With Laura Fadok
Back in 2013, Laura Fadok was selling real estate. While working with a couple on the purchase of a new home, they asked her lots of questions about where to go; from restaurants to hair salons and everything in between. Fadok says this is a typical conversation among Realtors and their buyers. In many cases, a Realtor is the first and only point of contact for buyers moving into a new area.
As the closing date approached, Fadok started to think about what to offer the couple as a closing gift. She wanted to buy them gift certificates to all of the places she had recommended but on a single mother’s budget that was just not feasible.
Fadok says, “but it did get me thinking, why can’t we introduce a variety of fabulous local businesses to our new homebuyers through a closing gift?” That was the spark that ignited Be Our Guest. Six months after that closing, Be Our Guest Marketing was born. “I love this business and, like a proud parent, I couldn’t be happier to watch it grow.”
“When I set out to create the Be Our Guest closing gift, I wanted to make the message clear: Support Local Business. I wanted to make it easy because Realtors are busy and there are a lot of moving parts in every transaction. But most importantly, it had to be memorable! A good closing gift is appreciated but a GREAT closing gift has the potential to generate future business through referrals. Realtors spend thousands of dollars each year to promote themselves and buy leads. I wanted Be Our Guest to compete in that market as well; if your buyers are going out to 10 different local businesses to use their certificates, and your name is on each one of those certificates, you will be remembered not only 10 times but each time that buyer returns to that business.”
The biggest challenge in growing Be Our Guest has been the learning curve. “I had to educate Realtors about what a Be Our Guest closing gift is and what it’s not.” It is a tastefully presented gift of true gift certificates, custom printed for each order and packaged in an elegant envelope. “It’s NOT a book of coupons. I had a hard time getting that across early on, and I still flinch when I hear that word!” Fadok says.
“This closing gift is a fun way for buyers to go out and explore their community and meet new people. It is my hope that someday every homebuyer will sit at the closing table and anticipate receiving their Be Our Guest gift, ensuring that we continue to support our local businesses in a meaningful and sustainable way.” ◆
