1. There are going to be a whole bunch of people who will consider this as visual noise
2. Even if the agent truly does love dogs, having a picture of said agent with a dog doesn't actually prove it
3. The picture usually isn't in a place where others who love dogs will be thinking about their own pets - thus hitting them with a message they are not ready to receive
4. The agent has put no skin in the game. Being willing to take picture with a pet is much different than dedicating one's life to rescuing animals. The picture seems shallow and manipulative by comparison.

As usual, I could go on. ...and on. But I'll spare you - mainly because I found an agent that is doing it right.

Suzanne Fauber has hit on a great way to get the people she wants access to at exactly the right time and in the perfect frame of mind. She's put free bumper-stickers on display at point-of-sale at a luxury dog-stuff store. The stickers say "wag more - bark less - be happy" and have her website, phone number and slogan listed. The typeface gets smaller as it moves down the sticker, drawing the reader in so they will read the small type of her contact information.

It is evident from her website that Suzanne does in fact feel that saving animals and treating them right is important. She is an advocate for them. For most people this wouldn't be a big deal - the average human hears so many pleas for help that they tune them out. Suzanne has found the one place that her message will resonate - at a store where a simple dog collar costs over $30. (Yep - my wife found one she just had to have... actually two she had to have... but I made her put one back.) People that are willing to spend that kind of money for what they could get elsewhere for $1.99 are the type of people that will care that Suzanne is a dog advocate and would send her their business.

Here's what she's done right:

1. Her message speaks in the language of the target audience - and to no one else
2. She proves her interest in pets by her product placement and by the opinions voiced on her website
3. The sticker is located in a place where her target audience will already be thinking of their own pets - and showing their love by showering them with gifts
4. She's put skin in the game - having her site double as a funnel for sending donations and/or educating the populace about her cause.

It'd be hard to do better than that. I'm fairly confident that my own wife would consider using Suzanne based on her support of this type of store.

So - here's to an agent that has taken the time to go beyond the typical "I love dogs" messaging and has provided proof and context, and has even gotten complete strangers to advertise for her.

(Any time our dog travels you'll be seeing our new "wag more - bark less - be happy" sticker.)

I get a few new agents coming through the site every day. My question for them: What are you doing to get access to your ideal clients at the moment they're ready to hear from you? Suzanne has it down right - do you?

Tate Linden Principal Consultant Stokefire Consulting Group 703-778-9925