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| First 'Hump Day" Donut Run |
As
the San Diego MTS 880 Express Bus destined for Qualcomm Campus in
Sorrento Valley pulled away from the curb, I tried to steady my grip as I
took the photograph on the left. It was not easy, because I was
laughing so hard. Our newest Realtor, Zach Woodworth was standing there
holding small bags of donuts in his hands on his very first day as an
employee of Shay Realtors.
I
recall Zach didn't even flinch when I told him the previous evening to
meet me at Starbucks in 4S Ranch at 0600 hours. The employees of Donut
Touch at 4S Ranch Village were also surprised when we raided their
supply of hot donuts at daybreak.
It
was not until we were standing on the curb at 4S Commons Shopping
Center that we realized we had lots of free donuts to pass out, but no
signs telling our story.
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| Zach Woodworth's First Day |
That
is when Zack took a play out of the transients hand book, and made a
sign that read, "FREE Donuts." He probably wondered what the heck all of
this had to do with selling real estate.
Then
it happened. Life and a community outreach opportunity collided. It was
another reason for me to smile. As a Realtor friend of ours had
explained, you will soon become known as the "Donut Man."
I have been called a
great number of things in my life, but never "Donut Man." Standing on
the curb as vehicles passed us many of the parents looked at us a with a
weary eye as their children read our sign and yelled out, "Mom, free
donuts!" Most of the mom's and dad's looked ahead and did not stop.
One of the first people
to ultimately pull over was a woman with two small children in the back
of her mini van. She pulled to the curb and exclaimed loudly with a
broad smile, "I never met a donut I didn't like." The kids cheered as
we passed them hot donuts through the passenger window.
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| The GEICO Camel knows "Hump Day" |
As Zach and I stood out
there on our first, "Hump Day" Donut Run, it was almost like looking at a
family photo album, because so many of our friends and clients drove
by, honking and waiving. Roger Salvatore stopped with one of his three
sons and then Dan London waived as he drove by.
I still recall meeting
Dan, his wife Carla and their youngest daughter when they drove past me
several years ago, when our family lived in Ivy Gate. I was standing on
our driveway, kicking a soccer ball with one of our three boys. The
London's were great people from the moment we met them and we ultimately
were able to secure them one of the finest estate view homes in Ivy
Gate.
Dan didn't seem
surprised seeing us out in the early morning mist on a random street
corner. I think he is used to our sometimes unconventional marketing
techniques. What did John Cougar Mellencamp sing, "I'm not handsome, but
I'm not shy?"
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| Shay Team at the new PQ Hub which is in the process of being renovated. |
At the end of the
morning experiment, Zach and I decided to try doing the "Hump Day" Donut
Run for the next few weeks and see how it goes. So if it is Wednesday
and you see Zach or any of our team on the right standing on some street
corner, don't hesitate to yell out, "Happy Hump Day!" Then toss the
donuts to your kids and head on to school or work.
When you see Zach
especially, be sure to yell, "Thanks Mr. Donut Man!" It will remind him
of where he started in this unique profession and that real estate
really is a contact sport.
As long as Zach always
remembers to get out and talk to people, be honest and work hard for his
clients, he will have an awesome career. Best of luck to you Zach!
Enjoy your week.
Ray and Theresa Shay
2013 - Shay Realtors - All Rights Reserved
