It can be a little daunting to write about yourself, especially in a bio that all of your clients and colleagues will read. It’s your first chance to make a good impression. You don’t want to write too much, or too little. You want to come off as confident, but you don’t want to seem arrogant. It can be tough to figure out where to draw the line.
But the truth is, there’s more to writing a real estate bio than just word-smithing your resume into submission. Here are six key points to remember when you’re writing your real estate bio.
What can I say?Of course you’ll want to start with any relevant education and work experience. You’ll also want to include the following:
Numbers (300 homes sold) and awards (Top Realtor in my office for three years running) are great too. If you’re new to real estate, you can talk about transferable skills from other industries or play up the strengths of your office or team. If you’re a member of any real estate professional organizations or community groups, that’s great to add. But be sure to help your readers connect the dots. How does doing that make you a better real estate agent? Should I get personal?Gerard Bisignano, partner and head of marketing at Vista Sotheby’s International Realty, requests bios from all prospective agents as a recruiting tool.
“In sales you’re always looking for the common points. If you share an alma mater or your kids play in the same league, that’s sometimes enough to get you a meeting,” he said.
Speaking of personality, the tone of your bio should always be professional, but it’s also OK for it to sound like you.
How to get started?Turn off the English teacher in your head and dive in. In Bird by Bird, Anne Lamott talks about the “shitty first draft.”
In other words, don’t expect to produce Shakespeare-level material right out of the gate. First, just get it all out there. Once you have it all “on the page,” you can go back and refine.
Be your own best friendIf modesty is giving you writer’s block, try imagining what your best friend would write about you. (Not the one who’s always jealous of your commissions — the other one.)
Why not take a break from your keyboard and call her up? Let her tell you why she would hire you. Don’t forget to take notes.
Say it out loudI say it to my son writing his freshman English papers, and I say it to you now. After you’ve done your horrible first draft. After you’ve phoned a friend. After you’ve gone back and polished and you think it’s done, read it again — out loud.
You’ll know exactly where you’re at, and what (if anything) you need to add or subtract.
Leave ’em wanting moreUnless you’re a seasoned pro (and even then) a bio should not be longer than a paragraph. Your goal isn’t to publish a memoir — it’s to give just enough information in an engaging way to inspire confidence and get that meeting.
Remember, you want people to want to get to know you better, so start with a well-written paragraph, and follow it up with your winning personality and skill.
Brenna Humphreys is co-founder and creative director at Walkthrough Productions. You can follow her on Twitter (@brenhumphreys) or LinkedIn.
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