“Can you tell me the benefit of attending all these conferences?”
Networking
The sad fact of the REO Industry is, if you don’t know someone, you most likely aren’t going to make it in this business. It’s a fact and sadly enough, the vast majority of you out there trying to succeed in REO know this because you are struggling to get just your first REO but, YOU HAVEN’T DONE A DAMN THING ABOUT IT!
Instead, you send me silly questions like, “Can you tell me the benefit of attending all these conferences?”. COME ON, do I really? Seriously?
Ok, in the spirit of giving, let me give you a golden nugget. If you are paying your expensive conference ticket, expensive plane ticket, expensive hotel ticket, expensive rental car fee, food and whatever else but all you did was attend the conference………..it most likely was a waste of your time! I know this may come as a surprise to you but, let me share a golden nugget with you. Ready?
Most of the business done at a conference isn’t done at the conference. It’s almost all done at the after parties. In fact, I know this to be true because most of the business I have ever received came directly from the parties afterwards that I was lucky enough to attend. In fact, ask any major player and they have at some point attended a party that allowed them to network with some decision makers who ended up liking them and catapulting their careers. To explain to you just how important the parties are, I know people who are coming in for just the VIP Poker Party RealtyPilot / REOPro is hosting and for nothing more. To further my point, how many times, at a conference have you been walking around and happened to bump into the VP of Fannie Mae………..NEVER! Why is that? Because she isn’t attending the conference so much that she has breakfast appointments, lunch appointments, dinner appointments and parties to attend to do nothing more than N.E.T.W.O.R.K! Yeah, you might see her on a panel speaking or walking through the hall very quickly with an entourage rushing her to the next speaking engagement but, when she is done speaking….she is out of there to her networking events. It’s your job to do all you can to be at the same events she is at or, you are going to miss out on an opportunity of a life time!
It’s at these networking luncheons, dinners and parties where these VIP’s let loose. They get a couple drinks in them, they are around others that they know or have heard of and they get comfortable. They don’t have to worry about reporters, lookie lous, wannabes so, they let down their guard and if you made it in the party, they consider you a part of the club. It reminds me of that scene in Titanic when Jack Dawson, played by Leonardo Di Caprio gets invited to dinner by Rose’s finance, whom I can never remember his name. Jack goes and gets himself a tux from the unsinkable Molly Brown and off to dinner he goes. The movie makes it a point to showcase that he was graciously accepted into the elite club even though he was a 3rd class ticket holder. This is the pinnacle of networking, getting accepted or invited into a ultra exclusive club or party and then making the most of it. Using your Nerve, Charm, Charisma, and Wit to showcase who you are and what you can do for them.
People, the clue phone is ringing so answer it will ya?
