Separate Yourself From Other Real Estate Agents

Successful REALTORS® are those who can differentiate themselves from their competition.
 
Real Estate is a "Me Too" business most REALTORS® do what every other REALTOR® does MLS/Lock Box/Sign/Classified Ad/Open House, etc. So, How does one differentiate oneself in a "Me Too" business lots and lots of little things?
 

 
If you can't differentiate yourself in many little ways, you may end up having to charge less to differentiate, which is the road some are taking. If you can define yourself and your business to buyers and sellers, and continue to do so over and over, you will be successful.
 
REALTORS® do things every day that have nothing to do with real estate to market themselves. Do you know REALTORS® who have given away a pen, pad, calendar, flyswatter, magnet, pumpkin, all in the name of exposure and marketing?
 
What do those things have to do with real estate? Nothing, but they are ways REALTORS® attempt to keep their name in front of people, which is essential as the average term of home ownership is something like five to eight years and increasing.
 
When you ask some REALTORS® why they are worth more than their competitors who charge less (discounters) they often respond with one-word service. What the hell does that mean? Define it for me, please? Not many can define it in tangible terms (what's in it for me, the buyer or seller?) and yet that is the supposed and often stated differentiator. Try it for yourself. Ask different REALTORS® why they are better than those who charge less and see what they say.
 
To each his/her own. That is the beauty of this country. I picked up a REALTOR'S® card the other day and the back of the card had discounts to several different restaurants. I kept the card.