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Show Summary
In this episode of the Real Estate Pros Podcast, host Micah Johnson interviews Rick Otton, a leading expert in subliminal science applied to real estate. Rick shares his extensive experience in the field, discussing how subliminal communication can significantly enhance real estate transactions. He explains the importance of environment during home visits, the power of language in negotiations, and how to effectively use coffee shops for deal-making. The conversation emphasizes the need for real estate professionals to understand and apply these techniques to improve their success rates.
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Investor Fuel Show Transcript:
Rick Otton (00:00)
I very rarely go to a house. I haven’t been to a house for probably about a decade, 15 years. And I’ll tell you why. If I go to buy a house from a seller, he will usually say, no, I can’t get what I want because he hasn’t exerted any life energy. People need to resolve on exerted life energy.Now let’s bring this to real estate. tell me about your house.
If I can give you what you’re looking for today, how’d that make you feel?
Now the guy’s gonna take the trip to the coffee shop. He’s exerting life energy to get there. He needs a return on the life energy.
And you’ll find you’ll put a lot more transactions together in a coffee shop than you ever will, going and seeing some guy sitting on the sofa in his house
Micah Johnson (02:11)
Hey everyone. Welcome to the Real Estate Pros Podcast. I’m your host, Micah Johnson. And today I am joined by Rick Otton, who is one of the leading minds in subliminal science for real estate. I’m really excited to have this discussion. Rick, welcome in man. Glad to have you.Rick Otton (02:27)
Good night, good to hear from you.Micah Johnson (02:29)
Absolutely, man. think our listeners are really going to take something away from really have you approach real estate for your whole life and career. So let’s dive into that. For people who may not know you yet, what’s your main focus and what markets do you operate in?Rick Otton (02:44)
Well, I pretty well operate in a lot of world markets, including the United States. My wife’s American. I met her in Dallas. But basically my real estate thing, I started like We Buy Houses back there in 1989 in Dallas, Texas, and just took that whole genre to all the other countries around the world and just rewrote all the templates, the laws, the structures, even in countries where I don’t even speak English. And the way I was able to do that.was I had one tool set that came to the party that made it relatively easy to do that over the last 35 years and that was my Master of Subliminal Science and that happened from very lucky when I was 18. I was working with a guy that was much smarter than me. said I’m going to write a book on a thing called body language. I said what’s body language? He said body language is the communication of the way the body tells us what it’s thinking before people tell us.
And I said, how’s that work? He said, okay, well look, out of 100 % of communication, 7 % of the words we use, 38 % of tonality of those words, 55 % is what’s called subliminal sciences. These are messages that we send between two people at a level below conscious awareness. So there are messages you pick up or influences or hunches that you get. And without words being said, it’s all the subliminal science.
So then I got involved and acknowledged, contributed to that book that came out in 1980. It was the world’s very first book on body language, sold 19 billion copies. And I hung around and with the guy did talk language in 1986, which controlled how you structure language. And then I got so drugged, I love this thing that I spent the next 40 years in the science of subliminal science. And people, of course, have always said to me, how do you apply it to real estate?
And then I did, and I’m gonna walk you guys through how to apply to real estate because my guys at the top of the tree will do one transaction out of every 1.3 meetings using subliminal science.
Micah Johnson (04:49)
And that’snext level stats. I know there’s a lot of folks listening who would like to hear that their sales team’s doing 1.3. So you’ve been doing a great job with this for a long time. What’s the key that’s been making it consistent?
Rick Otton (05:53)
What’s the key is everything’s formulas, everything’s process. So like one of the things I’m gonna give you guys the end of this, the formulas, the systems and the processes I use, right? People say to me sometimes, why do I give it away? And here’s why. The best way to market is to give all your stuff away and word of mouth will always build your brand, right? So the way you keep it consistent is always do the same thing every time. It gets a bit boring, just wear a different shirt and…You just rock and roll, right? And then the results speak for themselves. But maybe what I could do is for people to get their head around subliminal science and how to apply for real estate, maybe I should just walk you through a scenario.
Micah Johnson (06:34)
I say let’s do it, take us through.Rick Otton (06:37)
Okay, so first of all, if I ever turn up at anybody’s house, I’m always gonna wipe my feet on the mat, whether it’s wet or dry, it doesn’t matter, because as soon as I wipe my feet on the mat, you come to that front door, there’ll be no confrontation about who I am and why I’m here. You will see at a subliminal level, by wiping of the feet, you’ll automatically invite me into your house. Come on in! Okay, now the first room you’re gonna take me into is the living room or the dining room.Do not do a property transaction. Every room has a territory and a thought process and an ownership right. For instance, give you example how important this is that you’re in the right room. You walk into someone’s house and you walk into their bedroom and they’ll let you know very quickly you’re in the wrong room. So virtually different rooms owned by different people in the house. The living room and the dining room is the friend zone room. That’s called I don’t know you and I want to get to know you better. Do you understand?
Okay, you never do a transaction in this room. This is the kiss of death. There’ll always be two disturbances in that room. They’ll usually be the young kids and the TV will be on. You can’t turn off, you can’t ask someone to turn off their TV. They’ll find it offensive. It’s not your house and they don’t even know you. Ask people to turn it down. They’ll happily turn it down, but in every single time over the last 35 years, they’ll actually switch it off. But it was their decision to switch it off, not mine. But I got the result I wanted.
Next thing is to get rid of the kids. can’t tell people to get rid of the kids. What you can do is you keep looking at the kids, smiling at the kids, and every time the other people talk, spend more time focused on smiling at the kids and they will kick their own kids out of the house. Do you understand? Okay, unless you like me, you won’t do business with me. But I’ve got a very short window of time. I want you to do business with me. So what I’ll do is you’ve got to be, you’ve got to like me. If you don’t like me, we’re not doing business.
Micah Johnson (08:12)
Okay. Noted.Rick Otton (08:25)
I’ve got to move us into the friend zone room. The kitchen is always the friend zone room. That is why whenever you ever have a party, everybody turns up and hangs out in the kitchen first. Why? It’s the friend zone room. That’s where your friends always come, to the kitchen, right? Okay, I’m to get into the kitchen. I can’t just walk into your kitchen. You’re going to go, what are you doing in my house walking into my kitchen? I’ll ask for a glass of water. They’ll offer me tea, coffee, beer. Nah, give me a glass of water.If they don’t offer me a glass of water, I’ll cough. If I ask cough, they’ll say, Richard, would you like a glass of water? Yes, please, man, that’d be fantastic. Now, whoever gets to be the class of water, whether it’s the male or the female, tells me who’s the most subservient person between the couple and therefore tells me who I need to focus the conversation on. Because one person will follow the other person. The person brings me the glass of water, I’ll finish it. We keep in chat, we talk about football, sports, anything.
Never talk about real estate in this room. It’s the wrong room. Then I’ll finish the glass of water. I’m sorry. The living room. We do not, if you want to put a house deal together, you do not talk about the house deal in this living room. You can talk about big picture stuff, but you keep it big picture stuff, right? But you never get into details, you know? How long you’ve been in property for just real general stuff.
Micah Johnson (09:26)
And we’re still in the living room, right? We’re still in the living room here, right? Okay.Rick Otton (09:48)
But remember, a deal will be a kiss of death if you try to put it together in this room. It is the wrong room. Then you go to the kitchen because and then what happens is I’ll finish the water. I’ll say, you know, Mrs. Smith, I’ve got it. Don’t you move, Mr. Smith, don’t you move. I know where the kitchen is. Let me pop up and grab that glass of water. I’m going in there because I know Mrs. Smith, that’s her territory. She owns the kitchen. She’ll come in straight after me and say, let me help you with that. Let me help you with that. Oh, thank you. Right. I’ve now got her in the kitchen.Do understand? The husband, given 20 seconds, he’ll come in following the wife. And if he doesn’t, just start giggling. He’ll be in with about five seconds. Now I’ve got everybody in the kitchen, right? Now I’ve got my glass of water, but now I’m in the friend’s room. The dynamic will change. Okay, now.
Micah Johnson (10:35)
Okay. We made it from the frontdoor, the living room, now we’re in the kitchen.
Rick Otton (11:14)
Correct, never try to put a deal together in the backyard of the front yard, her dead. People tell you, me think about it and get back to you. I’m not there to look at houses, I’m there to buy it. I’m there, I only go to house once, if I ever go to house. I also know that I have to switch your mind. I have to switch you into a business environment by which you’ll make a decision now. Not I wanna think about it, not I wanna speak to my counsel lawyers. Therefore, there’s only one position in life where your brain is structured to make decisions. It’s in between nine and five in an office.with a desk and a chair. I have to paint that environment to switch you. Let me tell you how important this is, guys, or ladies, or whoever’s listening. You’ll find that if your partner comes home from work and they’re still in their business attire, you can ask them a business question and they’ll answer it. Once they’ve turned into their happy clothes and their moosey shoes and their little funny ears, their pajamas and whatever, you ask a business question and they’ll say, babe, could you ask me tomorrow? Right?
because the clothes change their environment and switch their brain. It’s the same as moving you to a table. Now I’m going to move to, I look for a table. First thing I look for in the house is the table. That’s where I’m going to put everybody. I go to the table. As soon as we go to the table, okay, and I sit us at a table, I’ve switched you into business zone. You will make decisions at the table. Do understand?
Micah Johnson (12:36)
I do. Interesting.Rick Otton (12:37)
Okay,but the table is always full of crap. People put their entire house on top of the dining room table, the living room table. It’s always full of crap. You can’t swipe people’s crap off the table or ask them to move it. Okay, it’s not your house. I don’t have permission to do that. I do what’s called a helicopter. I go above the table and I go, look, I found the table I need. And then I get up my books like this and I go.
and I start going around, let’s say above the table and people automatically start moving stuff off the table, right? So I can put my books down. You understand? I got the helicopter. And then as I put my books down, I sort of sit down and people, when they see my eyeline drop because they sit down, they’ll automatically sit. You understand? They’ll usually sit on the other side of the table. Now I’ve got people in the environment where we can make decisions. Okay. Now when we talk about stuff, one of the things that I do is I’m going to want you at any stage,
If I have any piece of paper or form or something I need you to look at, I understand that you’re only going to sign something or do the deal with me if you like me and I’m your friend and you feel like we’re in tune with each other. Whilst on the other side of the table I’ve got a problem, called a territory wall. It’s a barrier, it’s subliminal. We don’t see it. But what it means is that you’ve automatically, whether I like it or not, have divided this table in two. You’ve decided half the table’s yours and you’ve decided half the table’s mine.
If you want to test it, go into a restaurant with your wife or your girlfriend. The salt, the pepper, the sugar, all the stuff’s in the middle. When you’re talking to them, push it one inch into the other person’s. You use the pepper, the salt, put it one inch, not in front them, one inch on the other side. Subliminally, without even noticing, they’ll get their head out and they’ll push it back that one inch to the middle. Because the brain has already divided that that’s their half the table. My wife hates it when we do this. We’ll go out, we’ll glass, drink wine. I’ll have a sip.
and I’ll put my glass one inch and she’ll keep pushing my glass back. She doesn’t even know she does it. People own zones. So therefore I’ve got to be very careful about that. You’ve designed your own that zone. I can’t get you to do a deal while I’m on this side of the table because we’re not in tune with each other. If I push a document, what I can do, I can put a document for you to look at and I can move it halfway across that table. When I move it halfway across the table, you will lean forward.
and extend your arms to get that document and pull it in your own zone. I’ve just changed your body language structure. I’ve taken you from a closed-minded person to an open-minded person by the fact that I’ve just changed your physiology. Does that make sense? Okay.
Micah Johnson (15:11)
does. And Ijust want to clarify real quick. So in the kitchen, we’re getting them directly across from us. So we want to sit directly across.
Rick Otton (15:19)
It doesn’t matter where I am in the kitchen as long as we’re all in the kitchen. Usually I find myself learning against their sink.Micah Johnson (15:23)
I the dining room.I mean dining room, excuse me. I said the wrong room. So we’re at the dining room and I want them directly across from me at the table.
Rick Otton (16:12)
That’s where they’ll probably sit themselves initially. When they see where you’re sitting, by default, people will sit themselves opposite you. It’s not where I wanna do the deal. I’m gonna tell you what happens next, but that’s how you’ll by default start.If you give them anything to look or read or anything, it cannot be pushed more than halfway across that table. All right? Now, what I need to do, I need to get, we’ve got to both be singing from the same song sheet. I need an excuse to get around your side of the table. I will have watched how you took the documents from me and make the decision if you’re right-handed or left-handed, looking at what you drink, how you’re using a pen. And if I don’t know, I’ll me ask you something.
Are you left handed like me or are like a right handed guy like 90 % of the population? I know I’m right handed. Great, that tells me exactly where I have to go on the other side of the table. Okay, so you’re chatting, here’s the deal, I an excuse to get around the other side of the table. If I stand up and come around and sit next to you, you’re gonna think, what the hell, I haven’t been invited to do that. You’ll get all anxious. If you get anxious, your brain will shut down.
If a brain shuts down through anxiety, it cannot make a decision. It is impossible for the human brain to make a decision while it’s anxious. It’ll say, let me think about this and I’ll speak to you next week, which is a nice way of saying I’m too anxious, brain can’t think. So what I’ll do is this. I’ll get you, I’ll put something in middle of the table and say, hey John, have a look at that. And you’ll have a look at it. Now, while you look at it, I’ll say, John, I want you to read paragraph four, section three. No, no, no, wait, wait, paragraph one, line seven.
Or is it on page two? No, flip the page two, I think it’s down the bottom on the right hand side, the second last sentence. Now, if I give you three instructions, I’ll totally bamboozle you and confuse you. You will now give me the social right to come around and solve this problem. I’ll then come around the table, so hang on, let me pop around here and we’ll sort it out real quick. I’ll come around and I’ll sit down next to you, but I’ll always make sure I sit one inch lower than you.
If I sit higher than you, you’ll get anxious. If I sit one inch lower than you, you’ll think you’re the most important man in the world and I’m subservient to you. I always want you to think I’m subservient. If you think I’m subservient, you’ll always move forward and feel powerful and important. If you’ll feel intimidated, you’ll go, on. Okay. So I’m going to sit next to you. Whether I go to the left or the right, if you’re right handed, I’ll come around and sit on your left. If you’re left handed, I’ll come around and sit on your right.
Micah Johnson (18:32)
Hmm.Rick Otton (18:47)
And I’m very friendly. Why is this important? Because if you’re left handed, you’re going to gesture with your left hand. If I’m right handed, I gesture with my right hand. I’m in creating an environmental cocoon. But whilst we both look at the document and I tell you what’s going on, you’re going to think to yourself, I just feel in tune with this guy. I just feel like I’m on board with it. We’re singing from the same song chain. Now, if I get this wrong, and I have,Yes, I’m doing this, I get it wrong. You go around the wrong side. It’s so important if I go around the wrong side, your arm will become a barrier every time you gesture. And because my arm is the right, I’ll also create barriers between the two. You won’t know why, but at a subliminal level, you’ll go, no, I don’t agree with him. Nah, no, I think he’s wrong. You will find that your subconscious will disagree with what’s coming out from you. We won’t connect. Does that make sense?
Micah Johnson (19:41)
It does.Rick Otton (19:43)
And therefore, if we don’t connect, ain’t making the decision. So I’ve now come around, that’s it. I don’t want you to think about it. I want to do the deal, right? So, but in order for you to do the deal is you’ve got to feel like you want to do the deal. So all I’m doing is being in control of the subliminal messages to control your thought pattern. You understand? Now, is great.Micah Johnson (19:47)
Yeah, I’m definitely going to think about it.Rick Otton (20:12)
I now want to be in control of your thought pattern. So here’s what do. What I do is I pick up a pen. By the way, it’s an exercise everybody. If you pick up a pen, people will never look at you, they’ll look at the end of the pen. It’s just how our brain is wired. That’s why when you point with a pen, watch people’s eyes. They always go to where the end of the pen is. So I’ll pick up a pen and say, Mitch, I want you to look at section three. Have a read of section three.Then I get the pen, the end of the pen, and I point it and take it all the way down to the document to section three. You understand? Read section three. You’ll only read section three. Your brain will go down to where the end of the pen is, and you’ll only read section three. This is the kiss of death where people get it wrong. It is impossible for the brain to comprehend writing and listen at the same time. Where real estate agents get it wrong and realtors get it wrong, so if you’re a realtor, listen to this.
Most people start talking while you’re trying to read. It’s impossible. Your brain can’t take information from two independent sources. If I talk whilst you’re trying to read, you’ll default to the audio, which means you will listen to me and your brain will say, I will read this later when he’s gone. And if you’re going to read it later when I’m gone, you won’t do the deal tonight. You’ll say, Richard, let me read more into this and get back to you, right?
So I want to control this, I want you to read it now, so I’ll shut up. Not one word will come out of my mouth. When you finish reading that little section, your little eyes will go, finished. And I’ll say, you know, we have this great guarantee that you’re gonna really laugh about me giving you 10 % more than what you want for the house. And it’s right here in section six. I get my little pen, and you watch their eyes. And you’ll just read section six, right?
And then I might use some words like that, like how does that make you feel? Having a section like that, how does that make you feel? By the way, always finish up with a question on a sentence and always make it an emotional question. Remember, as I said to you earlier, the brain, on the left side of the brain is logical. It’s in research mode. It makes decisions. I want you in emotional mode, which is decision-making mode. And that’s why I say stuff like, how does it make you feel? It me feel great. Fantastic, make decision. Okay, so what I can do is I can control the inputs.
by going through the paperwork simply by where I put that pen. You understand? And letting you read and then not speaking when you’re trying to read. When I also go through a house, one of the things you’re gonna want me to do is you’re gonna want me to see your house, okay? And people go, show me your house. Right, now when I look at the house, quite often what I’ll do is I’ll take a clipboard. I don’t need a clipboard, but people always give authority to the guy that’s got the clipboard.
Micah Johnson (22:39)
Mm-hmm.Rick Otton (23:02)
might have pictures of Mr. Magoo on it or the Flintstones. It doesn’t matter. But if I have a clipboard, you’ve instantly given me authority by the fact I’ve got a clipboard, therefore I know I must know what I’m doing. So as you walk me around, could we agree that people have, sometimes they have damage within a house?Micah Johnson (23:20)
Yes.Rick Otton (23:21)
get cracksin the wall, things are out of alignment. Okay. All you do is use the power of silence. Power of silence says if you stand and look at it and say nothing, people always just find out what’s going on. So let’s say I go into a room, it’s a big crack. It looks like the Grand Canyon coming down the walls there, right? I’ll look at it and just stand there and just go like this. By just doing that, people will start explaining and justify.
what it is. Remember I say very few words in a house, very few. Because if you say all the words, you believe 100 % of those words come out of your mouth. But you’ll only believe 5 % of the words that come out of my mouth. So therefore you must be in control of the word delivery. Okay, now if you don’t tell me what’s going on, because you don’t understand, just rub it with your fingers. Just rub, whenever you rub a damaged part of a house,
Micah Johnson (24:04)
Hmm.Rick Otton (24:19)
People will then just explain what’s going on, how it got there, what’s it done.Micah Johnson (24:22)
Okay. That’s fascinating.Rick Otton (24:25)
Yeah, OK,right now. The only thing is is we can get into the language patterns because they’re very, very precise like language patterns, but I’ll give people this stuff because the way the brain is is designed, there are different compartments of the brain. We have multiple compartments of the brain. One of the things I’ll always say is what I want to propose something, OK? Different words, word clusters.
trigger different sections of the brain and different sections of the brain carry different types of information. And so for instance, if I go in, the brain naturally defaults to word no. And that’s why I quite often invite, can I do this? People just go no. Do want to do that? No. Do want to do that? No. It’s not that they don’t want to do it. The brain just defaults to no. It’s controlled to what’s called reptilian brain, back of the head, fight or flight, for human safety, it defaults to no. There’s a switch called the armadillo switch.
between the back of the brain, the front of the brain that defaults to no. Prior to the age of seven, it defaults to on or yes, right? Past the age of seven, it defaults to no. Okay, I gotta understand that because if I don’t flip the switch, I can’t get you to the frontal lobe. I want your thought pattern out of the frontal lobe because the word no does not exist in the frontal lobe. Therefore, if I get all your thought patterns coming out of the frontal lobe, I’m just gonna get yeses. So one of the things I do that I’ll say,
Micah Johnson (25:32)
Okay.Rick Otton (25:53)
Best example, best if I take my example, about 30 years ago, it’s funny how you remember all the stuff. I bought a house in Parkland Drive in Dallas for 137 grand. would have been about 1990, I think. It’s funny how you remember this stuff. had nobody to buy it. And you don’t tell the agent that. A real estate agent took me to him. And he said, let me ask you something. If I give the 137,000 to the guy today, will he sell me the house?Yeah, he’ll sell you the house. Just suppose I needed to sell me the house on payments. How would that look? He said, there’s no way he’s going to sell you a house on payments. But just suppose he did. How would that look? When you add just suppose, it tells the brain to find a way. The word no is not there. Right? So people might not find the way that you like, which you can redirect with questions.
But people will come back and he said, well, he’s not going to do, but just suppose he did. He would only finance it for one year at 12%. He said, damn, where’s the contract? Let’s sign it. I signed the contract on the spot. made 12 payments at 12%, went to the next bank, dropped the financing down to 6%, make them cashflow, put nothing in the deal. Right? So the point of just suppose is people will never say to you, no, we just suppose, just suppose we would do this, Mitch, how would it have to look? Well.
I wouldn’t do it. I know you wouldn’t, but just assume it. Just suppose you had to. You’ll now craft a way on how to do a transaction. Does that understand? There’s other words like this, just imagine, just suppose. So the language we use is really important. So I’m gonna stop here for a second, because I can go on with a mouthful of marbles on a wet cement. Where do want to go next?
Micah Johnson (27:24)
Yes.What I think is fascinating, I’m excited that you’re going to share the link to those, the steps, because I see why you said that you just need to change your shirt because there is a key, there is a, there’s a highway that you’re walking down very intentionally from spot to spot to spot. Now, what if you can’t close in the house? What’s your other option? Let’s say you’re not doing it there. What’s an, how
Rick Otton (27:47)
Yeah.Micah Johnson (28:01)
can you make sure you get the deal done?Rick Otton (28:01)
Okay, always a coffee shop.I very rarely go to a house. I did this for an example, because a lot of guys go to houses. Okay, I haven’t been to a house for probably about a decade, 15 years. And I’ll tell you why. If I go to buy a house from a seller, he will usually say, no, I can’t get what I want because he hasn’t exerted any life energy. People need to resolve on exerted life energy. I’m going to give you two examples, one with your wife, your partner, and then real estate. I want you to understand it.
If you say to your wife, do you want to go see the action movie? She’ll say, babe, I hate action movies, no way. Okay. You know that, but you want to see the action movie. So I said, babe, there’s a romantic comedy. I know you love romantic comedies. It’s tonight at 7.30. I’m taking you to the romantic comedy. She says, great. We’re going to go to the romantic comedy, right? It starts at 7.30. She spends two hours getting ready for that romantic comedy. Got to get the dress, the makeup, the whole thing. You get there at 7.30. It’s opening night. Of course it’s going to be full, right?
And then she’s gonna say, we can’t get in, you’re go, ⁓ well, babe. Well, the only other movie we’ve got here is this action movie. look, we can just go home.
Now she’s just spent two hours getting ready to go out. Do you think she’s going to default to what the hell is she seeing the action movie or she’s going to say let’s go home?
Micah Johnson (29:22)
I’m leaning to the action movie.Rick Otton (29:24)
Every time, every single time. Guys, if you ever want to see an action movie, take your woman to a romantic comedy. You’ll always be full and you’ll get to see the action movie. if you ask, so, but the reason that was the investment of life and she needs to return on it. Now let’s bring this to real estate. This is exactly how I do things. I call you up, Mr. Smith, tell me about your house. blah, blah, blah, blah. Let me ask you something.If I can give you what you’re looking for today, how’d that make you feel? ⁓ my God, okay, libertarian, I’m in the coffee shop and here’s where it is, right this address. Don’t you want to see the house? Let me ask you something, sir. You’re planning on moving it? No? So it’ll still be there later, right? Yeah. Sir, the reason I won’t see the house yet, if I bring my house down before we’ve agreed to buy it, the last thing I want is my wife falling in love with a house she’ll never get to own. You know how women are. Yeah, you’re right. I’m a wife.
Life will be terrible, absolutely. They’ll always come to the coffee shop, right? Because we’re going to negotiate the deal now.
Now the guy’s gonna take the trip to the coffee shop. He’s exerting life energy to get there. He needs a return on the life energy. So the guy spent half an hour looking for a coffee shop. He’s got a parking ticket, he’s been in a traffic jam, the water splashed his shoes, his boots, he went to the wrong coffee shop. He walks in, he’s 10 minutes late, but he’s super frustrated. And I usually keep every meeting only 20 minutes in the coffee shop, right? And I line them up, 20 minutes, 20 minutes, 20 minutes. Why? Because it’s really cool when you’ve got too many people
in a coffee shop trying to transact with you and the guy walks in and he goes, holy shit, this guy must be popular. Everybody wants to sell him a house. All of a sudden, I’ve just taken the position, I’m putting myself in the most important position without saying anything. He can just see from the other people who line up to see me, you understand? If you go to the same coffee shop, they’ll always give people free coffee and cake. You just work out a range with the coffee shop. Okay, we’re sitting talking, let me ask you something, sir.
I have a series of questions, but one of them might be, if I did the house today, based on the fact that, tell me about how many bedrooms, baths I ask you about that, or I’ll come down and verify that. Let me ask you something if I did it today. Can I make payments on the house?
and watch the person and his brain’s going, I would have said no, but now I’ve just gone to hell and back to get to this guy’s coffee shop. I’ve got to make something work. And you’ll find you’ll put a lot more transactions together in a coffee shop than you ever will, going and seeing some guy sitting on the sofa in his house where he’s invested absolutely no life energy, won’t work.
Micah Johnson (31:58)
That’s fascinating. It makes complete sense. It makes complete sense, yeah.Rick Otton (32:02)
Yeah, yeah,it’s like you go anywhere, right? If I said to you, I want you to come and look at this house in California, right? I was doing a deal once and she had like 35 students in the room. A lady calls me, I’m in Sun City, she’s in another city. I said, let me ask you, on 2.4, if I gave you 2.4 today, she got on a plane, came down, came into the room, I said, let me ask you something, 2.4, I’m a bit short, I haven’t got it all today. Would you be happy with the idea of taking payments?
She’s thinking, do I get back on the plane? Or am I open to making payments? So it’s really, really powerful science.
Micah Johnson (32:42)
It is, it is. it’s, I’m reflecting on my own real estate career now, especially the ones when I’ve gone inside people’s houses, just to see when I, how much of what I was doing and not knowing I was even doing it. Cause it was, I didn’t use the clipboard, but I use the yellow legal pad very intentionally for that. Just to, it was, it was fascinating how people interacted with it.Rick Otton (32:58)
Fine. Use something, yeah. Any reason I use the,yeah, I pay $1.25 extra for the legal clipboard only because the position it gives us a conscious brain when they see, remember, the electrician comes in, the carpenter, all the trades guys that fixes things for people, right? And people go, well, everybody with a clipboard is highly skilled. Right? So it’s all…
Micah Johnson (33:20)
HmmRick Otton (33:26)
It’s just all these subliminal messages you’re giving people, right? Okay. okay, so therefore, the, and by the way, just right off the thing. Have you ever had your wife ask you to do something about the, around the house? Okay. And later on, has she ever asked you, have you done it yet?Micah Johnson (33:30)
It is.Rick Otton (33:47)
Okay, so here’s the deal. If you say you haven’t done it yet, you’re gonna have to fight an argument because you’re a lazy bugger who never does anything. All she asks you to do is one simple job and you haven’t done it. Here’s what every guy should listen. Every time your wife says, have you done that job I asked you to do? Yes, babe, I haven’t done it yet. Add yet to the end of any sentence and it says the job is still in play. It’s not that you haven’t done it, you’re doing it. You’re in the process of. And suddenly she’s cool with that. Did you feed the dog? You haven’t fed the dog yet.Have you done the wash yet? Not yet. So it actually says you’re doing it, you just haven’t done it yet. Yet if you say you haven’t done it, you’re dead. You understand?
Micah Johnson (34:24)
Yeah, definitely leave that part of simple dangling. That’s funny.Rick Otton (34:27)
Just alittle smile, it’s just a little funny, but it keeps you married for 35 years. Okay.
Micah Johnson (34:32)
Itdoes. And it just shows you how important like one, I love the fact that humans study this kind of thing. We learn how to interact with each other in a way where you’re actually helping them get out of their own way. Cause they do need to sell the house. They do need to move on with what they’re trying to do. It’s not a random moment that you’re in. So by taking the time to be the professional and learn, here’s how I can make sure this interaction goes as well as possible for them and me.
Rick Otton (34:47)
Yeah.Micah Johnson (35:01)
I love that, I think it’s fascinating.Rick Otton (35:03)
WhatI’m doing is I’m just making it easy for people to say yes. Remember, if we know that housing is one of the biggest obligations we’ve had buying and selling, right. So I’ll never buy your house, but what I’ll get you to do is why don’t you just transfer it over to me. It’s the same thing, but I changed the word. Right. Before I say something like that, now you’re going through selling. For you, that’s a big decision. Transferring? yeah, just transfer it to him. Right.
Micah Johnson (35:08)
Yeah.Yeah. Yeah.
Rick Otton (35:32)
because my problem.So I’m always transferring everything. I’m never buying and selling anything.
Micah Johnson (35:38)
It is powerful. It just shows you the true, true power of language. Okay. All right. Before we wrap up, we’ve gone on. I love this conversation that we’ve had and I want people to be able to take it a step further. So if someone wanted to reach out, connect with you, learn more about what you’re doing, what’s the best way for them to reach you?Rick Otton (35:55)
I think the best way for them to do it, I’m gonna give you a link and I’m giving you 42 years of stuff, but it’s all formula, process and steps and a blueprint. I’m gonna give that to you guys, right? If people click the little link, I’ll send you the link and they can download the 12 components. Do this bit, blah, blah, blah. Do this bit, blah, blah, blah. Do this bit, blah, blah, blah. Do this bit, blah, blah, Okay? Or you know, you can go to subliminalscienceforrealestate.com and it’s got courses with a much deeper level. Do you understand?⁓ And look, my name Rick Otton is all over the internet. Holy heck, if you can’t find me by typing in Rick Otton, you’ll find me there, right? ⁓ But when you add subliminal science to real estate, the results will just skyrocket. It’s just people will want to do deals and you just don’t know why. They just want to do stuff.
Micah Johnson (36:35)
On the wrong internet.I know everybody here in 2026 is we’re kicking it off. That’s the goal to do some deals. So Rick, I appreciate your time and your story, your perspective. And I think we need more people in the space that are doing it as professionally as you’re doing it, taking that mindset towards it. And so for those of you tuning in, if you got value from today’s episode, please like this episode, subscribe to the podcast. We’ve got more conversations coming up with operators like Rick who are out there building real businesses and getting deals done.
Thanks for joining us today. We’ll see you on the next episode.
