There’s no understating the influence of your personal brand on your business’ brand. In fact, everyone who is on your team is a reflection of your business’ brand. This is especially apparent when team members take meetings or forge connections on your business’ behalf, and even down to how they post on social media. But further, a team that reflects a brand is aligned on culture, which contributes to employee satisfaction at work and creates an energy that clients can feel.
Eva Garzon, a real estate mogul and the owner of the Grand Lion Real Estate Group in Miami, is an ardent believer in the importance of ensuring that your team reflects your brand. She has lived by this value at her own real estate group, and has five tips you can take to ensure that brand and team cohesion is at the forefront of your efforts moving forward.
Eva Garzon Shares 5 Tips On How To Build A Powerful Brand | Stephanie Burns
Eva Garzon
1. Find People Who Share The Same Passion And Motivation
Obviously, you’ve gone into your line of business because you’re passionate about it. What’s the one thing that can dampen that? A team member (or a few) who aren’t meeting you on that level. “This very important component was admittedly the hardest part for me,” explained Garzon. “Most entrepreneurs will find this to be true, because few are more enthused about your business than you are. It’s your business.”
However, that doesn’t mean there aren’t people out there who can match your level of enthusiasm. “I now make it one of my main priorities in hiring to ensure that every individual has passion and motivation for real estate,” she noted. This is a good way to approach it: even if they understand your business idea but aren’t quite as passionate as you are, at least make sure that they have passion for the industry your business is in. This will translate across the team and to clients.
2. Establish Expectations From Day One
A shared brand culture also means that it’s critical that everyone is on the same page about what’s expected from the team. This goes beyond just their responsibilities and job descriptions, and into how the team reflects the brand.
“This should be done right off the bat,” explained Garzon. “I make sure everyone who is coming to work for me knows what they’re signing up for. I really reinforce the importance that is for me having a strong sense of team values, goals, and code of ethics in the company – and I think it’s important to communicate that this matters to you upfront, so applicants know that their success at your company goes beyond the job descriptions.”
Give them all the tools they need to do this well from the get-go, too. “I invest a lot of time in training every aspect of the Real Estate industry. I show them every key factor that is important and makes a big difference in our office to provide the same type of service I do. I put special detail into remembering that we all have a common goal that is to accomplish our clients needs.”
3. Have Effective Communication Mechanisms For Feedback
Naturally, individuals learn through growing and through feedback. So, communicating with each team member to facilitate proper advice and exchange of ideas is necessary. “I actually ask for feedback on a daily basis, to model to each of my team members that I’m the first that’s open to making necessary changes to my leadership skills and reflecting the brand well,” Garzon offered.
“Beyond that, I also make sure to recognize hard work. People need affirmations and appreciation for what they’re doing really well. Find ways to motivate the team so they want to continue showing up and doing their best work for you,” she shared. “For example, I’ll reward my best team members with giving them more work.”
4. Make Sure Everyone Is On The Same Page
Effective communication can – and should – also be nurtured across a team dynamic. “I go out of my way to build opportunities for connection outside the office, so that all the agents can create friendships with one another,” Garzon explained. “Reflecting the brand also means showing one another respect and kindness, and that’s another expectation I’m firm about.”
Create spaces for friendships to form, so that comradery can be sewn into the fabric of your team culture. This way, teammates are more likely to rely on each other for advice, feedback, and help on certain projects or with clients. This can also create a synchronicity across the team that upholds a sound brand feel when clients and customers interact with anyone from your team.
5. Pump Up Productivity By Working In Smaller Teams
A final way to create more team comradery is to assign projects to smaller teams that can work more closely together. This way, they can bounce ideas off each other and use their individual talents and understandings of the brand to deliver great work. Ideally, there will be a separate team for each work area within the business so they can share responsibilities.
“I share the importance of working together on getting goals done so the most important thing is to accomplish the sales of our properties listed and I enhance to work as a team to do it. I coordinate our listings and leads, and I refer to them based on the experience of every agent. Every team is focused on their niche, and specialized in their area. I like to have a diverse team—different backgrounds, experiences, and opinions but all sharing the main purpose of the company as we all share a common goal,” explained Garzon.
Ultimately, every piece of Garzon’s advice comes down to knowing what your company stands for, hiring by these values, setting expectations in alignment, and making sure teams foster these values, as well. This is the best possible way to have a team that reflects a strong, steadfast brand.
