Blocking people from Meetups?

Question

I've seen a few local Minnesota meetups prohibiting certain people from coming. Most of the time agents, brokers or lenders hosting meetups and prohibiting others in the same profession from coming.

If you're hosting a Meetup in Minneapolis or Saint Paul isn't the purpose to freely share information? Sure you may get some business from it but operating off of fear and not allowing other professionals to come doesn't make it look like you are coming from a place of giving.

Seems as if everyone now has a podcast and also a meetup to go along with it. I know I've stopped listening to a few podcasts that have become just a sales pitch. I'm sure the meetups that ban people from attending won't last long either!

Would you go to a meetup that banned others from coming?

Jay Hinrichs · Answer

@Jordan Moorhead  this is funny you should mention this.

I hosted ( I think the first or second BP meetup in Portland or)  at my office i personally bought all the pizza and drinks etc. NO Booze  just coffee and soft drinks but of course designer coffee we are in the Pac NW after all.

it was a HUGE turn out over flowed the office LOL.

but I did do it with another person.. he helped cordinate etc.. and I invited a few people that he thought were direct competitors of his and the next day this kid calls me and basically chews me out.. .. that was the end of that relationship and the last time i go to any meet up other than if I am invited to speak as a guest speaker.. NO meetups no hosting no nothing.. I don't have time for bruised feelings and egos.. plus not much gets done at these its more social hour.. i am more results driven and focused.. Than just go to these meetsups and shoot the SH@@@T

Bruce Runn · Answer

@Jordan Moorhead

Even though I don't have anything to sell- not an agent, mortgage broker, insurance, or trying to sell any of my properties ect, I'd avoid that type of meetup if it seems like there just trying to do an infomercial. It's an example of people drying to drum up business and camouflaging their real intend.  Kind of sleezy to try to co opt the meet up process for your gain.   I come to mainly share what I've learned with almost 2,000 months of rentals, 2 dozen renovations, 10 transactions last year ect. as the whole point is to share freely and give a hand to those wanting to learn.

Dave Crussel · Answer

That sounds crazy.  Come to our May Lunch & Learn - all are welcome.  We have just have a no commercials rule.

This is a team sport and shouldn't be based on exclusions.

Watch for my post on the upcoming May Lunch & Learn.

Rocky V. · Answer

I'd have to agree with @Jay Hinrichs on this one.  Many meetups are just colleagues BSing and sales pitch after sales pitch.  While this is great for a newbie investor once you reach a certain point it is time to take action.  No BS and GET IT DONE!!

I'd never even think about going to a meetup that prohibits certain individuals from attending.  There is plenty of biz to go around.

Jon Holdman · Answer

It would seem clear the purpose of the meetups you describe is sales, not sharing information.  The folks putting those on don't want any competition.  That model seems to work really well for REIAs, so some of them may well survive.

Mike Nuss · Answer

@Jordan Moorhead if someone is blocking others (especially competitors) from a meetup, I would assume there is an agenda that will be pitched. My experience with meetings that are run by an agenda pitching person, or team, has typically been a waste of time.

In regard to starting a new REIA. That's exactly what we did with the RareBird Investor Network. In fact @Jay Hinrichs was one of our first few speakers. We go the complete opposite direction as the local REIA. No sales. No pitches. Only local speakers doing local projects. Lot's of networking. Little BS and great collaboration. That works for some, but not for everyone. We've grown substantially over the past two years and just until the past month we grew strictly from word of mouth (as well as a lot of good shoutouts on BP).

We just held a networking mixer two weeks ago where we marketed it on BP as well as meetup. We did offer free wine and beer and light snacks. About 90 people showed up and it was really just a big happy hour with people interested in real estate. Our monthly meetings are where people go to learn and do.

If you're serious about wanting to start a new REIA.....dm me and I'll be happy to share with you what's worked for us and what hasn't. Good luck!

Bruce Runn · Answer

We have a speaker talk about a specific topic, have Q&A,  and then give time for people to network and learn from each other

Fradel Schaechter · Answer

@Jordan Moorhead

Didn't know that was even possible (to block competitors from coming). I would avoid going to such a meeting because the whole point of it is the sharing that goes on, and it seems these organizers have not mastered that yet...

Matt Skog · Answer

Unfortunately, MN REIA has always been too narrow minded in scope from what I've taken from it. A (former) friend of mine was heavy into this a few years before the subprime meltdown, and was hit hard by foreclosures to his properties because he was too highly leveraged, usually buying with little to no equity built in. Agree with the too much pitching, and not enough plain old-fashioned networking.

Chris Mason · Answer

I think these folks are just focused on carving out the largest slice of the pie possible, rather than making the pie bigger. I send business to, and get business from, other lenders. If I don't have the right product, I'll send it to the person that does - while reminding them of what I've got that they don't.

Blocking people from Meetups?

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