Nothing Beats Them Coming To You

It doesn’t really matter which type of real estate investing you prefer investing in, probate, foreclosures, rehab, flip or hold, they all have one thing in common. People.



You’ll be dealing with people.



Do you like that? Well, not everyone does. Like the Seinfeld episode where Jerry says, “People, they’re the worst,” you’ll be dealing with people. Sometimes, just like you and me, they can be a pain in the wazoo! Have you ever had a deal that you were counting on, only to see your hard work go up in smoke because the guy decided that he would “wait a while longer” and see what else the wind blew in? Exactly!



The one thing I NEVER hear from most real estate gurus is how much “effort and patience” you must exert into this magical business of getting rich quick. (Otherwise known as real estate investing.) Of course, it’s not prudent marketing to say, “I made this $35,000 check after busting my butt for 6 months.)



This is not like going to dental school for six years and opening up shop where the money just starts rolling in consistently once your practice begins. Everyday presents a new challenge. This business is sales. I’m sorry to say, “If you don’t like sales or aren’t very good at it, you should stay out of real estate investing.” Or, if you think “people are the worst.”



It’s a people business and those who succeed, know how to talk to people and how to not let their behavior, throw them for a loop, too far when they throw them. In other words, (more understandable), when someone doesn’t go with your flow, don’t let it cause you to react in an unfriendly way now. This real estate investing business is all about people and relationships with people.



Yes, you have to talk with people all the time. Some investors hoping to do all the work with their website online and hoping to have little contact with the actual people, are in for a surprise and much less success. The “press the flesh” quote, is what every good salesperson knows will “seal the deal.”



Now that we’re in a mindset that we can have “virtual relationships” through Facebook and Twitter, some misguided real estate investors may think they can avoid the messy real life contact of human beings, but that’s not going to be nearly as successful as the people that understand the “human factor.”



I believe that some of the “old ways” of marketing are still the most effective. Direct mail marketing to potential sellers and buyers will possibly be even more effective as the online world continues to get very “cluttered and over-played” in our world.



It’s like when you were in high school. Remember all the different fads? I won’t try to list them here because they’re different for every generation, but we all had them. I’m not saying the internet is a “fad,” what I am saying is that, something that we get too familiar with, loses it’s effect to move us anymore.



Receiving a letter, addressed in a personal way, will always grab your attention. Then, it’s up to the letter to hold it and convey the message after it’s opened. Good direct mail does that and will usually get my attention before my computer even gets turned on.



None of us wants to waste time with people that “aren’t ready, not serious, just curious or just plain fickled” when it comes to spending time in this business of real estate investing. Yes, websites are necessary and provide leads, but there are people that will be looking for a buyer and may be hesitating or not quite ready yet… that’s where direct mail marketing will beat the others every time. If it’s done right, direct mail marketing for real estate investors will always have them coming to you.



I don’t like chasing deals with “uncertain” outcomes anymore than anyone else, but if you use good direct mail marketing to these potential sellers and buyers, your opportunities go way up! And best of all… they come to you! I like that!

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