3-Step Process for Optimizing Investor Conversations

Having trouble finding private money for your multifamily deals? Well, we have all been there. However, by adhering to a simple 3-step process when approaching investor conversations, I have been able to turn my “luck” around and raise millions of dollars for my multifamily syndication deals.

Step One – Listen More, Talk Less

Mark Twain famously stated, “If we were supposed to talk more than we listen, we would have two tongues and one ear.” Therefore, when first meeting someone, whether you’ve already identified him or her as a potential investor or it is a “random” stranger, don’t instantly jump into talking about your real estate business. Instead, talk about them. Listen and discover that they are interested in. Learn as much as you can about them.

If you’ve already identified them as a potential investor, get to know them on a deeper level so that you can see if you two are compatible enough to be business partners. If you haven’t identified them as a potential investor, still take the time to listen and learn more about them. You never know where the relationship may lead.

Step Two – Become a Thought Leader

If you want to achieve massive levels of success in multifamily syndication, and real estate investing in general, you MUST have some sort of thought leadership. Personally, I have chosen to provide weekly YouTube tips for raising money and buying apartments. I have the world’ longest running daily podcast, as well as a weekly email newsletter, a book, daily blog posts, and a monthly mastermind group. So, I have ongoing thought leadership that allows me to keep in touch with my new friends and with the new relationships I am creating. It allows me to stay top of mind because I am constantly providing valuable, free information. And essentially, it has allowed me to network with people on a global level, all while I am asleep!

However, I didn’t wake up one morning and tell myself, “I am going to start a YouTube channel, podcast, newsletter, blog, write a book, and create mastermind group today.” Rather, I took it one step at a time. So pick one platform and use that are your launching point. If you aren’t comfortable starting any of the things that I have, then at the very least, start by becoming more active on the BiggerPockets’ forums, by either asking great questions or providing great answers.

How do you know if you are a thought leader? By John Quincy Adam’s definition, “If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more and become more, you are a leader.”

Step Three – Have a Great Deal

Finally, once you’ve had the conversations and provided thought leadership, you need to actually have a deal that you can share with your new investors.

Now, you may be thinking, “But Joe, I don’t have people I can reach out to and share a deal with.” My response: see Step One and Two. Without the first two steps, you’ll have no investors to fund the deal. Although, if you have followed my advice – started listening and becoming a though leader – without having a deal, what the heck are your investors going to invest in? Therefore, you need all three-steps in order to be successful.