Questions I Want Answered (or, Real Estate Agents and Their Glamour Shots)

April 25th, 2006

I’m a curious guy. I often try to figure out why some random thing is the way it is.

Lately (and I’m not kidding here) there has been a question that has been driving me nuts because I can’t find a single acceptable explanation: Why do real estate agents plaster their glamour shots on all of their marketing materials?

A quick google search found a recent Washington Post article that tries to answer the question. Kate, I understand your curiosity and I hope you aren’t satisfied with the answers given either (if it’s so effective for person to person selling, why are we only seeing professions where appearance has a direct impact on success adopt the strategy - i.e. clowns ??)

Viewing 14 Comments

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    Well, Fraser, I have a couple of thoughts on this -- not all pretty.

    First, I've actually seen Realtors with business cards that don't show their face (including mine) and some, but not all, marketing materials that don't show their faces. I think this is an effort to "professionalize" the real estate profession.

    You see, we Realtors, rank pretty low on the popularity/trustability scale on a Gallup poll I've seen and I think "face time" makes us appear more...er...likable and trustworthy.

    Second, while our face may not be our "logo" it certainly helps with recognition within the community we serve. I've often heard stories of people bumping into Realtors in the grocery store and being to strike up a conversation about real estate which, theoretically, could lead to business. It's a kind of identity badge like people's avatars on the Web.

    Finally (and this is not the pretty part), I think it has to do with appealing to our deep seated prejudices. Birds of a feather flock together and all that. I've had clients call or e-mail me from all over the world and comment on my "friendly" face, etc. I don't know if it's friendly or not but I do know these clients will confide various biases (as well they should).

    I guess the bottom line is that Realtors are thought of as a commodity whether or not that's true. Everyone knows a Realtor -- friend, roommate, family member, co-worker. So in order to try and set ourselves apart from the rest of the crowd we plaster our face on everything in the hopes someone will like us and call.

    Or, here's the short version -- that's the way it's always been done. :-)
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    Well, Fraser, I have a couple of thoughts on this -- not all pretty. First, I've actually seen Realtors with business cards that don't show their face (including mine) and some, but not all, marketing materials that don't show their faces. I think this is an effort to "professionalize" the real estate profession. You see, we Realtors, rank pretty low on the popularity/trustability scale on a Gallup poll I've seen and I think "face time" makes us appear more...er...likable and trustworthy. Second, while our face may not be our "logo" it certainly helps with recognition within the community we serve. I've often heard stories of people bumping into Realtors in the grocery store and being to strike up a conversation about real estate which, theoretically, could lead to business. It's a kind of identity badge like people's avatars on the Web. Finally (and this is not the pretty part), I think it has to do with appealing to our deep seated prejudices. Birds of a feather flock together and all that. I've had clients call or e-mail me from all over the world and comment on my "friendly" face, etc. I don't know if it's friendly or not but I do know these clients will confide various biases (as well they should). I guess the bottom line is that Realtors are thought of as a commodity whether or not that's true. Everyone knows a Realtor -- friend, roommate, family member, co-worker. So in order to try and set ourselves apart from the rest of the crowd we plaster our face on everything in the hopes someone will like us and call. Or, here's the short version -- that's the way it's always been done. :-)
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    Anthony, that's where my mind is at now as well (and honestly I don't think about this much, just whenever I see one of their cards / signs) --- "if you keep telling yourself that something is the right thing for you enough times soon enough you believe it".

    This goes well with Chad's roommates partial rationalization: "That’s at least what is beat into their heads during seminars and the like."

    Now the question is --- how did this start?
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    Anthony, that's where my mind is at now as well (and honestly I don't think about this much, just whenever I see one of their cards / signs) --- "if you keep telling yourself that something is the right thing for you enough times soon enough you believe it". This goes well with Chad's roommates partial rationalization: "That’s at least what is beat into their heads during seminars and the like." Now the question is --- how did this start?
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    Great question that I can only part answer.

    Thanks to my Dad doing a fair amount of property development here in Australia in the 60's 70's I have met way too many real estate agents for my liking and can definatly say it's about ego.

    We've recently been through a property boom with prices going through the roof therefore causing agent egos to also sky rocket which is best illustrated by their signs outside client properties.

    Most signs before the boon had for sale, a modest photo of the agent, property description and a phone number. At the peak of the boom the trend with signs meant that the property description was dropped and a picture of the agent that took up 1/3 of the space adorned the sign. Now that prices have cooled a little and demand softened all caused by the crazy price increases the signs have gone back to the pre-boom days with the big agent photo.

    Why does it only occur in real estate and not other professions? I have no idea. I guess if you keep telling yourself something is the right thing for you enough times soon enough you belive it.
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    Great question that I can only part answer. Thanks to my Dad doing a fair amount of property development here in Australia in the 60's 70's I have met way too many real estate agents for my liking and can definatly say it's about ego. We've recently been through a property boom with prices going through the roof therefore causing agent egos to also sky rocket which is best illustrated by their signs outside client properties. Most signs before the boon had for sale, a modest photo of the agent, property description and a phone number. At the peak of the boom the trend with signs meant that the property description was dropped and a picture of the agent that took up 1/3 of the space adorned the sign. Now that prices have cooled a little and demand softened all caused by the crazy price increases the signs have gone back to the pre-boom days with the big agent photo. Why does it only occur in real estate and not other professions? I have no idea. I guess if you keep telling yourself something is the right thing for you enough times soon enough you belive it.
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    Interesting. I suspect that commercial agents do not do it because it would be viewed as unprofessional/strange by their clients --- it just isn't the norm for them to do it. (Which raises the question of how did it become the norm for residential realtors?)

    The face recognition arguement makes sense, but it also makes sense for any number of other professions. Why aren't we seeing other professions who would benefit from increased facial recognition do the picture thing?
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    I asked my roommate (a realtor), his answer was that it helps with face recognition and that people are less likely to throw out marketing materials with a face on it. That's at least what is beat into their heads during seminars and the like.

    He also says that it's because residential agents have to market to the masses, every Tom, Dick and Harry is a potential client. Apparently, commercial agents do not follow this practice.
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    Interesting. I suspect that commercial agents do not do it because it would be viewed as unprofessional/strange by their clients --- it just isn't the norm for them to do it. (Which raises the question of how did it become the norm for residential realtors?) The face recognition arguement makes sense, but it also makes sense for any number of other professions. Why aren't we seeing other professions who would benefit from increased facial recognition do the picture thing?
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    I asked my roommate (a realtor), his answer was that it helps with face recognition and that people are less likely to throw out marketing materials with a face on it. That's at least what is beat into their heads during seminars and the like. He also says that it's because residential agents have to market to the masses, every Tom, Dick and Harry is a potential client. Apparently, commercial agents do not follow this practice.
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    I'm not convinced it's that simple. If it's really that their face is their logo/humans are more comfortable while looking at pictures of faces, then I have another Question I Want Answered: why aren't we seeing a number of other industries adopt the practice?

    I have no idea about the validity of the study discussed here, http://www.fredlight.com/pages/articles/nophoto... , but they are interesting.
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    That's easy, their face is their logo. It also has something to do with humans feeling more comfortable while looking at pictures of faces.
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    I'm not convinced it's that simple. If it's really that their face is their logo/humans are more comfortable while looking at pictures of faces, then I have another Question I Want Answered: why aren't we seeing a number of other industries adopt the practice? I have no idea about the validity of the study discussed here, http://www.fredlight.com/pages/articles/nophoto.h..., but they are interesting.
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    That's easy, their face is their logo. It also has something to do with humans feeling more comfortable while looking at pictures of faces.
 
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