Don’t Just Come and See . . . Go and Be!
There are tons of real estate investing gurus constantly marketing to “Come and See” their products and services . . . whether it’s a new course, seminar, book, webinar, or mentor program. While it’s very important to “Come and See,” invest in a good training course, go to the seminar, participate in the mentor program, it’s far more important to “Go and Be!”
When I say “Go and Be,” I’m talking about getting out in the field and taking action on what you’ve learned. In other words, go “be” an investor. Even if you have yet to close on your first deal, as soon as you take action, you’re a real estate investor. Because you’re on your way to getting that first deal done.
Too many beginning investors doubt their knowledge and abilities and feel the need to read one more book or course, go to one more seminar, and wait until they feel like they’re “ready” to make the first phone call, start marketing, or even get a business card.
From experience, I can tell you that this is a recipe for wasting a ton of time and money, and having endless frustrations. And the worst thing about it for those of us that teach real estate investing is that the beginner that never took action goes out and bad mouths us because our material “didn’t work.”
. . . No, you didn’t work because you never did anything. You never took action. And even if you did, you “gave it a try.” After your first rejection, you cast blame so that you could just quit and still feel good about yourself.
Sorry for that little rant, but I’m tired of hearing about people who have invested countless hours/months/years studying to be an investor or spent tens of thousands of dollars buying courses and taking seminars . . . never having even made a phone call to a seller or an offer on a house!
OK, this is no time to feel bad if you can relate to this. The past is the past. Take 100% responsibility for your results (or lack thereof) and realize that you’re ready to take action right now!
3 Steps to Force Yourself to “Go and Be” a Real Estate Investor
1) Set Goals . . . AKA Deadlines
A goal is really just a dream with a deadline. And we all know that deadlines get things done. In your formal education, when did you hand in your research paper? When did you study for your midterms? . . . right before the deadline, didn’t you? At work, when do you finish projects . . . typically at the last minute before it’s due.
A couple things to keep in mind when goal setting: write your goals in the present tense, make them personal (not what someone else wants for you), and positive (what you want, not what you don’t want).
Write down when you’re going to call your first seller, when you’ll have a “We Buy Houses” ad in your local newspaper, when you’ll close your first deal, and that you’re going to join your local investor association by x-date. By writing it down and putting a time frame on it, you make it real.
2) Write Action Plan
Once you have your goals written, it’s time to chunk down the dream into steps. The bigger the dream, the more steps you’ll have within your action plan.
For example, let’s say the goal is to place “We Buy Houses” ad in your local newspaper. At the top of a blank page of paper, write, “It is April 4th, 2009 and I have a “We Buy Houses” ad in the Post and Courier newspaper.”
Your action plan would look something like this . . .
= > Call Post and Courier to find out when ads must be submitted to be in the newspaper by April 4th.
= > Determine the target market for my ad (anyone who needs to sell fast, people in foreclosure, expired listings, burnt out landlords, etc.)
= > Research sample ads in books, courses, and websites
= > Determine contact information to include in ad
= > Write ad copy
= > Call Post and Courier to place ad
When doing this, don’t get tripped up in the details. It’s better just to start your marketing rather than waiting on getting your website up and running or a toll free number set up or voice mail system or whatever else you’re planning on implementing in your business.
3) Ready or Not . . . Just Do It
Nike had it right when they came up with the slogan, “Just Do It!” Recite this as an inner mantra.
When you feel fear start to creep in, say to yourself, “Just do it!” and then take the action. Another good strategy is to consider, “What’s the worst that could happen?” Usually, the worst thing that could happen is infinitesimal compared to the HUGE benefit you could reap by just doing it.
When you find yourself worrying about what others may think of you . . . say “I am independant of the good opinion of others and am committed to achieving my goals . . . whatever it takes!”
If you’re doubting your knowledge or abilities, fall back on me as one of your mentors. You now have an expert investor on your team who has been in the business for years and has done well over 100 deals. When you take action and you’re asked a question you don’t know how to answer or your experience is questioned, say, “Great question. I’m glad you asked that. I’m a newer investor but my mentor has helped hundreds of people in similar situations as yourself. Let me get back to you on that if you don’t mind . . .”
Then, run over here to the blog and Click Here. Let me know how I can help.
Tags: creative real estate investing, Marketing, Personal Development, real estate investing, real estate investing success, We Buy Houses ad
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Patrick Riddle:
Dusty Keefe:
One of the best articles on this site. I’ve been “doing” it for a few months now and while it’s slow going, I’m loving every minute of it!
Fantastic article Patrick! I always remember what Wayne Gretzky said “Statistically, 100% of the shots you don’t take don’t go in”.
(Darn Canadians – always using hockey to explain everything, eh?) ;)
Thanks guys! I appreciate it!
I guess even a “soft” topic like this, that’s not specifically teaching real estate investing strategies, but teaching general success principles, is important to throw in.
I was talking to a good buddy of mine a couple days ago and we got on the subject of doing your feared things first . . . got me thinking about a post idea. Check back to the blog soon. It’s gonna be hot!
I started placing signs around my neighborhood who wanted to sell their home fast and I am driving them to a 24/7 Recorded Message Hotline to field all the response. I use to use my cell phone but then that just got too crazy as I was getting calls at all times of the day. I am using a real cost effective service, http://www.TeleCenterRealEstate.com. It’s $35 for unlimited calls and gives you 50 mailboxes.
John,
Thanks for the resource. I’ll have to check that out.
Having tons of calls coming in is a good problem to have . . . :)