The 5 Non-Negotiables for Surviving Down Markets | Leon Barnes

In this episode, discover why elite real estate investors pay MORE per deal and still dominate their markets while others struggle to break even 💰

Leon Barnes, 11-year veteran of Collective Genius and advisor to 500+ top real estate investors, reveals the critical differences between businesses that thrive and those that barely survive. If you're spending too much time chasing cheap leads instead of building a scalable operation, this conversation will transform how you think about your business.

You'll learn the exact marketing channels top investors prioritize (PPC, TV, direct mail), why your cost per deal is the wrong metric to obsess over, and how to build processes so strong that you don't need unicorn employees to succeed 🎯

Stop blaming the market and start building a business that wins regardless of conditions 🚀

📖 What You'll Learn

• Why successful investors pay $9K per deal while others fail at $7K
• The 3 marketing channels that dominate for top performers (PPC, TV, direct mail)
• How to hire high-level talent without competing on salary alone
• The Dream Manager approach to employee retention and development
• Why process beats talent every single time at scale
• How to engineer follow-up systems that convert cold leads months later
• The relationship manager strategy top investors use for free deals
• What separates 40-deal investors from 400-deal operators
• Why brand building matters more than cost per lead
• The "CG slap" moment that forces business growth

🕐 Time Stamps

00:00 Introduction and Leon's Background with Collective Genius 
03:13 How CG Has Evolved and Scaled Over 11 Years 
04:30 Why High-Level Talent Chooses to Work for Companies 
09:02 Balancing Business Ownership with W2 Leadership Roles 
12:28 The Dream Manager Philosophy for Employee Development 
15:03 Finding Employees Who Don't Have Defined Goals Yet 
18:05 What's Actually Happening in Real Estate Markets Right Now 
22:28 Why the Best Operators Thrive Regardless of Market Conditions 
24:47 Cost Per Deal Reality: Why Top Investors Pay More 
29:27 Building for Longevity vs Building for Arbitrage 
32:32 Process and Follow-Up Systems That Separate Winners 
39:39 How CG Maintains Culture Through Selective Membership 
43:46 Engineering the Perfect Real Estate Investor Profile 
46:07 Competitive Mindset and Refusing to Blame the Market 
48:32 The Big 3 Marketing Channels for Maximum Deal Flow 
50:56 Relationship Managers as an Underutilized Lead Source 
57:29 How to Connect with Collective Genius

#RealEstateInvesting #WholesaleRealEstate #RealEstateMarketing #InvestorMindset #RealEstateEntrepreneur #REIBusiness #DirectMail #PPCMarketing #RealEstateLeads 

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