Right now I'm working on articles for a full color glossy magazine that one of my clients will distribute to homeowners via his 40+ agents in the field. It will center around remodeling projects that add the most value, staging, inexpensive fix-ups, and tips on what buyers are looking for today.
There's plenty of material out there on the web, but I wanted to know what homeowners/buyers in his particular part of the country were going for today, so I tried reaching out to remodeling contractors.
I Googled contractors in his city and started down the list. Receptionists told me I needed to speak with their marketing department, so they transferred me... to voice mailboxes. I left messages explaining the situation and told them I was looking for tips and trends, and that whatever they gave me would be accompanied by their byline, web address, etc.
I offered to send details in an email, but they said no - they didn't give out email addresses.
I called five different companies, and guess how many returned the call... ZERO.
In my experience, free advertising is the very best kind. When you're mentioned in an article it's like an endorsement rather than a paid ad.
Why on earth would anyone turn it down?
Maybe those companies have too many clients and more business than they can handle. Maybe they were unwilling to make a long distance call. Maybe they thought I wouldn't quote them accurately. Maybe they thought I was posing as a writer but really was a competitor trying to learn their secrets.
There must be some reason that all these people made me feel like a beggar when I was attempting to give them a gift.
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