Sofia Nadjibi—a 20-year veteran of the real estate lending business—needed more acute and approachable communication. Her voice and vibrant personality was a large factor in her success. But, it was not doing the heavy lifting it should on her website, in her emails, or in her direct mail pieces. 

Through multiple meetings with Sofia, I was able to understand her charisma the persona of the clients she wanted to attract. Sofia truly loved helping people, be it through charity and volunteer work or ensure they were able to secure their dream home. 

I collaborated with Sofia and designer Allie Fornesi at knockout.design to bring forth her caring nature and personable outlook while catering to her sophisticated and affluent client base.

Design by
Allie Fornesi / knockout.design

With over $400M in loans and 20 years in the business after immigrating from Sweden, Sofia's story needed to be prominent. In her past communication, everything about her was hidden, while everything about her landed her the most referrals—which is 90% of her new business.

I rewrote her bio with a threaded narrative: putting stats high, followed by history, insight into her personality, and finally intimate fun facts. Sofia has reported her clients feel like they already know her—simply by visiting her website. 

Design by
Allie Fornesi / knockout.design

The steps to securing a real estate loan can be daunting and convoluted. Sofia dealt with this problem every time she sat down with a new prospective client.

Previously, communication surrounding the process of getting a loan was packed with industry language and statistics. I suggested an approach that was broken up into easily digestible steps and described with translatable language anyone could relate to. Language that reflected the overall aesthetic of her business—high-end, friendly, sophisticated, and convenient.  

A top-ten rule of copywriting: a confused reader doesn't make a consumer. And this was very true when it came to real estate loans. It's a challenging and intimidating industry; the same can be said for a consumer setting out to procure a loan. 

I made certain to use brief sentences (interspersed with some longer syntax for dexterity) and leave out all the jargon familiar only to real estate agents and lenders.

I provided Sofia's potential clients a look inside her business without scaring them off, detailing the intricacies of which loan might be appropriate for which client.

Sofia handed me six raw content case studies. I crafted each employing a four-part construct: Situation, Challenge: Solution, Result. 

This structure provided consistency and an inherently attractive linear storytelling format. I also attached punchy, fun-but-expository headlines, providing the reader with an enjoyable intro. These were as enjoyable to read, as they were to write.