Interprsonal Relations Case 5.2 - Kevin, the Twitter Guy

1. How well is Kevin doing in terms of projecting the image of an intelligent professional?

Kevin is not projecting a professional image during his social networking on Twitter and is actually harming his online professional image. If I were in the market to purchase a new home and happened to be one of Kevin’s followers, I would probably look elsewhere for a real estate agent. When I look for somebody “new” to do business with it is very important that the person display a professional image, while providing with valuable information. I do not care if the person cooks good barbeque, who sent him or her Valentine Day cards, or any of the other jargon that Kevin has tweeted. I definitely do not want my real estate agent to tell me to watch my Body Mass Index. During the initial stages of a new business relationship, I am primarily interested in how you can help me or how am I going to help you. All the small talk is better left for later once the business relationship is strong and trust has been established. Kevin’s tweets are telling me to stay away from him because he is contagious with pink eye, that he may not show up for an appointment because his transmission went out or worse break down with me in it, and that he can’t show me houses unless I want to be miserable in a hot car without air conditioning.

2. What advice might you give to Kevin so that his tweeting might lead to more referrals?

If I were Kevin’s colleague or friend, I would advise him posting personal information on a website where he is trying to find new clients isn’t professional and in fact potentially harms relations with current clients as well as future clients. I would recommend Kevin post useful facts related to his market, new listings, when interest rates drop, and current home owner incentives. By posting useful information relative to his market, makes him appear more knowledgeable and valuable. Kevin should be made aware that by tweeting too much about needless...