I’m back from the holiday hiatus. Well, okay, it wasn’t a real hiatus. It was too much holiday and I got plain ‘ole lazy. Bad, nt! Bad!

Here’s a little story for y’all. My son wrestles for his high school team and also plays football. He’s pretty good at them, too. But that’s another story. Back in the Fall, I get a call from the mother of my son and former Mrs. T. Seems she was recruiting donations for the school’s Booster Club auction.

Aside from skiing, I wasn’t much into sports in high school, so I didn’t have a clue what a Booster Club did. But, being the nice guy I am and wanting to support my son, I donated a small website. I also whipped up a nifty little poster to display on the auction table along with a holder for some business cards. As it turned out, this was one of, if not the most, pricey things in the auction.

Am I altruistic, or what?

Okay … confession time. Sure, I wanted to help out the Booster Club. But, I also knew there would be a lot of business owners and corporate types at the auction. I figured it would be a good way to get the name out there. I also figured some local insurance agency, travel agent or the likes would win the bid.

Boy, was I wrong.

About a week after the auction, the phone rings. It was the guy who made the top bid. We talked for a bit and set up a meeting … at the swankiest, high roller country club in the area. The Fates had smiled on me. He owns seven companies and needed to consolidate a variety of sites into one. He also needs a capabilities brochure and some other literature, along with marketing consulting.

Cha ching! A small donation on my part not only got some dough for the Booster Club, it parlayed itself into several fairly large projects.

The moral of the story is that doing a good thing can often have a big pay back. Plus, looking out for more unconventional marketing opportunities can help separate you from the pack.

Until the next
Marketing Minute
all the best,
nt