Communicating Change (Brand Change Part 2)

Part 2 of the Brand Change Series...

The smoke signaling fire in the real estate industry is building heat as the rumors of announcements and timing grow. If you are the broker owner and may be facing brand changes whether these changes are initiated by you, a franchisor or a network require proactive actions and communications. How you communicate the change and your reactions will determine the impact and your control of the impact.

All change brings opportunity. No matter what the change is, it creates force and momentum. Your decision must be one to take a leadership position in the forefront of the change. Those who do not are likely to be propelled along courses controlled by others. Your communications, posture and leadership style are all controlled by you and critically important during significant change. Key elements that need to be integrated in your communications include:

• Leading, speaking and acting from a position of strength.
• Ensuring that those around you who influence others know your message and are able to convey it.
• Celebrating the momentum and the opportunity change brings.
• Being prepared to answer questions proactively.
• Staying ahead of the media curve by being the source of information rather than the recipient.
• Making sure that your brand is strongly positioned and able to be aligned with the brand of your franchisor or network.

While these points may seem hard to execute, they are basically the same for communicating all change whether large or small and whether or not the change is related to a brand change. It is similar to when you first learned to sell, you did not know everything but your communications were filled with excitement and anticipated opportunity.