Lead Generation Tips for Real Estate Investors | Motivated Leads Mastery

Bryan Driscoll (00:00)
rapport is number one. So that’s a really good question too, because a lot of guys when they’re green and new, just call up and be like, hey Scott, hey I saw you ⁓ to sell your house, how much are you looking for? And that’s the absolute wrong way to go about it. So if you think about a seller, most sellers that are motivated have a problem. So you need to think, okay, number one, this is a person, it’s not a lead.

Scott Bursey (01:55)
Welcome back to the Real Estate Pros podcast. I’m your host, Scott Bursey. And on today’s show, we’re focusing on acquiring motivated leads and scaling a successful house buying operation. We’re joined by Bryan Driscoll of 412 Houses and Motivated Leads, who brings deep expertise from years of successfully implementing and growing high volume lead acquisition channels across various investment markets. Bryan, thanks for joining us today.

Bryan Driscoll (02:23)
What’s up, Scott? Thanks for having me.

Scott Bursey (02:24)
Hey,

absolutely, this is a sincere pleasure. And for those that may not be familiar with your world, your journey, how did your career begin? And what’s your main focus now?

Bryan Driscoll (02:35)
Sure thing. So my career began back in the early 2000s. I got involved with a website called Upwork. It was actually called ODesk back then. It’s a freelancing platform. So I was rolling my dice, learning how to do digital marketing. So I started marketing, learned SEO, then fast forward about 10 years. Actually, I don’t even say fast back a little teeny bit. Back in the 90s is when I got introduced to real estate. So I got ⁓ in Pittsburgh. We’re in Green Tree at a hotel. Ron LeGrand seminar. My dad took me there.

So I’m sitting in a seminar, coughed up like 1800 bucks, bought his course, got into real estate, failed miserably. And then I got into digital marketing years later, but I remembered what I’d learned in that initial course with Ron LeGrand. And about 15 years ago, I got back into real estate and I bought my first deal. found it on Craigslist off of a wholesaler. I bought it.

fixed it and I did the burr method on it and that’s how I got into real estate like successfully and then what happened there was I got to thinking it’s like I just paid this wholesale fee and I’m good at digital marketing maybe I could generate leads locally here for myself so that’s kind of like the short version how I got into digital marketing and real estate and then kind of merge them together.

Scott Bursey (03:47)
Well, that’s really fascinating, Bryan. Wow. Talk about a takeoff. That is sensational. Let’s dive right into the question that all of our listeners want to know. What is the single most efficient channel for motivated lead generation in today’s market? Assuming a limited marketing budget, Bryan.

Bryan Driscoll (04:09)
That’s a good question. So there’s no perfect silver bullet out there. So what I see is it depends where you’re at in your stage. You’re either gonna pay with sweat or you’re gonna pay with money, right? So if you’re paying with sweat.

deal machine, ⁓ prop stream, go driving for dollars, do texting, cold calling, things like that. And the one thing it’s like, you wanna look at marketing like a chair. It’s like you don’t want a one-legged chair. You usually want multiple marketing channels. So some people on a digital side might say, hey, Google paper clicks the best or Facebook’s the best or TikTok. What I recommend is if you have a limited budget, pay with the sweat first, get the deals. Most likely if you have a limited budget, you’re still learning too. So you don’t wanna go spend three, 400,

dollars for a lead if you don’t know how to close them. Go learn when you’re not spending that much money. Once you have deals and you don’t have any time left, it’s like, now I need to go back and buy my time. And I would say the marketing channels I see successful, Google Ads, Facebook Ads, which we do in the paper lead space, also direct mail. A lot of people right now are having success on direct mail too.

Scott Bursey (05:17)
Focusing marketing dollars on proven efficient channels is the fastest way to get to profitable scale Over diversification often kills velocity early on and that’s a great point Bryan if you could walk us through a few of ⁓ If for the new investors, what is the most common mistake that you see them make that causes them to lose? Let’s say rapport and ultimately the deal

Bryan Driscoll (06:33)
Yeah, so with new investors, I see a couple of different things. Number one, I see some new guys focusing on lead cost. And when I say that, they’re like, hey, you know what? I’ll do digital marketing.

but I’m gonna generate leads all across the country, because I can get them really, really cheap. And they think that’s how to get into real estate. They get on a phone, they can close deals, but where the struggle comes is actually taking them to the closing table. Like they can get the contract, but they can’t take it and actually get paid. So that’s one thing I see there. Second thing is, ⁓

just keep learning. It’s like if you’re new, a lot of people get held up and I need a website, I need a logo, I need an LLC, I need this and I need that and they never get going. What I recommend is if you’re new, get out there, go start talking to people. And it’s weird, the more activity you do, the luckier you’re gonna get. So for new investors, go out, do something, go download Deal Machines app.

Go drive for dollars, send a couple postcards, skip tracing people and call them. Just do some activity and you’re gonna fail, but you’re gonna learn and eventually you’re gonna get lucky and get a deal.

Scott Bursey (07:39)
How critical is that early report stage?

Bryan Driscoll (07:45)
You mean rapport with sellers?

Scott Bursey (07:47)
Yes, yes, when you’re ⁓ on the phone. How critical is the rapport versus the pricing stage? If you could walk us through the process, I guess, Bryan.

Bryan Driscoll (07:58)
Sure, so rapport, it’s like

rapport is number one. So that’s a really good question too, because a lot of guys when they’re green and new, just call up and be like, hey Scott, hey I saw you ⁓ to sell your house, how much are you looking for? And that’s the absolute wrong way to go about it. So if you think about a seller, most sellers that are motivated have a problem. So you need to think, okay, number one, this is a person, it’s not a lead.

Like it is a lead, but everyone looks at leads like numbers. It’s like, this is a person. you figure, say someone’s losing their house to foreclosure. It’s a father losing his house. He feels like a piece of crap already because he feels like he let his family down. Now he’s talking to you. It’s like, you need to build that rapport, be empathetic and have multiple ways to help him too, to help him solve his problem. Cause he’s dealing with a lot as it is. So I would say rapport is huge and caring.

Like care about the people and try to help them, not just make a buck. if the more people you help, the more money you’re going to make.

Scott Bursey (08:59)
Such great advice, going underneath the surface, initially, is so critical and showing the empathy, you hit it right in the head. Caring, not focusing on the price point. That’s critical in your line of work, in your game. Speaking of which, sure.

Bryan Driscoll (09:14)
Yeah. And if I can add to that, Scott, I

was going to say, if I can add to that real quick with new people just popped in my head, less talking, ask questions. Like the first part of your conversation should be like, you’re talking 30 % and your only thing that comes out of your mouth are questions. And then let them talk 70 % most new guys talk too much because you’re pitching. That’s not how to do it.

Scott Bursey (09:38)
No, no, it’s that interaction and then listening. Perfectly set. Bryan, if you could use only one metric to monitor the health of your acquisition team on a weekly basis, what metric would that be and why?

Bryan Driscoll (09:53)
So the one metric I look at in marketing is cost per deal. So you have a pipeline. have leads, appointments, contracts, deals. So a lot of guys will look at leads and they’re like, oh, I’m getting a really cheap lead cost. But if they don’t book appointments, it’s a fake number. Or if you get a whole bunch of appointments and they don’t sign contracts, that’s a fake number. So cost per deal is the number one. The problem is you got like a 90 day lag on that. So it’s like 90 days away.

you’re looking back. So what I would be looking at in my industry is like, okay, what’s my appointment or what’s my contact rate? And then what’s my show rate? So we get a lead, how many pick up the phone and then how many book an appointment?

Scott Bursey (11:11)
Outstanding, outstanding words there. What is some of the core strengths of motivated leads as you see it, Bryan?

Bryan Driscoll (11:19)
So I think our strengths are ⁓ we’re looking out for investors. We’re trying to help guys get deals. So the one thing is one of the strengths, we have no commitment to work with us. So we have to perform or clients don’t stick around. There’s no three or six month contract, but also another strength is I’m an investor myself. So we’re not just a digital company. I know what we’re looking for in terms of deals and we aren’t the cheapest. We’re probably one of the most expensive out there.

but we focus on quality. Like we vet our leads when they come in. So I think that’s an important thing there also.

Scott Bursey (11:55)
Absolutely, Vetting is essential. And Bryan, if you could walk us through. Beyond price, what non-monetary value proposition consistently resonates most strongly with a truly motivated seller in your view?

Bryan Driscoll (12:09)
So motivated sellers, like somebody that’s truly motivated has a problem. They want to know how fast you can buy their property or can you be convenient? Like a lot of people are like, Hey, I can close in seven days. A lot of sellers, like I’ll talk with them. like, you know what? I need to find my new place. Can we close? Can we close and maybe you rent it to me for 14 days or rent it to me for 30 days and finding that convenience. So that’s one thing that really resonates with people and basically having a lot of tools in your toolbox.

Like they have a problem. You can’t just come in and pigeonhole it. It’s like, okay, hey, you know what? You can’t leave for 90 days. How about we close it and then I’ll lease it to you. Or how about whatever, like just figuring out different situations for people and thinking on your toes.

Scott Bursey (12:54)
Absolutely. Price is often secondary to speed, certainty, or ease of the process for deeply motivated sellers. Delivering on those promises builds long-term trust and reputation. It’s so critical. What do you feel are some of the opportunities that you’re looking at perhaps capitalizing on the next 12 to 18 months, Bryan?

Bryan Driscoll (13:19)
So some opportunities, it’s interesting with the digital marketing space, it’s ups and downs. like algorithms are changing. So we constantly keep an eye on that. AI is a big opportunity I’m looking at right now. I think some people are looking at AI, not necessarily like to be lazy, but looking for the answer. But I’m seeing a lot of AI now is being able to use as a tool and you’re still, you’re being more efficient and be able to get more knowledge quickly. So I see that in an automations as well.

I’m really excited. see a lot of investors still don’t have like proper CRMs and proper processes. Like I saw one person last week, they’re tracking their leads in a legal path. It’s like, how can you follow up with these people when you’re on pencil and paper? So I see a lot of opportunity there for investors, like any CRM out, it doesn’t matter. Like they’re all good, but make sure like when a lead comes in, you’re sending a text message immediately and you’re able to follow up with people.

and not lose them. Whenever someone tells you they’re calling me back next month, put something so you don’t even have to think about it. Just remind you next

Scott Bursey (14:25)
And you brought up a good point. As technology evolves, how are you seeing AI specifically start to change the landscape of lead qualification and initial follow-up?

Bryan Driscoll (14:35)
I am, I’m seeing it change a lot. So what I see now is, which we’re even testing it too, like phone, AI phone to follow up with old leads, things like that. But my, predict AI is going to be real fun for a little teeny bit, say on that. And then people are going to want the human, like the human interaction. They’re not going to want to talk to a bot all the time. So there’s certain things that I say, okay, great outsource. Say I need to analyze 20 Google sheets and put them together and like get numbers out of it.

That’s great for AI, but a lot of this stuff, it’s gonna be like, you don’t wanna outsource some of your most crucial parts of your business to an AI or even to say a $4 VA or something like that. It’s like, if you’re spending $300 a lead, why are you having a $4 an hour employee call that person? Like you should have a skilled person calling, so you have $300 at stake and then have a VA help you with different types of things.

Scott Bursey (16:09)
Couldn’t agree anymore, Bryan. AI and automation are rapidly changing the front end of the funnel. Operators who leverage these tools to increase speed and personalization will gain the ultimate edge.

Bryan Driscoll (16:23)
Yep, 100 % agree there.

Scott Bursey (16:24)
And what sort of

takeaway or golden nugget would you like to leave with our audience here today, Bryan?

Bryan Driscoll (16:33)
I would say, well two things, if you’re just starting and you’re just trying to get your first deal, if you’re listening, just trying to get your first deal, just go out and do it. It’s like they say, just jump in the pool, the water’s warm. Like don’t just dip your toe in, jump in. Start doing activities and if you have a full-time job or something, take on a side and be like, okay, I’m spending an hour a day doing something. It doesn’t matter what it is because you’re going to learn. It could be like, okay, I’m gonna, if you need to hand write the letters and mail them or go.

hang door knockers or things like that. So if you’re a new person, like Nike says, like just do it, do something and get that activity moving. Get out of your head space for all the reasons why you can’t do it or what you don’t know yet. Just start doing it. Now for you seasoned guys, yeah, so for them, now the seasoned guys, what the takeaway I would go is go into your business and start looking at things, especially on the lead gen side where I can talk, go in and look how fast are you calling your leads?

Scott Bursey (17:16)
Absolutely.

Bryan Driscoll (17:30)
Are you texting them? Do you have an automation set up to do that? And then what I would look at is on the season guys, look at your drop rate. So say you get a hundred leads in, how many of those did you contact? And then if you’re out of the contact, then how many did you contact? How many booked an appointment? And then booked appointment to contract and contract to close. And each step is going to be a percentage drop, but see if there’s a drastic one that shows you where in your funnel you need to fix.

Scott Bursey (17:55)
Excellent golden nuggets, Bryan. Excellent. Thank you so much for that. And we love fostering connections here at Real Estate Pros. For the listeners who want to follow your journey or collaborate with you, what’s the best way for them to reach you?

Bryan Driscoll (18:08)
I would say check out our website. It’s motivatedleads.com or you can check me out on LinkedIn too. It’s Bryan with a Y, Bryan Driscoll.

Scott Bursey (18:17)
Thank you for joining us today, Bryan. This has been vital. Just excellent with your insights.

Bryan Driscoll (18:23)
Thanks, Scott. Yeah, thanks for having me.

Scott Bursey (18:25)
and for all of our listeners, we appreciate each and every one of you. If you got value out of today’s episode, please subscribe. We have more conversations coming up with exceptional operators just like Bryan Until next time, keep your standards high and your vision clear. We’ll see you on the next episode, everyone.