Offer to Teach Something

Teaching does a lot of things for you.

• Force Learning: When you are obligated to teach people something, you MAKE yourself learn it. If you didn't know it, you're less likely to put off teaching yourself if you know other people are depending upon you to teach it to them. If you know it already, you will further cement your understanding about your topic.
• Gain Perspective: Often, people will ask you questions that you never considered. This will make you understand your topic even better. Plus, it prepares you for objections that you need to overcome when you are trying to sell something later. You will better understand people's insecurities tied to a topic, and teaching will give you that exposure to them, and you will be better prepared to handle those.
• Build Contacts: Everyone in that classroom will get to know YOU better than any of their classmates, at least during the class session. Each person gets a glimpse of your ability to communicate and display your professionalism. Most of all, you don't have to "trick" them into giving you their information. They are coming to you willingly providing their info.
• Increase Status: As a teacher, you become a momentary "expert." This will be many people's first impression of you, and you look the part of a knowledgable leader. Many people will refer other people to you.

The first two (2) reasons improve my marketability. The last two (2) reasons increase my marketing and advertising efforts: free contacts and referrals.

What can I teach? I'm new. Anything I know, you know, already.

Okay. So you might appreciate the benefits of teaching, but what can I possibly teach?

You'd be surprised, but even if it is true that people know it already, many people know something but feel validated when they hear another "expert" telling this to them. It amazes me to see how many people do not have confidence to recognize that they "know" something, even when they really do.

Plus, it's important to realize that we all have different experience and knowledge bases. Someone reading my posts, for instance, might have 25 years of real estate investing experience to my NONE, but chances are pretty good that somewhere in here, I'm presenting an idea he or she has not previously considered. Don't take your knowledge for granted; appreciate and embrace it. Let other people decide that they don't have a use for it.

What do you teach? Consider the following approaches:

• Recent Lessons: Simplest way to put it...Ask yourself, "Do I know more today than I did a year ago?" Most likely, the answer is a resounding, "YES!" What did you learn? At the very least, you can teach THAT to whoever has not had the benefit of your past year.
• Prior Experience: Another angle for potential topics is to consider your experience prior to you becomming an investor. What did you do in your life beforehand? What made you think that you might be able to do this? I bet you did something before you studied real estate that has helped you. Other people might not have that benefit. You can share THAT with them.
• Hot Topics: The beauty of the Internet is that you can research nearly anything. After attending a few meeting sessions or listening to a few conversations, you start hearing a pattern of what interests peoples: concerns, opportunities, and frustrations. Research one of these, and give a talk about it. If enough people mention the topic, enough people will be interested in what you have to say.

I can't get a teaching job anywhere. I don't have a degree, a teaching certificate, or whatever.

While I have taught in four different colleges (doesn't that make ME special), this is only a neat fact to deliver. I have taught in

• Libraries
• Panera or McDonald's
• People's Homes

You can teach anywhere you can meet with someone who wants to learn.

Have too many people to teach at Panera? Most libraries have special study or conference rooms. If you're big-time enough, you can rent space at a hotel, but for us beginners, I suggest that you use the free resources.

I haven't tried these, but while I was writing this post, I realized that I've never (but should have)

• gone to the city government to ask if there is any space I can use to teach people for free.
• approached local charities or Rotary-like clubs
• asked colleges if they have space available (outside of the standard classroom)

If anyone decides to use any of these ideas or likes them, let me know. I'm pretty passionate about sharing knowledge, as you might be able to tell. In fact, you don't have to be a real estate investor to apply these.