Out of Hibernation

Out of Hibernation / Time to Feast

“You’re back Vic!” – That’s a phrase I have heard many times in the last few months. “It’s good to have you back!”, “I missed you!”. It made me realize that I have apparently been in hibernation. Growing up in Alaska; I am very familiar with the hungry eating habits of waking hibernators. We are ravenously hungry, but still willing to share. What a great time to launch our 3^rd Annual Relationship-Based Food Drive!

Remember that I don’t go door-to-door looking for new business, I don’t call people without their permission and I don’t have my picture on shopping carts. I don’t send out calendars with my picture on them. I don’t even plant plastic American flags in your front yard at midnight on July 3^rd. That’s because I work By Referral Only. I work for my friends, my family and the people that they care about. That’s it.

Imagine your disappointment if you saw me settle to that course of business practice. You’re at your favorite grocery store and you realize you just laid the bread against the face of Vic Steele, Broker, Valet Real Estate Services. I know you would be disappointed to see that. I would be even more disappointed to stoop to that.

My business model has not changed. I work for my friends and the people they care about – no one else. I depend on you to insist that your friends rely on me to help them with their home. I don’t want them to “use” me. Please ask them to rely on me. Perhaps the food drive is the best way to introduce us? I could send this letter to you as an email that you could forward to someone you care about with a note that says, “This is the real estate professional I want you to rely on!”

On December 8^th, 9^th and 10^th I am collecting food for the Second Harvest Food Bank. Just as we have always done our food drives, I’m volunteering to come to your home or workplace and pick up your donation. I am asking permission to come to your house. I hope to have a crew with me, helping me. If not, I will manage to get every pound of food delivered. If you would leave a bag or two of food on your front porch, I will give you a tax receipt for it and deliver it to The Orange County Food Bank on your behalf! My goal is to deliver at least four trucks of food to them. I know we can do it together! Yes, you can leave boxes of food or a case of one kind of food. They really need peanut butter, canned hams, cranberry sauce and dried mashed potatoes. I won’t turn any food down!