Changing the shape of the lawn sign was a smart move for maverick realty company PropertyGuys.com

When you’re offering something fresh and new, and potential clients don’t know it, you have a major problem. In the beginning, most people thought PropertyGuys.com was just another real estate agent or broker; most had no clue the company helps homeowners sell their houses privately. Early in 2007 president and CEO Ken LeBlanc realized the depth of the problem. “Not enough people got who we really are,” he says. “They still confused us with real estate agents, which we’re not. How could we make people realize we really are different?”

LeBlanc was mulling over this challenge while attending a communication workshop at the Wizard Academy in Austin, Tex. During a group discussion on thinking outside the box, academy founder Roy H. Williams casually mentioned to the Property Guys team that all real estate agents have one thing in common: rectangular signs. “The colour of your sign and the name of your company is the only way to distinguish yourself,” Williams told them. “Why has no company ever had a round sign with one leg, like a giant lollypop?” Within half an hour, LeBlanc was e-mailing his head office in Moncton to find out what it would cost for new signs. “It was intuition,” he says. “When we heard it, we knew it was right. Our guts said go.”

Sometimes when our guts say yes, our head demands time to examine the details. A few months of feverish discussions and preparations ensued before the PropertyGuys.com partners decided to launch a $500,000 rebranding program. Their colourful round signs were the most obvious change; in addition, they introduced a redesigned website, new marketing material, a new logo, a provocative advertising campaign, and a new tag line: “Sell your house. Pay yourself.”

The new brand was revealed at the company’s 10th-anniversary conference in February. Within three months the new signs were boldly adorning lawns across the country. A radio campaign asking listeners if it was fair to list their house with a “Joe Schmo” real estate agent who would pocket a large commission also caused a stir. Fifteen radio stations in Canada banned the ads; LeBlanc took all negative comments with a grain of salt, realizing that the ad’s message had the power to move people. Its aggressiveness was toned down slightly, but the Joe Schmo angle was retained and continued to air.

The Property Guys’ gut feeling proved right; all of the changes have helped the company soar. In 2007 its website had fewer than 6,000 listings; this year it will likely boast 10,000. The number of franchise offices has risen too, from 83 to 111. Hits on the website increased significantly as well and are climbing toward half a million visitors per month. Plus, PropertyGuys.com received both the 2008 Award of Excellence from the Canadian Franchise Association and the CFA’s Frankie Award for innovative brochures in the consumer retail category.

Making the leap to round signs and a new marketing strategy has paid off, and that success is being felt not only at head office but also across the land. “The biggest change was the positive energy for our franchisees. It was a rebirth, as we now have a clear meaning and a clear purpose,” says LeBlanc. “Our franchisees had to explain every single day that we are not a realtor. Now they can concentrate on helping people sell their house.”