This is part 4 of my Marketing Like a Rock Star Series. What do you have that can be your single most powerful door opener (conversation starter)?

Did you play college ball in the Pac 10? Traveled to all 7 continents? Did Kobe Bryant crash into you when saving a ball from out of bounds? We all have ‘em, now it’s time to start using ‘em…

Among the friends and family who attended services for Knack lead singer Doug Fieger was Sharona Alperin, the real-life inspiration for “My Sharona.” Alperin, who dated Fieger for more than three years, toured around the world with the Knack and is now a real estate agent in Los Angeles who makes wise use of the domain name mysharona.com.

It is important to leverage what you have.

In my bio, I always mention my Film Production background. Why? Not everyone can say they worked with Julia Roberts on “Pretty Woman”. It gets people’s attention. Once the door is open, it’s up to me to close the deal.

For Sharona – her opener is and probably will always be the song “My Sharona”.

Here is part of the press release from Sharona, released after Doug’s passing:

Doug Fieger wrote a song about me that changed both of our lives forever. “My Sharona” became an iconic smash hit, and even though Doug and I didn’t end up together, we remained close friends through all these years. His searing wit, love of music and ability to recall the B side of any 45, his gift for making friends and keeping them for decades, and his incredible optimism in the face of the toughest challenge remained vital until the very end.

The door is open so now Sharona wants you to know about her very successful real-estate business.

Sharona Aperin is one of the most successful and sought after real-estate professionals in Southern California. A life-long Los Angeles resident, Alperin has carved out a niche as the go to source among the entertainment community however she is happy to help anyone find their dream home.

Alperin attributes some of her success to the fact that when she was only 17, she was immortalized in the Knack’s 1979 hit single “My Sharona”.

Sharona believes that “‘My Sharona’ has had an impact on my ability to understand the entertainer’s mind, there’s something simpatico. You’ve got to care to the n’th degree. You can’t drop the ball for one minute.” I sell “the most emotional product on the market, because a star’s home is their only safe haven.”

My friend Brent Bye over at Box Wrench creates engine rebuilding DVD’s. He had a production deal with Holly (the carburetor guys) – to produce a nitrous injection kit installation viideo – the same one used in the Film “Fast & Furious” (2009), starring Vin Diesel. Do you think he used that bit of info to open some more doors? You bet he did!

Question is – “What can you leverage to open some doors for you?”