If you're selling real estate I know you're getting what I'm getting ' those "get rich quick" e-mails from someone promising some miracle if you just wave a magic wand over your cell phone.

Let's face it. These promotions are seductive. We all want the short-term solutions and Cliff Notes that get us results without much sacrifice. It's a particularly sexy notion when it comes to making money in real estate. Whenever I get these e-mails, I can just picture myself at the computer making a couple of entries and, voila, there are suddenly seven figures in my account.

The e-mail I received made me think of something profound that I witnessed at our marketing systems seminar, The Gateway, recently held in Orlando. An agent who has been through Hobbs/Herder trainings stood before the crowd and told us of his path to success in real estate. Philip Belcher earned $160,000 last year, shortly after coming into the industry and committing to marketing systems that foster long-term success and market share.

In stark contrast to doing anything overnight, Philip instituted structures that built his business. Yes, he got quick results. But the big difference between his program and fly-by-night solutions is that his is built on a personalized brand that drives his value and image into the minds of the consumer. It's a long-term approach as opposed to an immediate fix, and that's where the rubber hits the road.

The problem with get rich quick programs is they insist you copy a cookie-cutter, one-size-fits-all marketing plan that doesn't address the uniqueness of you or your marketplace. The missing element in this "strategy" is you.

Anyone can mail post cards and get business, but what Philip did was nurture a business that gained momentum and increased his market share. If Philip's methods, systems and processes worked so well in his first year, imagine what it'll do in year two and three and beyond.

It doesn't take long to build something worthwhile, but it does take fortitude and commitment, as his very powerful story proves. So don't be afraid to take on a get rich slow approach that really works; it's far better than the empty promise of an instant fix.

Please share your thoughts with me.