All Forum Posts by: Derrell Barton

I agree with @Meghan McCallum on every point.  I might add, seriously, don't "cold call" me 90s style - if you are local just hit me up on facebook through a local group or send me a text.  If you call and I can't answer, leave a message.  I will let you buy me a cup of coffee and a doughnut, or not.  We can help each other, so you really don't have anything to worry about as far as that's concerned.  

Here's the deal:  If a person in business displays professionalism and appears to be ethically, legally, and practically aligned with my clients' interests, I'll be inclined to work with them.  If I get a smarmy feeling about someone, I won't be so inclined at all, without exception.

As for working with folks out of state, again - no harm in reaching out.  The Internet connects us all in so many ways.  Do I want to Skype with every out of state lender?  Nope, no time or desire.  It's not necessary for an introduction.  PM me here and tell me that you're a lender that wants whatever, and that you are following up with an immediate e-mail.  Send me an e-mail that describes clearly and concisely what it is that you want and how I benefit.  Invite me to reach out after that.  

None of this has to be adversarial.  With good communication and an understanding of basic business, there's no reason one business person can't reach out to another in a normal, human fashion.

Derrell,

Walk into an office and introduce yourself. Ask if anyone has a minute to grab lunch or coffee. Introduce yourself, smile, laugh at how ridiculous you may or may not seem. Remember, athletes don't wear cups because they think they WON'T get kicked. Expect it. When you are trying anything new. Expect it. Everyday I go to work, I expect it. Now get out there shaking hands and kissing babies. As a real estate investor remember YOU ARE THE COMMODITY EVERYONE NEEDS.

Tenants. Need you.

Banks. Need you.

Contractors. Need you.

Real Estate Agents, yup! They need you, too. 

Cold calls are so 1990's. Go meet a colleague, and perhaps a friend.  (Awwww)

Now if you are looking for help out of state, I'd look to buddy up w someone here on Bigger Pockets in your target area.

I dont really have any one set path in mind. I have done a bunch of them. Direct mail, every door direct, bought lists targeted at people with aging kids, bought lists of people with ARMs, HELOCs, you name it. 

In my opinion, mailers are more of a branding tool and best when coupled with some other way to expose your name to a small area. Probably best combined with some other ad in a publication, name on a billboard, something like that. It is hard to get people to respond without heavy saturation in the market and time. 

In terms of picking off individual loans, you would have better luck buying lists and calling people directly. If the goal is the long term play and money isn't a worry, it is more about the structure and content you are going to push (having a plan for it, frequency, content), rather than exactly what company you use to do so. 

@Derrell Barton thats great i hope it goes well for you if you have any questions feel free to message me ! 

@Derrell Barton have you considered farming phone numbers and launching a cold call campaign along with your direct mail? This way you can contact some folks in your target area directly instead of just waiting for the phone to ring from your direct mail. Ive added cold calling to my direct mail efforts and have seen up to a 7% increase in my response rate. Which is wonderful because the response rate for direct mail alone sits around 1-2%.Hope this helps! Feel free to message me if you have any questions on what running one of these campaigns would look like! 

I dont really have any one set path in mind. I have done a bunch of them. Direct mail, every door direct, bought lists targeted at people with aging kids, bought lists of people with ARMs, HELOCs, you name it. 

In my opinion, mailers are more of a branding tool and best when coupled with some other way to expose your name to a small area. Probably best combined with some other ad in a publication, name on a billboard, something like that. It is hard to get people to respond without heavy saturation in the market and time. 

In terms of picking off individual loans, you would have better luck buying lists and calling people directly. If the goal is the long term play and money isn't a worry, it is more about the structure and content you are going to push (having a plan for it, frequency, content), rather than exactly what company you use to do so. 

 Justin - it's hard to say - our direct mail campaign consist of

month 1 - letter

month 2 - letter

month 3 - postcard

month 4 - letter

month 5 - repeat the cycle

We believe - the postcards work - it's 3 seconds of branding - before they toss it

good luck

Michael Rae