WHY Your Real Estate Business Is Stuck & How to Fix it
WHY Your Real Estate Business Is Stuck & How to Fix it
How can business owners simplify sales by targeting the right audience?
Everything is very straightforward. It’s like ones and zeros—either a yes or a no. I can either do something or I can’t. If you tell me you can’t do something, like, “I can't run a mile,” my question is, why? Is your leg broken? Even then, you can walk or crawl a mile. So if there's a reason you can't do something, it better be a really good reason. I'm brutally honest about that.
It’s the same in sales. You need to know what you're doing and who you're targeting. Once you identify your prospect or avatar, go directly to them. If I’m looking for distressed sellers, that’s what I'm focused on. Don’t overcomplicate things or try to reinvent the wheel.
What drives entrepreneurs to keep building after financial success?
The two people behind me are my motivation. Before becoming an entrepreneur, I worked nine to five, but it felt like working ten times over. I was a merchant marine, away from my family and life for up to 10 months a year. I was making great money, but what’s the point if I’m not spending it with my loved ones?
What keeps me going is my desire to keep building things. Even if I were to retire, I’d still be creating. If my wife and I went to the beach, I’d still be on my phone, making connections. The idea of retirement appeals to some people, but I think it’s more about age than anything else.
How can business owners boost productivity by writing down priorities?
I'm a very regimented person, coming from a background in military school and engineering. Everything goes on pen and paper. We have whiteboards everywhere. You need to get ideas out of your head and onto paper. From there, you can adjust and work with it, but you must have order. For example, list your top five priorities for the day. These are your focus items. As your day progresses, you'll add things, but starting with pen and paper makes a tremendous difference. Many people say, "I’ve got it in my head," but they don’t. They're missing something.
Why is full commitment essential for business success?
Commitment is the first step. Like I said earlier, you have to "burn the ships." When I quit my job, I had gone through four years of engineering school and passed all my licensing exams with the U.S. Coast Guard—tough exams on engineering, steam turbines, and unlimited tonnage, similar to the bar exam for lawyers. When I quit, I let my license expire. If I wanted to go back, I’d have to retake all those exams, which wasn’t an option for me. I pulled my 401k and lived on that for the first six months while learning. I didn’t leave myself an escape route or safety net. Commitment is step one. If you're not ready to fully commit, hold off. But when you are, dive in wholeheartedly—it's the only way to succeed.
*This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.*
