Most investors miss these deals—here’s how Rich turns “trash leads” into big profits. Most wholesalers toss leads that don’t fit the typical model. But Rich Wonders figured out how to close over 20 deals a month from the same “dead leads” most people ignore. In this episode, I dive deep into Rich’s unique novation strategy, how he qualifies sellers, why small towns are goldmines, and what he does differently to make sellers love the process. If you’re tired of chasing cold leads or spending more than you make on PPC, this convo will change the game. I’m all about helping you build a business of freedom and impact—and Rich is living proof it’s possible when you simplify, systematize, and focus on what actually works. --------------------- Quotes from the Episode: "Simple scales, fancy fails. I’ve built everything around that." "We close 20 to 30 deals a month with leads most people throw away." "You don’t have to remodel—just deliver the result on a silver platter." --------------------- References and Mentions: novationjv.com Novation King on Instagram & YouTube Brent Daniels / TTP PropStream Think and Grow Rich Outwitting the Devil The Screwtape Letters --------------------- Chapters: 00:00 – Intro: Turning Trash Leads into Deals 01:10 – Meet Rich Wonders + Why This Episode Matters 03:30 – The Power of Follow-Up: Over Half of Rich’s Deals 06:00 – How Rich Closes 20–30 Deals a Month 08:45 – Rich’s First Real Estate Flop + Lessons Learned 14:10 – From Selling Vacuums to Building a Real Estate Machine 18:20 – The Turning Point: Getting Back on Track 22:05 – Where Rich Gets His Leads (Hint: Other Wholesalers) 26:00 – What Makes a “Trash Lead” Profitable 28:45 – Small Towns = Big Opportunity 32:15 – Rich’s 3-Phase Sales Strategy Explained 36:00 – What Sets His Novation Model Apart 40:20 – Lead Qualification: Who’s a Fit for Novations? 43:40 – Comping & Making Offers (No Rehab Needed) 49:20 – Why His Model Is Built to Scale 54:00 – Red Flags: When Novations Might Not Work 57:20 – Silver Platter Strategy: Positioning with Sellers 1:01:15 – Seller Psychology & Frame Control Tips 1:05:40 – Real Sales Feedback: What His Team Gets Wrong 1:09:00 – Positioning vs. Chasing: Making Sellers Want You 1:13:30 – Fire Round: Book Recs, Advice, and What Drives Rich 1:20:15 – Final Thoughts + How to Partner with Rich --------------------- ➨Our Evergreen Marketing Podcast: https://plnk.to/Carrot ➨Our CEO, Trevor Mauch's Entrepreneur Freedom Formula Podcast: https://link.chtbl.com/EFF ➨ Facebook Group for Evergreen Marketing: https://www.facebook.com/groups/officialcarrotcommunity ➨Subscribe to our YT channel: https://www.youtube.com/@GetCarrot ➨Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/getcarrot/ ➨Take a demo of Carrot.com: https://carrot.ly/GQ8I --------------------- About Us: At Carrot, our vision is to inspire & empower real estate professionals to gain true freedom and make a greater impact with their businesses. We do that by providing industry-leading websites, marketing tools & training that help you generate more motivated seller leads than any other platform.

➨Our CEO, Trevor Mauch's Entrepreneur Freedom Formula Podcast: https://link.chtbl.com/EFF 

➨ Facebook Group for Evergreen Marketing: https://www.facebook.com/groups/officialcarrotcommunity ➨Subscribe to our YT channel: https://www.youtube.com/@GetCarrot 

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Most investors are spending time & money on inbound leads without realizing how much money they’re leaving on the table by not making the most of each one. James Hartquist, investor and one of the brains behind Property Leads, has seen what works — and what doesn’t — across thousands of real estate investors' businesses nationwide. In this conversation with Carrot’s Brady Winder, James breaks down exactly how to maximize ROI from every lead source, how long to stick with a marketing channel before calling it quits, and the follow-up systems top investors use to turn 92% of unresponsive leads into real conversations. You’ll also learn how to stay out of “spam-likely” purgatory, the right budget to actually get a deal, and why integrity and speed-to-lead are the ultimate sales advantages. Listen in!

Mentioned in This Episode:

Find Property Leads in the Carrot Marketplace: https://marketplace.carrot.com/services/property-leads-pay-per-lead/

Free Caller Registry: https://freecallerregistry.com

Get the free follow-up sequence: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1VYTWkSxNIuDjCD4pi1sRDMvCK6xtBLl8pwvbn8fWgb8/edit?usp=sharing

Key Quotes:

“If you’re going to wholesale it, just tell them. Make offers with integrity and fully intend to do what you say.”

“The investors that win call within 30 seconds. Be the person that’s hard to beat to the deal.”

“Every lead source works — if you work it long enough to fix the bottlenecks.”

“You can’t save your way to your first deal. You’ve got to fund your marketing and go all in.”

“People think honesty kills deals, but it actually builds more trust and gets you more contracts.”

➨Our CEO, Trevor Mauch's Entrepreneur Freedom Formula Podcast: https://link.chtbl.com/EFF 

➨ Facebook Group for Evergreen Marketing: https://www.facebook.com/groups/officialcarrotcommunity ➨Subscribe to our YT channel: https://www.youtube.com/@GetCarrot 

➨Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/getcarrot/ 

➨Take a demo of Carrot.com: https://carrot.ly/GQ8I

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You’ve heard the myth that there are no deals left on the MLS — or that you need a giant budget to compete. But what if the real opportunity is playing both sides of the deal? Today, we hear how Ryan Zolan turned on‑market listings into dual‑paying transactions, leveraging his real estate license to represent himself and collect both agent commission and a wholesale margin. You’ll walk away with the exact filters, pitch scripts, and mindset shifts he used to scale 3–5 deals per month (and sometimes more). If you're ready to stop chasing deals and start structuring win‑win offers the others can’t see, this is a must‑listen.

Mentioned in this episode:

Agent/Investors: https://www.agentinvestors.com/

Ryan's Skool Community: https://www.skool.com/agentinvestors

Traction by Gino Wickman

Think and Grow Rich by Napoleaan Hill

Outwitting the Devil by Napoleaan Hill

One to Many by Jason Fried

Extreme Ownership by Jocko Willink & Leif Babin 

➨Our CEO, Trevor Mauch's Entrepreneur Freedom Formula Podcast: https://link.chtbl.com/EFF 

➨ Facebook Group for Evergreen Marketing: https://www.facebook.com/groups/officialcarrotcommunity ➨Subscribe to our YT channel: https://www.youtube.com/@GetCarrot 

➨Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/getcarrot/ 

➨Take a demo of Carrot.com: https://carrot.ly/GQ8I

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Most people want to go FT in RE in 6 months, but real, sustainable wholesaling success takes time, consistent effort, and mastering a few skills. After spending years cold‑calling, testing outbound channels, and messing with ads, Lisa built a wholesaling business in Houston, averaging 80 high‑quality inbound leads per month, mostly from SEO, while keeping marketing spend low. She shares how she did it, from making her website credible, getting serious about content, leveraging backlinks, and setting expectations right so she wouldn’t burn out. We also talk about her wild story of leaving real estate and giving it a second shot! Enjoy!

Mentioned in this episode:

Lisa's Carrot site: https://www.txcashhomebuyers.com/

Rhino Rank — link‑building company Lisa used for backlink insertions and guest posts. https://app.rhinorank.io/capture?affiliate_id=rraf13039

AHrefs — SEO tool Lisa used for keyword research & finding related terms. https://ahrefs.com - or use Carrot's built-in keyword explorer!

Google My Business — used as part of local SEO strategy. https://www.google.com/business/

Books: Traction by Gino Wickman — a book that changed Lisa’s mindset around business systems.

Key Quotes

“Most people they put like a short time frame on themselves … but it takes time … give yourself five, seven, you know, even ten years.”

“My team is pretty small … all our leads are inbound through SEO.”

“It was scary … I did want to quit a lot of times throughout this whole process, but now it’s like … I already know so many things that I didn’t before.”

➨Our CEO, Trevor Mauch's Entrepreneur Freedom Formula Podcast: https://link.chtbl.com/EFF 

➨ Facebook Group for Evergreen Marketing: https://www.facebook.com/groups/officialcarrotcommunity ➨Subscribe to our YT channel: https://www.youtube.com/@GetCarrot 

➨Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/getcarrot/ 

➨Take a demo of Carrot.com: https://carrot.ly/GQ8I

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Carrot Summit 2025 REPLAY: If you missed Carrot Summit, here’s your chance to catch what might’ve been the best session—for free! Steve Trang, one of the top sales coaches in real estate investing, joined us live to break down two real seller calls from rookie investors. No scripts. No theory. Just real conversations and highly practical coaching moments.If you’re struggling to convert leads, stumbling through objections, or just not closing as many deals as you should be… listen in & take notes.

You’ll learn:

The subtle things that kill trust early in the call

Why most investors ask the wrong questions—and what to say instead

What to say when a seller pushes back, without being salesy

👉  Watch the full YouTube video with subtitles here: https://youtu.be/q2Itdq7oDAE

➨Our CEO, Trevor Mauch's Entrepreneur Freedom Formula Podcast: https://link.chtbl.com/EFF 

➨ Facebook Group for Evergreen Marketing: https://www.facebook.com/groups/officialcarrotcommunity ➨Subscribe to our YT channel: https://www.youtube.com/@GetCarrot 

➨Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/getcarrot/ 

➨Take a demo of Carrot.com: https://carrot.ly/GQ8I

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After building a rental portfolio of 300 houses and selling 500 turnkey rentals, Xander made a bold move: he downsized his business—on purpose. Most investors are focused on scaling, but Xander saw the writing on the wall—tightening margins, rising rates, and burnout—and chose to pivot. We talked about what signals told him it was time to shift, how he sold off his property management company, and why he’s now focused on lean operations and hard money lending. If you want to know how to stay ahead of a shifting market or you’ve ever wondered whether all the growth is worth it, this is a r conversation you’ll want to hear.

Mentioned in this episode:

Think and Grow Rich – https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/…/think-and-grow-rich/

Investor Fuel Mastermind – https://investorfuel.com

Wize Hire  – https://www.wizehire.com)

Xander's Carrot Site  – https://crofmaryland.com/

Key Quotes:

“You’ve got to look at revenue per employee… Bare minimum should be $300,000 per employee.”

“Instead of buying rentals ourselves, we began buying houses, renovating them, and selling them as turnkey rental properties.”

“Every business owner on this call… knows everyone wants to make more money. Inflation is real… all these forces hitting at once... There’s nothing wrong with scaling back.”

“Hard money lending allows us to spend less than 10 hours per deal—and still make solid returns.”

About Xander: Alexander Cruz is a Baltimore native, a real estate expert, and the owner of CR of Maryland. Since 2012, he has led the purchase, renovation, and resale of over 1,600 homes across the Baltimore metro area and surrounding counties. With deep local knowledge and a commitment to improving communities, Alexander has built CR of Maryland into one of the most trusted home-buying companies in Maryland. Under his leadership, CR of Maryland helps homeowners sell their homes quickly and easily, offering fair cash offers with no fees, no repairs, and no hassle. Alexander takes pride in offering real solutions to sellers, whether they are facing foreclosure, going through probate, dealing with a vacant property, or simply ready to move on. He lives in Maryland with his wife, Lauren, and their two children. Outside of real estate, he’s a dedicated family man who enjoys time on the water, cheering on Baltimore sports, and supporting local service projects.

➨Our CEO, Trevor Mauch's Entrepreneur Freedom Formula Podcast: https://link.chtbl.com/EFF 

➨ Facebook Group for Evergreen Marketing: https://www.facebook.com/groups/officialcarrotcommunity ➨Subscribe to our YT channel: https://www.youtube.com/@GetCarrot 

➨Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/getcarrot/ 

➨Take a demo of Carrot.com: https://carrot.ly/GQ8I

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Most wholesalers focus on finding deals — but overlook what it really takes to sell them. Will and Veronica Pritchett retired at 43 on rental income, and now buy most of their properties from wholesalers. They’re giving you a rare look inside a buyer’s mind—what makes them jump on a deal instantly, what makes them walk away, and why trust, timing, and relationships often matter more than flashy marketing. If you want to close more deals, keep your best buyers, and build a reputation that lasts, this is a perspective you can’t afford to miss.

Key Quotes:

“Mass email blasts are just noise. Call me with the deal you know I’ll love.”

“We don’t care if you make $5,000 or $50,000—if the deal works, we all win.”

“The best wholesalers know our buy box, and they don’t waste our time.”

“Your reputation travels fast in this business. Think about the long game.”

“Trust and relationships will get you repeat buyers every single time.”
 

Mentioned in this episode:

Carrot CRM — https://carrot.com/crm

Carrot Summit — https://carrot.com/summit

The 4 Disciplines of Execution by Chris McChesney — https://www.franklincovey.com/the-4-disciplines

Lifeonaire by Steve Cook & Shaun McCloskey — https://lifeonaire.com

George Antone’s The Wealthy Code — https://georgeantone.com

➨Our CEO, Trevor Mauch's Entrepreneur Freedom Formula Podcast: https://link.chtbl.com/EFF 

➨ Facebook Group for Evergreen Marketing: https://www.facebook.com/groups/officialcarrotcommunity ➨Subscribe to our YT channel: https://www.youtube.com/@GetCarrot 

➨Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/getcarrot/ 

➨Take a demo of Carrot.com: https://carrot.ly/GQ8I

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Spoiler alert — SEO isn't dead, but lazy content is. With AI search like ChatGPT & Google's AI Mode reshaping how motivated sellers get connected to buyers, basic content and keyword stuffing just won’t cut it. Mallory, Customer Education Manager for Carrot.com is here to answer all your questions about what you should be posting, how your content needs to evolve, and most importantly, how to build a killer brand that generates high-quality, inbound leads. Listen in!

Mentioned in this episode:

Carrot's updated AI rewrite tool: https://carrot.com/features/ai-rewrite-tool/

Sally Hogshead, Fascinate: How to Make Your Brand Impossible to Resist: https://www.amazon.com/Fascinate-Revised-Updated-Impossible-Resist/dp/0062206486

Key Quotes:

“People are tired of AI slop … it raises the bar for trust. You need real stories and video.”

“You don’t need model‑specific hacks—these principles serve Google AI Mode, ChatGPT, Gemini and beyond.”

“Define your anti‑customer. Make it obvious who you’re not for so the right people gravitate to you.”

“AI overviews and search tools are parsing brand mentions, backlink context, and your reputation—not just keywords.”

“People don’t buy what you do, they buy why you do it.”

Chapters:

1:38 Easy ChatGPT tip

2:34 SEO for motivated seller leads

4:10 Stop optimizing for "search"

10:00 Beating AI Slop

16:53 Brand wins in SEO

19:28 On-Page - Formatting for AI

23:41 Are blogs worth it?

27:22 The Secret Sauce

32:45 Backlinks in 2025

37:10 Site Crawlability

40:16 ChatGPT vs Google

45:25 Why Brand is King

➨Our CEO, Trevor Mauch's Entrepreneur Freedom Formula Podcast: https://link.chtbl.com/EFF 

➨ Facebook Group for Evergreen Marketing: https://www.facebook.com/groups/officialcarrotcommunity ➨Subscribe to our YT channel: https://www.youtube.com/@GetCarrot 

➨Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/getcarrot/ 

➨Take a demo of Carrot.com: https://carrot.ly/GQ8I

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.