My First Failure? We'll see!

So, why is my first failure so exciting?  It's my first SOMETHING!  I've been here, been slowing working Part Time (I'll admit it, more like Part Part Time....) and I got a live, fresh, "hot" lead.  It doesn't matter where I got it, how I got it, or even how long it took me to get it (at this point).  It just matters that I got it.

Let's start with my expectations.  I came from a technology background.  And I am thoroughly entrenched in it.  Been doing something in that field since I was single digits...  Yes, at age 8 or so I was breaking computers.  Took me a while longer to figure out how to fix them, but I've had my hands on a keyboard since I was  VERY young.  Fast forward 32 years and what am I doing?  Computer work.  I can literally list off the 1 and only 1 job I had that wasn't directly associated with that thing in front of you (unless you're using a phone/pad to read this).  While in high school I worked at Office Depot and restocked the shelves.  I also filled in for the Business Machines (computers) salesman when he was on lunch.

So why does this matter?  Last year (Mid 2017 in case this blog lasts longer than a year), I decided my job and growth wasn't sustainable.  I learned and I learned and I learned.  Every year I got a 3% raise and a bonus.  And that was it.  If I wanted more, I had to change from IT work to IT management...  I'm too old to keep climbing that ladder.  If I was higher up, say a manager already, then maybe.  But I'm still a very good jack of all trades who (tooting my own horn here) is damn good at damn near everything that is well established in Infrastructure.  

So, I decided to switch careers.  I'm "OLD" to many of you, probably young to some of you. But, I wanted to switch careers mid last year to make more money and create a better retirement and life long business I could do without having to keep up the rigorous pace of IT training, learning, ETC.  Oh, and to make more money faster in the process.

But you have to start somewhere.  And I've been doing what I could, what I felt comfortable with since Jan '18.  My New Years resolution, start a new career.  The good news is being this old I didn't expect overnight success. I didn't expect a start from nothing.  I had cashed out on all my short term investments, paid off all that stupid "I was young" debt and brought it down to a very reasonable and manageable size.  So I started knowing I was going to utilize more money than time to get started and that I couldn't expect things overnight.  So, from Jan 01 18, until now is the time it took me to get my first real lead.  That's exactly 3 months (if you count Feb as a full month).

So I'm excited.  I've partnered with another real estate professional who is more experienced than me.  I've met and connected with many others.  There is one thing I have learned and it is directly responsible for my lead.  Since I don't have time like many people to do door knocking, driving for dollars, and cold calling, this is pretty much my only  method of getting leads.  It's something you should be doing and if you're not, you are missing out.  It's also a big, broad idea so it's not just 1 thing or 1 task....

It's Marketing!  Get your name out there.  Get people to know what you do and that you can help them with their problems in selling their home.  You can use a website with Adsense, you can send out mailers, yellow letters, postcard, ETC.  Yes it costs money, and if you have more time than money you'll have to find what's best for you in terms of type and percentage of marketing, but it has to be done to some extent.  If not, you're not going to be the someone a seller looks at to solve their problem.  You'll be the annoying salesman or maybe that one in a hundred "saving grace" when you knock on a door of someone who was just then thinking "send me someone to help me".

For me, a full time+ J.O.B. employee, I was able to save the money to get started while I still worked.  I'll tell you, my first marketing campaign was a flop.  I screwed up, lost $800 in 1 purchase because I didn't know better or understand.  Just a tip, if you use a 3rd party to send out your mailers/yellow letters, find out how long it'll take from the "submit" button click to the mailer at the door.  I clicked submit and they took my money 5 seconds later on the 15th of March.  The mailer still hasn't hit the door.  Oh, and I didn't tell you that it was a foreclose list for March so it needed to be there 2 weeks ago.  The houses get foreclosed on in 2 days and my mailer telling people I can help them hasn't even been delivered.

So yea, 2 fold screw-up.  I'll take 1/2 the blame.  Maybe 3/4 since I submitted late to a time sensitive list that I should have been doing by hand myself.  But come on, it took them 10 days to print the damn things and tell me they will be sent out shortly.  I thought this was First Class postage, but no... It's last class, if we feel like it postage.  Which doesn't exist.  I looked.  EVERYTHING the USPS sends out is like 8 days or less.  So yea, I've got that "wasted money" out of the way with what I hope is a very small amount (meaning I'll be using much more than that in the future to get bigger returns).

So that's my update.  I have 200 first class stamps on my desk.  My Laser Printer Toner is in the mail.  My envelops and card on their way from Amazon.  Can you guess what I'm doing next week (Takes a week for me to get the letter created)....  My recommendation at this point (with as little experience as it is), is to do it yourself first.  Discover what it takes to do the mailings and marketing.  Try to keep in mind the time it takes to print and send.  And always know exactly when it's getting to the recipients.

Good Luck, and have a happy Easter Sunday (if that is your thing).

--Zane