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The Brad Weisman Show
Welcome to The Brad Weisman Show, where we dive into the world of real estate, real life, and everything in between with your host, Brad Weisman! Join us for candid conversations, laughter, and a fresh take on the real world. Get ready to explore the ups and downs of life with a side of humor. From property to personality, we've got it all covered. Tune in, laugh along, and let's get real! #TheBradWeisman #Show #RealEstateRealLife
The Brad Weisman Show
First Impressions and Personal Branding with Sylvie Di Giusto
Hi This is Brad Weisman - Click Here to Send Me a Text Message
Unlock the secrets to enhancing your leadership image with Sylvie Di Giusto, a leading expert in leadership and image. Imagine being recognized as a leader, not because of your job title, but through the power of perception, behavior, and appearance. Sylvie challenges conventional leadership ideas, showing how first impressions and personal branding can be pivotal, especially in people-centric fields like real estate. As technology transforms human interaction, discover how it impacts trust and communication, and learn how a strong personal brand can help you stand out in our competitive world.
Unconscious biases shape more of our decisions than we might think, and Sylvie reveals how to harness them for success. With just 5% of our brain processing factual information, emotional biases often hold sway. From leveraging the bandwagon effect to understanding the nuances of executive and leadership presence, Sylvie provides practical insights on how recognizing and utilizing these biases can boost your influence in business settings. The discussion sheds light on how these elements play into the broader dynamics of effective leadership.
In an industry where trust is paramount, particularly real estate, learn how to craft a credible professional identity that speaks volumes. Reputation is what others say about you when you’re not in the room, but your professional identity is yours to shape. Sylvie walks us through aligning appearance, behavior, and digital presence with a unique brand identity, emphasizing the role of digital platforms like LinkedIn in building client trust. Join us as we reflect on the challenges and rewards of maintaining a consistent narrative across different environments and climates, figuratively and literally.
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Welcome to The Brad Weisman Show, where we dive into the world of real estate, real life, and everything in between with your host, Brad Weisman! 🎙️ Join us for candid conversations, laughter, and a fresh take on the real world. Get ready to explore the ups and downs of life with a side of humor. From property to personality, we've got it all covered. Tune in, laugh along, and let's get real! 🏡🌟 #TheBradWeismanShow #RealEstateRealLife
Credits - The music for my podcast was written and performed by Jeff Miller.
All right, here we go, from real estate to real life and everything in between, the Brad Wiseman Show and now your host, brad Wiseman. All right, yeah, this is gonna be a great show. I've been looking at this person online for quite some time. I've been looking at the content and how different she is at getting the message out about image and about leadership and about perception and about impressions, first impressions, things like that. These are all things that are very important in business today and I think a lot of times some of these things get maybe forgotten. And the thing about leadership, with the image of leadership, I think, also today, sometimes, what happens is, you know, we don't know what a great leader looks like sometimes, because maybe we don't have the right leaders in our world or in our life.
Speaker 1:So I have just an amazing speaker. She's been all over the world. I'm going to say, uh, speaking to thousands and thousands of people. Her name is Sylvie DiGiusto. She's now with me from Tampa, florida, and I'm very excited to have her on here. So, sylvie, how are you doing today?
Speaker 2:Hello Brad, I am looking at this person you since quite a while too, and I'm so excited that I finally made it on your show. I love everything that you are doing, the variety of topics that you cover and the amazing guests that you have, and thank you very much for having me today yes, and also I did compliment the red uh blouse that you have on, because that's definitely a color that works well with me.
Speaker 1:You see, you even have a red eight ball. Have a red eight ball preparation to this morning preparation.
Speaker 2:I felt a little bit of pressure on red shoes for you, but since you can't see those, we're going to have to start doing shoe cameras.
Speaker 1:You know what I mean. I don't know what else to do. I'm time shoe cameras, but no, but you're traveling all over the place and you're. You're talking about things that just really really hit home for me and things that I really really admire, and that's about leadership and perception, image and all the things that we talk about today. And I just want to right off the bat you have a book called the Image of Leadership. It's a great book. You sent it to me. I did not get a chance to read it yet, but I've been reading about it, and it's all about appearance, behavior, communication, digital footprint, environment, like all these different things. Tell me what the image of leadership means to you.
Speaker 2:Well, first of all, let's define leadership, okay.
Speaker 2:That sounds great, because very often, especially when I talk to real estate professionals, the first thought is well, I'm not a leader, right, I just work on my own, I have my own agency and I'm not a leader. I don't have a big team and I always have to correct them because, in my sense, we are all leaders in our communities, right, we all represent our own brand, we all want to lead in the market, we all want to be competitive in the market. So I want you to forget about leader in terms of titles, of management, positions, of hierarchy, and more think in terms of leading by example, being the best version of yourself. Yeah, now the challenge with leadership is of leading by example being the best version of yourself.
Speaker 2:Now, the challenge with leadership is, honestly, leadership is a lot about perception. Do people perceive you as a leader or not? Do you represent yourself as a leader or not? Do you have the image of a leader or not? And do people buy instantly into you, rather than they buy the property or whatever you offer them as a product or service? Because we know that, especially real estate agents, we are, or you are, in a people business. Yes, there is data, facts and figures that will help you to sell or rent or buy a property, but the first interaction that your clients have with you are with you, the human being, yeah, and what's fun and we all talk about.
Speaker 1:when you go back to the human being, I think that's even becoming more important. Because of AI, because of social media, because of all these things that have come about. I think the people-to-people business is really what is actually becoming more important, Because we're lacking that, we don't see it enough.
Speaker 2:Yes, absolutely. But also augmented reality and all the things that are coming against us in the future will change our human behavior, and not just ours, also the human behavior of our clients. For example, they will be less patient, because artificial intelligence teaches us unconsciously that everything is available with a mouse click every piece of information. But they will also trust us less right? Because is it from us, from a human being, or is it from chat, gpt or is it from a robot? Where does this information come from?
Speaker 2:How often did you go on a real estate website, for example, and you used their chat feature and you are not sure? Is this really a human being responding to me or is this some sort of chatbot, right? So they will be less trustworthy, but they will also be less accountable. At one point, people will lean back and say it was not me, it was just GPT or some chatbot or some artificial intelligence. So the human behavior will change over the course of time on the one side and on the other side, the more important it is that we think about how are we going to interact with each other and, as a real estate agent in particular, how are you going to interact with your clients, real estate agent in particular. How are you going to interact with your clients that you can instantly imprint an image of leadership on them, which means that you are the person, and the only person, that they should trust with selling their home, renting their home, buying a home?
Speaker 1:Yeah, yeah, and and you know it's funny too, I think about this too too. You, you travel all over the all over the world. Um, speaking on this is there. Do we find that the younger people if you talk to some of the younger people, do they have a harder time with the people, to people, uh interaction, than maybe somebody I'm 54, somebody my age who we weren't? This kind of technology was not around when I was being, when I was coming up through, so they were born with this stuff. Do you feel that maybe they are they able to actually do the people-to-people business, or would they rather be on a computer?
Speaker 2:I don't think so. That's. The problem is in the generations themselves.
Speaker 1:It's more cross-generations.
Speaker 2:When we cross them right, that's very often the misunderstanding happens if somebody from this generation interacts with this generation and we have very different communication channels and very different ways to approach things.
Speaker 1:That's a good point, because, yeah, because I can tell you right now there's people that I work with and we go to sign an agreement of sale and next thing, you know, you send them DocuSign. Well, somebody and nothing against Adra, somebody that's maybe not as technologically sound is is not going to be able to do the DocuSign. I have to then meet with them or have them come into the office, which we don't do that much anymore, you know, and that's one of those things that we don't.
Speaker 2:Right, right, but in terms of the client interaction, I always say it's important to be adaptable and to have situational awareness. So if you work with somebody from a generation that isn't very assumed to sign something with DocuSign, is there a way you can still make it happen for them because in the end you want to make the business with them right? You want to acknowledge that their generation maybe is not used to the ways that we do it nowadays, or how can you help them make this process or this interaction in your customer journey as easy as possible for them?
Speaker 1:yeah, yeah, and that's pretty much what we do and that's what I mean. That's the good, that's the right thing to do as far as being in sales and stuff. So let's talk about the first impression. We've we've heard that term so many times in our life, you know, some people say you have only seconds and first impression is lasting impression. Has anything changed with that? What's? What's your opinion of first impressions?
Speaker 2:Well, you know I use one study that says, just for my work, that it takes seven seconds, but I always clarify that with any research out there. This is just a view into one study and one situation that cannot be replicated into daily life. There are many other studies out there. Some say it takes 13 seconds. Some say it takes milliseconds if it happens online.
Speaker 2:Some say trust is the most important factor that people identify in those micro moments. Others say other factors are important. But what all of them have in common, no matter in which study you look at, is that it happens automatically. It has nothing to do with the fact if you're a good human being or not, if you want to do it or not. It's just automatic brain performance.
Speaker 2:It's our survival mode that we instantly walk into a room and our brain scans the room, reads the room and wants to know are we in danger or not? Are we friends or not? You know. And so, more important that the numbers themselves, it's just the fact that it happens and then, unfortunately, a variety of unconscious biases are either working for you or against you. Unconscious biases are ingrained in us since the moment we are born and they are influenced by our parents or the community we grew up or the culture we grew up in, the generation we are from, and our brain is wired in a way that we always want to be right. We don't want to be wrong, so we always look for proof moments, no matter how long that it takes. Unfortunately, their brain afterwards looks for proof and ignores anything that goes against their initial first opinion.
Speaker 1:Oh, that's interesting. So there's justification. So when you make that judgmental, it's judgment. When you walk in and you judge that's the first impression, you say, okay, this person, blah, blah, blah, whatever. When you walk in and you judge, that's the first impression, you say, okay, this person, blah, blah, whatever. Then what we do after that is then we look for more justification to define that, that what you thought right, that's incredible, that's funny.
Speaker 2:Let's take a situation from Europe. Let's take an open house. Right, you host an open house on a weekend and you have prepared the house, the property, picture perfect. But for whatever reason, somewhere in the entrance there is a stain on the carpet.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 2:It's a random example, right?
Speaker 1:Right right.
Speaker 2:Your guests come in and one of the guests noticed that stain. What are they doing? Instantly and unconsciously, they walk through that property and look for other things that are wrong and come with all the complaints to you about the property that are actually wrong, while they don't see the amazing view out of the windows, while they don't see the beautiful kitchen, while they don't see all the other things that speak in the favor of this home, and the same happens to you, right?
Speaker 2:you interact with a human, with another human, or with another person, or with your client, and at the very beginning there is something off. They don't like something about it, and sometimes it's the micro moments. You didn't look into their eyes, you didn't shake their hands, you were on their phone instead of acknowledging them and afterwards, unfortunately, their human brain looks for proof that you don't care about them, that you don't give them the attention that they deserve, that you don't give them the attention that they deserve, and they ignore subconsciously that you are doing your best to present yourself and the solution that you have to offer to them. Right now, science knows about around 185 biases, and what I just described is confirmation bias. We look for confirmation of our initial opinion Unbelievable, or?
Speaker 2:negativity bias is another bias we look for confirmation of our initial opinion or negativity bias is another bias. We rather see the things that are wrong than the things that are right.
Speaker 1:Yeah, it's funny, you know, and we disguise that as oh, I don't, I'm just not getting the warm fuzzy feeling from them or I'm not, I'm not feeling it. There's something about that. I'm just not feeling it, you know, and those are things that we say, you know, that are interesting because but that's a, that's a bias, you know, that's, that's something, and I don't even know the person for five seconds and I'm like I didn't get a warm fuzzy feeling. Well, how would you?
Speaker 2:you don't know them that well, and I love that you use the word feeling bread, because that's actually also how our brain is built. Our brain consists of a five percent conscious part. In those five percent is where data, facts and figures and information is transmitted. So this is where all your contracts, your proposal, all the data that you provide to your clients is transmitted, which is important yeah.
Speaker 2:But it's only captured and transmitted in 5% of your client's brain. The other around 95% are all unconscious biases, gut feelings, their emotions that very often we are not aware of or don't take advantage of. And this is what I teach my audiences is to take advantage of those unconscious biases. If you give them in the first moment what they are looking for, they are also looking for proof.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 2:Because then they also want to be right that you are that one real estate agent or broker, the only one they want to work with. If you deliver what they want in those first micro moments, unconscious biases will work in your favor.
Speaker 1:Oh, interesting. Yeah, it's using what we know we're doing to other people to our advantage, knowing. Well, if that's what they're doing to me, then I should be aware of that, because then I'm going to be, uh, I'm going to show up better for them, I'm going to show up in a different way. That's, that's some. That's some good stuff there. You have a question, you go?
Speaker 1:yeah, I was wondering what is a, what is another uh um, bias that we have that we can use to our advantage that is just transcendent of industries and business.
Speaker 2:So the bandwagon effect, for example, is a very common bias. I mean, how often have you experienced online? Somebody shares something and, without checking the facts or figures, everybody just clicks the share button and reposts the information because somehow we think if this person is right, well then it must be right right, If this person is right then we're just going to share it with the world too.
Speaker 2:This is what we call a bandwagon effect, and the bandwagon effect for you is important, especially when it comes to client recommendations or client testimonials. Or you know, when you're using your language terms that your client said about you why? I give you a very practical examples. When you were young, hugo, did your parents sometimes ask you well, if your friend would jump off that cliff, would you jump off that cliff too?
Speaker 1:Yes, I've heard that.
Speaker 2:Many of us, at least our generation, has heard that, and back then we would have said no, never. And nowadays I'm kind of well, you know what, if that cliff, if it looks fun and if the guy I'm jumping off looks fun, and maybe after a glass of Sauvignon Blanc it looks even more fun. I would do it. The same is true for your clients. If somebody else jumped off that cliff before, they are more likely to jump off that cliff too.
Speaker 1:Gotcha yeah.
Speaker 2:Because the bandwagon effect is in play.
Speaker 1:Interesting, very interesting, good stuff. So let's move on to the next, next. Next thing we were talking about here and this was a question I talked to you, hugo, about before we went live here was executive presence and leadership presence. What my question? What's the difference between executive presence and leadership presence? Like, I'm looking at executive as being a leader, but maybe that's not the right executive or the right word.
Speaker 2:Yes, I wouldn't. I wouldn't really say that there is a difference. You know, in the market we use different terms some call it image, some call it executive presence, some call it a leadership presence. I started to call it professional identity. Because it's the identity that you build around you, which, in the end, will lead to your reputation.
Speaker 1:Yes.
Speaker 2:And the identity that you craft can only be controlled and crafted by yourself. Very often, when it comes to judgmental thinking, we think that we are the victim of others. And yes, to a certain degree we might be given the circumstances, but it always starts with yourself. If you don't control it, somebody else will control it, that's that right.
Speaker 2:I use the term professional identity, which has those five core elements that I work with, and you craft your professional identity with your appearance. Like it or not, humans are visual creatures. We just look at others and we think that we know something about the other person, and that has less to do with old-fashioned and outdated dress code rules. It has more to do with old fashioned and outdated dress code rules. It has more to do with the entire visual picture that you create, and our brain is actually quite lazy. That's why it takes a shortcut through the eyes. You just look.
Speaker 1:That's pretty funny. Yeah, so true, and what's funny you talk about that was the. When it comes back to that presence, reputation is not inside us, and we talked about this a little bit before before we went on, and I've heard this before. I don't know who it was. It might have been Wayne Dyer, it might have been Jim Rohn or somebody. I don't know who it was. I listened to a lot of different things and you know, reputation is not within us.
Speaker 2:We like what you're saying, it identity, that's what we control, so we can control that, but how somebody perceives that we can't control. And also, you will never know what your reputation really is, because what people tell you to your face is also true, that's so true. Right, that's not your reputation, that's them being nice about your reputation yes, exactly, your reputation is what people say and think about you when you're not in the room.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 2:And that's something you probably will never find out. Exactly so you only have a certain amount of control, and it starts with you and your professional identity. But if you don't even control that, you lose any control and give it up to others.
Speaker 1:Exactly, and that's good stuff. I agree with that a hundred percent. Let's get into some of the um, uh, the personal branding. Like um, you know, what do you feel with personal branding in our business and real estate? We're, we're all about personal branding. I mean that's because you know we're, we're branding ourselves. People are, you know, yeah, we sell houses, but the reality is they're buying us, they're buying into the professionalism that we have, the experience that we have. What, how, what are your thoughts on personal branding when it comes to realtor or somebody like that?
Speaker 2:Two thoughts that I would like to share with you. First, it always starts with yourself. So I would never follow a one size fits, allfits-all formula that says as a realtor, you have to brand yourself this way because you are all individuals, you are human beings. A realtor Brad will never appear, behave and communicate like realtor Susan, who is in downtown Manhattan and sells luxury condos in New York.
Speaker 2:Yeah, she doesn't have to, because those are two different individuals. So I always encourage you to start with yourself and define it with one word. What is the one word that should pop up in everybody's mind when they think of you and your personal brand? And then cross-check your appearance, does it communicate that one word? Your behavior, does it really communicate that word when you speak, do you really communicate that word in between the lines? And how about your digital footprint or your environment? And then cross-check your clients, the expectations, because, again, your clients that you work with might have very different expectations, as the clients who live in manhattan right, my properties there, for example. And when I speak at events, at real estate um organizations, then I bring them the top terms that come to clients minds and obviously I can't go into all the areas, but at least I can split it into residential and industrial and land. There is a huge difference. And when it comes to residential, for example, one of the top words that they want to instantly feel is trust.
Speaker 2:It's one of the top three words.
Speaker 1:And you know what's funny about that. How many times have I talked about that, hugo, where I think the top thing in my business after 32 years, I'm writing a lot about this. Right now I don't have a book or anything written, but I'm writing a lot about this and it's about trust and and it's about it's it's huge, huge part of our business and and and one of the things the reason being, I feel, is you know, we are told, we were told as agents, that we are dealing with the largest investment that most people will have in their lives.
Speaker 1:And I actually, I actually have recently come up with a little bit of a different twist on that. Instead of us being real estate agents, I think we should be called real change agents. It's the biggest change that anybody makes in their life. You're collecting all your personal items, you're moving where memories were made to another place. We look at it as an investment, but investment is kind of a cold word, whereas your home is more of a warm word and and trust is what it's all about.
Speaker 2:they have to trust you to do that they have to trust you, and a funny thing is that I call it an emotionally charged environment. You might be surprised very much so the terms that came came. The top terms for real estate are very close to health care. Oh, interesting.
Speaker 2:Those are two industries that couldn't be further apart, right, but in one there is my life, right, my health, on the display, and in the other it's more or less not my life, but it's one of my biggest life decisions possibly, that I trust you to find me a new home or to sell my home. So it's a highly emotionally charged environment, and so I encourage you. What in your appearance tells somebody instantly trust? What in your behavior tell somebody instantly trust? What in your communication? And the second point that is so important for real estate is, unfortunately, nowadays, what is more has become most important out of those five elements that I always quote, out of those a, b, c, d, e is the d your digital footprint yeah because most of your interactions nowadays don't happen in person anymore.
Speaker 2:They happen in some sort of digital way. Before you will meet your potential client in a home or in person, you have had several digital interactions with them. They found you on a website, they checked out your social media, you might have had email conversations with them, maybe you met them in a virtual meeting or you gave them a virtual tour of a home, and so your digital interactions, unfortunately, have become way more important time-wise, than the in-person interactions, because they will determine if you ever have the chance to meet that client in person or not.
Speaker 1:You know, what's really funny about that is that. So we mentioned trust and then we mentioned digital footprint. Right, those two things are very hard to do together. Most times on digital footprint, there's no trust. You know what I mean, and so how do you build trust on a digital footprint? You know that's, that's that is very interesting.
Speaker 2:If you don't control it, somebody else will control it.
Speaker 1:That's so true, so true.
Speaker 2:You don't control it, somebody else.
Speaker 1:Well, we talk about that in Keller Williams all the time. Tell your story or somebody else, will you? Know, what I mean, and it's better to come from you.
Speaker 2:Even if you say I don't want to be out there on social media because that's just not my lifestyle and that's not what I want to do, then craft at least a LinkedIn profile yeah, at least one profile that's defined instantly and put all your work into that profile. Maybe you don't have to TikTok. Maybe you don't have to TikTok. Maybe you don't have to Instagram. Maybe you don't have to be on our platforms Although I always say you need to own your name on all platforms but craft and design at least one profile that instantly imprints, for example, trust if that is your word on potential clients who search you online. Before you send an email, cross-check it. Is that an email that, in between the lines, signals trust, or is it full of grammar errors? Is it full with emojis? Is it full with messages in between the lines? Who is on C, c. Who is on B, ccc? What is the subject line? So you know, it's like digital body language that you play here.
Speaker 1:Yeah, no, that's good, and I like what you said there too. You know, if there's something you need, if you need to be on social media, why not LinkedIn? If it's something that you feel comfortable with, you know, figure out which social media like. I also like the that you should own your name on all the social medias, regardless if you use them or not, because somebody could be incriminating you or take over your identity. Yes, so that's very important. Also, good stuff. Great, it's great stuff. So, before we wrap up here, this is just a great conversation. You know, I think you're going to be coming back in march, if I'm not mistaken.
Speaker 2:I'm hoping you're going to be right here in the studio. Yes, yeah, although it's a little bit scary for me to come from warm and sunny florida to pennsylvania in march. It's not that bad in march, it's really not, it's not that bad a year long in melbourne, pennsylvania and where pennsylvania in melbourne. Oh, you lived there. Yes, I live there. Oh, yes, so.
Speaker 1:I can't fool you on anything. Yeah, yeah, sorry, I thought maybe you would trust me on March. I'm going to have to work on that trust issue there. With the month of March, let's talk about you have a new book coming out. Let's just talk about that briefly here, and then we're going to have you back.
Speaker 2:You are going to be in an event in Philly. Are there tickets for that or somehow?
Speaker 1:people can go to that.
Speaker 2:Yes, but it's a very specific group. It's not for real estate agents, it's actually for professional speakers. If you want to enter the professional speaking circus and want to be successful in that area I'm sharing a little bit give a behind the scenes view of my speaking business.
Speaker 1:Oh, that's great, that's, and you're very good at that. I've seen your all your videos and things like that. So let's talk about your book that's coming up. It's called make me feel important. Is that correct? Yes, tell me a little bit about that.
Speaker 2:Make me feel important is my book number 13.
Speaker 1:Wow, that's great.
Speaker 2:And I'm very excited about it, and the title actually says it all, because, as a client, isn't that all that we want? We want to feel important, we want to feel valued, we want to feel respected, and I love that we end this conversation the way we started it. I'm going to take a close look into the digital transformation that we are going through and how it impacts the client interactions that we have and how we can put more effort into making sure that our clients still feel important and respected and valued, in particular, through the human interactions we have with them.
Speaker 1:That's awesome. Sounds like it's going to be a great book. Actually, that sounds really good. Is there anything else you want to say to the audience or anything to talk about? How? About how we find you? How do we find you? What's the best place to go?
Speaker 2:Well, type in my name, my very simple name, sylvie D Juster, into any search engine. You should be good with any typos, because there are not very versions of it out there. And if you can't find me based on my name, either my website or on Instagram or LinkedIn or Facebook or YouTube or TikTok, well then you probably don't have internet at this moment, because you're going to stumble over me somewhere.
Speaker 1:That's right. They're going to find you, whether they like to or not. Right, that's right. That's what I always say.
Speaker 2:Please reach out anytime if you have any questions related to the image of leadership and real estate. It's one of my favorite industries to work with.
Speaker 1:That's great. That's great, and we're glad to work with you too, and I'm glad you were on the show. That was just so much information. We're definitely going to have you back, hopefully in person, next time. If not, we'll have you back just the way we are right now.
Speaker 2:All right. Thank you very much for having me and say hello to Hugo around the corner and the family and once again, congratulations. To now more than 200 episodes.
Speaker 1:Thank you.
Speaker 2:I really enjoyed your anniversary episodes.
Speaker 1:Appreciate it. Thanks so much, sylvie. We appreciate it. All right, all right. Wow, what a great show, amazing show. Yes, sylvie D, yeah, make sure you get this right. Dejusto, the power of choice, the image of leadership. She's just amazing. Pick up her book, for sure. It's a great book. She's going to be writing a new one called Make Me Feel Important. That'll be coming out, I'm sure, hopefully in 2025. All right, that's about it. Thanks for joining us every Thursday at 7 pm. We'll see you next week. All right, bye.
