What does your profile picture say about you?
Real estate professionals frequently comment that the real person does not look like the photographs on the business card and marketing materials. Does your profile photograph project a current professional image?
Spring is a time of renewal and that renewal includes personal photographs that should be frequently updated. If you are not using a professional photographer, do it yourself with a good camera and edit the photograph by using iPiccy.com or other good software.
Still not convinced? Look in the mirror and see if a new client will recognize you from your picture on Facebook or your website. How is your personal curb appeal?
Blue Cayman Iguana, National Zoo IMG_1038
Photograph by Roy Kelley using a Canon PowerShot G11 camera
Roy and Dolores Kelley Photographs
We represent home buyers and sellers as their exclusive agents in the Maryland suburbs of Washington DC.
Roy Kelley
Roy Kelley & Associates
Associate Broker, RE/MAX Realty Group
Client Assistance: 301-670-8996
Recipient of the RE/MAX International Lifetime Achievement Award - 2008
Roy, Thanks for the reminder to try iPiccy. Have a good day.
Roy,
so true!! Too many of us try to hang on to pics taken 10-15 years ago... hopefully our pic will look better than your Iguana!
Have a great day
Rob
Good morning Roy,
If we have to get a new picture for a drivers license why not show the general public what we really look like.
Make yourself a great day
Roy, so true. Have seen pictures on business cards that look like senior in high school photos of agents aprroaching their senior years! Enjoy your day!
Good point Roy...a fresh photo every so often is a good idea. Thanks for the tech tip.
Morning Roy,
I hope my profile photograph says hey I can work with that guy! Let's contact John now :)
Have a great day my friend.
Hi Roy,
I don't remember sending you a shot of my yearbook photo. LOL
I have changed my profile a couple of time since joining the Active Rain Community.
I wish there were more members who thought the same way.
Have a great week ahead at the Kentlands.
Best, Clint McKie
Good morning Roy - Great reminder. I've never used ipiccy, but we always use professionals for our business cards and materials.
Roy, great reminder about the need to keep our personal profile, especially pictures, up to date. Very important! Thanks for sharing.
Roy, you are right. I have met so many agents at my inspections that when they hand me a card and I look at it later I wonder if they gave me the right card...lol. I think alot of them use those "glam shots" which is fine, not sure if it reflects on their business or not. Mine? well, I am what I am and I only have a few to choose from so it's not that important to me.
Yikes Roy so true. A client gave us a business card from someone he didn't want to deal with but we knew. She now has grey hair and is much older and her photo must be from the 80's where she had bright red hair!
Roy - EXCELLENT! It is crazy how quickly our pictures become dated. I had new photo done recently to replace the one that was taken about six years ago. The world changes quickly and so do we! IMO I think the best public profile pictures are those of us alone unless we work with a partner.
Good Morning Roy,Very good point, I see many pictures in marketing that are a good 10-20 years ago for some agents. Have a great Monday
Nice Photo... great reminder that a picture is worth a thousand words, we better be saying the right words with our photo. We hope our says "Professional, a Team, Relaxed, and Enjoying Life"
Thanks for the reminder. ~ Rita and Mike
Roy... I've reached the age where I no longer want to be photographed! It isn't easy born ugly! I dread having my pictures taken. A beauty queen, I am not.
Nice iguana! I can find beauty in everything else but me!
Roy,
Excellent point about looking like your current real estate picture. I find way too many agents use a picture that is at least 10-15 years old and the person does not resemble the picture anymore. I just had an AR member who met for the first time Friday say that I look just like my picture.
Roy,
I have to totally agree with you; I see the cards on some realtors and was taken a very long time ago. I try to update mine once a year. Have a great week!
That is definitely ap et peeve of mine. I hate when peole put pictures of themselves that was from 20 years ago, or owrse, when they were a child. Really?!
Roy, I am sorry to say that my photo looks just like me! I wish that it looked more like Tom Selleck, or some other handsome guy, but this is what I look like.
Good evening Roy.
It is all about appearance and the message you want to reflect.
It is always good to hear from you. All of us have the challenge to update our profile photographs on a regular basis.
Hydrangea, Kentlands, Spring Flowers IMG_1374
Photograph by Roy Kelley using a Canon PowerShot G11 camera.
Roy and Dolores Kelley Photographs
It's always annoying to me when I see agents photos that I know are 10-12 years old. Who do they think they are kidding??
That's why I use a caricature - LOL!
Roy- and the same holds true for our business card photos. I can only hope that a Realtor I met did not see my look of shock when I saw her and then her business card picture.
OMG - Roy, I was reading this and certainly didn't expect that photo. I actually jumped back from the computer, LOL.
Roy, excellent reminder...I've seen some agents who have photos on their cards and have to look twice at the card...to make sure it is really them....always so much younger :)
Thanks so much for stopping by. Your comments are always appreciated.
Hydrangea, Kentlands, Spring Flowers IMG_1383
Photograph by Roy Kelley using a Canon PowerShot G11 camera.
Roy and Dolores Kelley Photographs
Ipccy.com is a place to check out. Fortunately I look like my picture thanks to Grecian formula!
I have gone to open houses and not recognized the agent holding it because the person whose photo is on the flyer and the person who greeted me looked nothing like each other. This happens a lot, and I wonder how clients perceive it. I think photos should be updated no more than every 5 years.
My profile picture says "Man. I sure hate posing for pictures!!!" But, it is only a few weeks old so it does look like me. Grey hair and all. :)
Roy, great blog and I like the phrase, "personal curb appeal"! So true!
Great point Roy! There are agents in my area that I know very well from their photo, but when I have met them in person, they are not at ALL the same person. I want to be recognized everywhere I go from my photo. That said, I did change my hair recently, so I need a new pic! Thank you!!
Roy - I have had the same profile photo for awhile now. But, I haven't really changed muched! Still, I keep telling myself that I need something newer. I love the picture of the Iguana. She tells me her name is Luna:-)
CONGRATULATIONS on having this blog FEATURED in the Photos group!
Great reminder! I often wonder how many agents I'm walking past in the grocery store that dont look anything like their pics!
It's amazing meeting a Realtor at a closing for the first time and wondering who is in the photo on their business card.
Roy- Excellent reminder to keep your profile picture current. After all we want people to recognize us. Cute iguana!
Such a timely post...on a listing appointment last week one of my sellers took my business card and then looked at me and said...."you are one of the few agents who look like your business card" I too see agents coming through my Broker Opens and honestly do not recoginize them. Better to not look like the mystery person!
I've often been asked by other RE professionals why I use the profile pic I use and I have to reply with a smile on my face that it's not them I'm trying to reach out to it's the many many folks who reach out to me and tell me how special it is to share my beautiful granddaughters with them and that that was the main reason they contacted me.
They just felt that I was a very happy and proud family man and that that was the type of person they wanted to deal with. I think it's more important to attract like minded people by projecting yourself as who you really are. I'm as busy as I can possibly be without having to step out of my comfort zone and the folks I'm dealing with are good family folks. I wouldn't have it any other way.
Good Idea, I'll do that on my next birthday and upload to all venues.
Roy -- an excellent reminder to refresh our image! And I love the photo of the Blue Cayman Iguana, too. Wishing you a great day in real estate and more!
One photo is 3 years old, another is one year old, and I use a caricature as well. The biggest change I see is when someone gains a LOT of weight, but still use an old photo.
Hi Roy,
There are agents in my city that have used the same photo for 16 years (since I began my real estate career)! I get a lot of comments from agents and clients, regarding the fact that I DO look like my picture, and they seem to be surprised by it : ) I find it so funny that people would expect agents to not look like their photo, but I guess that's an indication that it's far too common in our industry.
Thanks for the post & have a great week!
Gina
For a very long time, I was using a photo that was taken in front of the Eiffel Tower in Paris. I really liked the theme/brand that I was including in my photo but with the bubble burst I had no way to take another trip to the city of lights. So I went to the next best thing.... :-)
Roy:
I love your pictures. Those flowers are gorgeous. Buy the way, my picture does need to be updated. I have a little more silver in my hair via highlights. Also, I may be getting older.
Thanks so much for your comments.
Have an outstanding week with your camera in hand. Enjoy the spring flowers.
Kentlands, Spring Flowers IMG_1384
Photograph by Roy Kelley using a Canon PowerShot G11 camera.
Roy and Dolores Kelley Photographs
Hopefully I still look better than that blue dude!
I think if many of our profile pictures were on the post office wall no one would find us because they do not look like most of us. :)
When people no longer recognize you in person it is time for a new photo!
I recall a seminar speaker once saying that it isn't funny when you meet a client at the airport and they say "Oh, your grand-daughter couldn't make it?"
The ones I think are really goofy are the glamour shots - not that they don't look nice, but they don't look the least bit like someone ready to get down to business.
Meanwhile... I need a new pic.
Hi Roy, I have heard the argument about including photos everywhere at many workshops and Real estate is full of pretty people who should put their photo on their business card and just about everywhere and then people will look at the photo and want to meet them and do business with them.
However I sometimes wonder if less pretty people like myself should just list our positive assets and let them find out what we look like after they are convinced they want to work with us.
Hi Roy, were you suggesting a resemblance with the Iguana? Me or you? lol
This happens to be a pet peeve of mine. So unfortunately, the photo you see to the left looks exactly like me.
Dang, I guess I need a new photo. Thanks for the reminder.
Thank you Roy.
I need to update my Profile Pic... it's a couple of years old.
I like that, Roy. 'Personal curb appeal'. I have to change mine. It's on my list and one of these days will get done.
It is always good to receive your comments. I am sure that your profile pictures are current.
Inticancha Navajo Princess Lily, Kentlands, Spring FlowersIMG_1391
Photograph by Roy Kelley using a Canon PowerShot G11 camera.
Roy and Dolores Kelley Photographs
Most of us take greater care to look our best on picture day and, of course, we select the most flattering shot. Why wouldn't we? That being said, it's probably a good idea to replace one's marketing photo every 2-3 years.
Roy, I recently updated my photo to a candid shot where I'm smiling. Studio perfect seems old hat.
I have new photos taken every 2 to 3 years. About time for new ones shortly!
Roy, the photo I remember seeing that made me go "hmmm" was one of an agent posing with an old-style corded phone handset! You know, the one that comes with a rotary phone. That just tells me how dated the photo must be. :)
Leilani
P.S. We just took our profile photo a couple of months ago, so yes...this is indeed what we look like. :)
Oh I know, there are many times where I barely recognize the pictures on biz cards. It can often be a let down when you meet the person.
Roy, good point about updating your photo. Many agents out there are still using their high school graduation photo.
Good post Roy and very true. I see many female agents in their 50's that still seem to be using their high school picture.
Although my current photo is less than 6 months old, I'm in the process of getting new photos taken. Since I don't have my picture on my business cards, it's easier to change my photo from time to time. No mistaking it's me either :)
Roy - Great Advice! Thanks for the web link. Have a great day!
It is very nice to receive so many comments on this post. As we age, some of us tend to defer profile photographs. If that is the case, use a professional photographer to create highly professional images for marketing use.
Tangerine Gerbera Daisy, Kentlands Spring Flowers IMG_1378
Photograph by Roy Kelley using a Canon PowerShot G11 camera.
Roy and Dolores Kelley Photographs
My current profile photo is 3 years old - I had a new one taken two weeks ago. If you can't handle aging maybe you should not have a photo on your business card
Roy, you are so right about this one. I think it's important to have a photo that looks like you, and a name - first and last! I think it's easier to relate to people when they use their own image rather than a logo as their profile pic.
I have never used ipiccy.com before, but am definitely going to start playing around with it!
It is good to receive many comments on this post.
Have a great day and an outstanding weekend.
Plants, Kentlands, Home Garden IMG_1386
Photograph by Roy Kelley using a Canon PowerShot G11 camera.
Roy and Dolores Kelley Photographs
You certainly don't want to scare them LOL. How often to recommend updating.
Joyce: Update your profile photographs each season. Also change them when you change hair style.
My picture on active rain is about a year old, so I could probably do an update - my daughter is a year older too. But I just don't have any good pictures, need to get some taken! Oh, and my hair is much shorter now. So, yeah, probably time for an upgrade :-)
P.S. I love the photo of the iguana. I have a soft spot in my heard for lizards and other reptiles. -Kasey
Thank you very much for your feedback. It is always better to have current photographs.
HeHe! My picture is ten years old. I really should get a new one.