Candy and Chik fil-A Biscuits = Home Inspection Riches

[Nick Ostrowski]

I got an e-mail pitch from some company offering to set me up with a real estate based on-line social network as a way of increasing business. Some of the benefits it touts is that it will Provide you with a way to
"get in" with real estate agents . But the verbiage that caught my eye was "ad spots give you leverage and will earn "brownie points" for you with participating real estate agencies that will certainly appreciate the local advertising space".

After that, I couldn't resist and had to tell them how I felt about the term "brownie points" and questioned their sanity. In exchange, I received this eloquent response:

No, I'm not insane. If home inspectors weren't after "brownie points", then
thousands of pounds of candy and Chick-fil-a bisquits wouldn't be given away
each year to real estate agents. Otherwise, they'd just hire inspector
based solely on their skills and experience. Nonetheless, this is normal
business, and you are WAY too sensitive to basic terminoloy. Whether you
call it "brownie points" or "bribe", it all has the same function....to win
the agent's business. Quit focusing on the little things.

If you don't like our "sh#t", then follow the directions and unsubscribe
from our mailers using the appropriate automated form.

There you have it gentlemen. The road to home inspection riches is paved in candy and Chik-fil-A biscuits. Stock up on these sugary and starchy treats and watch your bank accounts explode.

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[Scott Patterson]

Hey, it's hard to go wrong with a Cick-fil-A biscuit! This must have been from that marketing guy out of the Atlanta area.

[Nick Ostrowski]

Yeah, sounds like it Scott. He's based in Duluth GA. Here are some more tidbits I got from him as he kept feeling the need to reply to me:

"Yeah...."people like me" and 25,000 other inspectors who understand that
"reciprocation" and "enticements" are a normal part of doing, and getting,
business. You are obviously one of those inspectors who buy into the
emotional part of the argument that inspectors and agents need to feel some
sort of moral delima for doing business together and referring work to
one-another. More power to you. You also sound like an amatuer business
person, Mr. Sensitive."

[Scott Patterson]

Yeah, sounds like it Scott. He's based in Duluth GA. Here are some more tidbits I got from him as he kept feeling the need to reply to me:

"Yeah...."people like me" and 25,000 other inspectors who understand that
"reciprocation" and "enticements" are a normal part of doing, and getting,
business. You are obviously one of those inspectors who buy into the
emotional part of the argument that inspectors and agents need to feel some
sort of moral delima for doing business together and referring work to
one-another. More power to you. You also sound like an amatuer business
person, Mr. Sensitive."

Yep, that sounds like Ken Comp... He does not like it when anyone says anything negative or offers a counterpoint to what he does. His program looks like he took many of his ideas from the guy over in the Dallas TX area that does the same thing, but with a little more class and tact.

[John Arnold]

...You also sound like an amatuer business
person, Mr. Sensitive."

Yikes. A classic case of the pot calling the kettle black!
If he's who I think he is, I've had him on my blocked sender list for a long time.

[Ted Menelly]

I hate to side on insanity, well, maybe not side, but I know a few inspectors that drop pizza off at Realtor offices and such things like that. They see food and a card or brochure next to the pizza often enough along with everyday marketing materials and you will get referrals from many realtors.

Sad but true a bribe does work. I just cannot bring myself to do it. Have I done the 2 minute talks at realtor offices, yes. Did I follow up with pizzas once a week, no. It was bad enough doing a 2 minute meet and greet or they call it a presentation of your business. Those breakfast burritos and OJ to get that 2 minute talk was bad enough.

Anywho...........Bribery does work if you wish to pursue that route. I have seen it work with other inspectors.

I do know of an inspector that built his business up to 3 additional inspectors with food bribes. He stopped doing it, he lost the referrals because someone else was in the realtors faces all the time. He started back up and built his business back up.

No these guys are not insane. They are teaching people what the basic person will accept to gain their referral business. Nothing like a good back rub. Spend about a grand and offer free massages for a day at a realtors office and see what happens. They are going to remember you as the man that provided those few massage folks with the majic fingers. You will get referrals. All that crap does work and works very, very well. You would just have to put yourself in the frame of mind to do it.

Marketing, marketing, marketing. There are ways to spend and throw away a few thousand in advertising dollars. Make it personal with food, smiles, back rubs etc and you will be amazed at what will take place.

[Nick Ostrowski]

I'm not doubting that any of this stuff works Ted. It's just embarrassing to hear somebody plugging it as a way of building a business and gaining work. It's shameless.

It would be fabulous for a buyer to know the reason a certain inspector was recommended was because he bought candy, food, or backrubs for the realty office. That would inspire a lot of trust between the buyer and realtor/inspector.

[Rick Hurst]

I agree with Nick. To me its being the one on the list that the agent tells the client "Don't call him, he's to picky." Thats where I get my best referrals.

rick

[Kevin Barre]

At the risk of stating what I would hope would be obvious, I find it amusing that someone who misspells dilemma as delima, amateur as amatuer, and biscuits as bisquits would call someone else an "amatuer business person."

Your written word creates an image of who you are and how professional you are. IMHO, if these e-mail ramblings are a reflection of the quality of the material he puts out -- and I don't doubt that they are -- the huckster should invest a little time with basic spell check functions.

Maybe if he did that he would have more legitimate business coming his way and less time on his hands to worry about negative responses to his program.

[Rick Hurst]

It can be all be explained with how the guy spelled "terminoly" instead of terminology.

His terminoly is all wrung.

rick

[Kevin Barre]

That'll teach me to scan thru something quickly...I missed one! (if not more)