Harness the power of celebrity to build a cult following

Key Takeaways

• People are inspired by celebrities’ stories of hard work, struggle, and overcoming great odds — we’re compelled to know more about them.
• Make sure your customers know — what motivates you, what you’re passionate about, what you’ve learned from your mistakes.
• Make sure you’re building a business you’re proud of, so your customers will be proud to share your story and refer you.

We are drawn to people we like and admire. The reason society gets so worked up about celebrities is because we often know a celebrity’s backstory. We’ve learned what they’re passionate about, how they’ve messed up and then recovered. Because their lives are so public, we get to know them deeply — often more deeply than we know our neighbors and coworkers.

Most people don’t share those private details with one another. On some level, celebrities have risen above what most other people have accomplished in their field. This intrigues us and compels us to learn even more about them.

What can we learn from this phenomenon?

As a real estate professional, how much do your friends, friends of friends, vendors, past clients, and current prospects know about your past? About what you have overcome to get where you are today?

Do they know what makes you tick? What makes you get out of bed in the morning and work late into the wee hours to help your clients? Do they know why you’re passionate about certain hobbies? What mistakes you’ve made and what you learned from them? What lessons you’ve learned from your mentors? Do they know your goals, ambitions, fears, and prayers?

If you share these pieces of yourself with the world, your flock will find you. Let people into your world, and they will become more loyal listeners and respect you on a deeper level. When you say something that resonates with them, they will keep seeking you out and paying attention to what you say.

Be real. Nobody is perfect, which is why people tend to find you more trustworthy when you share your mistakes and struggles.

Share your story

You don’t need some kind of Disney story of how you overcame evil and became a hero. But you do need to communicate your values through the stories you tell about yourself. Let the world know who you are — you’re a lot more than a real estate agent.

Everyone likes having a go-to person to recommend to others. If you share these stories about who you are and what you’re passionate about with your sphere, they will be proud to have you as their go-to person, and they will share your stories with others.

If you are not proud of your business or how you perform your services, then you will struggle to find loyal customers and fans who will refer you. Take a hard look within yourself and see how you feel about the service you offer and how you handle and care for clients.

If your business is built on bait-and-switch tactics, that will hurt your ability to get people excited about referring you, even if you’re a good agent. If people in your sphere are worried that you’ll be annoying, unprofessional, and a flake to their family and friends, they won’t give you referrals.

However, if they know that you go out of your way to always do the right thing, even when it means losing money, and they have a story to tell that illustrates that point, then you are likely to get referrals from them.

If your friends also know, on top of that, that you donated money to schools or did something that impacted your community in an awesome way that resonates with them, they may go out and actively try to bring you new business. They’re that impressed with you.