David Kurz directly addresses the camera:  Did you know there are more than 1.4 million Realtors out there? Of course, this number doesn't even include real estate professionals who aren't members of the National Association of Realtors®. How do you stand out? 

I'm David Kurz, broker/owner of Kurz Real Estate Corp. in Miami and President of the Real Talk business and real estate conference. Let's take five minutes to talk about growing your brand.  

Branding isn't just about your logo and business cards. Brand is all encompassing. It's about what you deliver, how you deliver it, what your niche is, where your market is, how you treat people, what people can expect from you and what you can expect from others. All of this becomes your brand. The method is how you deliver it.  

Let's think about Nike or Apple. Is their brand all about their logo?  Or, is it all about what they deliver? Will you jump higher than Michael Jordan?  Will you have the coolest smartphone out there?  

For the purpose of this video, let's focus on teams. Is your team branded to the team leader? What if something happens to the team leader tomorrow?  Will the team continue to succeed or is it all over?  

Your first step to building a brand that lasts beyond the leader is to have a strategy session. Pull in your broker, a mentor, team members, family — anyone who can help define the team's culture, and talk about what the team represents and so on. Figure out how you get business and what message you want to put out to the world. This is the most critical part.  Who are you?  Once you know this – you have the beginning of a brand.  

Next, complete    a plan of attack. Some people call it their marketing or business plan. My plan of attack gives me a method for living my brand through the messaging, the logo, the colors and more. Remove your face from the business and make it about the team and your messaging. Remember, your brand almost always begins as a single agent with a face. The goal is to grow past that to develop a team that is not dependent upon its founder.  

Here are a couple of tips:
1. Create a brand for the team.  GET THE TEAM INVOLVED in this process.
2. Use your team in photos and videos. 
3. Show up to listing appointments with members of your team. 
4. Use your logo on everything. Advertisements .  Hats.  Jackets.  Shirts. Business cards. Websites.
5. Hold your team accountable. No one at Apple headquarters is walking around with a Microsoft Windows logo on their polo. 

Finally, create consistency in the message. Truly evaluate what your customers and agents should expect from you. What should they expect from your team? Then, phase out the leader and focus on the message. For example, our message is Allow Us to Move You. Use your message in your marketing, make it the focus of all of your campaigns and conversations. Make sure your message is sustainable. For example, my wife used to be a Realtor and her slogan was Yorkie to Success. She carried around her Yorkie puppy everywhere and featured it in all her marketing. However, it wasn't sustainable. She was tired of carrying around the dog. She worried it would jump out of her purse, run into the street, get hit by a car in the middle of a showing. It didn't work for her branding. So, be sure your brand is sustainable.

Remember, creating a brand is about more than just your logo. It's about your team's core values and how you do business. It's about every member of your team knowing how to relay the message. 

Once you know that, the rest is just marketing that message.