Strong Brand = Great Reputation - Lessons From The Biggest Brand In PM

Property Managers, You Know This…

Reputation is crucial for your business.

Even in the digital age, word of mouth is still the best & most important marketing channel..

But what is really needed to create a reputation for yourself?

Providing quality services?

Sure. You can never go wrong with focusing on client satisfaction.

But quality services alone may take longer than you expect to build the reputation you deserve.  The art of crafting a reputation goes far beyond the thing that you do. 

How & Why you do it is what sets you apart from the rest. It’s what helps you carve out a unique space in the customer’s mind.

e.g. There are MANY property management franchises, but there’s a reason PMI is the biggest

Let’s see what we can learn from their success-

The PMI Rebrand - A Masterclass in Marketing

There’s a ton of literature on what a great brand looks like., but most agree on three main points:

• A brand has to stand for something.
• A brand has to have a symbol.
• A brand needs to be both timeless and timely.

Let’s break down how PMI covered all three…

A Brand Has to Stand For Something.

Most people look at real estate as just another means to build up their bank balance.

PMI looks at it as a tool for personal growth - a valuable tool that can serve as the launchpad for the things you actually want to do in life (travel the world, pursue a passion, etc.)

What they call “Open Doors to Better Lives.”

Another way to put this is something I’ve heard from both, Jordan Muela and Mark Brower, recently.  They describe it as-

“Using business as a vehicle for personal transformation.”

That feels really possible as a business owner, but when you take that ethos and apply it to your team, it becomes an even more powerful tool.

Here is how PMI franchises apply it:

P.S. This is also how we see our place in your life. We want to help you handle the tediously boring so that you can have time to decide & pursue whatever you want.

A Brand Must Have a Symbol.

A great visual is nothing without a great story. But a great story can only benefit from an extraordinary visual/symbol to support it.

But a great visual doesn’t mean flashy. 

A great visual just reinforces your already established message.

E.g. PMI’s logo, which is a very simple shaded rectangle with an orange background, represents their philosophy of Open Doors to Better Lives.

A great visual doesn’t make you stand out. It just reinforces what does make you stand out - your unique point of view.

A Brand Needs to Be Both Timeless & Timely

A great brand knows how to take advantage of trends and twist them in such a way that they add on & support his already established message.

This is where PMI’s magic truly shines through.

They are aware of the fact that the industry is changing. The role of the property manager is changing.

The new generation of home owners is young & inexperienced. They won’t need someone to manage their property. They’ll need someone to guide them in the many hurdles of real estate

The property manager is not  the third-party nuisance anymore - she is the invaluable partner to the owner, guiding her throughout the whole buying & managing process.

This is where the open doors to better lives philosophy comes into play yet again - the property manager is helping the owner make the best possible decisions and turn their dreams into reality.

This missionary outlook on the role of the PM might be timely, as the influx of inexperienced investors will indeed require such professionals.

But this approach is also timeless - PMI is changing the way people perceive the property manager. And this will echo in the next decades to come.

But… Brand And Reputation Will Only Get You So Far.

The Hard Truth: Reputation Can Be Fragile

Here’s the kicker: even with a stellar brand and a forward-thinking philosophy, your reputation can crumble in seconds.

What’s the #1 culprit? Maintenance failures.

• One bad Google review about a delayed repair can cost you your next client.
• One overlooked emergency can wipe out months of trust.
• And the worst part? It might not even be your fault.

Sound familiar? Maintenance has long been the Achilles’ heel of property management. It’s unfair, and it’s exhausting. But it doesn’t have to be this way.

This is why the we think about maintenance at Vendoroo comes from 2 base assumptions:

1. 80-85% of maintenance issues can be completely automated, but take up way too much of your time.  We take those issues off your plate from work order to owner reporting.
2. Property managers can use the time saved to take special care of the 15-20% of sensitive maintenance issues, PLUS getting out in front of prospects, clients, and your community to continue to build your brand.

If you want to see HOW we do that, hop on a call with our team CALENDAR LINK

If you want my best ideas on how to spend that time in front of prospects, clients, and your community to build your brand, check out my keynote from NARPM Broker/Owner 2024 on building a word of mouth flywheel.

Want me to host a webinar on how to implement this yourself? Reply to this blog and I’ll make it happen.

• Pablo Gonzalez, Vendoroo’s Chief Evangelist