When i first started wholesaling...
Wholesaler · Charleston WV · Member since 2026 · 271 posts · 152 votes
I remember wondering how I was ever going to build a real business. Every time I looked at my call list, I'd hesitate. I'd think, "Why would someone trust me? They'll know I'm new." The crazy part is, none of those thoughts ever came from a seller. They came from me. I was rejecting myself before anyone else had the chance. Everything changed when I stopped trying to sound like an expert and started having real conversations. Looking back, the biggest obstacle wasn't the phone. It was the story I kept telling myself. Confidence isn't something you wait for. It's something you earn, one conversation at a time.
Travis, this is exactly right. The story in your head is always scarier than the actual conversation.
I remember feeling the same way early on, worried a seller would sense I was new and hang up before I even got a word out. What changed it was realizing sellers don't care about my experience level, they care about whether I'm actually listening and can solve their problem.
We tell newer people on our team the same thing today. Confidence isn't something you wait to feel before you start dialing, it shows up because you dialed. Every rep builds it a little more!
This really resonates, and honestly applies well beyond wholesaling. I saw the same pattern leading kitchen teams for years before I got into real estate — the people who hesitated the most weren't usually the ones with the least skill, they were the ones most convinced everyone could see through them. The ones who did well weren't necessarily the most naturally confident, they were just willing to have the conversation anyway before they felt ready. Appreciate you sharing this — it's the kind of thing that's easy to know intellectually but still worth hearing again when you're the one hesitating on the call list.
Travis, what you described — "Why would someone trust me? They'll know I'm new" — is the most common thing that kills new wholesalers. Not the phone. Not the seller. The story you tell yourself before you dial.
Izaiah nailed it: the story in your head is scarier than the conversation. And Stacy's kitchen team analogy is spot on — the people who hesitate most aren't the least skilled, they're the most convinced everyone can see through them.
Here's what I've found helps with that specific fear, beyond just "start dialing":
**Give yourself something concrete to talk about before you pick up the phone.**
The reason "they'll know I'm new" feels so terrifying is because you're going in empty-handed. You don't know anything about the property or the seller's situation, so every question feels like you're exposing your inexperience.
But what if you already knew three things about the property from public records before you dialed?
- The Tax Collector shows the owner is 2 years delinquent on property taxes
- Code Enforcement has 3 open violations on the property
- The Clerk of Court shows a probate case filed for the estate
Now you're not calling blind. You're calling with specific, documented information from three independent government sources. When the seller picks up, you don't have to pretend you're an expert — you just say: "I'm calling about [address]. I noticed there are some tax records and code enforcement items on the property — I wanted to reach out directly to see if there's a situation I might be able to help with."
That's not a script. That's not pretending to be experienced. That's just stating facts that are already public record. And the seller can't "see through you" because you're not performing — you're just referencing documented information.
The confidence doesn't come from pretending you know everything. It comes from knowing you have something real to talk about. When three county departments have already documented the same property's distress, you're not cold calling — you're following up on information the government already published.
@Travis Goodwin your point about "confidence is something you earn, one conversation at a time" is exactly right. I'd add one thing: the conversations get easier faster when you go in with data instead of a script. You stop worrying about sounding like an expert because you're just talking about what you found in public records. That's not faking it — that's being prepared.