Get the most out of the vendors at the real estate investment club meeting.

So you have found the real estate investment association to attend, you know where to go and you know what to take with you. Now let look at getting the most out of the vendors.




If the real estate investment association you attend has a time and place for vendors to set up booths, you will find there are typically only 5 to 10 booths and they will tend to be the same 5 or 10 booths at every meeting. So you need to know how to work with these vendors to your advantage.



At your first meeting when you don’t know anyone, you are going to be a little shy and not know what to do, I have seen the new attendees and know this to be true. So turn to the vendors to get the lay of the land. Ask them how the meetings progress, ask them who you should meet, ask them who the movers and shakers at the meeting are. The vendors do business with the people at the association and they will be know who are the active investors you want to meet and talk to.



So how do you approach the vendors. Well since they probably paid for a table at the meeting, they are ready, willing, and hopefully able to answer all your questions about their business. So I would be ready with your note pad and pen and ask them a few questions:

1. What is your company and what does it do?

2. As a (new) investor, why do I need your company or when would I use your company?

3. If their services are totally new to you, ask them to briefly explain what it is they do and why and ask for a web site so you can go get further information.

4. Be sure to get a business card from them for follow up.

5. Leave your business card, they may have a newsletter they send out with more relevant information or they may be offering a giveaway for the evening.

6. Lastly, is your “I’m new here, if there were only 3 people here I could talk to tonight, who would you suggest?”



This article is a part of a series of articles to help new people and experienced people figure out how to utilize their REIA group and build their investing team. Please watch for our previous or upcoming articles:

1. Where to find a real estate investment club.

2. What to look for in a real estate investment club.

3. What to take with you to a real estate investment club meeting.

4. Get the most out of the vendors at the real estate investment club meeting.

5. Networking at the real estate investment club meeting.

6. Learning at the real estate investment club meeting.

7. Follow up after the real estate investment club meeting.

8. Beyond the real estate investment club meeting.

About the author: Kim Tucker is an active real estate investor in the Kansas City Metro area as well as the director of Mid-America Association of Real Estate Investors or MAREI. MAREI works exclusively with real estate investors who want to learn and success at real estate investing. Get more information at www.KansasCityREIA.com or www.MAREInet.com.