Parkbench Accelerator

The most important interview to do…

Answer: YOURS!

You are the most important person to interview!

Here’s why:

  • You need to experience what it’s like to be interviewed
  • You need to think through all the questions that you might ask someone else
  • You need to practice doing a video interview, podcast, and written interview
  • You need to let people know who you are, and humanize yourself
  • You need to make yourself look credible and professional
  • You need to have content that is indexed by google, so people can always learn more about you, without you having to do more work.

And once you experience all of this for yourself, it will be easier for you to inspire other people to be interviewed because you’ll have experienced the benefits, because it’s the same benefits for them as well.

Here are some examples to look at:

https://parkbench.com/blog/jeanmarie-buckley-licensed-real-estate-agent-with-mcguire-real-estate-south-san-francisco-jeanmarie-buckley-licensed-realtor

https://parkbench.com/blog/tammi-knapp-owner-and-broker-in-charge-at-tlc-realty-in-cary

Here are the elements of a great interview
(whether you’re interviewing yourself or someone else)

The Headline

  • Meet (your name), (position) at (brokerage), one of the best (another search term) in Neighborhood, City, State

The content types

  • Text
    • The best for SEO
    • The you write, the better the SEO
    • Answer as many questions as you can
    • Write mini paragraphs
  • Video
    • Create two videos
      • Primary Video: Less than 4 minutes in duration
        • Example: A Short Bio Video
      • SecondaryVideo: 20+ minutes in duration
        • Example: a long interview or vlog
        • What’s Easiest? Getting someone to interview you
        • What’s Better But Harder? A “Week in the Life” Vlog
  • Pictures
    • Add lots of pictures to your interviews and blogs
  • Audio (Podcast)
    • Easy way to create a podcast: Strip out the audio from your video

As for the content in your interviews, you want to cover 3 main areas:

  • What do you do
  • What do you need
  • What do you like

When it comes to your interview about you, when you talk about what you do, you want to cover all the areas that people are looking for when selecting a realtor (as reported by NAR and Zillow in their annual consumer reports). This includes:

  • Years of experience
  • Why you’re a local market expert
  • Your process for helping someone buy or sell a home
  • Your Negotiation Skills
  • How responsive you are
  • Your involvement in the community
  • Client Success Stories

When it comes to telling people your needs, wants, goals, and vision, this is where you need to be vulnerable, raw, real, and just speak from the heart. People want to know

  • Why you’re in real estate?
  • Why you want to give value to the community?
  • Why do you want to build a business on relationships and referrals vs advertising?
  • What are you trying to achieve by sponsoring Parkbench?
  • What’s your vision for your community?
  • How do you want homeowners using and benefiting from the website?
  • How do you want business owners using and benefiting from the website?
  • What are your goals in life and business
  • What are the challenges you face in business that you want help with?

And finally, because people like to do business with people who are like them, you want to let people know

  • What are your hobbies and interests?
  • What are your likes and dislikes?
  • What are your pet peeves?

Have fun with this section. Make fun of yourself. Let people into “who you are”…humanize yourself!

People are sick and tired of “the slick realtor” – be raw and real. Be you.

Now let’s talk about HOW to do it.

Step 1 – Login to your control panel on parkbench, click on interviews, and click the “real estate professional Interview”

Step 2 – answer ALL the questions and insert pictures if possible to go with your answer
(AND if you can think of other questions that homeowners often ask you, then add that question into the interview and answer it!)

Remember – imagine you are being interviewed by someone, and answer the question as if you’re talking to someone. Write as you would speak.

Also – when you write out the interview FIRST, you will think through what you want to say on camera, so you can progress to the video interview AFTER.

Step 3 – Create the video interview.

If you’re doing a short (< 4 min) interview, then when you press record on your camera, imagine someone just asked you,

“What’s your story and why should I use you vs another agent?”

And try to touch on all 3 things that people want to know

  • What do you do
  • Why are you doing it
  • Tell me about YOU, the person, not the professional

Now, if you’re doing a long interview, where likely someone IS asking you the questions, then just answer them!

Here are some tips when you’re doing a video:

  • 1 camera is fine
  • Your smartphone is fine
  • Make sure you have a good microphone
  • Make sure you’re in a well lit room (sunshine works!)
  • Save your bloopers

Another video that you MUST do asap is your “Community Pop Up Video”

In essence, this video is about

  • WHO are you
  • WHY are you sponsoring the website
  • WHAT Value does the website bring homeowners
  • WHY should they subscribe to the newsletter
  • WHAT other actions should they take ON the website and WHY

…because if you want people to take action, like subscribe to your newsletter and apply to be interviewed and featured, then you need to give them a VISION for WHY!

Go to these websites to see some examples

(After you click “got it” for (internet) cookies, you should see a pop up with a video and call to action to subscribe)

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Example Script Template

My name is….

I am the sponsor and ambassador of a new local website for….

The site is designed to….

What I am looking to do is….

What the interviewee gets is….

Now a lot of people ask me why I chose to sponsor the site for our community,

and the reason is…(insert your TRUE reasons)

So, what I want from you is….

(sign off)

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What to consider when you do video

  • High Energy: High Energy typically looks like Normal Energy on camera
  • Annunciate: Slurring words, mumbling and quiet talking is amplified on camera
  • Have Fun: People like to watch videos where people are having fun!
  • Incorporating other video: Other shots/images/existing video you want to add.
  • Posture:Sit/Stand Upright!

Got it?

Good 🙂

To summarize

  • Create a written interview about yourself
  • Create a video interview about yourself
  • Create a Community Pop Up Video

And do it now 🙂
No excuses. Play like a champion

Yours in business success,
GFS