What Qualities Do You Look For In A Coach/Mentor

[Gino Barbaro]

Hi everyone,

Many people on BP are seeking a mentor to help them with investing in real estate.  My question is what qualities and or skill set do you look for in a mentor.  What are you looking to get from the relationship with the mentor.  And what are you willing to give in return.

I often read that BPers are looking for help, but sometimes are not clear on what help they are looking for and what they are willing to add to the relationship

Thanks Guys!  Your responses truly help me to craft a program that can serve real estate investors! 

[Kevin Yoo]

@Gino Barbaro

Your responses truly help me to craft a program that can serve real estate investors! 

What program are you creating and why are you doing this?

@Orlando Paz

I thought your post was excellent and I voted for you. However, I also thought your post was very disturbing as a mentor especially when you said the mentor you are looking for is the following.

Someone who has a sincere interest in helping, and has my best interest in mind. 

Whose interest do you have in mind? 

You did state that forming a partnership and offering a split that is favorable to both is a way to compensate the mentor. To me that is the only way you could compensate me if I were your mentor. But you may be just like all others who approached me and then fade away quickly when they realized that their first deal is not quick in coming. It seems that you and others like @Cassie Sherie are really after closing that first deal or first few deals for yourself with that mentor. 

If it is all about you and your first deal or first few deals, you offer me very little value and in the end I have spent a lot of my time and money mentoring you to create success only for you. Cassie did state that she would take care of me by giving me a stake in the deal which will continue to give and pay back. Again this is the only way I would mentor Cassie and anyone else where we are successful together. However, getting to a point where you do your first deal successfully takes a lot of prep work. Focusing on that so much will only discourage you and the mentor. 

If you want to be mentored successfully, figure out how to be create success for the mentor and you together. And be patient because it takes a lot to learn what your mentor knows and to do a deal successfully. What is worse than flaking out on a mentor is to make him/her lose money on you because you were not ready.