5 Steps to a Strong Personal Presence
A few years back, I was sitting in my home office when the phone rang.
The woman on the line introduced herself as Steve Forbes’ executive assistant — yes, that Steve Forbes, CEO of Forbes, Inc.
She told me that Mr. Forbes’ daughter was exploring a career in commercial real estate.
Now, here’s the thing: I knew who Steve Forbes was. Of course I did. (Billionaire, ran for President of the United States twice)
But when she followed up by asking where to buy a copy of my book, Brokers Who DOMINATE, I realized that he also (completely unbeknownst to me) already knew who I was.
And that moment taught me something that every CRE Broker needs to understand: it’s not who you know, it’s who knows you.
Why Personal Presence Matters
In CRE, personal presence is the most effective form of presence you can build. But it’s also the most expensive. It costs time. It costs energy. It requires you to actually show up.
Personal presence is you — going out into your market, being seen, shaking hands, having conversations, and becoming known.
That means getting out from behind the desk and meeting people. Coffees, lunches, dinners, property tours, and community events. Every one of those is what a late mentor or mine, Ralph Spencer, called an FDO: Food and Drink Opportunity.
Those moments are where relationships deepen and referrals begin.
Sure, digital and physical presence matter, but personal presence is the multiplier.
It’s the quiet power of being recognized.
It’s what turns effort into opportunity and motion into momentum.
The return isn’t instant. It’s not ROI (Return on Investment).
It’s ROI: Return on Involvement.
And if you stay consistent and committed to the game long enough, the payback always comes.
That’s the top of what we call the Presence Pyramid™: The framework we built after studying how the best brokers achieve lasting market dominance.
5 Steps to Build Personal Presence
If you want to start receiving inbound calls instead of chasing every opportunity, start here:
1️⃣ Assess Your Current Presence
Make a list of people outside your immediate circle who know you, then ask yourself, are you on their list?
2️⃣ Target Key Influencers
Identify 100 people in your market who can open doors for you. They might not be clients, but they can connect you with the people who matter most.
3️⃣ Create Opportunities to Meet
Schedule 1-on-1 coffees or lunches. Attend networking events. Don’t underestimate the impact of being physically present.
4️⃣ Be Consistent
Two or three personal meetings a week are enough, as long as you’re consistent. Update your “Top 100” list every quarter to keep it current and relevant.
5️⃣ Play the Long Game
Presence compounds. Each handshake, follow-up, and conversation builds toward long-term credibility and market influence.
That’s the real difference between being known in your market and being known for something in your market.
On November 19th, I’m gathering a group of the top CRE professionals in the world to show you how they do it — how they build presence, relationships, and results that compound for decades.
Join us and hear the exact strategies they use to generate $14B in transaction volume at the Global CRE Broker Virtual Summit. This is one of those CAN’T-MISS events. In fact, we are so confident that it will have a positive impact on you that we are offering a money-back guarantee.
