Just thought this was a strange story.
Real estate agents at a New York-based broker are showing their company pride — and getting an extra 15 percent in commission — by having their company's logo tattooed onto their bodies.
Thirty-seven men and women at Rapid Realty have gotten the green-and-black "Double R" tattoos so far, the company's CEO and founder, Anthony Lolli, told Inman News.
Related: Celebrity Tattoos Gone Wrong
“They wear it like a badge of honor,” said Lolli, who is also a real estate agent in their South Park Slope office. “They get a lot of respect from the other agents with the amount of commitment that they have.”
There are other benefits as well: "Talk about marketing — they're walking billboards!" he tweeted.
On Facebook, Rapid Realty has a photo album filled with pictures of their "brand ambassadors" getting inked. The designs range from tiny ankle tattoos and behind-the-ear ink to body art that blends in with existing sleeves and bold logos on biceps.
The trend started when one agent got a tattoo of the company's logo after a client, who happened to be a tattoo artist, mentioned the idea.
"I said, 'Man, I don't know how to thank you,'" Lolli remembered.
He decided to show his appreciation by upping his employee's commission from 25 to 40 percent — he calls it "platinum status" — and then offered the same deal to all of his other agents. So far, 37 of his 700-plus rental agents have taken him up on it. The marketing tactic made them the winners of the Inman News' Twitter contest, #madREskillz.
Rapid Realty, which offers no-fee apartment rentals in New York, has 61 offices throughout the city. Customers "love the fact that there's someone who's 100 percent dedicated to the business," Lolli says.
No word on what happens if a realtor leaves the company.
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I don't find most tattoos attractive at all
