Hey Moguls, Doug Van Buskirk here…
You know what it’s like when the light bulb goes off and you instantly have a solution for something that’s been stumping you for a while?
Well, in today’s lesson, I want to share one of my most important light bulb moments with you.
If you embrace, internalize and implement these ideas you WILL see a drastic improvement in your business. You will feel the power that can only come from knowing that your future success is completely within your control.
Are you ready?
Real Estate Is Simpler Than You Think
We’re all guilty of overcomplicating things at times.
I see this happen quite often for real estate investors at all levels, and it holds them back from reaching their true potential.
Has this ever reared its ugly head in your business?
Well let me simplify the entire process for you…
In order to make substantial income in real estate (or ANY business), you must be constantly marketing.
Yep, stupid simple. Right?
Here’s the next level to that: to make substantial money, you must SPEND substantial money on your constant marketing.
I don’t know a single 6-figure investor who isn’t heavily invested in outbound marketing. I’m not talking about business cards, magnets, Craigslist ads, or “branding”-type websites...
I’m talking about hardcore direct-response advertising.
That’s the only way to truly CONTROL the state of your business.
Here’s the Light Bulb Moment…
As I was struggling to figure out why my income was so sporadic in my own businesses, all of a sudden it hit me like a ton of bricks:
My profit was a DIRECT RESULT of the amount I spent on advertising.
When I spent a lot (in the proper way), my business grew quickly, I built momentum and new opportunities came to the surface.
When I spent little (or nothing) and thought I could guerilla advertise my way to success, reality smacked me square across the forehead. My business would stagnate. Even worse, I’d actually lose ground, because I’d get frustrated and lose confidence in my mission.
It’s a vicious cycle, and one that (I’d estimate) 95% or more of entrepreneurs deal with.
So Allow Me to Ask You a Question:
Actually, it’s two questions, but they're related…
How much money did you spend on advertising last month?
Were you satisfied with your results as an investor last month?
I’m not saying you CAN’T get deals without spending money on advertising. But what I am saying is that you won’t have an investing business you can count on until you are spending considerable money each month on advertising.
And that’s what we’re all in this for, right? To build investing businesses that free us from the chains of relying on someone else for our financial well-being.
We need real estate to produce consistent, predictable income for us to truly feel the burden lifted. And for that, we use direct-response advertising.
The best place for you to start is direct mail.
We’ll dig deeper into the nuts and bolts of direct mail in a future lesson, but for now, know this:
Direct Mail will be the backbone of your success in real estate.
There, I said it. All the other bells and whistles, at best, complement your direct mail, and, at worse, are just shiny ball distractions that impede your success.
The “big boys” who are crushing it in your local market aren’t that much different than you…
The biggest differentiators are that they spend a ton of money on marketing and they are probably better funded.
And that leads to a great question, that I’m sure has been on your mind for the last few minutes…
Where Will I Find the Money for Marketing?
A lot of investors let this question get them stuck. So they keep trying to find the “hidden, super-secret, FREE” lead source that will rain motivated seller leads down on you from on-high (if you sense a twinge of sarcasm, it’s because I used to be that guy J ).
This actually seems like a good time for a Tony Robbins quote (I’ll paraphrase)…
“You’re not limited by your resources; you’re only limited by your resourcefulness.”
So it’s time to get creative. If you know that consistent direct-response marketing will bring you results, then that seems like a reasonable opportunity to propose to people in your network (much the same way as you’d propose a private lending opportunity).
They fund your marketing, you do the work, and they take a cut.
If you’re wondering who on Earth would possibly lend money for something like this, you need to look no further than… me.
Yep, that’s right. I currently work with an investor who doesn’t have a ton of capital but who has the resources to close a lot of wholesale deals.
I fund ALL of his marketing – direct mail, bandit signs, flyers, web, etc. In exchange, I cut a cut of every deal.
Win-win.
That’s just ONE way to make it happen. The point is, if you don’t have cash, you’ve got to… get creative.
Our ability to adapt and find solutions that no one else has thought of is what defines our success as entrepreneurs.
If you don’t have the money yet, then find it!
If you have the money, then use it!
I’m not brushing off the challenge that you’re facing, but I am encouraging you to break this process (and every process) down to its simplest base. That’s so much more motivating… and so much less intimidating.
It took me a long time to truly embrace the ideas that I’ve shared here with you today. So you may want to go back through and read this lesson again and take some notes to help the ideas really sink in so that you can run with them to create success in your business!
Until next time…
Take care,
Doug Van Buskirk
Holla at Me
Got any other marketing thought it tips? Share in the comments section below.
Embrace the idea that your income as an investor is a direct result of the money you invest into advertising.
Consider the results from the paid advertising you’ve done up to this point.
Identify the best sources.
Study direct mail for real estate – this will be the backbone of your success.
Create a marketing plan and set goals for obtaining funding.
Execute!