Offline Real Estate Networking Strategy???

[Joseph Cacciapaglia]

I'm very long winded; please feel free to skip to "THE QUESTIONS". 

Although I'm an introvert by nature, I believe networking is one of my strong suits when it comes to the real estate business. My main strategy is to turn online connections into one on one relationships. This means that I'm always trying to meet in person or talk on the phone to any/all of my new connections. I believe this is he easiest way to build true long term relationships.

I'm a relatively new member of BiggerPockets, but in the last few weeks have been able to schedule several meetings and phone calls with people I've met on here. Quite a few people seemed surprised that I take the time for a 30 minute phone call or hour long coffee meeting, with no actual agenda or deal to discuss. I'm just trying to get to know the person's motivation and goals. I've been asked more than once why I do this. This seems like an incredibly odd question to me. Is this really that odd of a habit in today's digital world?

I believe that real estate is a relationship business. It's not all numbers and spreadsheets, and that's why there is opportunity to do creative deals. I understand that I may never make a deal with the person I meed today, but that doesn't make it a waste of time. Maybe that person refers someone my way, maybe they are a resource for someone else in my network, or maybe they just become a lifelong friend. In any case, if I don't take the time to get to know them, I'll miss all of those opportunities.

Another common question is why I'll spend so much time with noobs. To me, this is another silly question. I'm in this business for the long term, and today's noobs are tomorrows moguls. Sure I don't have time to meet every single person on BP, but I can certainly make time for people that are local, or have some real interest in my market, or some other relevant connection. I enjoy meeting local new people the most, because I have the greatest opportunity to add value to their investing careers.

THE QUESTIONS: 1. What are you doing to move your online connections to offline relationships? 2. Given your time constraints, how do you prioritize who you make time for?