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Taglines/Names   URGENT - Need Help Fast!  
 
This question has been closed, and points have been awarded.
Name For A Real Estate Brokerage.
Posted By: barbara* on 6/15/2006 8:59 PM (CST) 250 Points
I am so excited to have found this site! I think that you really may be able to help me! I have been a Re/Max agent for the last 10 years and am now starting my own co., but I cannot think of a name! I have already sold a couple of houses, but just under my name: Barbara Sizemore.
I am in the west suburbs of Chicago where the home prices are above the national median home price. I find myself working with a lot of clients who need a little extra hand-holding and find working with these particular types of clients very gratifying. Throughout my career I have worked by referral. However, now that I am starting my own brokerage, I would like to "cast a wider net" for clients as well as hire agents for my firm. I do have 2 websites right now, MarketIllinois.com and DupageHomesOnline.com - but, no company name!!! Can you help me?
Thanks so much! Barbara

Posted by: mbarber Member Response
6/15/2006 9:28 PM (CST)
Gidday Barbara - congratulations on going out on your own. You may get some advice that there are only two ways to generate a name for your business but don't you believe it!

That you say your clients tend to need a bit of extra hand holding would suggest a more personal and involved approach to how you do your business. Because of that, the use of YOUR name is actually a very strong benefit.

So don't discount the brand value of who you are. Even as you add agents to your firm, the name brand is personal and attractive.

Sometimes the most straight forward approach is the one that stands you in good stead. So I would recommend that you STAY with your name - Barbara Sizemore Realty

I've had a look at your sites. Love the tag line - simple, effective and the sites work well too and I would carry the tag line through each of your pages.

On the Dupage site I'd like to know what page I am on when I click in - there's no obvious sign of what Tab I'd clicked on when I am on a page.

One other thing I would like to see are some 'buyer comments' and some 'sellers comments' as a social proof mechanism. This is where you really can show the personal touch to support 'you' as the brand
 
Posted by: W.M.M.A. Member Response
6/15/2006 9:29 PM (CST)
So, are you in Lisle, Downers or???
If you are not going to be national, then regional may be included in your name. As I recall, as I attended Lisle and Naperville high...that there are many beautiful regions in the area...

can you help by reminding the forum?

We get many real estate agents looking for names, so all the help you can provide to us will be of great value.

Randall
WMMA
 
Posted by: W.M.M.A. Member Response
6/15/2006 9:33 PM (CST)
And...if I may add - please do not close out your question too early. There are many members around the world, who haven't seen your post yet. mbarber, who is a great lad and arguably one of the most intelligent people in his neck 'o the woods, gave his area away. It's still light there.
Europe and parts of Asia and South America have yet to chime in.
So, be patient.

Randall
WMMA
Texas
 
Posted by: barbara* Author Response
6/15/2006 10:20 PM (CST)
Well Hello mbarber and W.M.M.A. and thank you so much for your speedy replies - very thoughtful!
I grew up in the Lagrange area and my new office is on the second floor of a 128 year old victorian house in downtown Hinsdale, IL.
I am sure that you guys get tons of Realtors looking for names and tag lines, after all there are over 1.1 million of us in the National Assoc of Realtors. I think that's why I'm struggling with the name issue, so much competition that I want to do things just right.
You've asked for a little more info about me, so here it is:
I have helped many single people buy homes, as well as clients that just needed a little help due to credit blemishes and/or unexpected life twists. I, like many of the people I have worked for, am single (divorced) and know how it feels to have to start over and worry about doing everything solo. I am really not a "salesperson", but I think that's why I have been able to build a business on referrals, I genuinely care about the best interest of the people I am working for and I truly want to help.
My marketillinois website is a "template" from a big re web company and the dupagehomes site is something I was trying to do myself - that's why it needs work! What else can I tell you that may help?
I really do respect and appreciate your professional opinions and input, it means a lot. Thanks again. B
 
Posted by: Focus Fields Member Response
6/15/2006 10:49 PM (CST)
Before settling on a name, I would settle on a market position. It sounds like you have a tendancy towards a certain type of client, and that's great. Trying to appeal to everyone and be an expert to every type of buyer or seller is a sure recipe for an undifferentiated brand. Pick a position in the market and dominate this. For example, you might choose to only represent buyers with credit "blemishes". There are a pretty good number of these out there. So, when someone like this starts looking for an agent, who do they go to? That's right, the person that only deals with people like me...the specialist, the expert. Appealing to everyone makes it difficult to be perceived as the expert. In the intense competition in the real estate market for clients, simply going after everyone doesn't work anymore. You need to establish yourself for a specific client base and go from there.

This also lets you pick a more differentiated brand. Frankly, the brand names in real estate are pretty weak overall. A new name that doesn't sound like a "real estate name" will be noticed by people. You can tie the name to the area you decide to focus on. Your marketing efforts behind the brand will create awareness for the name, but more importantly the category that you choose to specialize in as well. The category needs a name also, so you can simply describe it to people..."Credit Challenged Purchasers" for example. You get to decide, because you created the category.

I have worked with several real estate agents lately with this exact same issue and each have found success carving out a niche in a specific category. One client, after going through our positioning process, settled on focusing only on long term owners. His experience helped them to ensure they got the most from their equity they have built in the home. He added services that would appeal to these owners, such as expert home staging to bring their homes up to date and a separate service to help them find their next home (often in a retirement destination). Finally, we added the free services of a financial planner (retirement expert, as most people in this category were retired or about to) who could help ensure this new found cash influx was invested wisely.

The absolute numbers in a category like this may be much smaller than the overall market, but you can pick up a very large percentage of this smaller market. Ultimately, you end up with more clients who have a high degree of loyalty towards you as the expert. By the way, experts always demand higher pay.

Regards,
JMR
 
Posted by: cvhackel* Member Response
6/16/2006 12:43 AM (CST)
Barbara--First bit of advice, *definitely* go on www.Brandfetch.com. It's a brand name creation tool that also has fast domain lookup.

There's a whole real estate word list to pick from.

My feeling is that there are two approaches you can take.
It seems that in your business (as with lawyers, private practice docters, etc), there is SO much tied in with personal relationships that it only makes sense to use your name for the company. People like to imagine a face behind a company name--like the way Barbara Corcoran sells herself. Btw.. she went from being a small time broker to almost a billionaire. Her book may be worth the read for you).

The other companies have names like "Ardor Realty" (nice--evokes trees, even there are none to be seen here in Manhattan) or the more generic , though not bad, names like "Citi-Habitats".

Anyway, check out Brandfetch, but let me leave you with this one last piece of advice:
You have a PERFECT last name for a Real Estate broker!
Seriously. Sizemore. More size. Sizemore Realty. It's fantastic! No doubt it's going to have a subliminal effect on people seeing your postings/ads. And it's not even in a deceptive way.. it's your name!

Best,
Chris
 
Posted by: W.M.M.A. Member Response
6/16/2006 6:23 AM (CST)
What is your plan, your strategy for success?
None, you say. That is where to start.
A SWOT Analysis would be first. It would provide you with an incredible amount of knowledge about your business, industry, clients and self, related to your business.

Simultaneously, you will begin to assemble the strategies that will become your marketing plan.

SWOT really does open up your eyes.

When you select a name, I would more than likely move towards my name...I mean your name. Your name will be your brand. It forces you to be true, honest to yourself and your market activities. Your name is truly on the line.

There are many activities you perform when you sell a house...do not cut corners. Do them. Put your name out there. Our neighborhood is in the high twos to mid threes. People who want to do business with us, come to know us. because you will do business with someone that you know, over one you do not.

barbara sizemore realty
You Deserve More - You Get More
Barbara Sizemore Realty
 
Posted by: Frank Hurtte Member Response
6/16/2006 7:33 AM (CST)
Barbara,
I suggest you use your own name on the company.
1) it is an accepted practice in the real estate business.
2) you have a good reputation in the community and will attract referals with greater ease.

Keep it simple. Keep it homey. And, I really loved your web sites. I would combine those with ads on cable tv.. featuring you talking about your philosophy of business.
 
Posted by: rbauman* Member Response
6/16/2006 9:18 AM (CST)
You have 2 alternatives when selecting a name:
- something "catchy"
- something that reinforces your differentiating characteristics and strengthens your brand. (If I get a vote it goes for this type, but it's your call.)

If you want the 1st type, look for something that rolls off the tongue, has a rhyme and/or double meaning and is easy to remember. Conduct a brainstorming session for 15-30 minutes (or until new ideas dry up) and capture every idea - the good, the bad and the ugly. Your goal should be to get as many ideas without evaluating or filtering any. When you're finished, put the list away until the next day - then select the good ideas and any promising ideas that you can build upon. (Feel free to laugh as you discard the bad and the ugly!)

If you want the 2nd type, you first have to:
- define your differentiating characteristics. What makes you different from other similar businesses and why should people use you instead of your competition?
- define your target customers (buyers and sellers) in as much detail as possible. What are their: ages, income level, marital status, sex, educational level...?
-define what you want your brand to represent. In the future after your brand is established, when someone hears your company name what do you want them to think of? With this information, conduct a brainstorming session as described above.

Having said that, I would recommend using your name as the company name since YOU are your best brand. You'll still have to define your differentiating characteristics, but I suggest using that in your tag line.
 
Posted by: W.M.M.A. Member Response
6/16/2006 10:13 AM (CST)
TaTa-TaTa-TaTa....
 
Posted by: nelsonm* Member Response
6/16/2006 10:25 AM (CST)
"Barbara Realty"
It is simple
It is personal
It is hard to forget
 
Posted by: barbara* Author Response
6/16/2006 11:20 AM (CST)
Thanks - again - for all of your posts! I do, however, have a question: what's a SWOT?

I am learning a lot from you guys and your opinions all seem to run toward using Sizemore______ as my company name. I was afraid to go that route because I thought that it might hamper my ability to attract other agents to join my co. (Besides Sizemore is my ex-husbands name, which seems weird. I never took my maiden name back because it's hard to spell and pronounce.)

My average sale is a single family home is the mid to upper $300k range, with the low end around 250k. I have also had success working with upper end buyers (1 mil plus homes) but I enjoy working with the 300-500k range client more. When I say credit blemishes, they are not terrible things, more like correcting problems on the credit report, low down payment, medical collection, etc. So I would not be targeting, for instance, recently bankrupt clients. So, with that in mind, you think that using my name is best?
 
Posted by: W.M.M.A. Accepted Answer
6/16/2006 11:46 AM (CST)
Yes...I believe using your name is best. You are your brand. And your brand is everything.

Strengths
Weaknesses
Opportunities
Threats

It is an important function that assists you to understand you, your company, industry, clients, competitors.

Google SWOT and you will learn much more than anyone can put here.


Randall
WMMA
 
Posted by: W.M.M.A. Member Response
6/16/2006 1:07 PM (CST)
Nelson, check your profile. Your URL is incorrect
 
Posted by: barbara* Author Response
6/16/2006 4:10 PM (CST)
Thank you to everyone who helped me with my naming dilemma, especially Randall!

I'm very happy to have met all of you!

Barbara
 
Posted by: cashcow4life Member Response
6/18/2006 11:28 PM (CST)
Hi Babara,

May I suggest that you use something different from the others, i.e.. get out of the norm and be different. People tend to remember 'unique' names.

I would suggest you use: " BeAtHomeWithBabara " or " AtHomewithBabara ".

You are selling 'dreams', a 'dream home' so use HOME instead of Houses. And the words: "Be At Home" is more "Homely", more personal.

David Ho,
Singapore.
www.real-estate-singapore.com
 


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