Communications Playbook Colorado Calling Campaign

COMMUNICATION PLAYBOOK Who we are Our geography and origin story What our brand stands for Our difference Forbes Global Properties membership LeadingRE membership To agents To clients

HOW TO USE THIS PLAYBOOK A singular, consistent message will go a long way to solidify the Slifer Smith & Frampton story in the minds of employees, brokers and the public. Repeated, consistent messaging and common answers to common questions gets everyone on the same page about who we are, why we’re here, what makes us different, and why they should choose us. It also sets up each one of us to be ambassadors for the brand going forward.

This document should be used as a single source of truth for telling the core stories that exist within our brand. We should share it with all employees and, in parts, brokers — existing and new.

Communication Playbook

WHO WE ARE Slifer Smith & Frampton is a real estate company made of givers, doers, high achievers, and friends. We are in many ways ambassadors of the communities we serve.

We’re a Colorado company, serving key desirable communities and destinations throughout the Front Range, Summit County, Vail Valley, and Roaring Fork Valley.

We are independently owned and operated with a heavy emphasis on building local relationships and connections, investing in local communities and careers, and pioneering new ways of serving people and doing business.

We leverage an exclusive membership with Forbes Global Properties, which gives us access to a global network of elite real estate professionals and the clients they represent.

Communication Playbook

OUR GEOGRAPHY & HISTORY Our company was started in Vail in 1962 by Vail’s first real estate agent, Rod Slifer. In the following years he would join with visionary leaders Mark Smith & Harry Frampton who saw a big future in Vail and other neighboring mountain resort communities. We have since expanded into Summit County, Roaring Fork Valley and the Front Range.

Our expansion in both the Front Range and in Roaring Fork was built on a shared vision and ethos with each of the market presidents in those areas. Krista Klees in Roaring Fork and Joel and Orly Ripmaster in the Front Range, each built valuable companies on the foundation of authentic local relationships and an adherence to high standards of business. They share the Slifer Smith & Frampton connection to place, and a track record of investing locally and in good people in a way that fits perfectly with our brand.

Communication Playbook

WHAT OUR BRAND STANDS FOR Slifer Smith & Frampton stands for connection, support, and success in Colorado real estate. We are committed like no other to investing in our communities and the things that matter most here. We carry a responsibility to this area of the world, to the profession we work in, to our clients, and to each other.

Our brand ethos sums up our vision, mission, and point of view on the work we all do together: Beyond a love for Colorado is a passion for its spirit, its people and its potential.

That’s Slifer Smith & Frampton. We are pioneers with a shared vision: to cultivate careers and communities that thrive together. We are committed like no other, investing in people, places, and local business here in a way that builds us all up for the greatest good of our region. Colorado is our canvas, our home, our future.

Communication Playbook

OUR DIFFERENCE OUR COLORADO NETWORK. We are unlike national brokerages that often are managed at the corporate level in another state entirely. We are unlike local boutique brokerages that solely focus on one or two markets or micro-markets. We are the only brokerage solely focused on cultivating and building Colorado as both a home and destination for people within the state and across the globe. Our wide, yet focused geographic footprint affords us an expertise, history, and network of professionals squarely immersed in the Colorado lifestyle.

OUR PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT AND SUPPORT. We love brokers and believe in the power of an excellent, supported broker to make a world of difference in their clients’ lives and in the communities they serve. Our support includes dedicated staff, ongoing education and training, a full suite of technology, and growth opportunities for everyone from staff to top producing brokers.

OUR FORBES GLOBAL PROPERTIES MEMBERSHIP. Many of our markets are highly desirable places to live full or part-time for people all over the world. As a founding member of Forbes Global Properties, we can strategically tap into a global network of professionals representing clients who want to buy here, and global marketing opportunities for eligible properties.

OUR INDEPENDENCE, SIZE AND FOCUS. As a regionally-focused, non-affiliated real estate company, we have many more resources than smaller independent firms, and the ability to double down on local Colorado communities and lifestyle in a way no national brand could ever touch. Both our Forbes Global Properties and Leading Real Estate Companies of the World memberships give us exclusive access and connections to luxury brokers and consumers worldwide.

OUR CHARITABLE GIVING AND COMMUNITY SERVICE. Part of our ethos has always been to cultivate and grow local communities by giving back, supporting important local causes, and showing up to serve.

Communication Playbook

WE’RE A COLORADO COMPANY THAT’S FULLY INVESTED IN OUR PEOPLE & OUR PLACE.

FORBES GLOBAL PROPERTIES MEMBERSHIP Slifer Smith & Frampton is a founding member of Forbes Global Properties, the exclusive worldwide real estate partner of Forbes. What makes this membership unique is that it is reserved for the most distinguished brokerages in select cities and destinations around the world. It is a consortium of top-tier companies that represent many of the world’s finest homes.

KEY BENEFITS FOR OUR AGENTS: » The Forbes brand is well established and revered as one of the most trusted brands in the business world. It is recognized and understood by people throughout Colorado and the world. Our adoption of the Forbes brand serves as a powerful additive to our regionally and locally known brand. » Membership is market exclusive, and therefore signals to the public that our company is distinguished and top-tier. » The Forbes Global Properties worldwide network connects our company to top-tier brokerages in key markets across the globe, and brokers who represent top-tier buyers and sellers. » Marketing opportunities for qualified listings on ForbesGlobalProperties.com and its dedicated page on Forbes.com. » A powerful talking point to consumers with qualified listings when asked how you will market their home to an international pool of qualified buyers. » A powerful internationally known brand to align your personal brand with.

Communication Playbook

FORBES GLOBAL PROPERTIES MEMBERSHIP KEY BENEFITS FOR OUR CLIENTS: » The Forbes Global Properties membership creates access and opens marketing opportunities for properties in the luxury category as noted in the first two bullets below. » Marketing opportunities for your home to a worldwide audience of 150 million people across the Forbes Global Properties website, newsletters, advertising and editorial channels. » Access to the Forbes Global Properties network of agents who represent high-quality buyers in top markets across the globe. » And beyond this, there are benefits to every buyer and seller, regardless of whether they’re in the luxury category, including: Knowing you’re working with a brokerage company that’s been vetted by one of the most trusted brands in business. Forbes Global Properties is exclusive by market, and Slifer Smith & Frampton was invited to represent our key markets throughout Colorado.

Communication Playbook

THE FORBES MEMBERSHIP STANDS FOR GLOBAL RECOGNITION & ACCESS.

LEADING RE MEMBERSHIP Slifer Smith & Frampton is also a member of Leading Real Estate Companies of the World, the largest global network of premier, locally branded companies, and its luxury marketing division, Luxury Portfolio International. LeadingRE is by invitation only, reserved for top-tier companies that are not affiliated with a national brand.

KEY BENEFITS FOR OUR AGENTS: » A powerful talking point to consumers with qualified listings when asked how you will market their home to an international pool of qualified buyers. » Slifer Smith & Frampton listings are promoted on LeadingRE.com, which then connects to the websites of over 550 affiliated real estate companies, representing 4,700 offices and 136,000 sales associates across 70 countries. » Marketing opportunities in Luxury Portfolio International for qualifying listings.

KEY BENEFITS FOR OUR CLIENTS: » Marketing opportunities for your home to a worldwide audience of 136,000 sales associates from toptier real estate firms in 70 countries » Know you’re working with a brokerage company that’s been vetted by one of the most trusted organizations in business.

Communication Playbook

THE LEADING RE AND LUXURY PORTFOLIO INTERNATIONAL MEMBERSHIP STANDS FOR GLOBAL CONNECTION AND ACCESS TO LUXURY BROKERS AND THEIR CLIENTS.

COMMUNICATING WITH AGENTS When communicating with agents, it’s important to emphasize the pillars of our core value proposition — our Colorado network, our support and professional development, and our Forbes membership.

Some may look at our size and our Forbes membership and assume we are a large corporate entity no different from a national brokerage firm. We will counter that assumption by showing and talking about our collaborative, caring culture and passion for cultivating communities throughout the Front Range, Summit County, Vail Valley, and Roaring Fork Valley. Our marketing will emphasize people, our shared connection to Colorado and the Colorado lifestyle.

KEY POINTS: » Our independence gives you flexibility in how you want to grow your business, as long as it meets our standards at every step. » Our collaborative culture gives you accountability, mentorship, and brokers who have your back in both challenging situations and times when you want to be able to take a vacation without leaving your clients in the dark. » We always foster a path to growth, both for employees who want to become brokers and for brokers who want to take on more clients or level up their transaction size. » We understand the importance of liking your job and the people you work with, and we offer many opportunities to create lasting bonds and stoke passion for the business.

Communication Playbook

COMMUNICATING WITH CLIENTS When brokers prospect for listings and buyer engagements, the key messages to convey to consumers regarding the Slifer Smith & Frampton brand are: » When you work with a Slifer Smith & Frampton broker, your commission dollars stay in Colorado, and you’re working with a company that’s committed to investing in the region. » Slifer Smith & Frampton is constantly investing in my training and education, in support staff to handle details of your transaction, and in technology to ensure you buy and sell with ease and modern efficiencies. The company has built and is constantly improving a world-class technology suite that remains competitive with every national company offering. » Being independent enables Slifer Smith & Frampton to control the quality of brokers and participate in our local communities in ways that are impossible for a larger national brand.

Communication Playbook