Agents Step Up to the Mic at Podcast Booth

“As you are improving the REALTOR® brand, helping us position ourselves nationally, what are the metrics that you’re using to measure your success in that field?” Compass real estate broker Kameron Kang asked.

Kang sat at a microphone in the “NAR REALTOR® News Change Agents” podcast booth, in the middle of the expo floor. Roughly 8,000 attendees explored the 75 tech and business tool exhibits during REALTORS® Legislative Meetings, this week in Washington, D.C. Attendees were encouraged to tape questions that will air on future episodes. They also enjoyed T-shirts promoting the podcast and refreshments.

NAR’s Chief Marketing and Communications Officer Bennett Richardson, who is also the series’ driving creative force, welcomed the question, citing survey results.

“[There are] a couple of questions and metrics that are really important for us to see,” Richardson said. “One, are you aware of the REALTOR® designation, right? Then, are you aware of the difference between a REALTOR® and a licensee—a REALTOR® and a real estate agent? And then once we understand that awareness, then it shifts to preference. And we say, ‘Do you actively look out for working with a REALTOR®?’ And then we also say, ‘After you saw this ad, were you more likely to look out for working with a REALTOR®?’

“And the really exciting thing there is that all of those are really at an all-time high,” Richardson continued, highlighting that over the past decade, awareness of the distinction has grown by 30% as a result of NAR’s consumer engagement efforts. “Just this year, we’ve been able to increase use-intent by 20%. So, that’s looking at folks saying, yes, I saw these ads and I intend to specifically work with a REALTOR® afterwards.”

Launched in March, the podcast offers a window into the thinking of real estate thought leaders as they candidly examine the forces reshaping the market. The podcast has already landed A-list guests including eXp Realty CEO Leo Pareja, who kicked off the series, Brown Harris Stevens CEO Bess Freedman and NextHome President James Dwiggins.

The podcast is hosted by Richardson, and it has also featured NAR leaders as guest hosts including Chief Executive Officer Nykia Wright, Senior Vice President of Industry Relations Jarrod Grasso and Chief Economist Lawrence Yun.

“‘NAR REALTOR® News Change Agents’ is designed to put our members closer to the conversations driving the industry—so they walk away better prepared for their next transaction,” Richardson says. “At the annual conference, we’re extending that experience beyond the podcast with an interactive booth where members can listen in, explore topics in real time and even pose their own questions to NAR’s senior leadership.”

On Wednesday, a new episode will drop where Richardson interviews real estate pro and golfer Brandon Holtz on the putting green, ahead of Holtz’s debut at the U.S. Open on Thursday.

At the booth, members got the chance to ask several NAR leaders all sorts of questions.

“Some of the things that you’re giving us is really helpful, but ... what’s some of your advice for someone who is [camera] shy?” asked broker Kim Pichiarella, a REALTOR® of 41 years from Knoxville, Tenn.

NAR Vice President of Communications Raffi Williams sat in the hot seat this time. He encouraged Pichiarella to be confident in her own ability and reminded her that making mistakes is inevitable.

“I do the NAR This Week video, and every week there’s something I look back [on] and go, ‘Shoot, I should have done that a different way’ or ‘I didn't quite deliver that line quite the way I wanted,’” Williams said. “But you know what? The fact that I’m putting myself out there and being out there, people are receiving it well. They understand I’m a human. I’m not perfect.”