While many real estate professionals rely on the credibility and good names of the companies they work for, most do not realize it is their own personal brand that closes a lot of deals.

Building that brand can help both professionally and in one’s personal life, said Debbie Phillips, of The Quadrillion company and one of many speakers at the 16th annual Alabama Commercial Real Estate Conference & Expo, which is presented by the Alabama Center for Real Estate.

The conference is Jan. 29 at the Cahaba Grand Conference Center in Birmingham.

The Alabama Center for Real Estate hosts the conference in Birmingham each year. To learn more about the conference, click here.

For a full list of ACREcon speakers, click here. 

To register for ACREcon 2016, click here. 

Phillips will talk about topics aimed to lead professionals to a higher volume of leads, sales volume and success in professional and personal life.

Phillips talked about what she will bring to the table at the 2016 ACREcon.

Debbie Phillips – The Quadrillion

ACRE: What makes having a personal brand so important, and why should professionals not solely rely on the brands of the companies they work with for long-term success?

Phillips: Even though real estate transactions involve many team members, generally the deal is won or lost due to interactions with individuals. A personal brand defines the integrity, the knowledge, skills and abilities of the person, and then collectively a company forms a brand or a culture. There is so much movement in the market today and people are working for companies that not only provide a “paycheck” but also a platform to do meaningful work. Clients will follow the professional that takes care of them over the long haul. I’ve been in the business for over 25 years and I still work with many of the same people today!

Their business cards have changed over the years as they have grown as professionals and accepted promotions. One thing that never goes out of style is experience. People want to do business with experienced professionals that are ethical, knowledgeable and dependable. People want to be in the boat with people who are as passionate about success as they are and willing to hang in there when the going gets tough.

We all remember market cycles and we also remember the people that stuck with us when times were tough. Anyone can look successful in strong markets, but what defines a professional and their brand is how they handle adversity, challenges and overcome obstacles. A personal brand is what you are known for in the marketplace. There are people who have a mindset of carving up “the pie” and there are others who think about how to make a larger pie. I call those people “expanders” and it’s a mental mindset. It’s not hard to identify a person’s brand … look how they dress, read what they write, listen to what comes out of their mouths and above all, watch how they treat others. That’s what defines a person’s brand!

ACRE: You mention your strategies help both professionally and personally. Can you elaborate on what the benefits are in a professional’s personal life?

Phillips: Absolutely! If a person is mindful about their personal interactions, their professional success will be an outpouring of their personal success. You rarely see a person that is ultrasuccessful that doesn’t have his/her mental game intact! Business is tough. Being an entrepreneur, or at least thinking like an entrepreneur, is not for the faint at heart! Grayson (Glaze) and I laughed about the word grit the other day. As a true teacher, I’m always using acronyms.

My definition for grit is Going the extra mile, Responding professionally, Inspiring others around you, and Taking time to think! We get so rushed and make snap decisions that we sometimes end up regretting. I’m developing an entire series around being intentional and paying close attention to things that matter most! I recommend that people put “thinking on their calendar” so that they can get clarity around what’s most important.

We live in unprecedented times when everything is offered at a “click of a button.” We need to all slow down and focus. When we get clarity about what is truly important, we put the time, effort and resources around what is truly important. Success is a byproduct of being fully engaged in our work. When we are fully engaged, this is the secret to living a full life. Being completely engaged with what you are doing in the here and now. Instead of calling it work, realize it is play! That is living in your “genius zone” and there’s no delineation between personal and professional success!

ACRE: Our theme this year is “Higher.” In what ways do your strategies elevate professionals to a higher strata?

Phillips: I encourage people to ask themselves three very important questions: 1). Why? 2). Why not? 3). What’s next? Everyone has personal motivations for every action. I ask myself and others: Why are we doing what we are doing? That is a huge compelling question. Why not? Most people wait for others to make decisions for them. How many times have we worked for a bad boss or had a negative work environment and tried to talk ourselves into “waiting it out,” when in reality we were afraid to take a risk and speak up or make a move, and end up settling for mediocrity. I don’t know about you, but the hardest times in my career have been times that I didn’t satisfy myself or I robbed myself of personal peace.

I knew things weren’t right and I didn’t have the courage to confront the situation or better yet, improve things for me! Ultimately, it’s like Stephen Covey said in “7 Habits of Highly Effective People,” you can’t keep expecting golden eggs if you don’t take care of the goose! What’s next? We all need to reach higher and expect more out of ourselves. You can’t expect things to change if we don’t change ourselves first. We should constantly be asking ourselves, “What’s next?”

I ask my clients, what was your headline moment for 2015? What will it be for 2016? Think about the skills, resources, attitudes that it took for you to get to that headline moment. What will we have to do again, or even differently, to accomplish that next headline moment. Insanity has been defined as doing the same things the same way and expecting different results. We have all experienced insanity at one time in our lives, if not more. It’s time for a mental shift. We’ve got to recalibrate and examine our values, our goals and get going. Start asking, “What’s next?” Ask it every day!

ACRE: Alabama’s largest metro has about 1.4 million people, certainly smaller than Atlanta, Nashville, etc. How important is enhancing your personal brand in smaller cities like Birmingham, Huntsville, Montgomery and Mobile and even rural areas?

Phillips: A personal brand follows you everywhere. It doesn’t have boundaries. We are only limited by our thinking. That’s why I named my company The Quadrillion. It’s big. Social media has proven that a brand expands! For professionals who have business in smaller markets, they should aim to outperform the market! Be the best in the market or in your area of expertise and your brand speaks for itself. Everyone wants to associate with a winner!