Today's blog post is a pure rant ... we make no apologies but wanted to prepare you.
Ready for it?
Here we go...
When I started in sales I was told to pick up the phone and call all the leads marketing dropped into our laps every day.
I was a good guy, so I obeyed ... for a little while.
Then I started to notice that all ... every single one ... of the top earners in the company were claiming to call their marketing leads, but they didn't.
They secretly laughed at the idea.
The company line was that everyone called the leads.
But these guys didn't.
The approved battle cry from sales management was .... make 100 calls a day! The deals will come! Work harder! Call! Call! Call! Ahhh!
So all the new people called the leads.
That literally doomed them to:
a. Being fired, or
b. Working harder for less money.
The top earners had figured out other ways to make sales.
For example, some were making calls to partners and developing relationships that would get them multiple deals with a single call.
Others were uncovering the "go to" person in a large organization, and working with them to put all the software deals through that one person. Again, a single call for multiple deals.
The idea that you should do what you're told by "management" is widely accepted by any new people in any industry.
When we entered real estate we were given this advice...
CALL every day!!
You were to print lists of phone numbers and come up with creative ways to call homeowners who might want to sell their house.
Who were they kidding?
We felt like we were living in that clip of Glengarry Glen Ross, "Always be closing."
Looking back it was completely ridiculous.
There are so many better ways to earn business in sales, in real estate, in everything.
And it's almost always doing exactly the opposite of "everyone else."
"Everyone," told us to "brand ourselves."
So we did the exact opposite and studied "direct response marketing," and used the ugliest marketing you've ever seen.
It changed our lives.
"Everyone," told us to pour our money into more "company stock."
We bought a property.
It changed our lives.
Why are we sharing this?
Because so many people get into new jobs and they feel they have to copy what everyone else is doing to succeed.
They don't realize that by doing what everyone else is doing they're going to get what everyone else is getting, which isn't much.
We're not saying you don't have to work hard.
You do.
You've gotta hustle.
100%.
But you can work hard, smartly.
To us, that line is the most overlooked piece of advice.
Many people work very hard doing things that really don't matter.
And other people work smartly, but not very hard.
If you combine both, magic happens.
Here's the trick to working smart.
You've gotta learn, explore, read, research, discover, and uncover what is working well in your field.
Whether it's real estate, business building, or otherwise.
And this takes time.
There's no one book to pick up with all of the "smart secrets" laid out.
Many people who meet us today think we somehow stumbled into creating growing real estate business as our first attempt at business.
That's not correct at all.
We played around with websites, traded stock options, bought student rentals, tested out Rent to Owns, learned about commodity trading, worked in sales, started email lists, studied direct response marketing, read books, subscribed to newsletters, and listened to audios in our cars every minute of every day since 1998.
So in 2006 when we got around to seriously starting a real estate business we had a base of knowledge.
We had some ideas of where we could start.
And then we put in the hard work.
By studying, researching, and carefully observing, you can figure out where your natural gifts can be used as a leverage point.
Maybe you're a great writer, so you start a website.
Maybe you hate writing, but you're a great connector, so you start hosting powerful networking meetings.
Maybe you hate networking, but you are great at crunching numbers, so you share amazing analysis.
Maybe you failed math and hate that, but you're great at putting videos together, so you share amazing videos on your subject.
Maybe you hate videos, but you're great at interviewing people, so you share the most interesting interviews on your subject.
We all have a gift.
Pay attention to yours because it could be a wonderful leverage point for you.
And if you feel like you're struggling to get your real estate empire off the ground, have patience.
Watch what others are doing, read about what others are doing, hang around with others, make notes, make observations of what's working, and ask questions. You are building a base of smartness that is going to propel you to greatness.
Sometimes things don't happen as quickly as you want them to, but during these times you can be studying and researching and analyzing.
We've found our lives go through phases.
Periods of monster fast achievement, and then periods of incubation where it can feel like nothing is happening.
But if you use those times to keep developing your skills, and keep learning, you will be prepared when your opportunity presents itself.
Don't feel like everything has to happen instantly with your real estate, or your business building, or your sales achievements.
Don't get frustrated when it doesn't.
But definitely, use those times to question everything.
Question everyone.
Question us.
Question the advice you are getting in all areas of life. Check the source.
Almost everyone is following the same advice in whatever field they are in, and that is exactly why you shouldn't.
Find people who are doing what you want to be doing and figure out how to learn from them.
Study. Question. Explore. Learn. Take Action. Work Hard. Live.
Until next time ... Your Life! Your Terms!!
