Elite real estate investors pay $9K per deal and dominate their markets while competitors struggle at $7K cost per acquisition, proving that obsessing over cost per lead destroys more businesses than it saves. Leon Barnes, who’s advised 500+ top operators through 11 years with Collective Genius, reveals why the gap between 40-deal investors and 400-deal operators has nothing to do with market conditions and everything to do with process, branding, and talent systems. This conversation exposes the fatal mistake of chasing cheap leads instead of building scalable operations that win regardless of external factors.
Discover the 3 marketing channels top performers prioritize—PPC, TV, and direct mail—and why brand building matters more than cost per lead for long-term dominance. Leon breaks down the Dream Manager approach that retains high-level talent without competing purely on salary, explains why process beats talent every time at scale, and reveals how engineered follow-up systems convert cold leads months after initial contact. Learn the relationship manager strategy for generating free deals, understand what separates operators who thrive in any market from those who blame conditions, and discover how to hire talent by selling vision and development rather than compensation alone.
Learn why elite real estate investors pay $9K per deal and still dominate markets while competitors fail at $7K by prioritizing the 3 proven marketing channels, building processes stronger than talent, and engineering follow-up systems that convert leads months later instead of obsessing over cost per acquisition.
