Andrea Vilallonga: «If you justify yourself in the face of a prejudice, you are validating the attack»

Andrea Vilallonga has been through the Real People podcast to dismantle the clichés of the real estate profession and teach us that, in communication, sometimes the best response is to put on «the trout suit»

In the first episode of Real People we invited Andrea Vilallonga, expert in communication, positive impact and personal branding, to discuss one of the real estate sector's greatest challenges: how to tackle the prejudices that still weigh upon the profession. With an extensive career as a trainer, speaker and author of the books Look at yourself y Fall in love, Andrea shares tools for communicating with authenticity, managing criticism and transforming how others perceive us.

The myth of bad reputation: «Money, crisis and urban legends»

One of the most complex issues we tackled alongside Andrea is the eternal stigma that follows the estate agent community. Far from falling into self-complacent discourses, her analysis invites us to understand the origin of this social prejudice in order to combat it at the root.

• The stigma of the sectors linked to money: Certain businesses —such as banking, insurance, or real estate— are intrinsically linked to people's wealth and finances. When these sectors go through historical crises or runaway booms, their collective reputation suffers a total rejection. The customer's fear of being deceived raises automatic defences.
• The disconnect between prejudice and reality: Although popular culture portrays the agent as a greedy shark, the reality that Andrea observes on the high street is completely different. There is a huge paradox.

«At a macro level, the sector is criticised, but at a micro level, clients end up really liking and valuing their advisers because, throughout the process, a close bond of immense trust is forged.».

Relational metamorphosis: From «I» to «you»

In her research and training programmes, Andrea emphasises that we are experiencing a profound shift in relational paradigms, which has accelerated in the wake of the pandemic. The era of the aggressive estate agent, with their cookie-cutter approach, is now a thing of the past.

That ego-driven model — in which the professional focused on their car, their suit, their turnover records and their rush to close the deal — no longer resonates with today’s society.

«These days, excellent communication requires a shift in focus: less I and much more you. »Authenticity is on the rise’.

Dressing in rigid codes is no longer synonymous with professionalism; what truly builds trust is presenting oneself to the client in a genuine, coherent and transparent way.

Positive impact tools: «Escuchanza and tempo»

To bring this philosophy into the day-to-day of visits and negotiations, Andrea suggests replacing old sales tactics with a seduction process based on respect and time.

• Active «listening»: A good sale isn't about talking endlessly to convince the other person, but quite the opposite: talking less than the client. It involves asking the right questions, patiently delving into their real needs and, above all, learning to observe how the person reacts when entering a property, what they look at and how they feel.
• Follow, don’t lead: On a non-verbal level, Andrea gives us a masterclass for viewings: the estate agent should walk behind the client, not in front, acting as if they were a guide in an art gallery. You have to allow both physical and temporal space for the person to envisage their own future in the house.
• Tune the tempo: An immediate emotional connection is achieved when the professional is able to pick up on and match the client’s pace. If the other person is quick and decisive, we must adapt to their pace; if they are unhurried and thoughtful, we must slow down. Synchronising our paces is the key to harmony.

‘Influencer’ vs. ‘Referencer’: The value of the long term

Building a personal brand as a estate agent in the digital world is another major challenge facing the sector, which is often fixated on turning its social media accounts into dull advertising boards for properties for sale.

Andrea introduces a brilliant conceptual distinction to help us choose our strategic path: the difference between the influencer and the referencer. Whilst the former aims for a quick impact, a growing following and immediate profit through eye-catching content, the referencer It focuses on teaching, technical expertise and building a genuine community. It is a slower process and requires more patience, but it builds an unshakeable foundation for the long term.

The antidote to victimhood: The «trout suit»

Being a estate agent sometimes means having to bear a heavy burden due to society’s cognitive biases. In light of this, Andrea Vilallonga’s stance is refreshing and unequivocal: «Enough of this playing the victim. Prejudice will always exist, but complaining or rushing to justify oneself in the face of an attack only serves to validate the opinion of the attacker.

Andrea’s proposal is the «trout suit»: learning to smile, letting outdated comments roll off our backs, and proving through our daily dedication that the stereotype is a lie. She also highlights the crucial importance of working under the umbrella of brands that promote «us» rather than «me», turning the agency into a close-knit team that supports, trains and breaks down the traditional isolation of the consultant.

A vision that aligns with Monapart’s philosophy, where each professional develops their own brand and independence, whilst benefiting from a network that supports and encourages them, and prevents them from feeling «left out in the cold». You can find out more about how we approach this way of working at our community of agents.

Andrea Vilallonga's time on Real People make one thing clear: dignifying the sector is not about combating prejudices one by one, but about communicating with authenticity, building relationships of trust and demonstrating, with every experience, the real value of the profession.