I am repeatedly being asked why I haven't gone the route of "seminars,
books, and tapes". The implication being that... as someone who buys
and sells a lot of houses, has had a thriving real estate investment
business, and also someone that owns a great real estate branding
company, somehow I would dare to think of myself as qualified enough
to go out and teach others.
Well, the truth is that I HAVE shared my investing and marketing
knowledge with a lot of people over the years. Especially people that
have connected to me through my business, 1-800-SELL-NOW. But, I have
such a distaste for the majority of these "wanna be" guru types in the
market that I would hate to ever be associated with that market.
Don't get me wrong, there are a lot of quality people out there that
are genuinely trying to help people achieve their dreams of financial
freedom through real estate. In fact, I was meeting with one this week
- Larry Goins. Larry is as good as they get in the market - a quality
guy trying to help as many people as he can. You'll never meet a guy
that is better thought of in this industry.
But for every Larry Goins and many others, there are literally
thousands of "gurus" that 1) think that they know more than they
actually do and 2) are purely looking at the books, tapes, and
seminars as a profit play.
Being in my situation, I've seen or talked to a lot of them at one
time or another. It's always a little upsetting to me to see guys that
have been in the business for a couple of years, have purchased a few
homes within a 30 mile radius of their house, and suddenly they have
this "wealth of knowledge" to go out and sell you a $100 of even
$5,000 system that will somehow work in your own backyard.
So for the sake of not insulting the people sitting in Wichita, KS,
Boise, ID, Orange County, CA or any other market that is drastically
different from the markets that I invest in - I have never decided to
pretend as though I have a system that will absolutely, positively
work in their backyard. Now I am not on a soap box or anything, I just
choose to focus on what we do very well and do it everyday. I get a
lot of satisfaction from working with our clients around the country.
If you want a system - I can certainly give you my two cents on who I
think can help you organize your business and provide you with some of
the best tools - just ask. At the end of the day though it really
comes down to a few things in my humble opinion:
Market your business - let the world know that you exist. Bring buyers
and sellers to you. There is absolutely no reason in the world to have
to go looking for a deal when the deals can come directly to you. This
is the single best investment that you can ever make in your real
estate success. Create a local presence!! 1-800-SELL-NOW is a great
tool to use for this.
Know your strengths and weaknesses and be prepared to partner with
others to help with your weaknesses. One Example: If you don't know
how to profit from a short sale opportunity - find someone that you
can partner with - fast!
Never stop building your network to help you deal with every
opportunity that comes your way. If you market your business and in
turn the calls come in - always have a way to profit from every
client. I made this mistake and it cost me BIG TIME. I thought that I
had enough buyers in my market....and stopped building out my list a
few years ago. BIG MISTAKE - will never happen again.
Measure your results. Take what is working and exploit it to the
fullest. Look at where you are getting the best return on investment
in time, money, and energy - then dial into it. Business 101.
Just do it. Get involved. Be willing to take some measured risks and
get some quality experience under your belt. If you have bought books
and tapes and been to countless seminars but still have not done a
deal, then what are you waiting for. NOW IS THE TIME. The market will
never be any better than it is RIGHT NOW.
Lastly, don't let someone else steal your dream. Real estate is hard
work and is A BUSINESS. Treat it like one. Have a plan and work it. If
some guy down the street has the next "greatest idea" and wants your
money to prove it - be cautious. The Internet has allowed so many so-
called gurus to pop up with little or no qualifications. They buy a
mailing list, berate you with emails, and then play the law of
averages hoping that a small percentage will purchase their
program......it's a business! But it doesn't have to be your business!
DO YOUR HOMEWORK AND DO BUSINESS WITH QUALITY GUYS THAT CAN REALLY
HELP YOU GROW YOUR REAL ESTATE BUSINESS.
P.S. One more thing to think about...Hope is not a strategy. I see a
lot of real estate professionals in this market "hanging on" with the
last shred of hope that it will somehow turn around for them. Don't be
that guy!!
If your business is off, calculate where you want to be and then most
importantly - implement a definitive strategy to get there. The market
has changed. If you haven't changed your strategy as well, then you're
a dinosaur. It's only a matter of time.
Figure out what the market is serving up to you and then how you can
create revenue from it. I can tell you beyond a shadow of a doubt,
that there are a lot of people right now making an ENORMOUS amount of
money in this market - it's not bad for everyone! I will give you a
perfect illustration of this.....
We have a new licensee that is a realtor. Investors are buying up
every other house in her market. So she approached us about using
1-800-SELL-NOW to get the calls first from the local home sellers.
Effectively positioning herself between the investor and the home
seller. SHE"S KILLING IT NOW. When the investors want to buy houses
now - they are starting to turn to her. Great, smart, and effective
strategy. Figure out how to adapt and flourish.
As Always Good Luck In Real Estate
Kent Clothier
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