Tip: Put a system in place and stick with it, so you provide what you say you’re going to provide.
What’s in a name? If your name is Toril Buller, the answer is, more business.
Since starting her career at 19, Buller has made the slogan “Toril Sells Houses” ubiquitous throughout northwest Washington. She’s had it written by skywriters above Lake Tapps on the Fourth of July, on billboards around King County, across TV screens as part of a local real estate show, on her license plate, and at www.torilsellshouses.com. “Having a unique name has made it easier for me to set myself apart,” says Buller, co-owner of ERA Premier Realty Associates, in Sumner, Wash. “I’ve had a lot of fun with it, too.”
Sometimes, people call Buller and ask, “Is this Toril of ‘Toril Sells Houses’?” she says. “Some people think my last name is ‘Sells.’”
Of course, getting your name in front of people is only part of the job; the other part is converting those people to customers and referral sources. She’s done plenty of that. She closed 87 transactions in 2001 for $16.5 million, making her the top ERA associate in Washington.
“I’m just genuinely interested in people,” she says. “If there’s a message waiting for me, I can’t wait to see who it is and how I can help.”