Buyers and sellers choose an agent, not a brokerage. The agent whose name the neighborhood already knows wins the listing before the first meeting.
Real estate is local, and the Manifesto's picture of The Local Hero, recognized in a community through deliberate effort, includes the realtor whose signs are in yards all over town. That is a personal brand built one transaction and one handshake at a time.
The agent's brand also has to stand apart from the brokerage. Clients should follow you, not the logo, so that your reputation and your referrals stay with you.
The realtor who has signs put up in yards all around town.
Personal Branding: A Manifesto on Fame and Influence, Second Edition, 1.8
Most agents begin with Friends and Family as their first clients. The Local Hero, known by name across the neighborhoods they serve, is the tier that sustains a career.
Where most stand: Tier 2, Friends and FamilyBuild toward: Tier 3, The Local Hero
The tier measures how large a position is. How good it is, is measured by The Five Personal Brand Pillars. Read more about the six tiers.
The moves MCG starts with for real estate agents and brokers, grouped by pillar, in order. Each one cites the subchapter of Personal Branding: A Manifesto on Fame and Influence it comes from.
Advice Isaac Mashman has given on his own shows and in interviews that applies to real estate agents and brokers, from the same library MCG consultants work from. Each one keeps the words he said it in, and links to the transcript where there is one.
Rewrite your opening messages so the first contact is about the other person. Keep the offer out until there is a relationship to make it in.
“don't be that sales guy”
Unrivaled Results with Mashman Ventures, “UNRIVALED: Personal Branding Training”, April 13, 2022
If your public presence is only a list of what you offer, build a name of your own around it: your story, your views, your face, on more than one platform.
Read the transcript ↗ (opens in a new tab)“they don't have a brand for themselves”
Chase the Vision with Isaac Mashman, “We’re All Playing Too Small”, July 31, 2020
Close your content with a direct invitation: reply, message me, tell me what you think. Respond to the people who do.
Read the transcript ↗ (opens in a new tab)“tweet at me”
Chase the Vision with Isaac Mashman, “The Fundamentals of Personal Branding”, August 19, 2020
Make a habit of connecting people who should know each other, for business, friendship, or collaboration. Do it without expecting anything back.
Read the transcript ↗ (opens in a new tab)“the more introductions you make, the more it shows that you have a network”
Chase the Vision with Isaac Mashman, “Making Introductions”, February 18, 2022
All consumed media educates, entertains, inspires, or connects. The Skyline Strategy asks for two pieces about your work for every one about your life. Here is one of each, for each purpose.
| Purpose | Brand Post | Personal Post |
|---|---|---|
| EducateTeach something useful. | What buyers miss on a first showing. | Your favorite local spot this month. |
| EntertainMake it enjoyable to follow you. | The oddest feature you have seen in a listing. | The house you grew up in. |
| InspireShow what is possible. | A first-time buyer's story, with permission. | Why you chose this market. |
| ConnectGive people a reason to reply. | Spotlight a local business. | Ask neighbors what they love about the area. |
Draw a Week
Two posts about your work, one about your life, drawn from the ideas above.
Plan the ratio with the free Skyline Planner (opens in a new tab).
Personal colors, photos, and a message across every listing and profile, so clients follow you.
Every past client belongs on an annual touch: a home anniversary, a birthday, a useful update.
Clear agreements and disclosures on every deal protect the trust a local reputation depends on.
Twenty-five questions, about seven minutes, free. Choose Real Estate Professional on the intake and the audit scores all five pillars, places you on The Hierarchy of Personal Branding, and returns the three moves that would raise your score most, each traced to the subchapter it comes from.
The firm’s topic guide on the subject, with the doctrine, terms, tips, and interviews in one place: Networking.
By becoming known in the neighborhoods they serve: local content, community involvement, reviews after every closing, and a brand distinct from the brokerage.
Useful local content about your areas, quick walkthroughs, client stories with permission, and your own life in the community.
Yes. Build a personal brand clients follow, so your reputation and referrals stay with you wherever you hang your license.
People buy from people they know, like, and trust. A seller with a personal brand is known before the first call, and that changes every conversation after it.
In finance, trust is the product. A personal brand is how a client decides to trust you with their money before they have ever met you.
Clients hire a lawyer, not a letterhead. The attorneys whose names are mentioned in the right circles are the ones who built a personal brand on purpose.
Six tiers that measure how far a personal brand reaches. Everyone starts at the bottom, and each tier above asks for more effort, time, and resources than the one before it.
Follower counts only get you so far. What matters more is how much the people who follow you trust you.
A quality contact list lets you solve other people's problems with a simple introduction, and makes you the person whose name comes up first.
Chapter 2 of the Manifesto sets out four laws that build in order. Without familiarity there is no connection; without fame and influence, a personal brand has little reach or weight.
How MCG measures the quality of a personal brand. Five pillars, always in this order, weighted into one composite out of 100.
Engagements are accepted by application and seats are limited each quarter. Tell us who you are, what you are building, and the position you intend to hold.
Consultations are virtual or in person. See what each includes, and what is asked of you: Virtual or In Person.
