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Integrations & Best Practices

  • Updated

Summary: Learn the strategic difference between your prospecting tools (Profit Drive) and your conversion engine (REI BlackBook), and discover small but powerful utilities like the Mortgage Calculator that give you an edge in negotiations.

1. The "Two Engine" Philosophy: Prospecting vs. Conversion

A common mistake for investors is trying to force every single lead into one system. To maintain a clean and efficient business, you should view your technology as two separate engines:

  • Engine 1: Lead Generation (Profit Drive): This is your Prospecting engine. It is designed to handle thousands of cold records—entire zip codes, absentee owner lists, and mass direct mail campaigns.
  • Engine 2: Lead Conversion (REI BlackBook): This is your Relationship engine. It is designed for managing active conversations, nurturing leads, and closing deals.

2. When to Move Data (The "Hand Raise")

Do not export thousands of cold records from Profit Drive into REI BlackBook. This will "junk up" your pipelines with people who have never spoken to you, making it impossible to spot the real opportunities.

The Best Practice Workflow:

  1. Stay in Profit Drive: Keep your lists here while you send postcards and skip trace these prospects.
  2. Wait for the "Hand Raise": A prospect becomes a lead only when they take action—calling your tracking number, texting a keyword, or filling out a web form.
  3. Automatic Transfer: When they take that action (e.g., call your REI BlackBook number), the system automatically creates the Contact and the Deal in your pipeline. This ensures your CRM is filled only with people interested in selling.

3. Bonus Tool: The Mortgage Calculator

Hidden in your main menu is a powerful utility designed to help you structure creative financing deals (like "Subject To" or Seller Finance) when you have imperfect information.

  • How to Access: Look for the small blue calculator icon in the main navigation menu .
  • Solving the Puzzle: Sellers often remember their monthly payment and when they bought the house, but they rarely remember their exact interest rate.
    • Feature: You can enter the known variables (e.g., Payment Amount: $1,000/month on a $200,000 loan, Term: 30 Years), and the calculator will solve for the missing variable (e.g., Interest Rate: 4.39%).

Amortization Schedule: Once calculated, the tool generates a full amortization schedule. This allows you to show the seller exactly how much of their payment is going toward principal versus interest, which is critical for negotiating long-term payoffs.

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