Snow Job

Now I consider myself a pretty good marketer, and Real Estate is all about marketing oneself. You get your name out there so much that folks take it for granted that you will sell their home. Today's storm here in my corner of the world (snow -- quite a lot -- for my Arizona readers who love to gloat over their wonder weather) has brought to my attention a marketer excellante!...read that as "without shame."

I get a call from a client one streets over. He says, "What a great idea, why didn't you think of it."

"Pray tell, what?" I say.

"The snow blower. The broker. Some broker has a guy with a snow blower going up and down the streets clearing the sidewalks for everybody!"

"Wow," I say dumbfounded, "but how do you know it is a broker?"

"Business cards being dropped off in the mailboxes. On the back is a handwritten note that says,'Isn't winter wonderful, especially when you don't have to shovel? All the best, Mike'."

Mind you, I am a skeptical sort, and when I, too, got the Snow Job, I made a point to saunter out and see who was actually doing the "blowing". Turns out, it's my neighbor, the good one who coaches every kid team, is on the town committees, a real Suzy Creamcheese.

So I ask him, "Why are you working with that guy?"

"I'm not working with 'that guy' or any other guy. I'm just using my new blower, just like the last storm."

So I him the card and the Good Neighbor says, "What THE @#%& is this $*&%!!! Who the @#&% is this guy?!?"

The good neighbor pulls out the Cell and gets "Mike the broker"on the blower. And they talk...and talk.

Neighbor relates that "Mike's been follwoing me around dropping off these little notes,...writing them up and dumping them about five houses behind me! Got the idea when he saw me doing the sidewalks it in the last storm! He tells me -- quote -- 'I never said I was doing the blowing, or for that matter I never said I had ANYTHING to do with the blowing. I just made a comment...a winter comment' Do you believe this guy?" the Good Neighbor rants, "That is disgusting!"

No, that is for some people sadly, marketing.