hard time writing your bio, or if you feel like you’re starting to sound arrogant, invite friends and family to read what you've written and give input.
You could even ask someone else to write it on your behalf. There is no harm in asking for help.
If you are struggling with what to say about yourself, take a step back and just think about what makes you unique.
Before you start writing out the bio, first figure out what makes you the go-to real estate agent and why a homebuyer or seller should come to you and not your competition.
Here are a few tips to help you come up with the answer:
This is one of the best ways to stand out from the crowd. Here, you ask yourself; “What makes me unique?” You don’t need to complicate it. Simply find something that separates you from other agents.
Look within look at your specific expertise to find what sets you apart. This does not necessarily have to be experience directly in selling houses — it could be in other professions.
For instance, if you worked in Customer Service, then you’re likely great at offering personalized service. If you worked in retail, you have a great track record of providing service. If you’re a stager or Interior Designer, you could talk about how your staging will help clients sell their homes. You’re up to date on the latest trends. Catching the drift?
In describing your unique attributes, you want to go straight to the point on how you will benefit them. The sooner they are able to figure out what it’s in it for them, the faster they'll be convinced to pick up the phone and call you.
You must establish your value less than 10 seconds into your bio.
Getting your author bio right is an important, often overlooked, task. The fact that this small section is normally the ONLY source of information potential readers have about you, makes it a very important marketing piece that deserves more attention than it gets.
Take it seriously, get it right, and you'll turn your readers into real estate leads!
Speaking of leads, how are you going to convert any of these leads if they do agree to meet with you?
What if you had an amazing listing presentation that separated you from other agents?
Our pre-built listing presentation shows them:
If you’d like to get your own copy of our listing presentation, simply click here.