All Hail The Anti-Guru!

We have all been there at some point. We get an email, or someone tells us about them, or even worse...we are watching late night TV. It seems innocent enough at first, but then we begin to show interest, and the next thing you know you are looking for your credit card to pay for the next new product from the next big GURU.

It's nothing to be ashamed of. As real estate entrepreneurs we are always looking for more education and more coaching and that is one of the characteristics that is common among successful entrepreneurs. But we have also seen enough and heard enough from the Gurus to know that there has to be some serious substance to make our hard earned money work for us.

In the last two years I have met some folks who should be gurus, but avoid the spotlight at all costs. First of all, you would never think of them as gurus because of the way they dress. Contrary to popular belief, you don't need a $1500 custom tailored Italian suit to know what you are talking about. In fact, as I write this, it just occurred to me that the people that I have been most impressed with are the ones that are wearing flip flops on a Tuesday afternoon whom I bump into at Starbucks.

You may know some of these people, but never considered that they are the ones you should be tapping for knowledge. They are ridiculously humble and avoid telling you with exact certainty how many properties they own. In fact, they would almost prefer if you just didn't delve to deeply into their portfolio. As you make the rounds in your networking groups, start to look for those folks who are quiet and patient and are NOT trying to make the big impression. These are the people who may be worth listening to.

There are some other things you should look for in your anti-guru. Look for specific kinds of answers to questions. I remember asking a young lady from Hampton Virginia once how many properties she had and her answer was one simple word: "enough." Enough indeed! What struck me was that at the time she was in her early 20's at a time when people were outright bragging about how many properties or transactions that they were a part of...here she was giving one word answers where most people would have taken that as an opportunity to get on a soap box. When she said that, I couldn't help but notice that she was wearing athletic pants to a presentation. It made a strong impression to say the least.

You can always tell when you are dealing with a true professional anti-guru as well when you ask them how much they have made in real estate. The guru will tell you they have made millions, while the anit-guru will give you an answer that is similar to, "I have been blessed, " or "We have done well," or even better, "We have been fortunate." These are humble answers and there is much more to be said for these answers than the typical answers that some gurus hide behind.

If I ask someone how they have done and they feel compelled to tell me how much they have made, then I am going to dig deeper and quantify the numbers...this is fun if you have never done it. For those folks that like to show off their net worth in a conversation, it is easy to find that many of them do not offer a true picture of their net worth...no kidding, right? Anyway, start asking questions that relate to their debt and just probe a little bit, it won't take long to sniff out the stink in their net worth. I guess my point is that they NEED you to believe that they are successful in order to keep being successful. That's how too many of them are successful. Don't get me wrong, we all have to make money, but let's just be clear about HOW we are making our money.

I have recently run across a website that really put this into perspective for me and I want to share it with you...the website is http://www.REMentor.com and on the front page it has a "Guru Test." This is the kind of confidence that I want from someone whose advice I am taking. The questions shed light on the nature of the guru and by the end of it, there is no escaping the light of truth! I love it and I love the approach of getting to the heart of the matter. Questions 4, 5 and 9 would be enough for me to know whether or not I would work with any guru. The website is worth going to and has some excellent advice.

With regards to the anti-guru, I find myself getting nuggets of gold by the finding those humble folks whom I meet up with on occasion every other month or so. The truth in what they have learned is so incredibly valuable. There is not a "high pressure" sale for them to believe what they are saying...they don't need you to believe them. Recognize the anit-guru when you meet them. They look different, they use very specific language and they are humble. Take them out and treat them to coffee or lunch...get to know them. Don't pry for information, get to know how they think and thank them for their time.

Most of these people love sharing information and truly enjoy your company. These are the gifts of life and the gifts of our industry. Recognize these folks as the angels that they are and treat them with respect and you will have an abundance of knowledge. Keep up your formal education, but learn how to distinguish a real guru before you spend a ton of your hard earned money.

Take care and happy investing

Robhttp://www.LocalRealEstateDeals.com