Human nature is what it is, but the Virginia Association of Realtors is trying to convince members to overcome their baser selves and practice the golden rule. Using humor, testimonials, and other enticements, the members learn that "The Code is good business!" What a concept!

The association-wide ethics effort began with a controversy over sales trainer Ted Truitt, a new advertiser who was announced to the membership via email. Calling himself "The Ted," Truitt is shady, crass, self-serving and over-the-top odious. While he embodies all the qualities the public despises in real estate professionals, he espouses that success is only a prevarication away. Truitt's training techniques consist of "Whatever It Takes," a sales program of how to make money in real estate by cutting corners, shading the truth and other techniques.

Sharp-eyed Realtors quickly inundated the board with complaints that Truitt is unethical and shouldn't be allowed to sell his dubious training program to members.

That's the point, says Scott Brunner, CAE, VAR's chief executive officer. Truitt clearly doesn't have ethics, but neither do many of the association's members and it's high time they learn a lesson -- the humorous way.

Explains Brunner, "I came on board in 2005 and one of the first things I wanted to do was an overhaul of the strategic plan. We asked our members what were their biggest challenges, and their two biggest complaints were that new people coming into the business were incompetent, and seasoned agents aren't behaving ethically. So we decided to launch an internal campaign about the value of ethics as business tool -- you'll be more professional, have more credibility in the marketplace, and you'll make more money."

But Brunner knew a moralistic campaign would simply put the membership to sleep with boredom. What's the best way to get the message across? Humor.

Truitt is really an actor, dreamed up by FitzMartin, a Birmingham agency hired by the board. "As people began to click through," says Brunner, "they soon learned that Truitt's a joke, and then they would click through to our real message -- that the code of ethics is good business."

The Code is Good Business has its own website, and by then, members are ready to receive the message -- that ethics can help them make more money than Truitt.

"We have included agents and how they utilize codes in their business," says Brunner. "And there's a paraphrase in the "straight talk" section where we enunciate the tennets of the Code in common plain language. We make it clear that it's a not a substitute for the Code of Ethics."

There's also interaction with brokers to help them train their agents. "We sent all broker managers a tool kit with a container of slime and 16 lessons that brokers can present in their sales meetings. We don't talk about ethics, we teach situations."

Brunner says that the program has been so successful that other associations are asking about it. VAR plans to syndicate a custom version of "The Code Is Good Business" campaign, including Ted, to other associations.

Published: April 3, 2007

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