If you’re a realtor, let’s face it: You’re not alone! There are a lot of people playing your game, and if you want to stand out, you’ve got to have an eye for detail, from your dress to your office décor to your business card.
Top realtors do a number of things very well to set themselves apart. These include showing up early, putting in a lot of hours, being available, and being consistent. Dressing neatly and maintaining good hygiene are obviously essential elements to success in any field, including real estate. Long term success depends also on being honest (yes, you can land a few profitable deals by being dishonest, but you can expect to have a short-lived career if you bank on such practices), staying focused on your goals, delineating your area of expertise (people like it when you do one thing very well – they often don’t trust professionals who seem to be spreading themselves too thin), and recovering quickly if you don’t strike the agreement you were hoping to strike. Move on, move up!
If you’re got these basic fundamentals in place, you can start thinking about more ways to set yourself apart from the stampede of hungry realtors around you. Tweak your email signature line, develop a focused social media presence, and for the love of crikey, get yourself a smashing business card. Without one, you’re just another schmuck on the realty truck.
Whether your specialty is low-budget apartment rentals or the sale of million-dollar mansions, if you’ve been in the game for any length of time, you’ve probably learned something about predicting where your next client will come from. Namely that it’s impossible. Many of you are probably nodding your heads right now and recalling the time you met your most lucrative business contact ever while mulling over which floor cleaner to buy at your local Target. You overheard a couple next to you mumbling about which products to buy to ready their house for sale, and boom, you saw your chance.
When such opportunity strikes, it’s important to be prepared! Having a business card to extend to your prospective new client in such situations is about as important as having a bat in your hand when you step up to the plate. Without either, the game can’t continue. So no matter where you are, there must your business card also be. It’s that simple.
But to truly leave the competition in your dust, you’ll want to step up your game. Why just have a card when you can have an outstanding card? Here are some points and design elements to consider when conceptualizing your special real estate business card.
-Use images. A great headshot of you is an excellent way to ensure that your new contacts remember exactly who you are. If that scares you, a picture of a beautiful property you have sold or are selling is another option.
-Use silk lamination. This silky laminated finish makes your cards look sleek and luxurious while also protecting them from wear and tear.
-Choose foil accents. Two popular processes that add metallic flair to your cards are foil stamping, which adds classy gold or silver accents wherever you want, and full-color foil printing, which allows you to place metallic accents in any color combo you choose.
–Spot UV printing. This process let’s you add gloss and shine to bring out selected areas of your card. You can use spot UV instead of ink to make your logo or selected text pop off the page. Of course, you can also add spot UV to full color designs for extra flair.
Linen business cards. This inexpensive printing option gives your card an air of antiquity and regality by providing an elegant linen texture.
Using one or a combination of the above techniques will ensure that you end up with a card that people will hold onto and refer to when they are ready to move forward with their sale or purchase of a home. A well-designed business card is one of the easiest things you can secure to lend an air of professionalism and excellence to your real estate business.
About Jenny DixonJennifer has been apart of the EliteFlyers.com team for over 15 years. She brings a deep understanding of web marketing, thoughtful strategies, that she's able to design, manage, print, deliver multi-media campaigns to meet all client's goals. Her personal portfolio includes high-end design and printing of business cards, flyers, post cards for elite businesses and individuals from all over the world.
