It's one of those mornings when I'm rushing around trying to get too many things done before I rush out the door.  Yet, my eye catches the flash of my phone which I've turned OFF precisely to avoid this type of distraction. I can't help myself.  I pick up the call.

The voice on the other line is friendly...and unfamiliar.  I instantly regret my mistake in picking up the phone. He launches into a sales pitch. I'm always intrigued by people who do their jobs well.  This guy is good!  He starts out by telling me that he's got referrals that he has to get placed today.  Folks are coming in to Kentwood, Michigan and he needs to find an agent to help them.  Could he interest me?

I cut to the chase. "So...how much is this gonna cost?" Without hesitation, he answers..."only $99 per placement.  And if they don't work out, we'll replace them with a guaranteed fit.  In fact, we're so confident about our product, that I want you to know about a special deal.  Our clients are FOR SALE today!  We'll give you 10 of them for only $990!  WOW!

It's the phrase 'clients for sale' which stuns me momentarily.  I have never thought of the people I serve as products which I can trade or sell for profit.  He takes my silence as interest and continues.  "In fact, we're so confident about our service, we'll guarantee you ONE sale out of the 10.  All for $990!

I wonder WHO these clients are?  Did they consent to be used for chattel?  Are they aware that their names and the hopes and dreams they expressed when they filled in the innocent looking boxes for assistance with their home search would result in their information being sold and traded on the real estate referral market place?

And then I think about the agents who are going to buy these names today.  Sinking hard earned dollars for the hope of landing perhaps one real estate deal...after all the clients are on sale.  And I guess one could do the arithmetic and figure that you'd be ahead if you spent $990 and got a deal that netted several thousand in commission perhaps...This can be especially tempting if you're a new agent or struggling to get leads.

But what's lost in the frenzy of boiler rooms filled with fast talking sales persons looking for the next sucker willing to part with some money is the fact that real estate referrals are NOT about selling people's names. It's about creating human relationships.  People refer people whom they know, like and respect to others whom they know.  Referrals are personal.  And that's why things become a little dicey when we take the referral relationship out of the personal context.

It's also why social media and sites like Real Town Blogs and  Active Rain are so incredibly powerful.  Through blogging, engaging with people on the network through comments, building relationships on sites like  Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn, answering questions as a local expert on Trulia, Zillow or Localism, we put into place the precious building blocks which build authentic communication.  

Picture of french fries courtesy of wEnDalicious photo-stream on flickr

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