Go and find the real forward thinkers in your area, doesn’t matter what industry they’re from. Use meetup, upcoming & twitter to find or organize events and meet face to face. That kind of smart is definitely sexy.

@Carson, thanks for giving us a consumers thoughts. It’s awesome to get that kind of feedback. An experienced agent who has gained wisdom and knows how to use it is invaluable. To me that various levels of training should really have all been minimum training for an agent, but what do I know. It really does come down to getting the job done and working with the client. Meeting expectations should be all of our goals. I will say however, that in a traditional market the agent can have a great deal of influence on how quickly a home sales. So, in many cases the agent can be “blamed” for days on the market. Right now, there simply aren’t buyers in a lot of areas, so it’s not an accurate assumption currently. Again – thanks for visiting and commenting!!!!

However, knowing what your market is doing, the niche you serve, and how you apply that to maximize your sellers proceeds, or save your buyer thousands is what really makes you sexy.

@Carson – I think you can be sexy when you use “Know” and “No” – For instance my wife “knows” that I married over my head, and when I ask if she’s disappointed with being married to me she says “No” And your point about the acronyms is well taken – we use a tremndous amount of abbreviations – heck, even my car has the AWD designation – Matthew’s original point – that any of the designations need to be marketed if they are to be effective in your interaction with the consumer is right on target (and I think reinforced by Jim’s later point) – My point regarding skillsets is still, IMO valid (and also reinforced by Jim’s post) – but then I guess the question is do you need that additional designation if you don’t think it increases your skillset?

@Matthew “I hold ABR, ABRM, AHWD, ASR, AHS, e-PRO, QSC, RECS, SRES, etc…..” OK you got me AHWD (Amazingly Handsome & Well Dressed?) and AHS? (I thought that was a Home Warranty Company?) So I guess Jim’s point might be valid if I don;t recognize those after 37 years in the business

My point is, at the time when I met her, she could have added a feeling of security and elevated credibility if she were to bring up some of the tactics she uses. Extra points if she referred me to a blog, so I could “get to know her” outside of our conversations… and give me an outlet to communicate with her (other than over the phone or email).

All the acronyms do not matter to me at all, and they look like fluff. Who ever told the public what these letters mean? Nobody I know is aware. People are aware of the role of a realtor, but as far as certification tags, I don’t know if I know one person who knows (or would be impressed if they knew) what these tags mean.

She had a great opportunity to stand out and make me an evangelist (by being my realtor) I mean, what if she started emailing me all kinds of stats and info? I would think “she is a go getter, I’m glad I have her” and then, refer her as “my cool realtor that is smart” to my friends.

As of now, I want to love her and act like I have the bomb agent working for me. All she needs to do is make me beleive it. How can I blame her for how fast the house is going to sell? I have no way to compare her performance… I trust that she is the best.

So in the case of branding/customer service, record of her expertise and experience on a blog would solve all of the problems, not only for me but for all of her clients now and in the future.

Education is very important, but educators aren’t necessarily packing it in a manner that makes it easy to acquire. CRS for example is difficult to get. The classes are expensive, spread out all over the country and not easy to get all the necessary points to acheive if you’re busy with other things. With my current designations, I am sure that getting CRS isn’t going to increase my skillset. I use this designation as an example only because I think it proves my point, that we should do a better job of making it accessible and relevant.

I have to tell you that I found designations to be well worth the expense when I took then (GRI,CRS,CRB) I took all three of them during a recession that is still a classic (1979) completing all three in one year- I saw that the market was going to be a challenge (when interest rates went from 8 to 12 percent in four weeks and the discount fees on mortgages were higher then the real estate commissions – and I was a young associate broker with a 2 year old son and a stay at home wife – so it wasn’t cheap or easy (though I find that an enticing combination) –

The marketing I did later was helpful, but I actually learned stuff that I could use in my daily business- and that was what made money for me – the market was destined to go to 18 and 9% interest rates, but in the words of Frederick Nietzsche- “That Which Does Not Kill Us Makes Us Stronger “- and I came out of that market with more skills then I went in with

I agree that agents sometimes struggle to afford the educational choices, but even so, sales in general is a huge return for the expense in learning the skill sets and improving on them – and we have the Pablo Picasso’s words to comfort us “I am always doing that which I can not do, in order that I may learn how to do it.”