"The eyes eat before the stomach..."
Way back in the late 1900’s, I was working my way through college at a local upscale watering hole – The Canal Street Pub. Honestly, I learned a heck of a lot more about business and marketing in the restaurant business than I may have in college while earning a B.S. in Business Administration and Marketing. I jokingly refer to this as a B.S. in BS.
There are a few different times I can recall “watershed” moments in my education that really changed my way of thinking – or, really just illustrated a concept so well that it stuck with me forever. Working at Canal Street was my first run at Fine Dining. It was a step up – a very large step that wouldn’t conform to any building code – from my previous gig at Ruby Tuesday, and had a much different feel from my years of bartending in Ocean City, MD.
Pat Scargle was the chef at Canal Street. In the early days, the bar was wrapped 2-3 deep and the dining room was booked from 4-9 PM every weekend night. I remember trying to hastily grab a plate from the kitchen and run to the patron, he yelled “Whoa! Whoa! Whoa! That’s not ready yet!” Confused I looked at the plate. It had everything it was supposed to have – the main entrée, sides, etc. Confused, and in a hurry, I asked what it was missing…. It hadn’t been “garnished.” Now, for many restaurants garnishing simply means throwing an inedible piece of some green plant on the side and shuffling it out to the table. I should have known better.
Pat’s food was artwork. It was placed on the plate deliberately. Everything was thought through, considered, contemplated, rethought, reworked and reset. His meals were pieces of art. Seriously. Sauces and glazes were used to paint the canvas (pronounced plate). Pat decorated the meal, handed me the plate and said, “The eyes eat before the stomach.”
For me, that rang loud like the bell at an old firehouse. It made perfect sense. For me, it was the right phrase at the right time. In marketing class, “Perception is reality,” was the equivalent. But it just didn’t have the flavor of Pat’s words. It always felt like it needed more explaining…. However, “The eyes eat before the stomach…” Who couldn’t digest that phrase?
So, at this point, you may be hungry. Or, you’re just wondering what the hell this has to do with a real estate blog. Well, I am glad you asked (or didn’t – I am going to continue anyway).
After graduating with the aforementioned degree, I set out into the real world. I had visions of Mad Men and slinging booze on Madison Avenue while pitching executives from Nike their next big campaign. Well, I found out that I was basically going to have to get my feet wet in Sales before any upward movement became realistic. I was bummed, to say the least. After all, I didn’t have a plaid polyester suit… and, I just thought sales was…. Dirty.
Since that time, I’ve come to realize that:
- Never underestimate the value of a good salesperson.
- Some salespeople are…. Dirty.
I proudly consider myself to be part of the former. I have spent a long time “sharpening the saw” to become a professional salesperson. I am proud of my work, and proud of my accomplishments. However, I still swim in the same pool with the lazy people that consider themselves sales professionals. They hardly are.
In real estate (I told you we’d get here…) I believe my biggest pet peeve is when agents don’t use professional photography. Why? I am not a photographer by any means. I know how to use a camera more than most. I just don’t understand why you wouldn’t hire a professional photographer. To me, that’s just being a professional. Know your strengths. Stick to what you’re good at.
On top of the frustrating feeling I get because people associate what I do with what these others do, I am even further disturbed by the fact that some of these people are winning business I should have!
Professional photography is not expensive – and shouldn’t be paid for by the customer. It is a cost of doing business. Are there situations where the customer elects a limited service arrangement and would be responsible for photography, sure; however, 99 out of 100 times it should fall on the agent. Professional photography for real estate starts around $70 and can go up into the $200 +/- range. It depends on what you’re looking to get. My photographer offers everything from exterior shoots to full drone videos. Other services will create a virtual tour and blueprint of the house.
So, in summary, if you want to know who you’re working with, pay attention to how they market your home. If they’re not doing what you think should be done – ask. If they can explain there reasoning in detail, they’ve given serious thought and made a business decision based on results. If they can’t offer you the detailed explanation you deserve – they’ve made a financial decision based on their needs.
Here are some links to some of my current and past listings that show you what your photography should look like:
705 Columbia Avenue, Cape May, NJ
41 Scotland Drive, Reading, PA
