All Forum Posts by: Stinson Bland

Carlos F. Good catch... I'll forward that to corporate. Thanks.

Coffee's for closers.

Steve,

I have never worked for New Western but I have relationships with some of their current and ex-employees. It is my understanding that NWA is a large company that has a very high turnover rate. Their employees are paid purely on commission and their "salesmen" are at the bottom of the commission ladder. They specialize in hiring recent grads that are eager to work hard in a new career. I've spoke to several of their employees and it seems like a dog-eat-dog, high pressure sales environment. I “cut my salesmen teeth” in a environment similar to this one and can appreciate it for what it is.

I also agree with statements previously stated in this thread about NWA.

“He who kills the most, eats the best.”

AdWords is a great place to advertise but it must be done strategically. You should focus your efforts on long tail keywords as these will have a lower cost. You should also build landing pages that are specific to your keywords. For example, if your keyword is "sell my home fast in Plano, TX" You would want your landing page to be written around that statement.

If you plan to be successful using AdWords, I'd recommend some extensive research... otherwise, you may be wasting a lot of time and money.

Sadly, I have a wedding that I must attend in New Orleans…. Otherwise, I wouldn’t miss it simply for the great networking opportunity.

If I were in your position, I'd buy a decent printer, envelopes, and stamps. I'd then start searching for free addresses to market your services too (driving for dollars, FSBO, talk to your title office avout absentee addresses, and For Rents on Craigslist). Once I found those free leads, I'd set up marketing campaigns and hope to find a truly motivated seller.

You will also need to start networking with cash buyers; utilize all the free resources you can (call for rent signs, contact other wholesalers, work with your title office, join REIA groups, network).

Running a wholesale business takes time, money, and talent. It sometimes takes months and thousands of dollars to get your first deal completed. Here are some important questions to ask yourself:

Do you have resources to continue to pay for marketing?
Are you talented enough to be creative with your marketing to get leads to call?
Do you have the ability to close deals with sellers at a heavy enough discount?
Do you have the time to invest into searching for a deal?
Do you have the motivation to invest the time and money needed to be successful in this hard business?

Get headline writing Nick.

Happy Birthday Will and thanks for all that you contribute to the community.

Yes please

Dustin,

I have to respectably disagree with such a bold and generalized statement.

“most advertising today is all SEO and Social Media”

I believe ‘most’ online advertising is SEO and Social Media. Traditional Media is still the bulk of MOST advertising budgets. Look into the ad budgets of companies like Procter and Gamble, Car Manufactures, Cell Phone Companies, or Insurance Agencies.

I agree that online advertising most likely produces the best bang for your buck… but traditional advertising still allows media buyers to reach the largest audiences. Online advertising will continue to grow but we are very far from that form of media overtaking print and/or broadcast.

In my opinion, the most important thing is to listen to your seller. They should be doing most of the talking. You need to find out what is their motivation to call you and consider a low offer for their home.

I start all conversations with a standard; why did you decide to call today? Listen and follow it up with; why wouldn't you call a realtor to sell your home?

It also helps to understand their expectations and set new expectations if theirs are too high (they often are).

I always tell my sellers that my offer will most likely be much lower than they're expecting but I am willing to pay them cash, cover the closing cost, and I will buy their home as-is.

That statement alone often separates the tire kickers from the motivated sellers.

LISTEN more than you SPEAK to all sellers. You buy houses when you can identify the sellers problem and give them a quick and easy solution.

Good luck!