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F YOU HAVE adopted some of Trump’s strategies that I described in
Iearlier chapters, then you have designed into your property some fea-
tures that will dazzle your buyers or tenants albeit in a lesser way than
the seven-story marble waterfall in the atrium of Trump Tower. Maybe
you built a rose-covered arbor over the entrance to your rental property,
or you installed marble tile and a Jacuzzi tub in the bathrooms. Once
you have finished designing and building some eye-catching features
into a property, it’s time to focus on marketing the property to buyers
and tenants. Now you can put to work those great attention-getting
methods that will make people willing to pay more for your property
and buy it or rent it quickly. This chapter describes some of the key
marketing strategies Trump uses to communicate the value, excite-
ment, and appeal of his properties to potential buyers or tenants.

HOW SELLING THE “SIZZLE” SELLS THE PRODUCT

I believe the “sizzle” idea in marketing originally came from Chinese
restaurants. They served one of their beef or seafood dishes in a hot
iron skillet that sizzled so delectably that it would make their cus-
tomer’s mouth water and had the same effect on everyone who heard
the sound. The dish became more appetizing just because of the siz-
zle. The same concept applies to real estate. Your customers have a
lot of choices before they decide on a property, and many of the
features of your property will be similar to those of your competi-
tion. You need to find ways to make your property appear to be more
than a plain vanilla commodity by effectively communicating to the

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