Thinking out of the box, having a motivating "why" and a few tools in your arsenal you can definitely do it.

Offer say 30% less than as-is value - which works best with highly motivated Sellers.2.

Thank you for all the motivation that have gotten me this far.

Then, if they decline the offer, depending on their motivation and based on their feedback I can constructively guide the seller toward listing on the open market. 

Contractor currently charges % on total spent which gives him no motivation to keep bids low or fight for better deals with subs/suppliers.

Will these be motivated leads or simply contact information of sellers who are "considering" on selling? 

I joined BP for networking, education, and motivation.

There is a good thinker that says the neighberhood can be as important as the quality of the property that your investing in as far as value goes.Take advantage of people are more motivated and are willing to help people close.  

It's a motivational, self help book.

I am a wholesale investor in the Houston market, I have been doing direct mail to get motivated seller leads, but I am not having a lot of response.