I'm officially in business - My Tale

[David Tower]

I've finally done it. My first batch of yellow letters went out yesterday. Whoever said that thinking doesn't cure fear but action does was spot on.

I know Greg Smith's thread is popular so I figure people might enjoy another. I'll never live up to Danny Johnson's weekly updates from his earlier days at Flipping Junkie of course.

I am 34 and I joined BP in March of 2011. I started reading and learning about wholesaling but never really gave it my all. I started attending a REIA back in RI where I lived and I knew I wanted to leave corporate America (been working at a mutual fund company for 12 years now) but I always had sub-conscious fears of the unknown,failure, etc. I also joined Sean Terry's Flip2Freedom academy because I love his podcasts. In my opinion, it's well worth it. He's a great guy and I was happy to shake his hand at his Dallas event.

In December of 2011 I moved to Texas as an optional move for work and I let that be a terrible excuse to not take action with real estate. I continued to learn and listen to podcasts and read books and I let that delude myself in to thinking I was doing something. I know now it's because reading another book was easier than getting out of my comfort zone.

noob tip #1 - Don't do that. You don't need to know everything about step #20 to start. You only need to know step #1. If you have a deal, there's plenty of smart people that will help you get it done for a slice.

noob tip #2 - Don't overcomplicate things. Wholesaling really is as simple as finding someone that needs to sell and someone else that wants to buy. The sooner you realize that, the sooner you'll take action.

noob tip #3 - There is NOTHING to be affraid of except perhaps the pain of regret of not ever getting started.

Now, about those books....reading Think and Grow Rich did probably set things in motion for me to really start taking action, but perhaps better than that is a 3 Disc audiobook by Brian Tracy called Goals: How to get everything you want faster than you ever thought possible. It was the best $10 I ever spent. I was also living in,getting out of, and getting over a tough relationship for the past year which was a real momentum killer.

I don't want to write a novel here so I'll end the first installment by thanking all the staff at BP and all the amazing people who give back by contributing and helping the little people. One of my goals is to do the same.

[Joshua S.]

Originally posted by David Tower:

Josh I know you're a podcast guy. Take a listen to episode #27 of REI Mastery with Joe Mccall if you have a few minutes.

Just got done listening to that episode, and I have to say, it drove me NUTS!

"I'm sure the house is sold already, right?"

"Surely the house isn't vacant is it?"

"I'm sure you must have good tenants in there?"

"The house can't be costing you any money, right?"

"How do you feel about this?"
--"That sounds good."
"What?"
--"That sounds good."
"What does that mean?"
--"Um, I'd be interested in getting more information"
"And then"
--"Yeah, I'd like to do that."
"I'm sorry, I couldn't hear you, my hearing aid fell out."
--"Yeah, I'd like to do that, yes"
"Oh, okay, great."

I was actually *annoyed* just by listening to this role play. As someone who's been in sales for quite a while, I am acutely aware of the techniques of using presumptive questions, and making the client repeat themselves. It's just so manipulative and slimy. Early in my sales career I tried these techniques for about a week before giving up. It always seemed to agitate my clients, and sometimes I got the impression that they felt like their intelligence was being insulted. And I feel the same way when others try it on me. But hey, your mileage may vary.