After doing $20,000,000+ worth of business in the last 5 years, I've learned a lot of these lessons the hard way. And so this is a reminder to myself and hopefully a lesson to those trying to make it in this real estate media industry.
Even if you have the 100+ 5-star reviews, and proven processes and systems in place to help them succeed.
The Karens of the industry will always find something to complain about.
Whether they’re doubting your credibility intentionally or not…
The best choice isn’t to prioritize them...
It’s to politely fire them and let them know "you aren't a good mutual fit" and you can refer them to a great competitor
The same thing goes with your pricing, sales process, marketing, and what you put out on social media.
Marketing yourself as the cheapest option doesn't attract the top 20% of agents who have a distinguished eye.
Giving away free shoots can attracts wrong type of clients as well. The ones that don't respect your time and will cheat on you for the next free dinner.
In your sales process, not asking consultative questions and qualifying questions "do you feel like your marketing is strong enough to win listings against [top agents] in [city]"? to position yourself as the expert rather than just an order taker. This level of consultation is what it takes to get top agents to spend 2x with you.
The right business strategy will repel any tire kickers, complainers, and keep refunds low…
While saving you tons of time and headaches in the long run as you scale.
You may not get quite as many sales in the beginning… but the wrong client is taking up space in your limited bandwidth, and right client is worth waiting for.
My top clients spend $20-80k a year with me. These types of clients have a higher lifetime value.
They're loyal, and will refer you to their network.
Which means you’re much more likely to create a prosperous business with investing time in them, rather than pleasing the Karen-type agents who will drive you insane.
It’s the best of both worlds…
More profit and less headaches.
