Dear Michael,
I began my career in
the real estate industry in 1966, by buying
homes. We had young kids and little extra
cash but lots of energy, so we bought
fixer-upper homes to live in. After the
little ones were asleep, we became
carpenters, painters, wallpaper hangers,
electricians, plumbers, whatever we could do
to fix things, we did. Our program paused
between 1977 and 1981, due to overloaded
schedules and a flat real estate market.
But, we told others about buying / selling
houses. In 1981, we bought the first rehab
we did not live in, and rented it to a
partner. In 1985, the partner bought me out
at a 28% profit! In 1991, we sold our last
personally occupied fixer upper and moved
into our current home, which we call
Bittersweet Gardens because of my wife
Judy’s outstanding success implementing her
master gardener skills.
After several
retirements from corporate sales jobs, I
wanted another career. My corporate history
with sales teams was successful but
stressful, let’s say, but I discovered few
companies would hire a salesman with a
higher income history than them! So in 1996,
I accepted a Long & Foster sales position
and started buying foreclosure-types of
rehab houses, fixing them up, then quickly
reselling at nice profits. We did well
through several houses, until we ran into
the “house from hell” in 2004! Groan! It
still rattles my bones to remember the
incredible rebuilding efforts needed to
finish this one! We replaced everything
above the ceiling rafters and installed an
entire roof. We rebuilt several rooms and
changed the original foot print
substantially. The total plumbing and
electrical systems were replaced. New
flooring was installed, plus a new kitchen.
We ended up making an $11,000 profit on our
$335,000 total investment. WOW! This house
only cost us $160,000!
In the meantime, some
friends in my office were going to yet
another real estate seminar. Oh well. Ho
hum. Not me. But they persuaded me to
attend, promising me that “it’s a personal
appearance by Mr. Internet, Michael Russer”!
So I went. What a powerful speaker you are!
I felt you were talking directly to me. Ms.
Vickie Smith smiled and looked me in the
eyeballs and said, “Jim, you must move your
career forward. Michael can surely help you,
but procrastination means you will be
attending another Michael Russer seminar
later. Please decide right now.” She was
seeing right into my brain and she was so
tough… ah, I mean, rather impossible to
refuse! So I filled out her enrollment form,
but said I was afraid of my charge card
number lying in the pile of hundreds of
seminar applications. But no escape was
possible, because Vickie called me until I
gave her the number!! What a wonder woman
she is!
I learned that target
marketing was the key factor; meaning, I
would sell to people who were “kindred
spirits” to me. I’d be talking to people
over age 60, who were worried about selling
their “castles”, downsizing and retiring.
And I would be traveling only within my
small geographical area. I stopped being a
“universal, general purpose agent”, trying
to be everything to everybody! The internet
web strategy you taught seemed so logical to
create a rich, entertaining, useful, and
compelling web site which drove marketing
dollars and traffic there, and then
incubated them until they were ready to act.
The site filters the whole world of internet
surfers into my little funnel! I no longer
try to sell everything to everybody or go
anywhere at any time! What a colossal waste
of time, money and effort. This website
provides clients who see things as we do and
what a dramatic prospecting tool it is.
Point2agent formatted page templates set up
an environment where Judy and I can “brain
storm” together and “tinker a bit,“tune a
tad”, and see immediate, cost free
improvements right away.
The original web
inspiration was you, Michael. Soon after I
started, I was stuck in technical goo.
Vickie, personally, directed me to a VA
named Kristi Pavlik with
www.AdonaiBusinessSolutions.com With
super efficiency, she completed my buyer and
seller presentations so professionally. I’ve
never missed bagging a new client using
them! Never missed one!! I chat with folks
who email or call me directly. We talk
briefly, then I offer to send via email, the
appropriate presentation. Hopefully, both!
The prospects always call me after viewing
with great reviews and lots of detailed
questions about their real estate needs.
Wonderful!! Or, if they wish, they can meet
me and get the targeted information in
person. When we finally do meet, my
prospects may choose to see either format,
paper or laptop, to step through my Power
Point shows. Everybody loves them!
My target-market web
site usually filters prospects to me who
wish to both BUY and SELL, a double-dipper
commission situation. AND I meet ONLY people
whom I can relate to and who need my focused
real estate specialty skills.I now am very
selective about my prospects. It’s about
seeking folks who think like Judy, and I do
and who are over 60, with retirement
thoughts, downsizing worries, rolling equity
into investments for lifetime income
streams, enjoying adult kids, grandkids, and
travel. My prospects want security, good
health, personal freedom and a comfortable
living style. We believe my website,”
Castle2Condo” quickly demonstrates to
internet surfers that I am focused on them
and their personal needs. If they fit into
my target market, they will come to me!
Dammed if it don’t seem to work just like
that!! Kristi then referred me to Catherine
Schooling, whose task was to improve my web
site. Even though she was another unseen
virtual, she soon earned our titles of
counselor, programmer, advisor, designer. We
now consider her our personal friend.
Real estate has become
a matter of selling directly to interested,
very well-qualified prospects. My second
million dollars is programmed to happen,
based solidly on the work of virtual
assistants and web sites! I will be working
with only those I choose to work with! We
may not earn your zillion of bucks, Michael,
but we will surely be happier and healthier,
with more free time, and outlive ALL of our
struggling competition. My advice to
realtors like me is “Find Michael Russer. Do
exactly what he tells you to do.” Put your
business plans on paper, objectives,
schedules, costs, etc. Hire virtual
assistants, do what they tell you to do, and
never look back. Look always ahead. Embrace
changes with joy. Love your wife every day
and adopt a cat named after your virtual
assistant!!
Jim Wilson
Cyber Realty, Inc.
1409 Bittersweet Road
Severn, MD 21144
Office: 410.766.7970
Cell: 410.440.9407
Email:
Jim@Castle2Condo.net
Thank you Jim! There is nothing more satisfying
than to see a professional like yourself take the ball
and run with it. I've said this over and over
again —top producers take committed action, wannabes
only give lip service to it. Success in this
business is there for everyone, all you have to do is
choose to embrace it and follow the proven steps to
achieve it! (BTW, having a positive attitude like
Jim's doesn't hurt either :o)
Remember, even if your story isn't chosen you
still win because you get to see how other top
performers do it. Besides, you can always try
again!
