How to find motivated sellers

It all starts with motivated sellers

If I am going to teach you how to generate motivated sellers, I better damn well make sure you know what a motivated seller is, because I am more than absolutely confident that you have no clue what a motivated seller actually is (unless you have sat through one of my classes). But I’ll get to that.

I’d dare say that everyone would agree with me when I say that: “Success In This Space Depends On Your Ability To Find Motivated Sellers.” This is in fact so. Everyone’s bottleneck seems to be finding motivated sellers.

Motivated seller leads go in, and money comes out. If only it were that simple. Well, actually, it is (when you do it right)! Motivated sellers are the raw materials needed to make money. This is what every business runs on and depends on. Without leads, the business won’t run.

Everything revolves around leads. No matter your goal, exit strategy, or niche, be it wholesaling, flipping, collecting doors, or whatever means you use to get a deal done like creative financing or sub to, it all starts with Motivated Seller Leads.

We need to generate leads. Let me rephrase that:

Most investors tackle lead generation through a completely random, and chaotic approach. They will simply “try something”, and then stop and try something else when the results are not as hoped. This is a sure way to fail.

So in this guide I’ll walk you through what I call the Motivated Seller Leads Paradox. Four elements (𝜶, 𝜷, 𝜸, 𝜹), each one an indisputable truth, grounded in data. Picture this: my wholesale assignments frequently yield between $50K and $200K (per assignment), and this is the exact methodology behind them. Let’s get this started.

The Motivated Sellers Quiz

Do you know what a motivated seller is? By the way, this is not a rhetorical question. Answer me (please). I want you to say it out loud. Yes, or No. So again, do you know what a motivated seller is, yes or no? -Yes?

Oh, so you think you know what a motivated seller is huh? You think you are all that, and then some. OK fine. Let’s see if you really know what a motivated seller is.

You done? Completed the quiz? Fan-Testicles! Here are the answers. Ready?

The answer to each and every single one of the questions is…. FALSE.

TOLD YOU. You have no clue what a motivated seller is. Calm down! It’s OK. Read!! A motivated seller is not someone who wants to, needs to, or has to sell their house.

See,

Someone who wants to sell their house? Go to the MLS, everyone there wants to sell their house, right? Not motivated!

Someone who needs to sell their house? Go to the MLS there are PLENTY of people who need to sell their house. Not motivated!

Someone that falls on their knees, begging you to please please PUHLEEEZE “buy my house right now fast for cash now, otherwise I will explode into a million pieces and bad things will happen to me”? Bruh, take someone in foreclosure for a second. Don’t they have to sell their house? Yup! Aren’t bad things going to happen if they don’t sell their house? Yup. Are they willing to sell their house? Nope! Not motivated.

You silly little sausage you. Do you realize that these people rather pour concrete down the drain than sell to you? They rather destroy the cabinets and poop on the floors, walls, and ceilings upside down (I saw it happen once, truly, both fascinating and disturbing, “fasciturbing”?!, “disturbinating”?!) than sell to you. None of these audiences are motivated sellers.

Get it?

They need to be willing to accept an offer below market value. Anything other than that is a waste of time. Everyone is so hung up on the reasons why someone may or may not need to sell, they completely overlook whether or not they are motivated to sell in the first place.

Or, the way I like to put it: motivation is a response to a circumstance, not the circumstance itself.

Not because “they” should, does it mean that “they” are

Success as a real estate investor depends on your ability to find motivated sellers! This you know, this we all know. This is the one thing everyone knows from absolute beginners to the most experienced investors. It all starts with motivated sellers.

Fan-Testicles! We have a starting point where everyone is in agreement.

OK, now, what does everyone tell you about how to find motivated sellers? All the gurus, all the experts, all the Youtube influencers, all the podcasts, what do they all tell you how to find motivated sellers?

Well, they all tell you to drive for dollars, door knocking, bandit signs, direct mail marketing, Artificial Intelligence (AI), cold calling, and texting, to the foreclosure list, the absentee owner’s list, the tax liens list, the probate list, the inheritance list, the garage sale list, the job loss list, the divorce list, the green list, blue list, dogs list, cat list, dude, any and every list you can imagine, go after it like a friggin maniac!

[In a sarcastic, mocking, and condescending tone]: “And that is how you find motivated sellers!”.

[contemplating pause… as if trying to calm myself down, angry due to the sheer disbelief of the need to have to say it out loud due to its obvious obviousness, trying to figure out the best way to say what comes next]

If you were truly targeting motivated sellers with your cold calling and whatever else everyone is telling you to do, it wouldn’t take you 1000, 2000, 3000 mailers, calls, or texts, to get one lousy friggin contract signed, for Pete’s Sake!

Breathe Jerryll, breathe… Let’s put this into perspective, shall we?

Message Resonance: the 1000 starving people experiment

Imagine standing in front of 1,000 starving people. These people are hungry. They haven’t eaten in 30 days. And here you are prancing around with a juicy chicken-melt sandwich dripping in bacon fat, you hold that sandwich up high and ask these 1000 starving people: “Who wants this sandwich?”

Mind you, you are pitching a free sandwich to 1000 starving people. How many of these 1000 starving people do you think will raise their hands?

All of them. One thousand people. Every single person will raise their hand. You get a 100% conversion rate.

The question is How?! Why?! How did I manage to get a 100% conversion rate? How can I reproduce it? What is the secret? How did I do it? Why did it work? That is the mission right? You just managed to get a 100% conversion rate offering a stinkin sandwich to 1000 starving people. How do we reproduce this “100% conversion rate” reliably, predictably and on demand. That is the holy grail here. Well, in order to accomplish this we first need to understand why you got a 100% conversion rate in the first place.

Well, the reason why you get a 100% conversion rate is because you approached the right audience, with the right message. This is what I call, Message Resonance.

You will get a 100% conversion rate.

[Another contemplating pause…]

If you have to send 1000, 2000, 3000 mailers, calls, or texts, to people on those lists to get one contract signed, isn’t it quite obvious that you are not approaching the right audience, with the right message? Damnit!

Well, guess what? Your message won’t change, right? Your message is: “I offer cash for houses”. That is your product, your service, and your business model. That won’t change. Then if it isn’t your message that is wrong, then what else could be wrong?

Well, the only other thing that can be wrong is your audience.

Whoa, wait a damn second here. That’s blasphemy. All my favorite influencers have told me since the beginning of time that foreclosures, absentee owners, job loss, inheritance, tax liens, and whatnot are the perfect audiences to go after.

I get it, this is a very difficult pill to swallow, but look at the data. What does the data say? What does your OWN data say?

The numbers don’t lie, the data doesn’t lie. If you need to send 1,000 mailers, calls, or texts to get one lousy contract signed, it means that 999 people on your list of 1,000 said “no” to you. “Leave me alone”, “Get me off your list”, “How the hell did you find me”. “Get back to the country you came from”. Yeah, I have an accent, in case you didn’t know. I heard that one all-the-time!

This is not opinion, this is data, this is fact!

Lists can’t target motivated sellers

Now that this is clear, you can begin to understand why your lists have such poor conversion rates.

You are merely assuming that: “people dealing with, let’s say, a foreclosure, implies motivated to sell their house, and thus are a great prospect to target, and thus implies a high probability for a signed contract”.

So what we are dealing with here is that a lot of people think it is about foreclosures, absentee owners, probates, tax liens, and whatever other list is out there. They think:

Not only is the first column merely an assumption, but it is an obviously wrong assumption to make, knowing that only 1 out of every 1,000 to 3,000 people in your foreclosure list is willing to sell their house below market value.

Yes, there is a big, fat, old, huge “PLUS” in that formula, as in, both conditions need to be met in order for this formula to hold true, not just one. A vacant house, someone in foreclosure, someone dealing with probate, or a tax lien does not in any way imply a “motivated seller” or a “good deal”… or that they even want to sell at all.

They get lost in the reasons why someone may be motivated and zoom in with laser focus on the reasons why and their entire marketing strategy somehow now revolves around the reason why they are selling. Your offer won’t change based on why they are selling right? Your offer depends on the condition of their house and the market value of the house. It is not about the reason why, it is about them being motivated to sell, period, regardless of the reasons why. The only thing that matters is motivation.

Yes they are in foreclosure, dealing with a job loss, relocating, can’t pay rent, yes, they should be motivated by all intents and purposes, but they aren’t and no amount of reasoning or logic or common sense can make them become motivated!

Not because they should be motivated to sell their house at a discount does it mean they are going to. Motivation is obviously an emotional thing, not a logical thing.

How DO you target motivated sellers?!

Now THAT is the question we all want the answer to. Good question and I am so very happy to announce that I actually do have the one and ONLY answer that is in fact correct and 100% accurate. You ready? Are you really? Okay here goes. How does one target motivated sellers?

You-Fuhriggin-Can’t!

Well, that was easy! Done. The End. Fin. Pack your bags, let’s go home, the show is over, was nice meeting you, Bye-bye now, take care then. Now, before you start to do research on how to get a refund, chill and hold on for a second.

No list can target motivated sellers. We have shown this, proven this, and checked this. Nothing can. No list, no software, no app, no gadget, no AI, no nothing can target motivated sellers. But why.

Why nothing can target motivated sellers

Sit-down-son. Allow me to give you saum potent skooling! Things are about to get interesting. The reason why nothing can target motivated sellers is very simple. Entertain me for but one moment if you will:

“Hello, my beloved reader. How are you today? No really, how are you?”

I will assume that you are fine, all is well, peachy and I bet you are not willing to sell me your house right now for 30 cents on the dollar, do you? How about 50 cents? 80 cents? 90 cents? No? Damnit, well I tried. I guess you truly are not motivated to sell your house below market value… … … … today.

Tomorrow, however, knock on wood, something happens and you become motivated. My question to you is this:

No, seriously, answer my question. No one knows. Only you do (maybe your wife or hubby too?).

You do not magically get a tag next to your name in the government registry that says: “Jon Smith NOW is motivated, everyone, send him a mailer, call, and a text”. You do not magically appear in the “Motivated Sellers List” on some fancy data mining software like “HomeRiver” (get it? “Home-River”? Home as in “property”? River, as in “stream”? Eh? Get it? OMG nevermind!).

Nothing can target motivated sellers because no one & nothing knows when someone becomes or is about to become motivated.

So we just established, not by opinion but through facts, logic, and common sense, that lists can’t target motivated sellers. Think about this for a moment. What exactly is the point of a list? A list is a filtering mechanism, right? If you are motivated, get on my list, and if you are not motivated, get off my list. Not only did we just prove that lists can’t filter motivation, but think about it. You do not need to know who is or who isn’t motivated.

The lion at the watering hole

What do I mean? Well, imagine you are a ferocious little lion in the savannahs of Africa. Where would you go to find food? Correct, the watering hole. I don’t care who you are, your ass will be at the watering hole at some point today! All you have to do as the lion is wait and jump them!

So again, similarly, you do not need to know who is or who isn’t motivated. All you need to know is where they will be WHEN they become motivated. Where do you think that is?!

Now, let me ask you this, then: When was the last time you went to the library to find information on a problem you were dealing with? Yeah, me neither. Everyone goes to Google. Everyone, including motivated sellers.

So how do you target motivated sellers? You don’t. You can’t. Instead, we have them target US! How? We rank our website #1 on all search engines so that we don’t even have to try doing the impossible, like trying to target motivated sellers. We have them target us!

While so many mentors label their products along the lines of: “I help real estate investors find motivated sellers”, I on the other hand, more accurately, “help motivated sellers, find real estate investors”.

These are not the droids you’re looking for!

Those people who want to, need to, or have to sell? Those people are a waste of my time, and I am a waste of theirs. These are not the droids we are looking for! These people are the wrong audience. Now, to make you understand my next brilliant concept, I need you to go and find me a Gahfillheimer. So…

And for my next trick…

I would like you to run to your kitchen and grab me your ghafillheimer for a second. I know it is a weird request, but humor me for a moment, go grab your ghafillheimer, and put it in front of you on your desk.

You can’t?

Why?

Because you have no idea what a friggin “gafillheimer” is?

In other words, even if a “ghafillheimer” was on your desk right in front of you staring you in your face you wouldn’t know it?

Wait wait wait. You are telling me, that you can’t find me a ghafillheimer because you have no clue what one looks like? Is that what you dare tell me? Okay then.

Just like you can’t fetch me your ghafillheimer, because you have no clue what one looks like, how can you possibly target motivated sellers, when you have no idea who they are, what they are, what they look like, what they act like, sound like, where they hang out, what their state of mind is, what their pain point is, or what their concerns are?!

But do you know who you will find though?

You will find people who may want to, need to, or have to sell their house. Those you will find. Absolutely, but will they sell you their house below market value? NNNNope!

See, the reason why my deals have such huge spreads, and yours don’t is rather simple. While you are targeting people who want to, need to, or have to sell their house (with your mailers, cold calls, and SMS), I am targeting people who are willing to sell their house below market value.

Do you realize the glaring difference now? These are entirely different audiences!

Why you are missing out on larger profits

Within the general population there only is a small number of people that are actually motivated, and from that small number of motivated sellers, an even smaller number of people are dealing with, let’s say, a Foreclosure.

Essentially, by targeting only a tiny subset of the collection of motivated sellers (motivated sellers, that are in foreclosure), you are making it unnecessarily challenging to snag a deal. Why? Well, because out of all the people going through foreclosure, only a minuscule percentage are actually interested in selling at a discount, as we have established earlier.

So the question is simply this: why on earth would you deliberately go out of your way to target a small portion, of a small portion, with the intention of getting a deal?

The lesson here is that lists can’t target motivated sellers. If they did, it wouldn’t take you 1000 mailers, calls, or texts, and them (the people on these lists), a lot of yelling, swearing, and anger, to get one lousy contract signed. Now let’s consider this fact set, closed, never to be debated, revisited, or doubted again. Lists can’t target motivated sellers. Case closed!

The 4 stages of lead generation

Now that you know what a motivated seller is, we can talk about how to generate them. Whether you do DMM, cold calling, texting, Facebook ads, TikTok, YouTube, LinkedIn, PPC, no matter what strategy you decide to use to generate leads, there will always be the 4 stages to lead generation:

1. You Need To Get In-Front Of Them.
   Before you can generate leads, you must get in front of your audience, whether they are looking for you or you are chasing them. If they do not know you exist, it will be difficult for them to engage with you.
2. They Need To Notice You.
   Being noticed is equivalent to being given an opportunity to present your case. They are giving you a chance to hear you out. If you can’t convey your message quickly, efficiently, and effectively you lose your opportunity and the lead.
3. They Need To Be Interested In Your Message.
   The more your message resonates with the pain point your audience is experiencing the higher the probability your audience will stop what they are doing and divert their full attention to what you have to say or offer.
4. They Need To Pick You.
   If your ideal audience believes you are fully capable of solving their problem, finds you enjoyable and easy to work with, and can clearly see that you have successfully done this many times before, can you think of any reason they wouldn’t choose you? I’m confident you won’t find one!

For stage 1, there are three main ways to get in front of them:

• Organic Strategies: They look for you and find you.
• Paid Ads: You position yourself forcibly in front of them.
• Referrals: Others refer you, to them.

And since the only way to reliably get in front of motivated sellers is for you to make it extremely easy for them to find you, the best way to get in front of your ideal audience (motivated sellers) is obviously for them to look for, and find you. Google, YouTube, Internet, Search Engine Optimization, SEO!

That is all fantabulous and all but you are talking about ranking #1 on Google. How the heck do you expect us to do that. Many have tried and only a few succeed.

Fear not my little padawan, I have actually reverse engineered the Google algorithm (NASA scientist remember?) and I will share with you how to reliably get the best chance to rank #1 everywhere. So it is all about rankings, right? Wrong. Well kinda. Let me explain.

If your message is: “I have food”, your audience better be starving

If your message is: “I have food” and your audience’s pain point is: “I am starving”, your message has a 100% message resonance, and you will get a 100% conversion rate. Remember that? Everyone will raise their hand, opt-in, fill in your forms, book an appointment with you. Everyone will be 100% interested. Period. Knowing this is a big deal! Message Resonance Is A Big Deal.

Google’s one and only job: message resonance

I am just going to say it. Google has one job, and only one job. Google’s one and only job is to rank the best website #1. There I said it. No more secrets, no more mystery. That is it. The secret to ranking #1, revealed. Done. Go out into the world and make it big my child.

Want more explanation? Fine. Imagine for a moment that Google has a solid track record of ranking crappy websites #1. Every time you do a search on Google, Google ranks the most horrible websites #1, while Yahoo on the other hand, always ranks the best websites #1. You always get angry, frustrated, and disappointed when you use Google for your internet searches while Yahoo always ranks the perfect site, exactly what you are looking for, #1.

My question to you is this. Which search engine would you rather use? Google that returns crap, or Yahoo that always manages to provide you with value? Yahoo, of course. Duh!

What happens to Google if everyone decides Google sucks monkey butt through a straw (and now, you can never unsee that visual, you’re welcome) and everyone only went to Yahoo? Google would go bankrupt, right? If no one visited Google anymore, there would be no one to click on any ads on Google, and thus Google wouldn’t make any money.

So again, when I say, “Google has but one job and that job is to rank the best website #1”, do you start to see how serious Google is about that one and only job? If they do not rank the best website #1, and Yahoo does, it is bye-bye Google. In other words, Google-Doesn’t-Mess-With-This.

The demonic rash

Now, imagine one day you wake up with a disgusting rash on those places where the sun ain’t supposed to shine… ever. I mean that thing is disgusting, nasty, bubbling, making that bubbling sound much like a delicious thick pea soup with the perfect pinch of salt and black pepper, simmering on the fire “bubblybubblybubblybubbly”. That’s the sound your rash is making. Splattering everywhere.

It’s an oozing, pulsating monstrosity that chants your name, in the most demonic, heinous, eerie disturbing way imaginable in the dark of night.

So, what do you do? Are you going to call that pretty tender girl you have a crush on to come check it out? Not likely. How about going to the library to try to find the book: “Filthy Rashes In Dark Places”, or was it “Filthy Places With Dark Rashes”? Either way, the answer is “NO”, of course.

You go to Google from the comfort and privacy of your evil lair. You run to Google and type in “How do I get rid of my demonic rash on that place where the sun don’t shine”, right?

Notice that you just performed a pain point-fueled intention-based keyword search on Google. Your search was motivated by your pain point!

Now do you remember what Google’s one and only job is? Google ranks the best website #1. Google finds that one website whose message resonates the most with that specific pain-point-fueled intent-based keyword search performed and ranks it #1 so that people with that pain point will easily find that website that most and best addresses that pain point so that people experience a positive user experience using Google.

Do you start to see my point? Let me spell it out for you:

1. It is Google’s job to rank the website whose message resonates the most with Google’s audience’s pain point, #1 and,
2. If your message (on your website, or any marketing piece for that matter) resonates with your audience’s pain point they will fill in your forms, they will become leads, motivated leads.

Simple mathematics people. What do you get when you add 1) and 2) together? Simply this:

Google ranks you #1, because your message resonates with your audience’s pain point, and because your message resonates with your audience’s pain point, you get 100% conversions. So, the result is LEADS! A ton of them, on autopilot, effortless, for free!

Why mailers, calls and texts don’t resonate

By doing DMM, cold calling, and texting, you are forcing your message onto random people who may or may not (but the data-backed fact is that 99.9% of the time it is “not”) be interested in your service/message/product of selling their house below market value.

If your message resonated with these people on your list, they would at least call you back to see what you would offer them. If after they hear your offer they hang up on you, then fine, the offer was not acceptable, but at least your message resonated with your audience, because they called you back. But what truly is happening is that the people you send mailers, calls, and texts to, don’t even call you back. They ignore you, which means that your message does not at all resonate with them. My point:

You are sending motivated seller messages: ”sell me your house for cash”, to non-motivated people. Your message doesn’t resonate. No one is interested. And that is why they don’t even call you back.

Instead, now, doing lead generation the right way, Google is selectively displaying your message (website) in front of these very people who literally requested Google to go and find them your website.

Unveiling Google’s code hiding in plain sight

We established that Google’s job is to take care of message resonance. Or, in other words: Google’s job is to display that website at the top, that has the highest chance of converting that inquiring audience into a lead.

Here is the secret formula to ranking #1 on Google (hiding in plain sight):

That’s great and all, but how the hell does Google know (or determine) which website provides the most value?

If you ask anyone how to rank #1, their mind immediately shifts to backlinking, keyword stuffing, content is king, social media, fast-loading websites, pictures, pretty much ranking manipulation schemes. The more accurate question is: “How does Google determine which website’s message resonates the most with that user’s pain point fueled intention-based keyword search performed on Google?” That question forces you to think in terms of value provided to Google’s users.

Do you really think that when a motivated seller lands on your website, they care about how many backlinks you have? No. How about how many blogs you have, pictures you have, how many words your blog has? No, No, No and No. I am not saying that backlinks do damage. They don’t, provided they offer your audience concrete value, which often is not the case.

You also need to SHOW Google

Notice though, that it is not just about your website needing to provide value to Google’s users (your ideal traffic), no no, it is about 1) your website needing to provide value, sure, PLUS, 2) you need to be able to show Google that it does!

So how does Google determine which website provides the most value?

The answer is simple. The website that generates the most leads, is the website that provided the most value.

No one fills in your forms for fun. If a complete stranger was willing to enter their personal and private information in a form on your website, don’t you think that your website must have provided that user with exactly what they came looking for, otherwise they wouldn’t fill in the form. No one fills in the forms for charity.

BOOM! Give me a friggin mic so I can drop it like it’s hot!

The chicken and the egg

Waaaait wait wait wait wait, one darn second here, Mr. Foreigner NASA scientist. Something doesn’t add up! So, you’re basically saying that:

1. In order to rank #1, my website needs to generate leads.
2. But in order to generate leads, I need traffic to my website.
3. But in order to get traffic to my website I need to rank #1…
4. But, in order to rank #1, my website needs to be getting leads…

What the hell?! This is a chicken and an egg thing. Easy Seabiscuit. You are dealing with a super smart dude here. I got your answer. Breathe!

How the ranking algorithm works

Imagine for a moment that the way Google determines how to rank websites in the search results is based on how many points a website accumulates by doing things right. Let’s say you get 10 points from Google if you get a solid backlink from a relevant authoritative website. And if you get a lead, well that earns you 30 points. And if your traffic spends hours on your website, clicks on buttons, and is very engaged, you get 5 points.

Now, are you truly competing with the #1 website on Google when you rank #99? Nope! You are competing with the website that ranks #98 and the website that ranks #100. You need to stay ahead of #100 and you need to beat #98. Now do you think that the website at #100 and at #98 are getting any traffic or leads? Nope, just like you, they are in the same boat as you. No traffic, no leads. You are always judged fairly against your immediate and actual competition.

There are point-earning strategies that do not require traffic to earn these points. For instance, if your website loads faster than your competition, your pictures are better optimized, you have internal links connecting all your pages of your website together in a logical hierarchy making it far easier for Google to crawl (scan and discover) your pages, you earn points. The only website you need to beat is the website directly ahead of you, not the #1 ranking website.

You keep earning points, one by one beating the website in front of you until you finally reach the #2 spot on Google. Now, you are actually competing with the #1 website on Google.

All these strategies are designed to provide a positive user experience, and that is it! It is about value and nothing else.

The Motivated Seller Leads Paradox, put together

Now step back and take a look at what we have built.

Stage 4: the 3 pillars of a conversion

After they see you (stage 1), they notice you (stage 2), and they are interested in your message (stage 3), your goal is to convince them to choose you (stage 4). To achieve this, I have identified the three pillars of conversion that guarantee conversions (if applied correctly):

Credibility is an effect, not an action

Credibility is not doing a set of actions, like “putting a picture of yourself up on the website”. It is the effect doing a set of actions has on people.

My point: if it was just about the actions, Miss Betty, a 90-year-old little granny, would be a credible house flipper. Because we did the exact same set of tasks, which is putting a picture of ourselves up next to a house flipping truck. I am believable, she is not, despite us doing the exact same task.

By applying these three pillars to everything your ideal audience is exposed to, you will drastically improve lead conversions. No matter what specific area, section, tool, or strategy you use (videos, websites, paid ads, organic ads, blogs, or even face-to-face real-life appointments) this three-step approach is all you ever need to convert prospects into leads.

Everyone seems to be hiding behind a “beautifully designed website”, filled with flashy animations and trendy design elements. However, the true key to conversions lies in showcasing yourself as a credible, competent, kind, and likable person. Yes, a PERSON. After all, would you trust someone who hides behind a mask (or a website)?

How to get motivated seller leads, step by step

1. Get the definition right first.
   Write it where you’ll see it: a motivated seller is anyone willing to accept an offer below market value regardless of the reasons why. Not wants to, not needs to, not has to.
2. Build the website around the 3 pillars.
   Competence, personality and credibility, on every page. Show your face and your story. Explain how your offers work on the “How It Works” page. How: Step 1 of the Fast Track guide.
3. Write for the pain point-fueled search.
   Every page should answer what a motivated seller in your city types into Google. That is message resonance, and it is what Google ranks.
4. Don’t make “call me” the first thing they see.
   Let them read, watch and click. Engagement is how Google can tell your site provides value.
5. Earn the points that don’t need traffic.
   Fast loading, optimized pictures with alt text, and internal links connecting your pages in a logical hierarchy. You only need to beat the website directly ahead of you.
6. Use paid ads to get in front of them while you climb.
   Paid ads position you forcibly in front of people. Send every click to your website, not straight to a phone number, so the three pillars can do their job.
7. Reach the potentially motivated before anyone else does.
   A list can’t tell you who is motivated, but it can tell you who might become motivated. Reach them first, point them to your website, and start with the owners Deal Radar scores highest. More below.
8. Measure leads per visitor.
   The website that generates the most leads ranks #1. Watch your form fills, not just your traffic.

So where do lists fit? Get there before Google does

A list can’t tell you who is motivated. Nothing can. What a list can tell you is who is dealing with a circumstance that could make them motivated: Foreclosure + Motivated = Potential deal. Most of those owners won’t ever be willing to sell below market value. Some will, and the day they are, they go to Google.

So a list isn’t a list of motivated sellers. It’s a list of people who can potentially become motivated. If you work one, the point is to get in front of them before anyone else does, and before they hit Google, so that when they’re ready, they already know who you are. Keep the message the same as everywhere else: “visit my website”.

That’s what Deal Radar is for. It doesn’t call a circumstance motivation. It scores each property on the probability that its owner is willing to sell below market value: the higher the score, the higher the probability. A probability, not a promise. Start with the highest scores. More in the guides to pre-foreclosure, tax-delinquent and probate leads, and on skip tracing.

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