Do you feel awkward when you approach a potential seller and introduce yourself as a real estate investor? I know I do, but, there is a segment of the investor population that continues to believe and promote this style of approaching a seller. And, I’m over it.
I recorded a video back in 2017 where I shared my thoughts on this topic. I teach that you do not have to and should not approach a potential seller leading with your work as an investor.
“Hi, I’m Whitney Nicely and I’m a real estate investor. I’ve come to talk to you about your house.”
Don’t you just feel the yuck?! In my experience the majority of sellers immediately put up a wall and barrier to you now, because all they think is that you have come to steal their house! And that is not a good thing!
I teach for you to be a person with them; a fellow human being. I try to become someone who they can connect with as quickly as possible. Your work as an investor is irrelevant at first. Just don’t start that conversation.
Because, the conversation with sellers should not be about me and what I do; it should be about my sellers and how I can help them.
Well, that video was not received well. I got in SO much “trouble.” People sent me hate mail, I got attacked on my Facebook page. My phone was ringing with someone to yell at me about how they disagreed.
They accused me of lying and being deceitful. The thing is, I did not say to NEVER tell your seller that you’re an investor. Just don’t LEAD with it.
I want you to be a person with your sellers. Your work as an investor is irrelevant at first. What matters is how you can helpthem.
People like people. They want to work with someone that they can trust and who can help them. I want to be someone that the seller wants to work with, and who knows that my interest is in their best interest, too. My focus is not on myself, but how I can help them.
Do not go trying to impress your seller. Be relatable.
If you lead with “Hi, I’m a real estate investor,” you’ve now set yourself up as someone who they cannot relate to, since the vast majority of people are not investors. But, if you present yourself as someone who has helped other people get out of difficult real estate problems, then you stand a greater chance of closing the deal than if I come in all proud of myself because I’m a real estate investor.
And, I got some hate for teaching this. The men that I got hate from surprised me. Going in and not being full of myself is something that I am proud of when I talk to sellers. It is a core principle of my teaching and my investment methods. I am focused on helping people, not impress them. When you help people, you get further in life.
This is something that I teach, something that I preach, something that I do.
But, I was hated because of it. One of the men who sent me hate even went so far as to call me and tell me that I was in the wrong. And, I caved. I brought in people to help me rewrite my material so that it would be received the way that I wanted it to be received. My verbiage was changed to better fit the comfort zone of others, but now, I’m reconsidering.
Never be afraid to speak your truth, even when hateful people start arriving.
But, the other day I rewatched that video, and you know what? I stand behind my words. You know how sometimes you look at something you said a year later and you think, “Oy, I should not have said that?” This is not one of those times. In fact, I am even more convinced now by what I said, and more committed to teaching it to others. I still believe that it is not the best idea to go in focusing on your work as a real estate investor.
You know, the men who sent me hate and planted those seeds of doubt in me, I don’t think that they realize the disservice they did to me and the people I teach by passing on their negativity. This whole experience has really challenged me to think differently about the lesson that we have learned as a child to “not do anything wrong…don’t get into trouble.”
In fact, a coach I was working with even told me to stop telling people that I’m “weird,” because “people don’t want to be weird.” The thing is, I’m kind of a weirdo, y’all. I think about things differently. I do things differently. And, the women that I help buy these houses, they think about things differently, too!
And, when I shut my mouth and shut up, listening to the naysayers, I did a disservice to all of those sellers who we would have and could have helped.
So, I’m going to share my initial video below that began all of this hullabaloo. If it bothers you and you don’t like it, feel free to go elsewhere. Click away. Take your negativity with you. That whole response effort from the men trying to very diligently to pull me down and shut me up is just the force of average at work. And, I’m not dealing with that anymore.
So, I still believe that you should not go to a seller’s house with your ego about how you are a real estate investor, because I still believe that they equate that to “I’m here to steal your house…I’m here to give you a low-ball offer…I’m here to not do you justice.” And that is NOT my style.
When we fail to stand up for what we know is right, everyone loses.
I try to get my sellers their asking price. What kind of an investor am I if I want to give them what they’re asking for? Maybe I’m a weird real estate investor. Maybe I’m a really good real estate investor.
And, maybe that’s what the men were afraid of and that’s why they were hating on me.
And now I am off to go keep teaching ladies how to make money in real estate investment. Guess what? I am going to keep teaching them these things and to not walk in impressed with yourself.
Walk in focused on trying to help somebody. Focus on your seller and less on yourself to get your contract signed.
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And if you are seriously ready to dive into real estate investing and learn all the ins and outs to get some serious movement with your money, let’s get you started withFirst Deal Done Fast! Between the course and the mastermind group, and my personal investing of my time to make sureyou understand everything you need to be fully successful with this as fast as possible. Click here to learn more now!
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