Concept

Peeing on the Tree

What it is

Behind closed doors, I call the final step of the sales process peeing on the tree. Like a dog — they go and they mark their territory. You got a contract signed. Now you have to make it real before second thoughts can crawl in.

The name is crude on purpose because the move is instinctive. You get the contract. You like a dog go mark your territory. Yes, you have a contract, but I want to get that thing to the title company so fast, and have people calling that seller to make it real right away. Before that it was just you and the seller in a living room signing a piece of paper. But as soon as other people start reaching out — that’s when it feels real. That’s marking the territory.

Why it matters

The sales process has four steps: the intro, the walkthrough, the negotiation table, and the transition. The whole process is: intro is 5%, walkthrough is 75%, negotiation is 15%, transition is 5%. That last 5% is where the deal actually gets locked in.

Most deals don’t die at the negotiation table. They die in the days between signing and closing. Sellers have a cooling-off period. Their kid or their neighbor pokes holes in the price. A wholesaler knocks on the door offering a little more. Or they just go quiet and stop returning calls. Every one of those failure modes feeds on silence.

I’ve left contracts that felt unsigned-in-feel because I was tired or in a rush to get to the next appointment, and those are the ones that fell apart before close. Now the rule is: don’t leave until the deal is already in motion.

How it shows up

The second I leave, I call the title company. I have a VA — Jay — and I would send the contract in and they would get the title company working. The goal is that by the time the seller sits down for dinner, the title company has already called them.

Schedule an inspection or walkthrough for the next day or two if there’s one in the deal. Put a real date on the calendar before you leave. Sellers who went from “I’ll think about it” to “contract signed” in one visit need the next 48 hours to feel like something has already started, not a hypothetical they could still back out of.

This pairs with the accusation audit from the start of the visit and the drilling for oil work in the walkthrough. The whole structure is a funnel. Peeing on the tree is what keeps the funnel sealed from the bottom after you’ve poured.

accusation audit, drilling for oil, title company, earnest money, negotiation, close the deal