The Realtor And The Wooden Spatula

Posted April 13, 2011

"You never know how your giveaways will impact the office, wardrobe or even kitchen of a prospective or past client."

Ad specialties, promotional items, and giveaways are all names for an item that is decorated in various ways with a business name, contact info and/or logo.  These products keep your name in front of the customer reminding them who to call when they need your product or service. Some items are practical like a cup or pen while others are whimsical and unique. Wearables such as silk screened tee shirts, hoodies or embroidered hats are also included in this line of advertising.

About five years ago I got a call from a realtor who wanted to know if we carried a very specific wooden spatula in our line of promotional products.  She sounded very anxious and adamant that it had to be the exact one that she had described in detail.  I took her name and contact information and told her I would call her right back.  We have a database of over 300,000 products which makes it easy to search for specific products by entering certain keywords and targeted criteria. I managed to find one supplier that offered this exact item.

I emailed her a .PDF complete with a photo and pricing for her to confirm that this was indeed the same spatula and then immediately called her to follow up. Her sense of urgency was unrelenting and I could not imagine how a wooden spatula could cause such an emotional roller coaster.  After a brief discussion I copied down the imprint color, name and number that she wanted imprinted on the handle and processed her order. My curiosity had gotten the better of me so asked why this particular wooden spatula was so important to her.

She enthusiastically shared the story of how 15 years earlier she sold a house to a couple and upon closing she had presented them with a wooden spatula as a house warming/thank you gift. The realtor’s name and phone number was imprinted on the handle.  Through the years, this former client had referred several friends and family members to her. She then shared that she had gotten a phone call that morning from the woman that so many years ago had received this humble token of appreciation. The lady had asked the realtor for another spatula because she had broken it that morning making pancakes. Out of all her other spatulas the woman had used over the past 15 years it was her absolute favorite. The realtor thought if a client had held on to a kitchen item with her business name and number on it for all those years ultimately seeing her contact information in front of her two to three times a day that she had to get more of them and the faster the better. She said that $1.25 cent spatula was the best advertisement that she had ever spent money on and she couldn’t wait to give out more.

You never know how your giveaways will impact the office, wardrobe or even kitchen of a prospective or past client.  Thank you gifts are always a nice gesture and it doesn’t hurt to put your name on it either. You never know when that giveaway may become someone’s favorite spatula.

Call or email a Crigital Media Marketing Team Member today to find out how easy it is to get your marketing plan started with our unique mix of traditional and "new school" print and digital marketing products and services. 615.754.9430 Email a Marketing Team Member Now.