“I put a dollar in one of those change machines. Nothing changed.”
George Carlin said this, and I’m not sure it supports my point today, but it’s funny nonetheless.
How about this one?
“Change always comes bearing gifts.”
Those were the wise words of famous business advisor, Price Pritchett, and man are they good ones.
Today’s lesson, as you’ve probably figured out, is all about change, and I’m speaking to both new and seasoned investors here. Being able to adapt to change can mean major success. You just have to know how to roll with the punches, find the good and extract valuable lessons from change.
Here’s why and how…
Things Change: Deal with It
I’ve experienced more changes in my career than I can count, and it wasn’t always easy to accept those changes. But when it comes down to it, what choice do we have? If we don’t adapt, we stand still. And if we stand still, we fail. It’s that simple.
Back in the day, I picked up a 4-plex at an auction and planned to wholesale it to an investor who wanted to rehab the property himself. But after marketing the property for some time, I realized the phone simply wasn’t ringing.
So, I switched gears. I changed my plan.
I listened to what the market wanted – or didn’t want, in this case – and once I made the change, I was able to (quickly) get an investor under contract, pre-rehab for $25,000 more than what I would have made had I been stubborn and stuck to my initial wholesaling plan.
Because I changed my plan of attack, I ended pocketing a sweet chunk of change.
Roll with it, Baby
The bottom line is…
…let your market tell you what it wants.
It’s not about what you think the market needs, it’s about what the investors in your area want. So roll with it.
Some changes will be more challenging than others, no doubt about it. But the difference between those investors who succeed and those who fail is knowing when to stop trying to jam a square into a round hole.
It doesn’t matter if you’re marketing to a wholesaler, rehabber or rental buyer – you’ve got to change gears and change them quickly when the market calls. And that means knowing your market well and interpreting what it wants, not what YOU want to put out there.
Until we meet again…
Changed Much?
How do you feel about change? Do you have a great story because you changed your plan or approach? Share below.
Embrace change and realize that without it, you and your business can’t grow.
Roll with change and don’t resist where the market is pulling you.
Listen to your market and give it what it wants.
Change quickly when the time comes and act with urgency to keep moving forward.
Cody Sperber
is founder and CEO of www.CleverInvestor.com. He's successfully closed many different types of real estate transactions including wholesale deals, short sales, multi-unit, subject to, lease options and my own proprietary investing strategy, the Reverse Short Sale. As a new investor he quickly gained a huge competitive advantage by mastering online lead generation, building one of the most successful real estate investing firms in the Arizona market. His companies have bought and sold hundreds of millions in properties and closed hundreds of real estate transactions. Before real estate, Cody served in the Navy and attended Arizona State, and he is now married to his best friend and has two beautiful children (Hudson and Brynlee).