Please pray about this

Of course there’s like a kajillion listings, so it’s kind of a crap shoot when you’re just looking without any specific parameters. Well I came across one listing in particular (on Craigslist, so this explains a lot). Actually several listings that had very similar wording. It was some sort of bottom-tier home buying service, written to appeal to low I.Q. types that have no business buying a home in the first place.

But what got my attention was at the very end of the listing it said, “Pray about this. It might be what God wants for you.” That might not be exactly what it said, but it’s close enough to get the idea.

There are a few things going on here, and they all have to do with targeting the exact type of customer/client/buyer this firm is looking for.

There’s the obvious appeal to the spiritual leanings of their buyers. Back when the Yellow Pages were a thing, I used to see listings of plumbers (if I needed a plumber) and there would always be a couple of listings with the little fish logo that identifies a person or a business as a “Christian” business.

I used to think it was odd of them to do that. It seemed to me that I would want the best man for the job, and it doesn’t matter whether the person goes to church or not.

But when it comes to unplugging tampons from the drain, it’s pretty basic stuff when you get right down to it. You need something else to set yourself apart. And since people always want to do business with the homeboys, whether it be fixing the toilet, buying a home, or watching a late night talk show, it makes sense to take up precious space on the YP listing with the fish logo.

Second thing about that CL listing is how it’s worded. An educated person, Christian or not, wouldn’t give that ad a second thought. It’s obvious bunk, and even if they are able to hook you up with a house, it’s probably under the worst possible terms, where you pay 300% interest or something like that.

But there are plenty of folk who are desperate and dumb enough to actually take it seriously. Add to it the stigma that’s been placed on renting a home (because nothing says “freedom” like signing a 30-year commitment in which you pay 3x the amount of the original loan) and it’s the perfect storm to find one’s self hopelessly lost in a debt that can’t possibly be repaid.

My point in all of this is that the baby in the bathwater of this ad is that they appealed to a specific interest of their prospective buyers. Even though it has nothing to do with buying a home on the surface, people are tribal by nature. It’s part of how we’re wired. Some people will respond to the ad because of the way it’s worded. Others won’t give it the time of day, either because they mention the spiritual element or for reasons I’ve given.

Either way, they’ve successfully zeroed in on the exact type of buyer they’re looking for.

So I guess I wish them the best 🙂

James Newcomb