Answer:

Somehow we lose all perspective when it comes to our own image.  When you look in the mirror, it is impossible to see yourself as others see you.  Our opinions of ourselves are colored by our own feelings about how we look as well as how we feel we should look. 

The reason I know that the photograph we use of ourselves is a common mistake for agents, is because it is a mistake I have made… and actually made repeatedly.  All it takes is turning a few pages in your local real estate advertising magazine to see that it is a very common mistake.

In my seminars I use a demonstration with a page ripped right out of my local magazine.  It is for an agency with eight agents’ pictures across the top of the page.  I ask the attendees to choose whom they would call based solely on the picture.  Then, once they have chosen, I go around the room and have people tell me about the agent they have chosen.  I have them answer questions like…

“Is this agent relaxed or pushy?”

“Does this person returns calls quickly?”

“How long has this person been in business?

“Is this person a top producer in the area?”

Now, keep in mind that all they are judging their opinions on is that person’s picture.  They do not know them at all. 
Remarkably, the feedback is incredibly consistent.  There are two of the eight agents that have never been “hired” as an agent by my seminar attendees.  Why?  One of them because “he is not trustworthy and is just after my money” and the other because “he is not serious about selling real estate and is probably just working at it part time.”  Among the other six who are consistently picked, the first impression opinion of their characters and personalities are almost always consistent.  There is the “Grandma” who is trustworthy, cares about her clients, but is not very aggressive nor a particularly good negotiator.  Then there is the broker who looks overly intense and uncaring.  Then there is his son who looks like a party guy that does not take anything too seriously.  Every agent is given a very unique identity based solely on the their photo.  The most picked agent by far is a younger lady, but people are concerned she might be too new in the business.  Why?  Not because of her age, but because of the expression on her face.  It is a little surprised looking.  As we analyze why the different personalities were assumed for each of the agents, we find a very interesting phenomenon.  Virtually none of the opinions were formed based on age, race, or attractiveness.  They almost always had everything to do with the expression on the person’s face, the background in the picture, the professional quality of the photo (or, more often, the lack thereof), and what the person was wearing.

Have you had the experience of finding an out-of-town agent to make a referral to?   If so, you have probably spent some time searching the internet for agent websites or used a referral directory.  After you have found someone with the right credentials, what do you do?  That is right… you look at their pictures… just like your clients are doing with you.  You begin to make assumptions about other agents based on their photos.  You assign them personalities and qualities based on those images.  It is human nature to do that.

I took the opportunity of speaking to some of the agents whose pictures I use in this experiment.  I asked them what they felt their pictures portrayed about them.  I got the typical answers like…

“That I am nice.”

“That I am aggressive.”

“That I am professional.”

In no case did the agent give the same feedback as what the seminar attendees where seeing.  We lose perspective when we look at a picture of ourselves.   There is no way that we can know what kind of message we are sending with our photos based on our own opinions.  We are too close to the subject matter.

Your photo is your personal brand, and it must intentionally send the right marketing message.  Having a photo that sends the wrong message about you is similar to a business that markets soft drinks using a picture of a hamburger as a logo.

The difference between a digital photo snapped in your office and a professional portrait may not seem like a big deal to you, but an unprofessional looking photo is the most common factor in clients judging an agent poorly.  And that makes sense.  If you were choosing an agent to list and market your home, would you choose somebody that obviously would not even invest a little time and money into how they market themselves?  It immediately says that you are not serious about your business, you do not understand the importance of marketing, and that you are either brand new or too lazy or cheap to get a real picture done. These are not exactly great messages to be sending about yourself.  Resist the urge to try to save a few bucks by having a friend take your picture.  Your picture will be everywhere… on business cards, on your website, and listing handouts and brochures, and maybe even on your signs.  Spend the money to get the very best photographer in town.  And be sure to talk with him or her about the message you want your photograph to send.  A good photographer will know how to make you appear more or less aggressive, more or less friendly, more or less professional, simply by altering lighting, position, and other factors.  A great photographer is truly an artist that can help you make your portrait an effective marketing piece.

As I said, I know the importance of this from personal experience.  I went through a series of photographs before finally deciding to spend the money necessary to do it right.  Mine were so bad that I would literally have clients tell me how desperately I needed to change them.  My feedback was everything from, “You look like a little old man (I was 33 at the time)” to “It looks like you are going through cancer treatment!”.  These were all from pictures that I thought looked really good and presented my in a good light.  With my last picture, I literally formed a panel of people to help me choose the one I would use.  I had learned by this time that I was not objective enough to see the picture for what it really was.  I brought in some of my great clients and had them pick the one they liked best.  I asked my most trusted associates for their input.  And finally, I posted the top four to a message board I belong to and got feedback from people who had no idea who I was or what I really looked like.  I asked them what kind of impression they got of me based on each of the pictures and what kind of message I was sending about myself.  The response was priceless and absolutely worth the effort.  I never would have picked the picture that I ended up using.  I thought it made me look even more overweight than I was and thought I looked unnatural.  The feedback, though, was exactly on point with the message I was trying to send in my marketing.