Hey Moguls, Cody Sperber here…
If you’re like 90% of the population, you’re right handed. The remaining 10% is left handed, or, if you’re the lucky few, you have the gift of ambidexterity.
But how often does someone ask if you’re right or left brained? Have you ever considered what it means to be one of the other or which one might be better?
Not exactly water cooler talk at the office or typical food for thought during those quiet moments of contemplation…but maybe it should be.
The Meeting of the Minds
Before we dive into right- and left-brained investing and why understanding the mind can literally change your investing game for the better, let’s get to know our minds a little better, shall we?
According to the left brained, right brained dominance theory, the right side of the brain is best at expressive and creative tasks. Right-brained people tend to take an imaginative approach to thinking. They’re great listeners, and they have an acute sense of awareness for all things in their world. They make decisions based on intuition and a gut feeling.
Some of the characteristics and abilities that are popularly associated with the right side of the brain include:
• Artistic
• Recognizing faces
• Expressing emotions
• Music
• Reading emotions
• Color
• Images
• Intuition
• Creativity
Conversely, the left side of the brain is considered to be adept at tasks that involve logic, language and analytical thinking.
Left brained people are analytical and logical in their approach. Systems make sense in their worlds, and sequential, precise strategy is what makes them tic. They are verbal beings, and emotions don’t drive their decisions.
Here’s a tip; left-brained people (no offense) typically don’t have much of a sense of humor either, so keeping conversations to the point and professional is key. Cracking the latest “a guy walks into a bar” joke probably won’t be in your best interest when it comes to dealing with left-brained sellers and real estate professionals.
The left brain is often described as being better at:
• Language
• Math/Formulas
• Logic
• Critical Thinking
• Numbers
• Reasoning
Putting in Perspective: The Psychology of Selling
Now that you know how both right- and left-brained people operate, let’s talk about forgetting what you’ve learned about selling up until now.
What I mean is…until now, you’ve probably been told to go out, find the property, close the deal, and make the money. Real estate investing is largely viewed like an assembly line:
Buy ‘em, sell ‘em, flip ‘em, and move on.
The tangibles are what matter, and deals are seen by most investors in black and white. But this wham bam, bada bing bada boom formula only gets you so far.
The art form of selling is the other half. Understanding why people do what they do and why they make certain decisions will give you that competitive edge, and it will help you build and cultivate long-term relationships with key clients and players in the real estate investing game.
The ability to see gray area, to see value in what is beyond your physical grasp…that’s the key to successful investing.
Some of the world’s most successful investors – like Donald Trump and Jorge Perez – understand the right- and left-brained psychology of selling. They are billionaire tycoons, because they know there is more to landing deals than numbers, paper and formulas.
In short, they are right-brained icons who tap into their left-brain capabilities. They have perfected the art of selling, because they understand the psychology of selling.
The Righties and the Lefties
To bring the right vs. left brained concepts into better focus, here are examples of some of the world’s most famous right-brained people. These are the guys whose distinct way of thinking revolves around the arts and all things creative, emotional and often random.
This list of famous right-brained individuals demonstrates just how influential and powerful right- brained personalities can be.
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Sir Isaac Newton
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Aristotle
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Albert Einstein
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Galileo Galilei
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Socrates
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Bill Gates
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Steven Spielberg
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Abraham Lincoln
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Pablo Picasso
If these guys were to become real estate investors today, here’s some of what they’d teach us about investing from the right-brained perspective...
1. They’d teach us that creating win/win deals is about building rapport with the seller, so that communication is clear, open, fair and effective.
2. They’d be the kings of relationship marketing, encouraging us to attend REIA meetings, seminars and conventions regularly in efforts to create relationships.
3. Outside-of- the-box thinking would be common practice for them with concepts like “don’t chase leads, make them come to you.”
4. We’d know to offer 3 options to our sellers and to use hypnotic copy in our marketing to subconsciously influence our audiences. Thanks to these guys, we would become the go-to center of REI influence in our communities.
So what about the lefties? What can we learn from those oh so serious literal thinkers? The answer? A lot.
Take transaction engineering, for example…
Lefties are adept at structuring acquisitions, managing properties, protecting assets, planning taxes and negotiating in general. These are the people you want on your team to manage capital rates, operating expenses, contracts and ROI formulas. Need to better understand how profitable a deal might be? Ask a left-brained real estate expert, and he/she will nail it every time.
Now Take Some Action & Consider a Double Major
Remember, if you’re like the majority of the population, you’re probably right brained, and that’s a good thing…no, a great thing.
But you need that left-brain power also to maximize your communication and negotiation skills.
Truth be told, you need both to be a successful investor. You need the creative right-brained side to see the big, colorful picture, AND you need the literal, creative thinker in you to balance it out and maximize your potential investment dollars.
Until next time…keep exercising both sides of your brain.
--Cody
Talk to Me
Which are you, right or left brained? Have you noticed how it affects your business, or perhaps how a fellow investor’s business is affected? Share it in the comments section below.
Become an art major with a minor in science, if that makes sense. What I’m saying is your right brain should dominate, but your left brain should compliment.
Understand that both sides of our brain contribute equal value, giving you insight into other people’s minds. Knowing why and how others communicate and make decisions is priceless in the real estate investment game.
Exercise both sides of your brain whenever you can!
Activate the right brain by visualizing yourself at work performing your everyday tasks, and keep the perspective broad.
Activate your left brain by thinking about the details and how you could perform tasks with better efficiency. This will active the left side of your brain.