You won’t have been in the real estate investing business for very long before you hear and become familiar with the term OPM, which stands for “Other People’s Money.” You have read articles and books and heard seminars, webinars and teaching CDs about how to use OPM. But what about using OPT – Other People’s Time?
If you run out of money, you can make more. But can you make more time? You know the answer. You have only so much time in a day, in a week, in a month, and you must learn to use it to the best of your ability.
One of the keys to success in your investing business is to stop doing everything yourself. Whether you are a veteran or a newbie, you already know that there are many jobs you must handle in any given day. If you ever hope o have a life away from your real estate investing businesses, you must find ways to use OPT.
When you first give this matter serious consideration, you might begin to think about hiring Bird Dogs to search out your deals. Or you might consider and assistant to help with the paperwork and mail. But please don’t over technology. Why not let technology take care of a big chunk of your work? The use of technology, in my opinion, is the ultimate in using OPT, only it is using the Internet as opposed to using humans.
Tops on the list of integrating technology into your RE investing business is the use of a personalized website. If your marketing is designed to send prospects to a website, that website can capture the contact information and lead your prospects right where you want them to go. (Buyer or seller – your site can handle both!)
This can be a piece to the puzzle of how you will work smarter and not harder. A professional website will work for you 24/7, give you a sense of credibility and shows your prospects that you are here to stay – not just passing through. This helps to build trust, and the trust factor could make the difference between whether or not your prospect will do business with you.
If you are truly serious about making a success of your investing business, stop trying to do everything yourself. Think of the time you will save by allowing your website to catch potential prospects, collect their contact information, and inform them about your, your business, and the properties you have available – or the ways in which you help distressed homeowners.
If you think you have to be a computer whiz to have your own site, think again. There are super simple and easy sites RE sites available expressly designed for your business.
Whatever you do, don’t overlook this aspect of your business. Let your valuable time be spent in looking for and negotiating deals. That’s where the profits lie.
