Vancouver Wa Real Estate - Elite Realty NW

More Thoughts On Free Samples

O.K. I admit it. I am obsessed with the idea of Free Samples! Although I never ever (EVER!) touch the free food samples at Costco or Fred Meyers, I am a strong believer in building my business through the strategic use of free samples. I have written other posts about free samples. (Building Your Real Estate Business With Free Samples! and Free Samples - Observations That Might Increase Your Business!) Here is my latest, and probably last, post regarding the subject of building your business with free samples.

Meet John Brown, sidewalk astronomer. I met him a few weeks back while at a convention in New Orleans. Janice and I were with a group of friends at the Cafe Du Monde at about 11 p.m. when I looked over and spotted John standing near a telescope that stood about 8 feet tall. I immediately stood up and went over to see what was going on with this guy. THAT is just the way I roll!

"Hey, what are you doing?" I asked as I approached.

"I am looking at Saturn." He responded. "Tonight is a good night to see it. Would you like to look?"

"Uh... OK!"

I walked over to him and he ushered me up a 3 foot step ladder. I looked into the eyepiece and could see Saturn and its rings as clear as day. Actually it was so clear that it looked fake, like something out of a bad sci-fi movie. I half expected to see strings holding it up.

"How much does a telescope like that cost?" I asked.

"About $28,000 for a new one. Used they go for about $16,000."

I could feel my jaw hit the ground as I asked, "What do you do for a day job?"

"Nothing. This is all that I do. I have been doing this for over 20 years."

So here is the crux of the post:

John Brown is an astronomer who has a $28,000 telescope and sits out on the sidewalk in New Orleans and lets tourists look at distant planets for free. Of course there is a large tip jar in plain view but he never once asked me for a donation or tip. This has been his sole source of income for over 20 years! John Brown is the absolute master of the free sample!

Let's look at how he does it and figure out how we can make this strategy work for us.

1. Free information - Like John, we can give out information for free. If people see value in the info, then they will be willing to use you for their transactions and you will earn a commission. Not as obvious as a tip jar but it will work. What can you give away that will create business for you? Foreclosure lists? Short sale info? Staging tips? Tips for FSBO's? Use your imagination. I am sure that whatever you choose will be a whole lot easier than hauling a 300 lb. telescope out onto the sidewalk every night and finding distant galaxies for the tourists!

2. Free services - Unlike John, we have the ability to offer services to people that other people will pay us for. Buyer's agency is free to the buyer. How crazy is that? Looking to maximize your free sample strategy? Go after buyers who can use your services absolutely for free! A good way to find these folks is by offering free MLS searches. It works very well for me.

3. Buy a telescope and learn to use it - One of the best ways to make money like John does is to do what John does. I mean exactly what John does! Good luck with that! My point here is that if John can do it, then you can too!

4. Our telescope is Active Rain - I still believe that Active Rain is one of the best ways to give out free samples and to demonstrate your worth to buyers and sellers. One of John's keys to success is the fact that he is easily found. I would imagine that you can find him on most any night parked right in front of Cafe Du Monde. He will be the guy with the extra large telescope, looking at the stars with about 7 or 8 tourists lined up and waiting to see what is going on. Oh yeah, his tip jar will most probably be filled with cash. Active Rain is our spot on the internet and the posts that we write are equal to his giant telescope. The information that we freely give away is the same as letting someone peak at Saturn.