Tag: making money from real estate

Fawziacademy.Com, scott todd from scott todd net land moto calm, most important they’ve got automating your craigslist in your facebook postings posting domination, calm, /the, landing scott Todd. How are you I’m great? How are you I’m great, I feel more calm, actually just being in Terry showers presence the mindful landlord all right.

Our guest today is Terry, shower she’s, a real estate coach he’s the mind the mindful landlord she has a phd, nothing to do with real estate, but she’s been managing half of managing rental properties. Half of her life, Terry shower, welcome to podcast. How are you thanks? So much for having me on I’m good, okay, look when people say property management, they immediately break on the sweat. It’s a headache: I’m getting a call two in the morning: the roof, the HVAC right, the laundry machine whatever it is, my Internet’s down.

Damn it Terry helped me now how on earth do you make this a mindful landlord type experience? Okay? Well, I think, there’s two things I mean, so I managed properties for my clients who I guess failed at their little experiment at mindfulness, because, like look rental property like we, you know all no passive income is really a good way to build wealth, long term, but Unfortunately, that comes with tenants and then you end up with the whole kind of aspect of providing service for them, and then you know either things fail, you’re working on a budget or sometimes you know.

If you get unlucky, you have some unreasonable demands at unreasonable time. So you know, as far as like you know, some of my clients end up calling me when they basically had enough of those kind of problems um. But I guess my goal with you know some of the bring out some of the mindfulness stuff on on how you can landlord is how you can bring a little bit more Zen into that whole process, because it can be like really frustrating and and can drive.

You, nuts, if you let it yeah, absolutely, let’s just kind of rewind the tape there and kind of tell us how you started what your PhD is in and how the heck you got into the landlording. So I actually I’m from Montreal in Canada and I moved to Toronto when I was 19 to study and luckily or unluckily. For me, there was no space in student residence, so I ended up in this. Like crazy coop house with no manager, the manager have actually left like a week before I got there.

So I came in there was garbage piling up. You know people weren’t cleaning, the bathrooms like it was just a total mess and they voted me house manager. Basically, within a couple of days of being there, and so that started me down this path of property management without me really knowing about it, and then you know kind of from one one, one step to the next like when I stopped studying in Toronto.

I I thought: okay, well, I’m kind of good at this. Let me rent a house and set this up. So as I moved on to do my PhD in Vancouver, I uh I rented a house and thought okay, I’m going to set this up. You know to help pay some of my school fees and then, after that I moved back to Montreal and thought okay. Well, I’ve been doing this now, for you know six seven years and now I’m ready to do it for profit and then borrowed a down payment for my first investment property and then kind of got on the same thing, and so one thing led to another.

It wasn’t like really uh, I didn’t have a master plan when I got into it. It was kind of the thing that I just like woke up one morning. It was like. Oh look, I I’m kind of good at this. I know how to do it and let’s do it full-time Wow, fantastic, fantastic. So what would you say is the word advise you here given in the landlording space? That’s a really good question. Um worst advice. I mean I think that, like in the real estate industry, very often people put pressure on others to you know acquire as much as they can with the best ROI possible and with the property management perspective like, I think what ends up happening is that people end Up closing on properties in sketchy parts of town or taking on either maintenance or tenancy issues that they’re not prepared for.

So I think that if you try to grow too fast or if you’re a little bit too aggressive by only looking at the numbers and not looking at the human and the physical side of things, I think that’s where I see like a lot of people. Kind of get tripped up so definitely that and then I mean the other thing not you know industry advice that, let’s say more landlord speaking to each other. Like you know, sometimes people will really sweat the small stuff, and I guess, like the number one tip of being mindful, is be able to prioritize between what’s small stuff and what’s not small stuff and your peace of mind is worth way more than a 5.

10, 15 bucks more in the bank so before you get really like worried and and bent out of shape over something just like get some perspective. Yes, it’s frustrating yes, people weren’t, respectful, but like what is this really costing me so maintaining perspective? I would say Scott. I know your thoughts. Oh, I have many thoughts like I like the idea. The thought of tenants does scare me like I don’t know I don’t want, like.

I seen nothing good from tenants at all. In fact, I had our. I had a rental home. You know that I, you know, and I had a rental home and it worked out. Ok, but at the same time like the tennis just seemed like they were a pain in the butt right like, like everything mark says like. Oh, this went wrong or that went wrong, I’m just like I don’t like I don’t like it, but it’s obviously, if you’re going to do homes or you know in that space, you’re going to have to deal with them, and so you, I think you do need To strategy, in order to do that, yeah I mean Terry.

What makes how do you sort of that a good tenant from a bad tenant, because you’ve been doing this long enough? You probably can just look at somebody like now here pass, that’s a great question and it’s one that you know as I’m kind of coaching people like into starting out as investors. I really feel like you, can’t overstate the importance of choosing your tenants carefully, because you’re really choosing your quality of life.

When you let someone into one of your units – and I don’t know you know it’s not the same really across all markets, but I know that you know here in Montreal, like there’s kind of this old-school mentality of like let’s just settle on a handshake and people Kind of don’t always do their due diligence, and so my recommendation would be really you know. Take the time fill out a proper application. If I can look at just one data point, I like to look at at credit history, because I find that you know independent of like references from employers or previous landlords or whatever it is like.

Those are important data points, but the credit is really just going to give me a neutral look at how that person is handling their responsibilities, and you know I see people who ruined their credit for, like you know, a two hundred dollar collections bill from a cell Phone company and when I see that it’s basically telling me like how is this person handling their affairs and, if they’re willing to ruin their credit for 200 bucks, you know for a cell phone bill, they didn’t take care of.

What’s it going to be like when they’re in one of my units or one of my clients units? So I really like I really like the the credit score kind of as a as a data point, and then the other thing is that, as I’m going through the application process, I really treat that like a little bit like dating. You know that the person from a human point of view is going to be trying to show you their best foot forward and if somehow, that process isn’t seamless, if they’re, not returning phone calls, if they’re trying to negotiate weird things or like being unreliable, even in The application process once they’re in my unit, it’s not going to get any better, so I would say, like those two things, definitely like how they’re, how they’re humanly like handling the application process and then just a hard data of a credit score, yeah yeah.

Absolutely it’s got Todd you’re kind of shaking your head. Okay, so look I I agree. The credit score is a big thing. How would you handle this situation right? Like I’m going to go, run someone I tell somebody, listen, I’m going to run your credit credit check. He’s like whoa whoa hold on hold on where you go. Do that? Can I please provide you with a copy of my credit report and the reason is because I had a bankruptcy a two years ago from my business failing I had a bankruptcy and every time you pull credit, it lowers my score and I’m trying to get my Score back up, what would you say you re shaking your head? No, but like it sounds like you, I know know so.

Actually that’s actually a good question. Um there are many third-party sites, so the way credit works is that if someone else is pulling your credit score, it will affect it in a negative way. But if you pull your own credit score, it’s actually not going to affect it right. That’s what he was saying: that’s what you’re saying there’s no way I’m going to let someone else provide me even less with a paper copy of their credit score, because then you know with with Photoshop now like anybody can do anything, but there exists for this third-party Sites that allow the person to order their own credit, therefore not affecting it and share it to you on the third-party site.

So actually, on my, I wrote a blog article about this a little while ago, with a link on my website to one of those specific agencies. That does that and when I have people who like give me that kind of excuse, I’m like okay and you know, actually actually explain to people in the application process. If we run your credit, it’s going to dock you a couple points, so you can pay for your own credit score and share it with us and we’re totally okay with that.

So that’s I’m a good solution to that kind of weird answer and then, if the guys like falsified his own credit score wall and he’s just going to disappear on us all, right, okay, so so now that now that I get his credit score right, what’s the Magic number, because I’m looking at the credit score the guy filed bankruptcy. Does that mean he’s a deadbeat should be house or am I looking for the back bit? Okay, he owns his own companies.

He’s got some money coming in. I can see it. I can see the money, or am I only looking at the credit score and if so, what’s the magic number you know, um I’ll tell you, we’ve had this situation come up. A couple times obviously depends how competitive the rental market is like. If I have ten people to choose from, and mr. Bankruptcy is number nine sorry, but I’m going to go with the best person who’s on the list, if it’s a unit for which there’s less competition and like I’ve had this actually happened twice that somebody who has A bankruptcy that showed up on their credit score, and you know if I have a choice between somebody who ruined their credit for 200 bucks to a cellphone company and somebody who had you know whatever a two hundred thousand dollar bankruptcy, because they had a problem in Business, I’d almost rather deal with the person who had a big problem because, first of all they were credit worthy at one point and then in that, in that kind of case, like look, if he’s the only person – and I haven’t had another application for a month – I’r going to then look at the other data points which would be like you know, previous owner on his current employment history and then also you can get.

You can get a cosigner. So if you have somebody else who’s on the hook and usually someone who’s like not in an awesome credit situation, they will be able to provide you with someone else who’s going to like guarantee lease, and in that case, if they have payment problems, I have someone With solid credit that I can go after so gotcha, gotcha, okay, good, very good, so Terry is there something that you believe is normal or wise or cool that other people will think is just absolutely crazy to see like in general or in landlord landlord in general.

Have super crazy views on things? Generally, I don’t know I mean maybe one of the unusual views in unusual ways of looking at things. It’s like I’m a big fan of of incremental progress, and I think that the world right now does a really big disservice. With this whole idea of overnight success – and I think that applies to investing obviously like you know, I have a sports background as well and when I look at you know the sort of the talent myth where people are kind of saying that off you.

You know you’re not the best rookie yet whatever or if you don’t. You know, do a hundred deals in your first year, your first two years or just give it up. There’s no point, I think, that’s really a big kind of a big, a big lie and it’s it’s a disservice to people. So you know and I’m really a big fan of incremental learning and I feel like that’s, not necessarily super fashionable right now. But if I had to pick a wild and crazy for you, I don’t know such a well crazy.

I love it so if I was going to get into landlording or Scott was going to get in the landlording and we can leave one book to read prior to going into it, which book would you recommend, of course, landlord coming out on June 1st? And so I would say: half the book is really the nuts and bolts of you know managing tenants and handling property issues, and then the other half is about mindset, so be it from overcoming the fear that stops a lot of people from getting into investing too.

Then, after once, you start succeeding knowing when enough is enough, I think those are some kind of issues that often in other investing materials they kind of get left to the wayside. So that’s what I would recommend: okay, great great, all right. So what? What is your tips to help someone who’s, having fears overcome them like to just the good deal? What’s your tips, what’s your process? Well, I, but I think the first thing is to take a deep breath and realize that we’re all here for a limited time and that, whatever fear you have be it fear of looking stupid or fear of not knowing your finance, math or fear of you know.

Going out and talking to people whatever it is, you know when you put that in the perspective of the fact that you only have one chance at this, so just you know turns going to sound like a Nike commercial, but just do it. You know you got to just realize and there’s actually one chapter on this in in mindful landlord. So if I had to give one tip, that’s what it would be, of course I could talk for much longer about it, but yeah yeah.

I I have it. I have the same philosophy by the way I I feel like every every moment so precious like do you? Are you really your ruin your day, because one of the seven billion people on earth said something that upset you like seriously yeah, that’s funny! It’s fine because you know. Ultimately, I think that what happens is there’s a lot of people that, like what you said like. Are you fearful of what someone might think of what you said and what it’s so funny? Because you know, like you, go through your life and you worry about what other people think or remember, and you know what the reality is.

They don’t remember anything because they’re so focused on themselves and their own lives. They they really don’t care about you. I don’t hate mean that I mean we care about you, but, like honestly, people don’t care about you like they don’t care like it’s over with it’s done. It’s forgotten it and moved on with their life, because guess what they got to worry about, what they’re going to eat for dinner tonight or whatever.

So I I do like. I think that whatever you’re struggling with just freaking go, do it because then you know, you said that you could say I did it man as opposed to oh. I surely wish I would have done this when I was younger. No just go. Do it now have fun with it and if you fail, who cares fail? Big Terry will still rent you a place. Yeah don’t fail over a cell phone bill. Ah yeah I mean Terry. Can we get geeky for a second yeah? All right is there a way? Do you automate collecting your rental payments? You use any kind of property management software that you recommend.

How do you actually manage the day-to-day of this yeah, so we’ve been using a property management software, for I guess three, four years before that we kind of tried to do everything with Excel and Google Docs, and I mean I don’t know I feel like there’s been Such a big explosion in the kind of software technologies that are available to us, I think by all means it’s a great time-saver um. We use the software called uh bill diem, which of what’s out there I found for.

What’s you know available at what price I found it? It’s a pretty good, you know the value for your money is pretty decent and it has like for property managers. These great functions of the tenants have a portal so when they have a maintenance request, they can just snap some photos of like the toilet or the faucet. That’s leaking put in the request and then I can just forward it to whatever maintenance person is necessary.

So that saves us all kinds of time and you know the it also allows you to email people, there’s an app that’s connected to the phone, so you’re. Never without a phone number like it’s just, I don’t even know how we worked before before having a a decent software. As far as like automating the other stuff, I was actually talking to another investor, who has his whole application process like streamlined and and and you know, his application form is online and then it like automatically pulls the credit and then he’s actually got another app.

And I’m not going to remember the name of the app, but it like integrates all the other apps. So, for example, when you really receive a credit score, it’s then going to say: okay, you now need to put that in this Dropbox and you know, email this person and this person this person. I think it’s called zapier. Actually, that’s the name of the app, and so this is a peer most technology like cutting edge on technology, but like I’m, definitely going to start looking into that, because if you can map your workflows once then you kind of go through and you’re just saving.

So much time – and you know, the other thing is like now – that we have all these tools and these apps that do individual tasks for us. The real challenge is: how do you get them talking to each other, and you end up then, being the interface between all these apps that if there was just a way to like mastermind the apps, then you could really automate everything. So I fantastic fantastic Scott Todd.

Any any final question: before we go to our tip of the week, I don’t think so mark. I think this is good and say: Pierre Manu Trudy doesn’t love that website. I know what’s very good she’s going to be like this is nutty, and why haven’t I been doing this all the time? Can I streamline the whole maintenance headache process just giving my tenant, you know say: look I’ve got a home warranty here. Here’s the number of the company when they come out you just pay 50 bucks and they’ll come and fix it.

Like don’t bother me with it, it’s on you I mean if you have like a real. I don’t know what kind of what kind of guarantees like you know, what’s a new constructions here in in Quebec, when you purchase something like a new property, I think there’s either like a five or a ten year guarantee on stuff, so for sure like. If you can, whatever I feel like, whenever you can empower tenants to like handle anything themselves, you should do it and they’re actually going to be happy about that, like we do that, actually with some of the units that we manage in condo properties.

So if I can put the tenant directly in in contact with the person who’s in the condo association, who’s, taking care of maintenance as long as they’re, not like incurring expenses to my client as they want to like by all means, I try to empower them as Much as possible and then like the manager or the owner, you cease being the bottleneck for the solution and their frustration gets directed at the person who deserves the frustration, so be it, the internet provider or the guy who didn’t cut the lawn or whatever.

It is. If they can directly communicate their frustration to them, that’s just frustration. That’s not falling on you! So by all means yeah delegate all right great! Well, I I feel a lot calmer about the idea of the landlording about you, Scott. I’r ready to try it not really, but I’ll give it a try. Really. I yeah I mean I think you got to have a certain personality like I just lit some incense and I’ve got some some some tantric music play in the background.

I still feel very anxious about the idea of a tenant remark. I mean I guess I mean like that. Look. I know that we we put a lot of strain on it and a lot of drain drain and strain. You know, like stress, strains all this other stuff, because there are people that do it. There are people that hate it, but there are people that haven’t figured out right, like you know like what you just said with the home warranty.

That’s like that’s a great little hack. There listen, there’s a home warranty. You know you’re responsible for any deductibles that take place because it’s it’s on your read now. If they know that going in well, then that’s the way that it is and they’ve agreed to that and and so be it. You know, I think if you try to change it downstream, whatever I know that there’s people that have run rental homes were like listen.

I never ever ever have to deal my tenant at all, because I use a realtor to do it and the realtor collects everything and the realtor handles all the maintenance and all the other stuff great I mean I’m sure, that’s a great way of doing it. Obviously, there’s a cost component associated that I think, like 10 % okay, so you know if, if that’s a concern of yours, I know there’s ways to shortcut it. I do like that little niche out there, where you can have kind of the same thing, but never any tenants or toilets or termites, and if there’s some way you could just I don’t know, sell land vacant.

Land that’d be great yeah. But thank goodness there are people like Terry shower that love it teach it and you know cuz Ron lands not for everybody, and I think this is really a valuable resource for a lot of people, so good on you, Terry, but we are at that point now, Where we’re, at our tip of the week a website a resource, a book, something else actionable where the our passive income listeners go, you improve their businesses, improve their lives.

What have you got? Okay, so I would say for my tip of the week a little bit of something is better than a lot of nothing. So if you’re ever sitting there and thinking you know, I don’t have time to run 5k or I don’t have time to learn this piece of real estate knowledge. I don’t have time to read this book: do whatever you can and if those little five-minute things that you do will add up, and they will put you further ahead over a long period of time than if you do nothing so that for sure and I preach In the choir here and there’s, actually, my favorite book on this topic is called incremental change and that, I think, encapsulates really.

This idea very nicely that if you work at something consistently like let’s say, you need a hundred calories less a day, you’re, not even going to necessarily feel that pinch. But the pounds are going to add up over time. And if you make the mistake of doing the opposite choice and eat an extra hundred calories a day, you’re going to see the negative effects of that as well. And I think that applies for sure to investing or to any kind of, like you know, financial or learning endeavor in the same way, fantastic yeah, one of my newest favorite books is atomic habits by James, clear.

It’s kind of a similar idea that just is 1 % an incremental improvement. Your habits will will make such a huge difference in the long term. A Scott Todd, what’s your tip of the week, well just uh just to build on that. Just one last thought on that piece is that I actually had a boss once who told me I never have to like be a rock star. I just have to be 1 % better than anybody that I’m going against, so just 1 % better wins the race.

That’s all it is right, but mark my my tip of the week for you it’s for you is for other people too, but I’m sure that you’ll love. This is what, if there was an equation that that was like a miracle made all of your decision, makings and goals possible, like wouldn’t that be cool if there was an equation. Yes, so check out this book you’re going to love it the miracle equation by Hal Elrod. Yes, you know the guy.

You love the guy mark. I do that a new book that you can go by right now and start with your miracle equation. Whoa the two decisions that may be your biggest goals are possible: the probable to inevitable. I love it holy there’s. So many good books out there right now. Aren’t there yeah yeah it’s a struggle to find the time to read as much as we could be yeah. It really is Wow all right done and done well, my tip of the week is learn more about Terry shower and the mindful landlord at, of course, Terry shower calm.

Nobody can spell it. So don’t worry about it. I’r going to have a link to it in the show notes, and you just click on the link and go to her site. Also, I just want to remind everybody. Today’s podcast is sponsored by flight school, learn more just go to lanky com4, slash training, start executing with the land geek Sherpa himself, Scott Todd in real time and flight school live get her done in three days.

Where you start mailing, you start marketing, you might even sell a property in three days, learn more the lanky calm, full slash training. Also, if you’re getting value from this podcast help us out, send it to a friend email to a friend, throw it out there on social media. I’r loving this podcast, I’m learning so much. Also, the three things you can really do to help us is simply subscribe rate and review.

The podcasts send us a screenshot of that review to support at the lankey calm we’re going to send you for free the $ 97 passive income launch kit. Terry shower. Are we good? Yes, thank you. Thank you, Scott. Are we good we’re good mark? Alright, you ready to do this. Yeah go to 3. Will freedom ring thanks, everybody Terry’s, like part geeky, we said we said that we would alternate, but we didn’t say who’s going to go first.

So that is true. That is true, hey, better! Alright, thanks, everybody

---

 

Com and today’s guest is going to help us with the thing that we all want help with making more sales. But we’re talking about guests I’d be remiss. If I didn’t properly introduce my co-host, the brain, the professor, you know you love them Scott Todd. It’s got Todd nets, land of moto, calm, you’re, not automating, your Craigslist and your Facebook, posting posting domination, com4, slash the langauge and, of course, learn more at investor ninjas, calm, scott Todd.

How are you I’m great? How are you you know what my pulse is still normal? My respiration is fine and I can track it now and I’m really going to try to convince you to get the Apple read, because I know my heart rate and you don’t well. I know that my heart rate is still pumping because I’m still here so what’s a number mark, what’s a number seriously like? Is this something that you’re not obsessing over, like oh, my gosh? What is it now making more sales? I know he’s going to help us make more sales.

John, let me say from John: let me say that I calm you don’t know John. He is known as the pitch whisper Shh he’s a sales keynote speaker and shares the lessons learned from his award-winning sales career. At Condon asked in his keynote better selling through storytelling, he shows companies sales teams how to become irresistible, so they are magnetic to their ideal clients. After John speaks, the sales team becomes revenue rockstars who know how to form an emotional connection and a compelling sales story with clients.

His TEDx talk, be the lifeguard of your own life has over 1 million views. His best-selling book is better selling through storytelling and he’s also the host of the successful pitch podcast, which is a big deal in over 60 countries, cause a big deal he’s been Lilly. King and John, wouldn’t say: welcome thanks mark thanks Scott great to be with you. Both John, let’s rewind the tape and let’s go to kondeh Nast mm-hmm.

What’s going on over there, why what would happen where you became like the pitch whisperer? Well, I was there for about 15 years and my job was to take the brands, which you probably know, some of them – GQ wired and if Eric digests and explained to brands like Lexus cars, why they should run their ads on those brands, print websites and then Eventually, some article platforms – and that really was the genesis of learning – how to tell good stories, because each brand had a different story and, of course, each model.

The car had a different target audience to reach. So it was that variety of pitches and stories that trying to find that fit like a puzzle, and that really is where I crafted my selling and storytelling skills. And then, in the last five years, I’ve been giving keynote talks specifically to audiences that have to win bake-offs shootouts beauty contests interviews, whatever we want to call it. You know when it gets down to that was final, two or three.

An ad agency has to do this to win new clients. I had to do it during media day when a big account like Lexus would bring in all the reps to pitch, and I know that whoever tells the best story in those one-hour bake-offs shootouts, whatever you want to call them, is the one that’s going to get The yes, and not the one that tells a bunch of boring information very interesting and with this model of storytelling work with any size company.

Where is it basically fortune? 500 companies? No, it works with anybody. I mean, if you, whoever, tells the best story to get hired if you’re in the real estate business. I just gave a keynote talk to the red Finny company. You know that uses technology and a different way of compensating their agents to get people to do it and real estate agents have to do this all the time to get a listing. You know.

Typically, the seller of a home will say: okay, I’m going to see three agents. Everybody come in. Do your dog and pony show me what you’re going to do to sell my house? How much you think it’s worth what you know and that’s your that’s! The same exact situation mark so again, if that real estate agent who’s pitching someone to give them the listing can tell a better story. If someone else, they helped you at a house or condo very similar to theirs what they did that separates them from the competitors.

Where there’s social, media or cool party, not just another open house, then people say. Ah I see myself in that story and I want to go on that journey with you and therefore storytelling allows people to not have to push the old way of selling. Is you know, hire me hire me bye, bye, bye, give me the listing whatever it is, and the new way is storytelling. So, instead of pushing you’re pulling people in because stories are magnetic and then you become magnetic and you can let go of this persona of being a pushy sales person, I love.

Ah you, like I’m big lanai stories. Stories are meaningful, but mark doesn’t tells the story, and I go in and tell a story because we we both listen to you, listen to you, we’re going to go in and we’re going to pitch our story. Yes, how do I beat mark like? What’s the secret sauce, like I mean we can all go in and tell stories, but there’s got to be something different to the story. That’s going to close the deal because I mean like they might just like mark story better than mine.

Is that what it is is just or or what’s the recipe to get me and my story over marks, I mean Scott, no offense, you lack warmth, maybe, but I do tell I think I tell better stories mark you do, but it’s like look. Do you want to go to the horror film and hear that story? I love the way you see what the expert says. Well, there’s a lot. We first of all Scott. My mission is to help as many people start telling stories.

So you know when, in these situations, where it’s between you and and to other people or to other firms, 90 % of people are not telling stories. So just the fact that you’re telling stories sets you apart now it is definitely my goal on this interview to give your listeners the secrets to telling a good story, and then we can get into the nuance of what’s going to make the story better and ironically, What Mark was teasing you about is a big factor, so there’s three unspoken questions that everybody has when they hear you pitch anything the first one is.

Do I trust you? It’s a gut thing. In fact, the handshake came about to show you didn’t, have a weapon in your hand and then it moves to the heart. Do I like you and that’s what Mark was teasing you about the empat, the more empathy you show, the more likeable you are and then it moves to the head where people are listening to you tell that story and there’s thinking to themselves. Do I will this work for me? That’s that’s work for those other people, but can I see you doing the same thing for me now, here’s the secret Scott and Mark you are not the hero of your story.

The client is, I want you to think of yourselves as Yoda and Star Wars or the Sherpa helping people climb up Mount Everest and when you tell a story with that context, then people are going to see themselves in the story and want to have you as Their Sherpa or Yoda, and so we can get into what makes a good story, and I can give an example, but I just wanted to let that land first to make sure that answered your question yeah.

We totally understand that. So, let’s, let’s get into the nitty-gritty of breaking down on the elements of what makes a powerful compelling story where the listener or the client or whomever you’re trying to persuade throw of that story. Yes, I think it’s important first to say that there’s three things you have to do when you’re telling a story to sell you have to sell yourself. First, then you sell the company, even if it’s just a one-person company and then you sell the product or service.

Most people forget the first two and jump right into the features and information of the product or service. So selling yourself is telling your story of origin. So when I was working with an architecture firm when they were up against some other architects and they would get to the team slide, I said all right. What are you going to stay here and they’re like? Oh, my name’s Bob I’ve been here 10 years.

This is what I do. I go. Okay, that’s not memorable. There’s no story there and I started asking them questions and it turns turn from that to you know when I was 11 years old, I played with Legos and that’s what inspired me to become an architect. Now I have a son, that’s 11! I still play with Legos with him. I bring that same passion. I’ve always had to this project. Okay, great. What do you do sue well before working here? I was in the Israeli army and I bring that same discipline and focus.

I learned there to make sure that if you pick us we’re going to make this sure this comes on time and under budget from the discipline and focus I learned in the Israeli army. So, there’s how I turn team stories into memorable hooks that people go. Oh I get who they are. I want to work with those people. I I love it war, John, so turning a case study into a story usually again back to the architect example.

They would show, before and after pictures of here’s what it looked like before we came in and redesigned the airport or the law firm and here’s what it looks like after so those pictures are great, but other people have pictures of before and after so where’s the Story so a story has four elements: the exposition who, what where, when paint the picture, the problem you’re solving the solution and the secret sauce the resolution.

So Scott, if Mark, doesn’t, do the resolution and you do you’re going to beat him so exposition with Gensler. I said alright you’re the top architecture firm. Let’s hear this story, they said alright. Two years ago we helped JetBlue at JFK renovate this whole terminal. The challenge was, we had to rip up all the floors in the middle of the night and get it done so that the retail stores could open on time.

We knew of all potential things that could go wrong because we’ve been doing this a long time. So we had all our vendors on call sure enough. Two in the morning a fuse blew, but we had somebody there in 20 minutes fixed it and at 8:59 in the morning the last tile went down and all the stores opened at 9:00 a.M. On time. Not one penny was lost and a year later, their sales are out 15 %, because the renovation has caused people to spend more time shopping position.

We painted the picture, told him where it was the problem. We turn it into a story. There’s a little bit of drama in conflict there and then the solution was it got Donna at 8:59. You see the suspense and in then the axe was the resolution a year later, revenues up 15 %. So if you just tell yeah, you know, if you don’t tell what life is like after you fix the problem or if you just got up there and said we’re somebody who uses critical thinking to anticipate problems.

That’s not really as memorable as a story where you show it instead of tell it okay, so John, can we get really really down to details like our niche? Yes, please, buying and selling raw undeveloped land. Yes, so the hero for us is going to be our buyer. That wants this asset. Yep essentially lasts forever. There’s no restrictions! You can do whatever you want on it. Yeah and potentially can go up in value.

Mm-Hmm, generational well you’re going to build your net worth so there’s all these benefits to it yep. But how can I not Scott? You can drop off now. How compelling create a story yeah where I’m leading that person you know as the hero of that story down the path of land ownership, with the resolution being you’ve got this generational asset. That is only limited by your imagination, or it could be.

You know something else that I’m just not even thinking about. Yes, let me ask you a couple questions, so we can hone in a little details what made you get interested in raw undeveloped land. For me, it was. I wanted to quit my dead-end job as an investment banker, and this was a way out: okay, so to build wealth yeah all right got it so this again, this is rough, obviously, but it’s probably a little more the right direction than what you might be doing Now so this would be something you could say in an pitch, possibly right, a cocktail party.

It’s like hey. What do you do? I don’t you’re a land geek. What does that even mean? Or you have this? I’ve listened to you in Scott, but I really don’t get what you do and you said you know picture this. Five years ago I was sitting at my desk as an investment banker and I’d gone to school. To do this and I was completely burnt out the hours. The stress I just couldn’t take it anymore and I kept thinking.

There’s got to be something better than this, where I could have some freedom, and I remembered the movie Gone with the Wind when Scarlett O’Hara’s dad said to her Lance got it they’re, not making any more of it get land, and I also obviously always used that Quote with a slight southern accent, and so I thought to myself wow if I became a person that could help other people who wanted to invest in something that has such huge potential, I mean think of it.

It’s undeveloped, its raw. You can paint your own picture and buyers say you know, I don’t really think the malls are the future. I want to do something else. This is the place to do it, and so I found people who are just like you who have money to invest and want to build it, and I know exactly where they want to go with it and they want to build their net worth today, because is That you know they said it’s not they’re, not making any more of it, and the thing that I love most about helping people increase their net worth while creating something great.

Is that they’re building a legacy for this generation and wants to follow? Because, let’s face it, the money you buy in a car there’s no legacy there. Would it be great if long after you’re gone, that your future generations are grateful to you for buying this raw undeveloped land and turning it into something? That’s made an impact on the world, that’s how I tell that story. I love it now. Would that be just as powerful a copy as it would face-to-face? Yes, yeah the emails websites, all that your story of origin, you know, use most websites have an about page and telling that story is really where you put that Scott Todd.

What do you think? I think it’s pretty good now I I have a question John. All right like when, when I get up there – and I tell the story like that about me, like nobody cared like people, really don’t care about me or, and they keep up their own dang problems right like like you time I like play with Legos when I Was 11 if I heard that I’d like so white you played with Legos when you’re 11? What’s that going to do for me today, I know you kind of Hanser it with us soon.

Well, I bring the same enthusiasm whatever but like to me that doesn’t like what marks story they’re, it’s a great little fluff piece but like man like I’m missing it right, like he’s, got to go back and show the resolution I think you can see. I could connect immediately as someone who has a son that loves Legos as a kid. It creates an immediate bond new thing out there, Scott called the clerk. Yes come on man.

I think. Let me let me let me reflect back what I heard you say, which is what’s known as active listening, which is a great way to build rapport as well, which is something that a lot of people are not skilled at doing, and you have not accepted the Premise that you have to sell yourself first before you sell your company or your product, because you are someone who has a mindset of let’s just get to it.

However, I promise you you buy emotionally and then back it up with logic. If you go buy a sports car or Lamborghini Ferrari whatever it is, they don’t say this gets this many miles to gallon they’re, going to say Scott. Imagine how sexy you’re going to look in this, how fun it’s going to be to drive this car they tap into the emotions, that’s what storytelling does and if you’re trying to become memorable and people hire.

You know like in the case of Gensler, they were told it’s between you and two other firms. You all have the skills to design this Airport we’re going to hire the people we like the most because we got to work with you for five years. If you don’t tell a story about who you are how they possibly going to get to trust like and know you, so that’s what’s in it for them to listen to that story and what you’re going to say.

That in fact makes you memorable. So let me ask you the same question: Scott: what in the world made you get into raw undeveloped land and want to work with mark? It was all about me honestly, like it was about, like my job was coming to an end. I had to get out of the rat race and so, like I listened to this guy called the land geek. I followed everything he said and I replaced my income in like a blink of an eye right just by following what he said.

Not thinking for myself. So it’s all pure greed on my part, got it, but you have been on a little bit of a hero’s journey from hating. What you did. We will have the hero’s journey. That is right. I don’t have a yes, so if other people can see themselves going on that same hero’s journey and want the freedom you have, the resolution of your story would be. What is my life like now that I don’t have to worry about paying bills? Yes and it’s much better than Marxist he’s, the marine of life he’s a pilot, so he flies.

He has. He owns a boat he’s in Tampa, so he’s on the water and then on land. He actually is just building not only his own net worth through passive income, but he’s he’s giving back and he’s like the Sherpa helping other people get to where they want to be. Yes, he’s like that Lancey right yeah, so I don’t even know how to picture it, but right, I think this constant yeah. I also picked up some hesitation on your part, Scott, that you don’t care about anybody else’s story, we’re.

So why would anybody care about mine yeah? No, no, it’s not. I could the reason. I’r saying this is look. There’s a guy out there there’s a guy who wrote a book story brand right, like you know, Donald Miller, I’m I don’t know if you’ve read it or not, I know of him. Yes, yes, and you know the one thing that I’m going to say. The one thing that rubbed me in an interesting way was that the premise that I just took with you was was basically his premise to is, like you go to someone’s website and it’s like hey.

This is who I am, and I it’s about it’s about me, and I see this. I see this happen on other land investors, people that we’re trying to help as well. They create a website. Like hey, look at me, I’m you know this is who I am this we’re brothers or whatever and honestly, like someone’s going to your website. That’s a nice little story, piece behind, but they’re going there to solve a problem and you might be able to solve their problem, but to lead with that to me is is not the right step right like it’s appear, let’s help.

First, you identify the problem. Yes, what you talked about didn’t apply your problem. So, let’s let me clarify what Mark’s question was to me. He said is the concept of storytelling, something that can be used in a website and on copy right right. No, that’s fine! So my answer to that was yes in the About section of your website. It is fine. If you go to Donald miller’s website, you will clearly see I went there myself just now, there’s an about page so for guys, but the message of what he does is the middle.

The same thing for my website. Whoever tells the best story gets the sale. I don’t talk about my story of origin, but it’s there for people who want to know it once they know that I can solve their problem right and that may be – and that makes sense so because, before we’re going to, you know, transfer any kind of value To somebody we want that extra assurance about that person’s credentials right, so I go to your website okay here tonight.

Can I trust you do I like you, and will this work for me, those three things that everybody who’s successful answers somewhere either in person or on their website? It’s just a matter of Scott’s priority and I agree with you, Scott. You definitely need to say here’s who I helped and here’s what problem I solve and guess what here’s, what life is like for them after I’ve solved their problems in the case of executive search firms that I gave a keynote talk to Ben Vegas at the Four Seasons, they were saying, you know we can’t what order we present in.

We asked to go last hoping that’ll make us memorable, but you telling us if we tell a better story, not just of who we are, but of other firms, we’ve helped and I’m placed and what their life is like. After hiring us there. That story’s makes us memorable, even if we go first so now, they’re winning more new clients from using storytelling as a sales tool, not a branding tool, a sales tool. That’s my unique niche yeah, you know mark that’s.

The thing is, like you know when you think about what John saying and you think about how you can apply, that one of the things that we don’t do often enough is we talk about the land, but then we don’t talk about like our customer success on That land journey in the resolution of it, like I mean like the guy that you have on your website, you know the I forgot his name, but he gave you the testimonial article right, the guy.

What’s his name again, it doesn’t matter whatever we yeah so essentially, like you have the testimonial article on your website, which is cool. However, that’s not the resolution to it right, like he’s just talking about what a great honest person you are, but there is a great story behind that article that led to this, that you could then take and incorporate like hey, listen, let me tell you how I’ve Helped people on their landmine journey.

We did this and then like take this guy, for example, this guy. He now owns his property, even though, even though he almost lost what he did because of a health issue or an economic downturn or a lost his job. Here’s! What he has to say so, it’s almost like you could take that piece and incorporate your testimonial articles into the to the customer journey to the resolution piece. I think that gets missed a lot of time and John kind of picked up on that.

Yes, if you have a testimonial mark, that’s just talking about how likable you are and how the guy, who trusts you you’ve, got two out of the three, but you don’t have people in their head going well. Will that work? For me, okay, Mark’s, a nice guy and he’s trustworthy – that’s important, but I’m instill in my head going. Do I want to opt in for an email or learn more? What’s the next step, I don’t know that I would work for me and that if your nails can’t talk about that, then and then what life is like after it’s working for me, then I’m really your future pacing people yeah and that’s why I’m going to buy Your book yeah drill down to do all this and, at the same time make sure that Scott never gets a copy and just doesn’t get the whole concept so that my selves quadruple while he remains Wow.

So John. I want to know like what is the thing you’re in your sales expertise like. What’s the one thing people do wrong, the most that you would say. I think the thing that people do wrong the most is they think if I give you enough information, you’re going to say yes, I can. I can inundate you with information, you just don’t have enough information to say yes, when in fact people buy emotionally and backed it up with logic, and you have to tell a story of why they should care and show them someone else.

Who’s been through. The exact same situation and use empathy, you know, Maslow, said if the only tool in your toolbox is a hammer. You tend to go around looking for a lot of nails to hit well, if Scott’s only got the one tool of you know buy from me information. Don’t tell any stories, Bam. Bam. Bam do a bunch of bunch of stuff on the wall. I hope it sticks. You know, good luck, god bless, it doesn’t work anymore.

The new way is tell a story become magnetic and the biggest mistake I see people making is not telling compelling concise and clear stories of how it helps people and why they would want to be on that journey. I love it. Scott Todd I’m still going to be chin in our sales pitch. I got it okay. Now. What do you have? Scott? Oh, I promise I won’t use it. I already told you like you got ta, listen to me mr.

Reso, Martin, okay. So the resolution is the Ford they didn’t have this raw land. They had XY and Z in their lives. After we were able to make this the simplest easiest most trans, if in its transparent real-estate transaction that they’ve ever had, and not only that we didn’t wreck their credit, because we can give a credit check right, we’re old to old school land sellers. Your word is your bond.

They were able to get an asset that he’d never thought they would be able to own and now that they that they own it life is like this. They can go and unplug, they can go out there. All and there’s no cell towers, they can be closer with their family, their friends, their impressing, their banker with their net worth on their balance sheet having this asset and they go to sleep every night, knowing that, god forbid, they don’t wake up the next day.

They have something of a legacy to pass on to their children. John wouldn’t say is that a good resolution, that’s a great resolution. What you’re really selling there is peace of mind before you were anxious and worried, and now after doing this process, which we walk, you through, you know it’s. It might seem overwhelming to try and figure this out by yourself. What if I buy the wrong piece of land, you know, but you have all the step by step, proven processes to buy the right piece and make sure that the solution is seamless without even impacting your credit.

And now you have peace of mind. That’s really what your the resolution and something that’s building and leaving a legacy you’ve tapping into all the mind, psychological reasons why people pull the trigger on something yeah, you know, would be great John. If there’s like a book that gave you a roadmap, how to do this, if only yeah yeah yeah – I mean you, know, people you’re on this journey I’ll be really curious to see.

What’s got Todd thinks of this of going from invisible to irresistible, and I talk about that a lot in better selling through storytelling, each rung of the ladder. Where do clients see you like? If I’ve never heard of you guys or the land geek, then you’re invisible to me, but I’ve heard of you, but I don’t think I ever want to own land or couldn’t than anything significant. Then you say something to me like.

Oh, maybe I don’t need a gazillion dollars to bias and land. Then it’s interesting still not ready to do it. Then you really intrigued me with you start describing someone who’s. Just like me. Age-Wise income, wise stressful frustration, wise and I’m intrigued to learn more and then I opt-in for your free, PDF or whatever it is you’re next part of the funnel is, and then I actually buy land and give you a testimonial.

Then I you’re irresistible to me. I become your brand ambassador, so that’s really. The roadmap to success is using that those rungs in the ladder I love it after the podcast down. I do have 40 acres that we can discuss. I’r hearing the theme song gone with the wind in the back of my mind, I love it, so I think your mentorship, this podcast, has been really phenomenal and and thank you for putting up with our shenanigans it’s that again, I love the word shenanigans, let alone The actual shenanigans – yes, it makes it fun um, but I would like to ask you for one more piece of value, a website, a resource, a book and something else actionable with the art of passing.

The listeners can go and improve their businesses improve their lives. Yes, you all right Scott Todd. This is for you and all the other people listening take out your phone text. The word pitch spelled with a P. Keep it clean this number six, six, eight six six and I’m going to send you a free, sneak peak of better selling through storytelling, so text. The word pitch to this number: six, six, eight, six, six and boom you’ll get the sneak peak.

That gives you all the secrets of how to go from invisible to irresistible and become better storytellers instantly. I just did it and I’m getting my my email right now boom. You know, I think I’d beat Scott, so that’s good. It faster stuns way faster guys his slow founds, but yeah. It’s okay, don’t worry about. Okay! I might not be able to share my tip of the week with you I’ll say it for John in John yeah.

For John only – and I you Mark so check out in yo dot me, I in Y o dot M he in U dot me and basically what this is is. Basically, this is a way to help automate tasks that you just don’t like for, and it’s really geared towards, like you know, freelancers, if you will, but essentially to me, I can see like getting my BAC use this stuff to help them become automated, better and working Through so for example, you can teach them how to automate some reminders or how, to you know, get files that they might need and bring them all in together into a nice fancy platform.

So essentially, it’s got automation built into it, some pretty cool stuff that goes along with it, so you know upload and track documents and just everything that kind of a freelancer might need in order to kind of help automate some of their work without having to have Me do it so I’m sharing this stuff with my bas, so maybe you should too if it works for ya, but why not use that beer? How is this different well, this is.

This is like think of like a platform that will help them kind of do your work. Better zapier will help automate other things, but this is like another back-end component, and the thing is that, when you’re automating through zapier, that’s really something that is really to help. You automate more than just your bas, but this is stuff that they need to do and stay on top of it’s like basically helping you helping them to automate their work with a pretty cool platform.

Oh cool, I hate when Scott has a good tip of the week, but that is a good one. Well, my tip of the week is learn more about John Lewis: a and better selling through storytelling. If you go to John, let me stay calm. You can learn a ton more there and just if you break down John’s website, you’ll see how he practices what he preaches, and it’s really interesting how he does that. So, even just as his own case study go to John, let me say calm and I know nobody can spell it so I’ll – have a link to it and and do that so John.

Are we good we’re great thanks mark and Scott was a lot of fun. Thank you good, we’re good mark all right. I want to thank the listeners and just remind you that the only way, the only way we’re going to get the quality of guests, like a John would say, is if you do us three little favors, you got to subscribe and get a rate you’ll review. The podcast send us a screen shot of that review to support at the land.

Geek comm we’re going to send you for free the ninety seven dollar. Passive income launch kit course. So please do that. Also, this podcast is sponsored by flight school. Have Scott Todd, be your Sherpa climb that mountain start earning passive income in real time with somebody working the business with you? That is what flight school is all about. Learn more go to the landing comm forward, slash training and Scott.

We ready to do this. We are ready mark, let freedom freedom ring thanks. Everybody thanks Jenna

---