RSS FeedERA / American Realty, Hank Parmenter, Florida
March 6th, 2007
What is it about realtors feeling like everybody needs to know what they look like? I collect business cards, and I’ll be darned if I don’t have a single card from a realtor that doesn’t have a photo of them on it. At the same time, I don’t think a single one of the other 1,200 cards I have has the person’s photo on it. Apparently that rule extends to billboards as well.
This billboard actually does a few things right. The type is large and easy to read. There’s not too much of it. The problem is that the billboard doesn’t make sense in the first place. What is it’s purpose? What is it supposed to accomplish? Does this guy really believe people are going to drive by and say “Hey, I need a realtor, and this guy is a realtor, I’ll give him a call!” I would guess that something like 90% of realtors are hired through word of mouth and the rest are hired through means other than billboards. Then again, maybe I’m wrong, maybe the billboard does work. All I know is I sure wouldn’t hire this guy. Mostly because I wouldn’t hire a realtor because of a billboard, and secondly because the photo on it reminds me too much of a mug shot.
4 Comments so far
Thank you for the free advertisement. I am in a team with Hank Parmenter. On the other side of this billboard is my name and number, but guess what: my picture is not on it. I did not want to overdo the picture thing and I wanted something different with the other side. We really do appreciate the advertisement from your site however.
I can help to answer why Realtors have their pictures on their cards. They are told that you should brand yourself so that when people think of a Realtor, they think of your image and remember your name as well. My question would be, why do you collect Realtors’ cards?
I actually collect all sorts of business cards. I’ve always wondered if there is some sort of national training program where they tell realtors to put their photo on their card. It’s just strange that it’s almost ubiquitous in this one industry but not in any other.
Is there another nationality (other than American) of real estate in Northwest Florida?
Funny, I was just thinking that all realtor’s cards have their picture on them, when I saw one on the back of a bus the other day. And they’re always psuedo-80s glamour shots. Ick.
Wouldn’t it make more sense to have a picture, of say, a house, or living space on it?
I could see the idea behind the name with the face, but c’mon, let’s see something different!