New Land Geek Coach Larry Murrell Wants to Help Newbies in the Land Business

Hey, it's Mark Podolski, the Land Geek. Your favorite niche real estate website, thelandgeek.com and on this week's Art of Passive Income podcast, I am so excited, dare I say delighted, to have back our newest coach, Larry Merle. Larry, welcome back.

Hey, thanks Mark. Excited to be here.

I'm so excited. If you guys haven't heard Larry's Journey, we interviewed him a couple months back. But Larry, for those that didn't hear that podcast, can you kind of just fill us in on your background and how you found Land Geek?

Yeah, well, my background is my, my calling and career is I'm a full time pastor and I'm an executive pastor up here in the Seattle area, east of Seattle at Eastridge Church. And so yeah, I've been in, been in ministry for 40 years now and it's something that I enjoyed doing. So I wasn't really looking for something to, to replace that and get out, but I was looking for ways to get extra streams of passive income for my later years in life. And so I had done, I, I had some various rental properties that I was long term rentals in two or three different markets around the country that I was pretty passive in. They were kind of turnkey situations, but I recognized that was probably a little slower, longer play and I was getting itchy to find something else. And while I was taking a walk listening to a podcast, I heard about Mark Podolski and the Land Geek. So I jumped on and man dove right in. I bought the toolkit first in July of 21 and by the end of August 21st I was in flight school and rocking and rolling. So yeah, that's kind of my background how I found you. And I'm super excited that I did. It's just been life changing. It's been awesome. Yeah. Yeah.

And then you did a year of coaching and who, who was your coach? It was, I was.

Eric.

Right?

Yeah, Eric Peterson. He was awesome. Yeah, yeah, he was just.

And so, and so now your, your passive income. Tell us a little bit about how it's changed your life having that, that passive income each month.

Yeah, you know, I'm not, I'm not really taking a salary out because I have, you know, a salary from my ministry position. So I'm kind of just pouring it all back into the business and expanding and scaling. But does it does just kind of open your eyes to the reality of passive income? You know, you hear about it and, but when you start to experience it, realize, you know, I did that I see this Amount coming in every month. And I did the work a couple of months, a couple of years ago now and, and it just keeps coming in and, and keeps building. And so, you know, just the whole, I guess first hand experience of that coming in starts to open up your mind to all kinds of things you can do. Because I really just see money as a tool to do what God's called us to do on this earth. So, yeah, I get really excited about it. It's, it's kind of fun actually.

I love it. I love it. Okay, the last three months, what's been your favorite deal?

Last three months. Wow, okay. Hadn't thought about in the last three months. Yeah, my favorite deal has been repeat deals with buyers that I, you know, they've just been on my buyer's list and continue to buy. And there was a gentleman who, he's bought like five properties from me now and he'd never gone out and seen any of them. And just a couple of weeks ago went out and man was just sending me pictures left and right. This is a beautiful piece of property. I love it. You know, so just, you know, not, not in the sense of it was one of those just bread and butter deals and you know, nothing, I mean, it's. When we say Nothing exciting. Yeah, what, 25, 30 cents on the dollar is exciting. Right, right, right. But you get kind of used to that and it's the norm. But he, he was super excited. It just, you know, it just meant a lot to me that, that he really loved what he had gotten from our company and, and that I had an opportunity to provide that for him. It was pretty cool.

Yeah, it's amazing. It's amazing. So, you know, when you got done with your coaching program and seeing your, your results and how much you were able to just grow your business and scale your business, I said to you, Larry, like, I think you'd be an amazing land geek coach. And now here we are, you're going through land geek coaching training. And I'm just curious, you know, why do you want to coach?

Yeah, I've been asked that a lot. Don't you have enough in your life?

Yeah, you got a lot going on.

But you know, it, it really is true that I'm spending less and less time in the business and, and starting to just see the, the machine run and it's exciting, but why I want to do it, you know, it's just, it's, it was so helpful for me to, to just have somebody who is further along down the road that you Know, could just encourage me, but also prod me to take the steps that I needed to take. And, you know, I thought, wow, first of all, I was honored you. You even asked. I thought, wow, I'm only a couple of years into this, but, you know, I feel like maybe I can just relate to those who are just getting started out, because it wasn't that long ago I was there and hopefully encourage, inspire them. And I just love helping change people's lives, and this is just another tool to do it.

So, yeah, no, I, I love it. I, I knew that would be your. Your answer. It's, you know, because that's, that's just. It's like, it's just like another calling. But what's interesting for me is that, you know, I've been doing this 23 years, and, you know, some of the other coaches have been eight, nine years, seven years. Like, we're so far ahead. And when we're talking to our, our clients, you know, it's almost becoming like we're unrelatable at that point where you, just a few years ahead, you've, You're. You've been. Where you've been in their shoes just 24 months ago and can have a little bit more, I would say, empathy for their struggles than, Than maybe. I know I can for sure. It's hard to kind of go back and, And, and, and feel those feelings of what it was like to be a total newbie in the land business. And so, and then just you as a person, it's hard to leave the room with you and not just, you know, just be. Not even just inspired, but just there's. There's something. There's like this ineffable Larry quality where you just be, You're. You're just like, elevated. So I think even that alone is going to be a huge benefit to not just our coaching clients, but the entire Lange community. And I couldn't be more grateful personally, so, so thank you.

Well, I'm delighted to be a part of the community. It's, it's an amazing group of people. I learn every day from somebody on the, on the team, somebody in the community, and it's, It's. It's fun to be a part of.

Yeah. Yeah. So if I was going to ask you, let's say that Tate specialty is sales. Terea's specialty, it might be marketing. Eric's specialty might be systems and processes and technology. What would you say your specialty would be? And I, I, by the way, I have my own opinion on this.

You have your own opinion.

Yeah.

Well, my strength is people. And so I would say either sales, probably just the interaction with people, but yeah, because I'm not, I'm not super strong. That's why Eric was really good for me, helping setting up those systems and stuff. It was not something that I was super passionate about, but I'm so thankful for it now. But, but yeah, I think probably the sales and the thing about sales is, you know, I don't. Nobody wants to come across like this. The, you know, the sleazy guy that's trying to sell you something that's no good. I just love hearing about people's stories and how we can solve their problems. Yeah. And, and that's what, that's what changes it for me in sales. It's not like I'm trying to twist their arm to buy something that I just want to get out of my inventory, but I need to hear about them, hear what their struggles are, what they're trying to. What they're trying to solve. And, and you know, most of the time, there's something in my inventory that will help them with that because they obviously reached out and so just gets to that point where it's really kind of fun and cool to, to know you're helping somebody, not just trying to twist their arm and buy something.

No, absolutely. That's what I was going to say was, Was going to be the, the people part of it, the sales part of it. Do you, do you like the managing aspect of it with your virtual assistants?

Yeah, yeah, I do. I do. You know, it. It is a, it is a challenge. It was a little intimidating, actually. For me.

It's.

It surprised me that it was intimidating to post a job and, and have somebody come on board, but as you slowly begin to get to know them, you know, invest in them, try to build a good culture and a community within your business that has good core values. And, you know, not everybody sticks, but that's okay. There's more people out there. And, and so, yeah, I do like that. I do enjoy it. I'm enjoying it more and more as, as the team starts to take shape.

Yeah. Yeah. What's your, your favorite way to communicate with your team?

We do slack mostly. And, you know, I'll. I'll occasionally do some, some like, zoom calls or something like that, but probably slack is just the quickest, easiest way.

Yeah, no, I, I, we use slack as well. It's, it's great. So getting back to the sales part, I know a lot of people struggle with sales, and you know, we talk about this in the training, but we're not in the convincing business. It's, we're not trying to, you know, really convince anyone to buy anything. But what do you, what do you think it is when you talk to other land geeks and people like, what, what is the hang up with sales?

Well, you know, for me initially I was just so starving to get a sale or two, you know, for the proof of concept. And I think back to, man, why did that person buy from me? Because I have to sound desperate. But when you, when you realize that the deal flow is coming in and you, you know, marketing is just a matter of getting it out there as many places as you can and you know, it's a numbers game and eventually somebody will be drawn to it. You don't get as desperate and you realize if this person doesn't buy, it probably wasn't right for them or, or the right time for them. So, you know, the next person will be there and you just got to get to that place where you can trust it. So. But I think a lot of people, yeah, it's, it's that not wanting to come across as, you know, that salesy kind of person. But you know, as I have conversation, as I just mentioned earlier, I just think thinking about it differently, even though we teach them to do it, but to try to put yourself in their shoes and say, okay, I reached out, reached out for some reason here. What is that reason? And if you get them talking enough, you'll be able to hear and you'll be able to know what it is that's driving them and then you can say, wow, you know, this, this really will fit for you. How can we make this work? And you know, one of the things that helps me and I've taught my team is is there anything more that you need to know before you start moving forward with this? You know, just kind of leading them into it because they're, you know, know, some people just keep asking questions just to talk and keep asking questions. So you have to come to that place where you just say anything more you need to know before I move ahead with this, because it sounds like it's a, it's a right fit for you and those kinds of lines, you know, just to help people move forward. I think they're just sometimes a little afraid to make that step, but just try to reassure them. So I don't know if I answered your question, but that was big for me, just making that mind shift.

No, I, I definitely think you answered the question, I think a lot of people struggle with that where they, they say to themselves, oh, I'm not a sales person. I don't want to come off as salesy where you are re, you know, sort of reframing that and say, no, I'm not, I'm not a salesperson. I'm. I'm guiding them. I'm, I'm, I'm there to help them solve a problem. If I can't solve the problem, I won't solve their problem. But if I can, I'm going to do it in an elegant way where they're going to make the decision themselves. I'm going to help them make the best decision for them. I'm not forcing a piece of land down their throat. And it's about me. It's. It's always about them. And I think that's, and I, I really think that's just part about getting your reps in. I think it's awkward at first and yeah, it is. By the fifth or sixth or tenth call, you get more comfortable with it. You know, the types of leading questions you're going to ask. You get a sort of a, a spidey sense if this is even the right property for the person or if this is even a person you want to have a relationship with and, and have a, a note with. Because yeah, if they're saying to you, oh yeah, I need to move out there tomorrow, like, oh, no, not, not great. Right?

Yeah.

So. But it just takes time and I think it just, just like anything, it takes time to build that confidence as well. Yeah.

And I flip it around for me, I mean, obviously I'm a little bit more natural conversing with people. But you know, on the, on the automation side of things, on some of the technical side of things, I felt really awkward and, and I didn't know really how, how. But the more reps of just doing it and trying it and failing, get some help. And I did it enough to know what I needed and then I was looking for, okay, how can I get somebody on my team or somebody else who. They actually get joy out of this? And you know, so I think if somebody's struggling with sales and it doesn't. They don't get any joy out of it. You at least need to do enough reps to get to know it and, and then you can hand it off to somebody who does and it fires them up to go after those sales. So.

Yeah, yeah, absolutely. And then if you're listening to this and you're thinking about going to coaching. If you're a process systems, real techy person and you love the analysis and the analytics and the deal flow side, which a lot of people do, but you, you really are sort of, you know, weaker on the marketing and sales side. Larry, as a coach would be a perfect fit for you. You wouldn't want to work with an Eric Peterson because where he's strong, you're already strong. And so we actually try to match people up like that with our coaching team where it works now, it's always a coaching team because we're going to help you with systems and processes anyways. But to have someone that's, you know, really strong in an area where you're weak, I think is, is really where we can shine and, and you know, help you accelerate way faster. Well, Larry, this is, it's always, it's always great talking to you, but now we're at that point in the podcast where traditionally I'm going to ask you for your tip of the week. A website, a resource, a book, something else actionable for the auto passive income listeners to go improve their businesses, improve their lives. What have you got?

Well, you know, before when I was on, I, I recommended a book and I know that's a, it's a common go to and it's easy to go to. I'm not super into all the apps, so I was thinking about this knowing you were going to ask me and I'm actually going to give just the concept and a reminder to a lot of people and that is take a Sabbath. You know, early on I was just trying to do, you know, every little bit here and there. And I was, every day was, you know, in the business working hard and it's that whole idea of sharpening the saw that if you don't just take time and you know, take time for yourself, to rest, to renew, to refresh, before long you're not going to be as sharp as you used to be. And so, you know, I, I had to kind of listen to my own preaching.

Yeah, yeah.

And take a Sabbath. And you know, at, at first you kind of feel like, oh man, I'm going to get behind, you know, I've got these goals, but I just found that it just helps to clear the mind, get me right, then go into the next week with renewed passion and vigor. So I would say my tip of the week is make sure you take a Sabbath.

I love that tip of the week. And I think it's so important when, and you know, I see it more with our W2 people where they feel like if they're not in it and they're not working, working, working, they're not being productive. And there's this whole other economy when you're an owner because you don't get paid for your time anymore. You get paid for results. And so taking that time and that Sabbath to think and think deeply about ways you can leverage and grow your business is so much more valuable than just quickly getting a task done that could be done by a $5 virtual assistant. And so it's a hard mindset to shift. I think that's so good. And we try to preach it as well, where.

Oh, you're a good preacher, Mark.

Thank you. You know, you know, you get on and, you know, you want to work on the business, not in the business, the whole Michael Gerber eth. Philosophy. But I.

It's.

It's hard. It's hard. I mean, I think it's. It's a struggle because you see all the things and you want to do and it's.

Yeah, that is, it gives you a chance also just to reconnect with the people around you that you're doing it for, you know. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.

Exactly. You can't, you can't lose sight of that. Why? And, and so often, you know, people do lose their way. Right. In. In various ways. And I think that's. It's. So. It's so great to do if, if you were going to say, okay, here's, Here's a. A book or a video or something to, to help you sort of re. Re. Recalibrate your values and really sort of look deeply at what's your why. Why you're doing it. What's most important to your life? Does something come to mind?

A book?

A book or a video or a movie or something, you know, something like that where it's like, oh, here's, here's a. Here's a great thing to just kind of just quickly reset besides listening to this podcast.

Yeah, exactly. I know I've had. Had some go tos in ministry for me, you know, there's a book by Wayne Cordero called Leading on Empty. Leading on Empty, Leading on Empty. And you know, it is related to ministry and pastoring, but the whole idea of you're always giving out, always giving out, always giving out, but you're not filling your own tank.

You're.

You're going to crash and burn at some point. And so, you know, just off the cuff and you saying that in, in my world, that's been A. That's been a good book to go back to over the years and just remind myself I need to take some time to fill the tank.

I love it. I love it. Well, my tip of the week is just to listen to this podcast again. And just. Even. Just if it's the last five minutes of Larry giving his tip. No. Should I give a tip, Larry? I don't even. I didn't even prepare one. But you know what I'll do? I'll send them to your website to check out your site. What's your website?

Mustangland.com.

My tip of the week is check out Larry Mustangland.com and if you're fortunate enough and privileged enough to work with Larry, I guarantee you it is going to be a transformative experience for you. I. I know it. It's. That relationship has been for me in my life. And yeah, Larry, you're. You're just a gem of a human being. So thank you so much for. For joining the team, giving back to the community and, And. And helping our. Our newbie Land Geeks literally not just solve their money problems, but solve their money, their time problems and also know why they're doing it as well. So thank you.

Yeah, thanks for the opportunity.

Absolutely. Absolutely. So I want to thank the listeners, remind them that the only way I'm going to cajole Larry to come back is on the podcast and drop more nuggets of wisdom is if you do three little favors. Follow rate. Review the podcast. Send us a screenshot of that review. Support the Land Geek.com I'm going to send you a signed copy of Dirt Rich, which right now is going on ebay for at least $15. No, I'm kidding. Just. Just do it. Selfishly, it helps. It helps us get really good guests. Anyways, all right, are we ready to do this, Larry? Ready? One, two, three. Let freedom ring. That was. That was so awkward, but it's all good. Thanks, everybody.

Thanks for listening to the Art of Passive Income podcast. Are you ready to learn how you can start building a passive income without renter, rehabs, renovations, or rodents? Schedule a free consultation@thelandgeek.com training let freedom ring.