I have been in this business a long, long, long time. And in that time I have dealt with the most inane, boorish, and unproductive brokers there are in the business.
Gatekeepers, document editors, obfuscating information - to what ends? How can you even close or get proximity to sellers and buyers with these joker brokers in the way? They hide details, they are mysterious, and they have the nerve to demand that the buyer wants LOI or CIS information - The truth is that they are trying to extract information from you and that they probably do not have a real deal, buy or sell behind it.
People, there is a simple way to do this - don't let 'brokerisms' get in the way.
Again I have been in this business for LONG LONG TIME.. .The only way to make money and close deals is to be open, and truthful in what you have. Those who redact documents, obfuscate reasonable information in order to control the conference and cement their place. Those guys NEVER make any money at this. Yet this behavior perpetuates.
YES there are problems and the constant possibility with circumvention in this business. No doubt. But few have the ability to pursue those that circumvent their transactions via legal terms or otherwise. Therefore NCND have proven to be useless tools. However, it does provide a paper trail. I mean and I'm talking to you, broker - if you set up a deal and get cut out somehow by some group or company in a foreign nation - whats to stop them from closing shop and starting up again somewhere else? HMMM? Nothing. The only guarantee you have is your word and their word in the end. You must get to know your broker network, and that means lessons learned, sometimes hard lessons learned, over time. If you're lucky you may earn quickly if you don't get burned, BUT THAT SHOULDN'T BE YOUR PRIME FOCUS!!!!!
The reality is it takes time. Be prepared to connect, reconnect, get organized, learn to recognize other's bullshit. If you spend days and days trying to conference to person XYZ - there's nothing there. If you are looking at or forwarding offers that are blank, modified, redacted, and you further redact contact info, and any other useful details - YOU ARE WASTING PEOPLE'S TIME AND YOUR OWN. If you want to make connections, make connections, share what you have and be honest!
