The Million Dollar Skill

Like many new investors – perhaps even you? – I began my journey studying various real estate investing strategies, bouncing from one to another, always eager to learn about the next shiny object. I have spent A LOT of money on my real estate education. And while I don’t regret for a moment all of the time and the money I have spent on various books, CDs, home-study courses and bootcamps – they have allowed me to become a transaction engineer and a true real estate problem solver – there is one thing I wish I could go back and do over. Or at least, start doing earlier in my career. That one thing is…learning how to give good phone.

What do I mean by that? And why would that be important?

As long as I can remember, I have been an extrovert, and it’s true that I really don’t have trouble talking with just about anyone. Even before I got into real estate investing, I have been involved in sales and marketing in some respect for most of my adult life. You would think that “giving good phone” would come naturally. You would be wrong.

It wasn’t until I met my mentor, Claude, that I really started to understand the importance of giving good phone. Now that doesn’t necessarily mean that I am always pleasant and subservient, or that I have a great speaking voice. Those things don’t really matter at all. Giving good phone means getting to the heart of the matter early in the conversation. Getting a commitment up front. Utilizing the art and science of persuasion. Doing the opposite of what you may have learned in most modern day sales training. Getting results.

You’ve probably heard that sales is the highest paid profession in the world, but in fact, that is true for only the top 1% of salespeople. Those elite few have adapted, evolved, and embraced a process, understanding the science and the art of the power of persuasion.

For the rest of the salespeople, they jump from job to job, or real estate strategy to real estate strategy, in hopes of capturing that elusive shiny object. If you really think about it, you begin to realize that Donald Trump and Bill Gates are actually great salesmen. However, most people in sales - and I have found this to be particularly true for most real estate investors - find the sales process frustrating and intimidating, and they never make enough money for all of their efforts. They end up blaming the job or the strategy, instead of the real culprit, which is their sales technique.

When I learned to give good phone, my business changed dramatically. Instead of me asking a seller if I could buy a property and hoping I would be able to come up with the cash or finagle some sort of creative deal, people began coming to me, asking me to help them with their problem properties. I became transformed and was now a consultant, a professional, a real estate problem solver. This transformation not only boosted my sales and my income - allowing me to quit a very good day job – but it was a tremendous boost to my confidence which – you guessed it – had a positive impact on my sales and my income. My commute now involves going to the kitchen to brew a great pot of coffee, then either back upstairs to my office, or if the weather is nice I head out to my backyard patio with my smartphone and tablet. I don’t even go to meetings or lunch dates now unless I have a high likelihood of picking up a check or a contract.

I learned a specific method of selling that is different from what you have heard elsewhere. It’s a step by step process and it works in any sales situation. It doesn’t come naturally, but it can definitely be learned. We’ve all heard that we need to work smarter, not harder. One of the smartest things I did was learn to give good phone.

Do you want to discover for yourself that Sales IS a Million Dollar Skill? Learn how to give good phone. You can make your life a dream come true. Who deserves it more than YOU?

In the coming weeks and months, I will be sharing the keys to success that I have learned, and how you can learn to give good phone. Stay tuned!