Your plumber has probably earned his place on your fridge alongside the chimpanzee magnet your kids brought back from a school trip. His magnet is there because he’s the guy who came out within a couple of hours when that pipe in the laundry burst, causing chaos. You want this guy in your life and so you keep him there.

The real estate agent’s fridge magnet, the one that was posted in your mailbox offering an all caps ‘FREE MARKET APPRAISAL’, followed by three phone numbers, has no place on your fridge.
It’s an unwelcome interruption, not a handy reminder.

Whoever gets closest to their customers wins, but it’s not possible to buy your way into people’s hearts, homes or increasingly their wallets—you have to earn the right to a place there.

Image by Chickpea.