***Guest Appearance
Credits to:
https://www.youtube.com/@MeganJHuber
“How to Keep Customers Longer feat. Jay ‘the private money guy’ Conner”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SzZyaQFOOxg
If you’ve ever wondered how top coaches create programs that stand the test of time, look no further than Jay Conner. In a recent conversation with Megan Huber, Jay peeled back the curtain on his 14-year journey as a real estate investing coach. What emerged was a masterclass not just in raising private money, but in building a business designed for legacy.
From Real Estate Investor to Private Money Authority
Jay’s entrepreneurial story began long before he was a coach. After decades working in real estate—condominiums, shopping centers, and primarily single-family homes—Jay and his wife, Carol Joy, hit a major bump in 2009. Their local bank shut down his line of credit overnight. “I knew I had to find a better and quicker way and a more reliable way to fund my deals,” Jay recalls. Enter private money lending—a concept he’d never heard of until fate (or, as Jay says, “God’s way of staying anonymous”) intervened. Within 90 days, he raised a couple of million dollars from private individuals.
It was the perfect storm: the 2009 real estate crash offered up foreclosures to anyone who could pay cash. With his private lenders, Jay’s business tripled. But something else happened—he discovered a passion for teaching and empowering others, not just chasing deals.
Building a Coaching Business That Lasts
When Jay admits, “If I could choose just one thing…without being a member that’s actively involved in a mastermind group of fellow-minded people, I just can’t imagine being in this business on an island by myself,” it gives insight into his approach. Community and learning drive him forward.
His coaching business launched in 2011 after a phone call to his mentor, Ron Legrand. Jay was successful but bored; Ron advised him to teach what he was best at—raising private money. That simple advice became Jay’s focus. Today, he’s known as “The Private Money Guy.” His entire go-to-market strategy, as Megan emphasizes, is built around a single message: helping investors raise and leverage private money, no matter their level of experience.
Why Focus Is the Key to Branding—and Trust
Jay’s longevity comes down to unwavering focus. “You can’t be everything to everybody,” he says. His marketing, courses, podcast, and seminars—they all carry the same banner. The “Private Money Success System” is his flagship program, and his podcast is literally called “Raising Private Money.” This consistency builds trust and recognition over time.
Megan points out an industry-wide mistake: experts try to cram every bit of their knowledge into one program. The result? Overwhelmed and confused clients. Jay’s method ensures his audience always knows what he stands for. As Megan says, “Anytime soon a third party hears a friend or colleague say, ‘I need help with raising private money,’ I want them to say one name.” For real estate coaching, that name is Jay Conner.
Crafting a Client Journey that Builds Relationships
Jay’s funnel strategy is a lesson for any coach:
- Lead Magnet: Most new clients enter Jay’s world through a free “Money Guide” ebook.
- High Engagement Offers: From the ebook, prospects are invited to a seven-day “Private Money Challenge,” then presented with additional training and offers.
- Membership & Events: His “Private Money Academy” builds trust through regular Zoom calls, while his live “Private Money Conference” is the centerpiece of his client journey.
- High-Ticket Coaching: At live events, Jay offers coaching programs and mastermind memberships.
Surprisingly, a significant percentage of high-ticket clients started with that free guide. Jay nurtures every relationship, knowing the foundation of trust is built early and deepened through ongoing engagement.
Masterminds: External Inspiration, Internal Motivation
On staying inspired, Jay credits his involvement in masterminds—communities of like-minded entrepreneurs and coaches—as the single biggest reason for his success and longevity. “The relationships…your destiny and future are predicated on the books you read and the people you meet.”
The Takeaway
For aspiring coaches, educators, and investors, Jay’s story offers powerful lessons:
- Anchor your business in a clear, focused message.
- Build trust through relationship-based funnels.
- Never underestimate the power of a mastermind.
Want to experience Jay’s process for yourself? Opt into his funnel and discover the strategies behind raising private money and creating lasting impact.
Inspired to learn more? Visit Jay Conner’s funnel at www.JayConner.com/Book and start your journey with the Private Money authority today.
10 Discussion Questions from this Episode:
- Jay Conner credits mastermind groups as both an external and internal factor in his business longevity. What do you think makes mastermind groups so valuable for coaches and entrepreneurs?
- Jay emphasizes the importance of focusing on “one thing” for branding and marketing. How can having a single, clear message benefit or potentially limit a coaching business?
- Megan points out that new clients need trust-building, often through lower-ticket offers, before committing to high-ticket programs. How do you build and nurture trust with your potential clients?
- Jay’s lead generation strategy includes free lead magnets (like his ebook), low-ticket challenges, and membership programs before the main high-ticket offer. What do you think are the most effective ways to nurture leads through a client journey?
- Both Jay and Megan talk about authenticity and “leading with who you really are” in your business. What does authenticity mean to you, and how do you show up authentically in your brand?
- Changing your core marketing message too frequently can confuse your audience. Have you ever rebranded or pivoted your message, and what challenges did you face?
- Jay’s approach to private money is educating rather than pitching or selling. How might this “teacher-first” mindset shift the typical dynamic in sales and client acquisition?
- The episode highlights the impact of joining industry mastermind groups, not just for connections, but also for inspiration and accountability. What professional communities play that role for you, if any?
- Jay says that “your destiny and future are predicated on the books you read and the people you meet.” What books or relationships have significantly shaped your entrepreneurial journey?
- What aspects of Jay’s funnel and client journey stand out as especially effective or unique, and how could you apply similar strategies in your own coaching or business model?
Fun facts that were revealed in the episode:
- Jay Conner has been a guest on over 800 podcasts, but this appearance on Megan Huber’s show was his very first time being interviewed about how he built his coaching business, rather than just his expertise in raising private money.
- The name “Private Money Success System” for Jay’s signature course was actually chosen by Megan Huber, who also helped produce and organize the course, making the creation process much more enjoyable for Jay.
- Jay strategically integrates fun and engagement into his product delivery: When someone orders his book, “Where to Get the Money Now,” it arrives with three envelopes labeled “open first,” “open second,” and “open third,” each containing different offers and surprises to make the client journey interactive.
Timestamps:
00:01 Entrepreneurship, Coaching, and Real Estate
04:54 Real Estate Crisis & Funding Shift
10:17 Private Money Course Creation Journey
13:42 Course Creation Experience Reflected
14:34 “Course Creation Advice”
17:36 Focus on One Clear Specialty
22:15 Authentic Niche Marketing Approach
24:41 Consistency Builds Trust Over Time
28:58 Private Money Challenge Funnel
32:41 Private Money Academy Membership Offer
34:43 Course Funnel and Pricing Strategy
39:27 Event Registrations from Free Guide
41:02 Nurturing Leads for Membership Growth
44:19 Mastermind Connections Shape Destiny
47:47 Book Offer with Exclusive Bonuses
Connect With Jay Conner:
Private Money Academy Conference:
Free Report:
https://www.jayconner.com/MoneyReport
Join the Private Money Academy:
https://www.JayConner.com/trial/
Have you read Jay’s new book, Where to Get the Money Now?
It is available FREE (all you pay is the shipping and handling) at https://www.JayConner.com/Book
What is Private Money? Real Estate Investing with Jay Conner
http://www.JayConner.com/MoneyPodcast
Jay Conner is a proven real estate investment leader. Without using his own money or credit, Jay maximizes creative methods to buy and sell properties with profits averaging $67,000 per deal.
#RealEstate #RealEstateInvesting #RealEstateInvestingForBeginners #Foreclosures #FlippingHouses #PrivateMoney #RaisingPrivateMoney #JayConner
YouTube Channel
https://www.youtube.com/c/RealEstateInvestingWithJayConner
Apple Podcast:
Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/jay.conner.marketing
Twitter:
https://twitter.com/JayConner01
Pinterest:
https://www.pinterest.com/JConner_PrivateMoneyAuthority
The Private Money Authority: Jay Conner’s Branding, Funnel, and Mastermind Approach
Jay Conner [00:00:00]:
Your destiny and future are predicated on the books you read and the people you meet. And so the Mastermind is external. That, I mean, that’s a group that I’ve joined, right?. And I’ve been in many and still. And still am. But what becomes internal, what becomes internal and gives me the juice to keep going, is the inspiration that I receive from my fellow Mastermind members. I joined my very first mastermind in 2011, right after becoming a coach, and I joined the Mastermind. It was other, other coaches.
Jay Conner [00:00:41]:
And so I have been in Mastermind communities and groups ever since I started this journey of being a real estate investing coach. And it is the. If I could choose just one thing, I mean, without it, I wouldn’t be in business. Without being a member that’s actively involved in a really good mastermind group of like-minded people, I just can’t imagine being in this business on an island by myself.
Narrator [00:01:16]:
If you’re a real estate investor and are wondering how to raise and leverage private money to make more profit on every deal, then you’re in the right place to raise private money. We’ll speak with new and seasoned investors to dissect their deals and extract the best tips and strategies to help you get the money. Because the money comes first. Now here’s your host, Jay Connor.
Megan Huber [00:01:43]:
Hey. Hey everyone. Welcome back to the show. I am delighted to have our guest today, fellow North Carolinian, my really good friend, Jay Connor. Jay, welcome to the show.
Jay Conner [00:01:55]:
Megan, thank you so much for inviting me to come along and talk about coaching and educating. Of course, in my space, I’m coaching and educating other real estate investors. But, you know, I’ve been a guest on over 800 podcasts so far. And I must say, being a guest on your show is a very, very first. Because typically, you know, I’m being interviewed about how to go about raising private money for real estate deals, and the audience is primarily real estate investors. But this is going to be really fun to talk about, you know, how it is that I grew the coaching business and all that kind of good stuff.
Megan Huber [00:02:39]:
Yeah, I’m really excited to dive into this conversation, and let me tell you why. First, Jay, you know, you and I have known each other for about two and a half years, and I grew up as an entrepreneur in the coaching and online education space. That was my very first experience of entrepreneurship. And just so that all the listeners know, Jay and I are in the same real estate investing mastermind. We are both members of a real estate investing mastermind, and people always kind of give me A weird look because everybody knows I’m not in real estate investing. And I tell them, well, a lot of the people in that mastermind have coaching and education programs, and that’s my expertise, which is why I’m there. And being in that mastermind, Jay, has opened my eyes up so much to how people who built a very successful business in another category before coaching approach building their coaching and education business from my perspective, actually in a different way than people whose first endeavor into entrepreneurship was coaching. So I’d love for you to give a little bit of background first before we dive into how you built your very successful coaching business that you’ve had for 14 years.
Megan Huber [00:03:51]:
This is not your first business. So, can you kind of give us the backstory on all the real estate investing you do, you have done for decades, and where you got your start in entrepreneurship?
Jay Conner [00:04:02]:
Sure. So in 200, my wife, Carol Joy, and I started investing in single-family houses full-time. Now, leading up to that, I’ve done condominium developments from the ground up, shopping centers from the. From the ground up. But most of my energy and focus have been in the single-family space since 2003. Well, from 2003 until 2009, January 2009, to be exact, all I knew to do to get my real estate deals funded, my single-family houses, was go to the local bank or mortgage company. I mean, I never even heard a price of hard money, to tell you the truth. And so all I knew to get my deals funded was to go to the local bank or mortgage company, get on my hands and knees, and say, Please fund my deal.
Jay Conner [00:04:54]:
And, you know, they made me pull up my skirt and show all my personal assets and pull my credit score, and look at financial statements the traditional way, traditional institutional money. And, Megan, all that worked out just fine. Okay, fine for those first six years until January 200,9, when everything changed and I had two properties under contract to buy, and I thought I still had a line of credit at the local bank. I’d been with the same bank, the same banker, for six years. And of course, for those of you who are listening to this episode, you know what was going on in 2007 and 8, and 9 in real estate. So I learned very, very quickly on a phone call with my banker that my line of credit had been closed with no notice to me. And so I knew I had to find a better and quicker way and more reliable way to fund my deals. So my definition of coincidence is God’s way of staying anonymous.
Jay Conner [00:05:56]:
In less than two weeks, I learned about this world of private money and private lending. I’d never heard about it. I’d never heard about doing business with just individuals, regular folks like you and me, who use their investment capital and or retirement funds to loan money out to real estate investors. So I studied that. I put my program together as to what I was going to offer individuals here, primarily in my local community, as to how they could be a private lender. So raised a couple of million dollars in 90 days. And so my bank did me a huge favor by cutting me off and shutting down the line of credit. And that year in 2009, if you recall what was going on, all these foreclosures were just flooding the market, and banks weren’t loaning money.
Jay Conner [00:06:49]:
So to get those foreclosures, you had to have the cash. Well, the stars lined u, and Carol Joy’s in my real estate investing business tripled that year in 2009 because we had the funding available. So, how we went about raising the money, I mean, right now I’ve got 47 private lenders that are funding our deals. By the way, if you’re listening to this episode, you don’t need 47 private lenders. Just start with one or two if you’re looking for some money for real estate. But anyway, not one of those 47 private lenders that are funding our deals today, not one of them had ever heard about private money or private lending until I put on my teacher hat.
Megan Huber [00:07:37]:
I love your teacher hat, Jay.
Jay Conner [00:07:39]:
So my teacher hat says private money teacher. And so I just took on this attitude that, you know, most people are begging and chasing and selling, trying to raise money. And I didn’t take that approach. I took a, I took a very contrarian way about doing this. Most real estate investors think they have to pitch deals. And I’ve never pitched a deal since 2009. So what I did was just go about teaching people in my own network about this world of private money and how they can get high rates of return safely and securely by using either their investment capital or their retirement funds. And you know, not one of my 47 private lenders today ever heard about private money or private lending or using retirement funds in a self-directed IRA company to invest until I exposed them to this world.
Jay Conner [00:08:41]:
So I did that, starting in 2009, using private money. And so then two years later, I was totally bored. The business was doing fantastic, still is today. And I called up Ron Legrand. Ron Legrand. He was the very first real estate investing seminar I ever went to. And so I called him up in January of 2011, 14 and a half years ago. And I simply said to Ron, I said Ron Of course, Ron.
Jay Conner [00:09:13]:
And I had already I’d been to like every seminar he’d ever put on. And I said, Ronny’s real estate investing business is going fantastic. I said, but I have a big problem. I am bored to tears. I said, you know, I got a great team. The team is running the company more or less. All I’m doing is making decisions on what houses I want to make offers on and how much to offer. I got the same acquisitionist talking to all the motivated sellers.
Jay Conner [00:09:40]:
She’s been with me for 20 years. I said, What’s next? That was my question: what’s next? He says, Well, you just need to start teaching real estate investors what you’re good at. I said. He says, What are you good at? I said, well, I’m pretty good at raising private money. He says, Well, there you go. You are now the private money authority. Ron Legrand named me. And so I started putting on my very first seminar with a day seminar in March of 2011 in Atlanta, Georgia, to a room full of real estate investors.
Jay Conner [00:10:17]:
And that’s where I actually recorded my very first private money home study course, which I called back then, Where to Get the money now. And so that’s how it started in 2011. That’s how I created my first course, which was actually putting on a one-day seminar. By the way, I must say this so I don’t forget it. If you are listening to this episode here on Megan’s podcast and you don’t know this about her, I’m going to tell you about her because Megan, she took me on as a client, I guess about a year, year and a half ago, something like that, to help produce my brand new private money course, which is called the Private Money Success System. Megan actually named my course, but I can’t tell you, Megan, how wonderful that experience was because, quite frankly, I don’t enjoy creating new courses. But you do. And you extrapolated all that information out of my noggin.
Jay Conner [00:11:21]:
And of course, I’d done quite a few video recordings for it as well. So just to say that before I forget, if you’re listening to this show and you’re looking to create a course and you don’t know where to start, or you know you need a new course, but you just don’t enjoy doing it, Megan is the person to make that happen for you, least painlessly.
Megan Huber [00:11:47]:
Yeah, it was fun, and you’re a great teacher. You’re. That was a really fun project. You were the. You were actually the first person in the mastermind that you and I are in together who hired me to do that work. You were the first. You were the first. Because I was pretty new in that group then.
Megan Huber [00:12:02]:
I think I’d only been there for a few months. So. Thank you. Thank you for getting my start in real estate. But you’re my first client who was in the real estate investing category.
Jay Conner [00:12:11]:
I didn’t know that. Okay.
Megan Huber [00:12:13]:
Yeah. You were the first. Yeah. Read your book. Everything. And I thought. And when I read your book and I knew you were such a great teacher, and you were the perfect person to be in the coaching and online education space, because my background is teaching. I have a master’s degree in teaching.
Megan Huber [00:12:27]:
But when I read your book and I went through your course, and then you refilmed it because the course was just like clips of that live event.
Jay Conner [00:12:34]:
That’s right.
Megan Huber [00:12:34]:
And, you know, it was a long time ago. We were now in, like, 2023 when we did this, or 2024. I don’t remember. I think it was 2023. And when I watched the new videos that you shot, I was like, Wow, Jay is such an incredible teacher. And I literally knew nothing about real estate investing. And I thought to myself, just watching his videos and reading the book, I felt like I could go and raise private money right now and go do my first deal just from that. And that is, to me, that is a mark of not just a great coach.
Megan Huber [00:13:07]:
But in the coaching and online education space, it is our job to simplify, to clarify, and to do whatever we need to do to make sure that our students and clients think what I thought, knowing nothing about private money, nothing about real estate investing, watching a course and feeling like I know exactly what 42 steps to go take and in what order and how to do each. And I don’t feel overwhelmed. And I think that’s the mark of a great program. So hats off to you for being an amazing teacher.
Jay Conner [00:13:42]:
Well, thank you, Megan. Well, it was. It really was a great experience putting that course together. And. And, you know, it was a really big advantage for my future students and members of my community to have you sort of run this project because you could come to it with no preconceived ideas about real estate investing and private money and what that’s all about. So that was really a big advantage in putting together a product that you could for sure say through your own experience. Okay, I can follow this, and it makes sense. So what? I mean, this is your show, but here I am asking you a question.
Megan Huber [00:14:27]:
Go for it.
Jay Conner [00:14:28]:
I mean, what did. This is a conversation, right?
Megan Huber [00:14:31]:
Yes, it is what the audience likes.
Jay Conner [00:14:34]:
What, you know, what advice would you give? I mean, I know your audience here on this podcast are coaches, educators that are already in the space, or maybe they’re interested in getting in the space. But what advice would you give to your audience about? Okay, I want to create this course, but I just really don’t know where to start. I mean, I know where I started, and that was painful. I remember sitting on the floor of my office, in the common area of our offices here in this building, where we are, and I had notes and I had paper everywhere, and I mean, I created that first outline from scratch of just based on my own experience, you know. But if I had known you way back then, I think you could have given me some advice on how to go out, go about it with a little less pain.
Megan Huber [00:15:35]:
You know, the first time we do anything, I think there’s going to be pain associated with it because we’ve never done it before. We’re second-guessing ourselves, we’re questioning ourselves, we have doubts, you know, all those fears, and things come up in our thoughts and in our minds. And I’m going to take it back to what Ron Legrand helped you do in the beginning because I think that’s really important. And I have a whole follow-up series of questions I want to ask you about that. Here’s where people, here’s where I see people going wrong. And it’s probably one of the number one areas I end up having to coach people on. And it’s that, as experts, there are a lot of problems that we could solve. There are a lot of different results we could help somebody achieve.
Megan Huber [00:16:23]:
And once somebody is a paying client, that probably does happen. Lots of their problems get revealed to us. We help them achieve multiple different results. It’s not like the only thing you’re doing in your coaching programs is helping people raise private money. You’re helping them do other things, but once they’re in the door and once they’re behind the paywall. However, your front-facing marketing. For the last 14 years, everybody has known you as the private money guy. If anybody ever asked me, Megan, who do I go to if I want to raise private money? The only name, the first name, and the only name I think of that I would refer them to is Jay Connor.
Megan Huber [00:17:07]:
Go to Jay Connor. Why? Because that is what you lead with in all of your marketing messaging, that is what you are selling out here. Your go-to-market strategy is I serve one client. I have one core message. I’m solving one core problem. I’m helping people achieve one core result. And I have one main offer that I’m leading them into. That is where most people are going wrong.
Megan Huber [00:17:36]:
And they’ll come to coaching sessions, or they’ll come to the course, or they’ll come to the group calls, and they kind of give you pushback because they’re like, yeah, but every single one of the clients I’ve ever worked with, they each came to me with a different problem, and every single one of my clients got a completely different result. And I’m like, yeah, but if you want to be known for something in the marketplace and anytime soon, a third party hears a friend or a colleague or a family member say, hey, I really need help with raising private money. I want them to. I want those people to all say one name. So what is that? And I think that is, regardless of how painful that starting process was for you, I think what you did really well in the beginning, because you had a mentor, because you had a coach, Ron LeGrand, you focused on one thing and one thing only. That’s the answer. That’s where people have the most trouble, because they’re trying to stuff every single ounce of their expertise and experience into their marketing message and into one program. And that is overwhelming to people.
Megan Huber [00:18:45]:
It confuses people. And here’s what we know about how the brain works. The brain doesn’t know which direction to go in. So if Jay’s showing up talking about private money and fixing and flipping and title companies and wholesaling and the bur shred, like all these things in your marketing message, my brain is going, what’s this guy talking about? I don’t even know what any of. I don’t even know what one of these things means. And now he’s trying to ask me to choose, like, which one do I fall under? And I’m not really sure if he helps me solve the problem I’m experiencing right now. And is he really the guy that I need to go to? And we’re confusing the heck out of people’s brains because we’re not just talking about one thing in the marketplace. So here’s my question to you.
Megan Huber [00:19:36]:
That was in what? I. I don’t know, like, early whenever you talk to Ron the grand, he’s like, you’re the private money guy.
Jay Conner [00:19:42]:
Oh, yeah. That was. That was 2000. That was actually, that was January 2011, when I called him up and asked him, What’s next?
Megan Huber [00:19:53]:
Okay, we’re now in 2025. Are you still known as the private money guy?
Jay Conner [00:19:58]:
Yes.
Megan Huber [00:20:00]:
Okay. Why, like, why have you stuck with that for so long?
Jay Conner [00:20:06]:
That’s a good question. I’ve said I’ve stayed with that one thing for the reason that you just explained. So from a branding. From a branding standpoint, I mean, I knew from previous marketing experience that you can’t be everything to everybody. And I also knew when it comes to marketing, what you want to do is. Or at least what I have done is I have done my best to be totally authentic. So. So here’s.
Jay Conner [00:20:46]:
Here’s a. Like the next two-pronged thing. So I wanted to stay with that one thing. Like, it’s very easy to give to explain the message of how I can help solve somebody’s problem, whether they are a seasoned real estate investor or they’re, you know, trying to still get their first deal. Interestingly enough, though, the majority of my clients have experienced the pain of either running out of money or being sick and tired of super high interest rates and origination fees at hard money lenders. So once they have felt that pain, I can really speak to them. Right. But when I mentioned being authentic, that’s just so important.
Jay Conner [00:21:34]:
I heard. I can’t remember who it was, but anyway, in recent years, I heard some. It might have been Tom Crowell. I’m not sure it might have been Tom who said it. But the idea is when you’re a coach and you’re an educator, you want to. The goal is you want to attract as many people to you tasare like you can, and it’s okay to repel the rest of the people. Which goes counterintuitive to the mindset of, well, I want to be everything to everybody because I’ve got so much that I can teach and so much that I can coach on. Well, you made a really, really important point, Megan.
Jay Conner [00:22:15]:
Lead with that one thing that you can solve as long as there’s a large enough audience for it. I mean, I admit I’m in a niche of a niche on the, on the, on the front, front end marketing. The niche is real estate investing, but the niche of the niche is private money for real estate investing. So I lead with that. But then once they are in your world, they learn about all these other ways that you can help them and you can serve them. But when I say being authentic, I mean, I don’t know who came up with the Phrase opposites attract. That’s the most stupid thing I’ve ever heard in my life. I want to hang around people that are like me, you know, and so how, how, how do I lead with being authentic as well? Well, I’m not ashamed of being a Christian.
Jay Conner [00:23:04]:
I’m not ashamed of talking about God. I’m not ashamed of talking about my Christian family. I’m not ashamed about telling people. Carol Joy and I met almost 41 years ago at my first Sunday in town in Texas in church. And so I’m not throwing that in people’s faces. I’m just letting people know who I am. And I want, I want to. So as a result of that, at my live events, probably 99.9% of the people that show up are faith-based because they just know that’s part of, you know, who I am.
Jay Conner [00:23:43]:
Anyway, I didn’t mean to go down that rabbit hole, but we were talking about leading with that marketing message up front. Be very, very specific, even if it’s a niche of a niche, and be who you truly are and let people see you without your filter on.
Megan Huber [00:24:02]:
Yeah, and I’m gonna add to that too, I think the fact that you have stuck with being the private money guy, and that is what you’ve led with for 14 years. I think that is significant. It’s not the only reason, obviously, but I think it’s one of the most probable top three reasons why you are still in the game of the coaching and online space at the level that you are. Right. Like you are continuing to grow. You’re still growing, you still have the course, you still have your masterminds, everything. You still have your three-day seminars. And what I see happening with a lot of coaches and educators is that they keep changing that go-to-market strategy.
Megan Huber [00:24:41]:
You’ve kept your go to market strategy the same go to market strategy for the last 14 years. And when we keep changing that again, what we’re doing is we’re confusing the audience, and we’re also creating this lack of trust with our audience, too. But you’ve spent 14 years building trust. And I have just been sitting on that topic for quite a while because there’s this idea out there, and it’s not a new idea, but it’s this idea that I’m Jake Connor, I’ve been doing this for X number of decades. You should just come work with me, you should just come hire me. You know what I do, I’ve been showing up all the time, and that’s what a lot of people think. But you are still this many years in, you’re still showing up, you’re still speaking on other people’s stages, you’re still selling your course, you’re still doing Facebook ads. Like, you’re still doing all the same marketing and sales and all the same strategies.
Megan Huber [00:25:37]:
Not maybe the same ones, they’ve changed over the years. But you never stop doing that, is my point. You’ve kept doing it because you have to to maintain, sustain, and continue to grow.
Jay Conner [00:25:48]:
Well, you just said something that leads me to share this. When a coach or educator knows what that one thing is that you want to be known for, and the message is very, very clear, that here’s what you can do. I mean, like, you know, like the name of my book here, the subtitle, I mean, the book is where to get the Money now, but the subtitle is very, a very, very clear message e how and where to get money for your real estate deals without relying on traditional or hard money lenders. When you know that very specific message and the problem that you can solve for other people, that one message should permeate everything you do, that you’re in your marketing. For example, my flagship now has other home study courses, but my flagship home study course is the Private Money Success System. The book is where to get the Money Now. All private money, for goodness’s sake. My podcast.
Jay Conner [00:26:55]:
I’m now in the eighth year of my podcast, and I remember Megan, our dear friend and fellow Mastermind member, Joe McCall. I remember Joe gave a talk probably four or five years ago, in a different Mastermind, a nd Joe said, When you start your podcast, don’t even think about starting your podcast unless you’re committed to doing it at least. Hey, Megan, I only got two more to go, but anyway, the point that I’m making is, well, what’s the name of my podcast? The name of my podcast is Raising Private Money. That’s. That’s the name of the podcast. So once, once a coach or educator knows exactly what that one thing you want to be known for, it now permeates everything, as far as your marketing goes.
Megan Huber [00:27:45]:
Okay, love it. So, I’d love for you to give the lik high-level overview of what your product lis ike, your offer suite, and what your offer suite looks like? Let’s. I’m going to see what that looks like, and then I want to dive into how you do it. What does your funnel look like? How are you getting people in? How are you consistently keeping your pipeline of leads full? So, start with what the offer suite looks like?
Jay Conner [00:28:09]:
Sure. So the offer is dependent upon how a new prospective client finds me. So how they find me is going to determine, or does determine, what the offer is. So let’s start with Facebook advertising. S,o on Facebook advertising, we have two offers on Facebook. One offer is my free money guide download here; in the business, we call it the lead magnet. So I have this ebook that’s called 7 Reasons why Private money will skyrocket your real estate business and help you build incredible wealth. There it is again, the one message.
Jay Conner [00:28:58]:
Private money. So this is a downloadable free lead magnet that brings them into my world. So on average, we get about 175 or 200 new people coming into my marketing world a week that are downloading the money guide. So immediately after the money guide, they are offered an eps, an upsell to my seven-day challenge. What’s the challenge? No surprise, it’s the private money challenge. The all in caps, the private money challenge, which is an evergreen seven-day offering. Anyway, so that offer is $17. So they came in free with the private money ebook.
Jay Conner [00:29:54]:
They’re immediately offered the seven-day challenge for $17. Now, within the challenge, there are six other offers for them to choose There are three bumps, and there are three upsells. And so now in these upsells, they’re starting to learn more about what I do. But it’s still all private money. One of the upsells is a whole video training on how to raise private money without asking for money. 45-minute training. And these upsells are anywhere from $29 to 97 or $99.
Jay Conner [00:30:36]:
If they bought the whole suite of offerings in the challenge upsales, that’s about $350. And some people buy it all. Not many, but some do. So, you got the free lead magnet from Facebook’s $70 challenge, then that is their upsell. Or offer these other trainings within the challenge. The sixth video or training of the challenge is where I offer the live event. So all roads, at least as of this recording, Megan, all roads lead to the live event. What I mean by all roads lead to the live event.
Jay Conner [00:31:16]:
This is an in-person event. I do it three times a year. What’s the name of the event? Imagine this. The private money conference is the name of the event.
Megan Huber [00:31:28]:
It’s not that hard, people. I hope you’re getting that message. It’s not that hard. You don’t have to overthink. You don’t have to be clever, you don’t have to be cute. You’ve got to say what it is because people get it. And that’s what you’re known for because that’s what you use that name for everywhere. I love it.
Jay Conner [00:31:46]:
So yeah, all roads lead to the live event. So what I mean BY that is 80% of my revenue in the coaching business comes from sales at the live event. So I’ll get, I’ll get, I’ll get to the live event here in a moment. So that’s the money guide funnel. Now, of course, whether they buy the challenge or they don’t buy the challenge, we have a series of eight emails that are dripped on everybody who gets the free money guide and downloads the lead magnet. And in these eight emails, guess what? One of those emails, they’re going to learn about my monthly membership. Well, imagine what the monthly membership is called. The monthly membership is called the Private Money Academy membership.
Jay Conner [00:32:41]:
So we offer these people in that, in the, in the, in that eight email sequence, a free 30-day trial. And so, you know, we’ve got the landing page for that, etc. And we give them a free 30-day trial. And the biggest benefit of being a member of the Private Money Academy is I go live on Zoom Zoom twice a month for the members and if they like it, which most of them do, then they can stay in for $37 a month, measly 37 bucks a month to get the content from the membership site on Private Money and all, all these new zooms and the zooms are archived, etc. Now, why do I do the membership? There’s so much to talk about, Megan. So why do I do the membership? I don’t do the membership for $37 a month. I mean, it’s not bad. I got about 300 members that are paying $37 a month, so that’s okay.
Jay Conner [00:33:44]:
But the real reason for the membership is to establish and nurture relationships with these people on camera and give them a lot of value, and of course, invite them to the Private Money Conference live event that I’m doing twice a year now. How do other people come into my world? And then we’ll get to the Private Money conference event and what takes place and the offerings there. So I speak at other real estate investing stages, other promoters. I still speak every month at Ron Legrand’s Quick Start School. So I get great exposure there. And I teach private money, that I’m the private money guy at his event. I teach other stuff at his event, but I’m known for that. And then I offer my private money success system that Megan, who Yelped me, put together recently.
Jay Conner [00:34:43]:
And it sells for $2,500 retail on my website. But I offer it on other people’s stages. Like I spoke at the Midwest RIA up in Grand Rapids, Michigan, recently. And so I sell it, I offer it for $1495, 50% off from the website price. So when those people come into my funnel as a course buyer, those, of course, are the most qualified people on my list. Now my book, book is in the funnel also the book is offered; it’s $20 on the Amazon on Amazon, but I offer it for free with $6.95 shipping. This is one of the eight emails that they get after they download the Money Guide. So the back to the course buyers, those are the most qualified people on my list, those that have invested $1495, and I have a great percentage, a good percentage of those course buyers that actually end up at the private Monday conference.
Jay Conner [00:35:54]:
So when I said all roads lead to the conference, that’s when the high ticket is. So the high ticket coaching is sold 80% of the revenue. So at the live event, we have three offerings. At the live event, we have a six-month coaching program for real estate investors. And all these coaching programs are led with the private money piece, and then we expand out from there. So we got six months for $20,000 investment. Then we have a year-long coaching program, and that investment is 30,000. Specifically,y it’s 1995 and 2995.
Jay Conner [00:36:32]:
And then the top elite offering is to come into my Mastermind community. So the Mastermind itself for the first year is 20,000. But a prerequisite to be in Mastermind ithat s you have to also be in the year long coaching program or in it or just signed up now or a graduate of that. So we have approximately 60% of the people who sign up for the year-long coaching. Hardly anybody signs up for the six months. I mean, it’s either the 30,000 or an additional 20,000 in Mastermind. So about 60% of the conversions and sales at the event actually come in at the $50,000 level as well. And my Lance, we could talk all day about what it is that makes those live events successful.
Jay Conner [00:37:25]:
I can tell you one big thing that makes these live, that makes the sales work is the financing arm. So a relationship with a company or broker or provider that can be right there on hand to provide the financing to where it’s very, very, you know, seeable and affordable by your prospects is just going to shoot your conversions, you know, out of the ceiling when you make it easy to buy. I covered, I plowed a lot of ground right there. Megan. I don’t know which part you want to drill back down on.
Megan Huber [00:38:00]:
That was really good. That was like a masterclass on the client journey. And I hope everybody was taking really good notes with that. I mean, one of my biggest takeaways is you have a lot of things in place that are trust builders, a lot of things in place to build trust with people before you’re ascending them, or inviting them into your higher ticket. And I think that is so important. I mean, you’ve been doing that for a very long time. But one of the biggest shifts that we’ve seen in the coaching space is that it’s harder for people to sell their higher-end coaching, meaning it’s becoming harder for them to go directly to their high-ticket coaching. And that’s what a lot of folks have done in the traditional coaching space is they never had anything low ticket.
Megan Huber [00:38:42]:
They weren’t doing anything to build trust with people beyond their free content on social media, maybe their podcast, but nothing else. There was nothing else for people to buy into that was a lower ticket as a trust builder. And everybody kind of had this message like, low ticket is for, you know, people that you don’t even ever want to be in your high ticket. It’s like the downsell. It’s for the people who can’t afford the bigger one. And what I hear you saying is the entire client journey is to warm people up and to build trust with them, and to build a relationship with them. It’s the same avatar that you want in your long mastermind. So the same avatar that’s buying some of these other things that you mentioned at the beginning of the funnel, is that the same person we want up here in the bigger mastermind?
Jay Conner [00:39:27]:
I’m so glad you brought that up, Megan, because I just, I just ran the numbers. So I have a live event coming up in just three weeks from now, and I’m looking at the registration list of people who have already secured their seats. And so it’s very, very important to track the origin. Where did these people originally come from? How did they get on your list? And as important as well, what link or affiliate link or whatever are they actually clicking on to register? So here’s the point. What you just said is very, very interesting about how some educators or coaches think, well, I don’t want the low ticket people, I want the high ticket people. Well, as you just said, in most cases, you’re not going to get a high-ticket person unless they have some kind of relationship with you. So here’s, here’s the takeaway. Over 30% of the people who are registered to come to my upcoming live event came in with the Free Money Guide ebook.
Megan Huber [00:40:35]:
Oh, wow.
Jay Conner [00:40:36]:
Over 30%. So they came in for free. Right. And, and, and they all like maybe took a different journey. Some of them got my book after. And by the way, with the book, everything leads to the live event. The book comes with two tickets to the Private Money conference. So the tickets are in the book, and they don’t even know that’s coming.
Jay Conner [00:41:02]:
Right. That’s like a bonus, when people, you know, take me up on the book, offer some of these people from the Money Guide, they might have come into the Private Money Academy membership. Right. So I wanted to, I wanted to endorse the point you just made. A lot of these people come in with a free lead magnet. They might, they might come in, you know, with that lower ticket. But as long as you have the opportunity to nurture that relationship, I mean, I mean, I want to get as many people as I can in the Private Money Academy membership so we can hang out on Zoom, you know, and this just came to mind. Another way that I nurture the relationships before the event that’s coming up is I’ll do special Zoom trainings for people.
Jay Conner [00:41:56]:
Say, for example, I’m doing a special Zoom training tomorrow at noon Eastern just for people in my LinkedIn connections. And that’s a whole other conversation. But I’ve created an event, the Private Money conference event, on my LinkedIn page. Well, I’ve got 130. Some people in the past three weeks have clicked yes, they want to attend. Well, Most people on LinkedIn think your event is virtual, so it isn’t. So what am I going to do? I’m doing a special Zoom training for these LinkedIn people, all about private money, tomorrow. And what am I going to do at the end of that free training? I’m going to invite them to the live event that’s coming up.
Jay Conner [00:42:38]:
So that’s what I mean by all roads leading to the live event.
Megan Huber [00:42:44]:
Yeah. This is so good. So good. Okay. This has been a masterclass on the right way to build a funnel and a client journey. So thank you for sharing all those details. Here’s where I want to kind of land the plane. If you could pinpoint, you don’t have to come up with just one, but if you could pinpoint what’s really led to your long-lasting success.
Megan Huber [00:43:15]:
Something X. I’d like to hear you share something external outside of you, and then something internal inside of you. Because longevity. When I think of Jay Connor, I also think of longevity. I think legacy. I think the name of this podcast is built to last. So what is your kind of secret to building something that lasts? External and internal? We’ll end there.
Jay Conner [00:43:39]:
Yeah, that’s an interesting question because it’s actually external. My answer is actually external and internal. The external becomes internal. What in the world am I talking about? I can tell you what has kept me going and feel like I’m always on the cutting edge of, you know, what new strategies are working and, you know, maybe what no longer works. It’s. It’s these masterminds that I’m a member of. I mean, getting around other people, such as yourself, Megan. I mean, if I hadn’t joined the mastermind that you and I are in, you and I probably would not have met.
Jay Conner [00:44:19]:
I wouldn’t have the stellar home study course on private money that I now have without us being in that. So the relationships, I forget who is credited with the quote, but the quote, I’ll paraphrase it more or less, says your destiny and future are predicated on the books you read and the people you meet. And so the Mastermind is external. That, I mean, that’s a group that I’ve joined, right? And I’ve been in many. And still. And still am. But what becomes internal, what becomes internal and gives me the juice to keep going, is the inspiration that I receive from my fellow Mastermind members. I joined my very first mastermind in 2011 right after becoming a coach and I joined the Mastermind.
Jay Conner [00:45:13]:
It was another. Other coaches. And so I have been in mastermind communities and groups ever since I started this journey of being a real estate investing coach. And it is the. If I could choose just one thing, I mean, without it, I wouldn’t be in business. Without being a member that’s actively involved in a really good mastermind group of like-minded people. I just can’t imagine being in this business on an island by myself.
Megan Huber [00:45:49]:
Yeah. Wow, that’s real. That’s really good. And you’re in multiple groups and multiple masterminds, not just one too. Yeah. That’s amazing, Jay. This has been so fun. Well, I mean, we could, we could literally like do a whole work.
Megan Huber [00:46:02]:
We could do a whole-day workshop.
Jay Conner [00:46:04]:
On this for sure.
Megan Huber [00:46:06]:
But this has been so amazing. You know, we’ve got a lot of coaches and educators as listeners, a lot of Entrepreneurs. We’ve got some real estate investors. So I’d love for you to share. You know, how can people kind of check out that funnel and see what your process is like? And if they’re interested in learning about raising private money for a real estate deal, how can they learn more from you?
Jay Conner [00:46:27]:
Sure. Well, actually, to look at and swipe and deploy any of my strategies that you want to. I would encourage you, as a listener to this podcast, to just opt into my funnel, into my marketing funnel. So, if you’re interested in raising private money, you’ll get all the goods on that as well. So let me mail you my book. So the book is where to get the money now. And so you opt in. So it’s shipping and handling. Simply go to www.JayConner.com/Book Again, I’m an er, not a o R so that’s www.JayConner.com/Book.
Jay Conner [00:47:25]:
When you get to that landing page, you’ll opt in and you’ll. So I’ll autograph and mail the book to you. We actually ship, but I lose money. It cost me about $20 to deliver this book. So I’ve got the cost of the book. But then we pry. We’ll priority mail it. I don’t rely on media mail or first-class mail.
Jay Conner [00:47:47]:
We will mail the book to the people who ordered it. And so once you order the book, you will see that series of eight emails that are spread over about a week and a half. You’ll see the other offers that come from the people who opt in. You’ll also see I got a. I got a fun game. I include tickets to the Private Money conference. I also include the free trial to the Private Money Academy membership with the book. And so there are three offers in envelopes: envelope one, envelope two, envelope three.
Jay Conner [00:48:30]:
And on envelope one, it says open this envelope first, and then envelope number two, open this envelope second, open this envelope third. So we’re having fun and getting them engaged, you know, right off the bat. So yeah, opt in Jconnor.com book and you can swipe and deploy my marketing funnel.
Megan Huber [00:48:53]:
I love it. I love it. That’s so fun. What a fun idea. I love that. Choose your own little adventure there in the book. Amazing. Jay, thank you so much for pulling back the curtain and sharing with us, you know, 14, 15 years of experience in not just the real estate investing world, but how you turned that expertise and specialized knowledge into a coaching company that is just continues to thrive in 2025.
Megan Huber [00:49:20]:
We’re kind of like living in this new world. But you are still, still inspired and thriving and moving along. So I appreciate you sharing, really, your entire client journey with us. It was a pleasure to be with you today.
Jay Conner [00:49:32]:
You got it. Megan. Thank you so much for having me on. And if anybody wants to talk shop or talk coaching or whatever, you can find me easily there@jconnner.com as well. And again, if you’re interested in private money, I mentioned it earlier in the show, but come check out my podcast. You can experience what I do there on marketing. I mean, we’ve got the beginning of the podcast or the end of the podcast offering the money guide, right? So I use the podcast as a lead funnel as well.
Jay Conner [00:50:08]:
Megan, thank you so much for having me on. This has been a blast.
Megan Huber [00:50:11]:
All right, thank you so much. Jay.
Narrator [00:50:15]:
Are you feeling inspired by the knowledge you gained in this episode? Then head over to www.JayConner.com/MoneyGuide, that’s www.JayConner.com/MoneyGuide, and download your free guide that shares seven reasons why private money will skyrocket your private real estate investing business. Right now, again, that’s www.JayConner.com/MoneyGuide to get your free guide. We’ll see you next time on Raising Private Money with Jay Conner.