Ep #1: Wade Vander Molen the DC Title Guy

Wade Vander Molen rebuilt his title business from zero contacts in a brand-new market by creating consistent content (weekly blog posts and YouTube videos), teaching free marketing classes to real estate agents, and using a CRM to systematically follow up. This episode is directly applicable to any LO who needs to break into a new market or differentiate themselves from competitors. The core strategy is becoming the local marketing educator rather than another vendor begging for referrals.

Takeaways you can run this week

• Commit to publishing one blog post and one video per week minimum — block time on your calendar for this the same way you would for a client appointment.
• Build your agent database from scratch: have an assistant pull roster lists from local real estate office websites, load them into a CRM (Wade used WiseAgent), then send a weekly email newsletter with a legal tip, a marketing tip, and links back to your latest video or blog post.
• Approach brokers directly and offer to teach a free class on a specific topic (e.g., 'How to Set Up a Professional YouTube Channel' or 'FHA vs. VA Financing for Your Buyers'). Frame it as agent retention value for the broker — even offices with joint-venture lenders will let you in.
• At the end of every class, ask: 'Raise your hand with your business card if you think I've earned your next transaction and you want me to follow up with you.' This turns a soft close into an explicit opt-in and gives you a clear call list.
• During classes, qualify the room with show-of-hands questions: 'Who has a website you own and control?' then 'Who updated it in the last two weeks?' Use responses plus a production report (pull from MLS) to prioritize which attendees get aggressive follow-up.
• Every Friday, post on Facebook that you are on call all weekend for rate questions, pre-approval letters, or mortgage questions — and that agents whose current LO doesn't answer should call you. Do this consistently for several months.

The playbook

1. 1. Build a WordPress website as your central hub before doing anything else.
2. 2. Create a YouTube channel and commit to at least one video per week — start with basic talking-head format, no expensive equipment required.
3. 3. Compile a prospect database by pulling agent/LO rosters from local office websites; load into CRM segmented by A-clients, prospects, mortgage contacts.
4. 4. Send a weekly email (Wade called his 'Marketing News You Can Use') with a legal Q&A, a marketing tip, upcoming events, and links back to your site/video.
5. 5. Develop 2-3 educational classes around topics your target agents need (social media, YouTube setup, SEO basics, loan product education).
6. 6. Pitch brokers to let you teach in their office — frame it as agent retention, not sales.
7. 7. Run a production report on every class attendee via MLS; prioritize follow-up on agents with 7+ transactions in the past year who are not yet maxed out on systems.
8. 8. At class end, do the hand-raise close for business cards from interested attendees.
9. 9. Follow up every hand-raiser with a direct ask: 'You told me to follow up — I'd love your next transaction.'
10. 10. Once clients are stable, reduce outbound hustle and let the content platform generate inbound inquiries while you focus on adding 3-5 new A-clients per quarter.

Worth quoting

“You never have a lack of business problem, you have a lack of client problem.”

“Once I gained the knowledge, I had all the leverage because they didn't have it.”

Best for

LOs who are new to a market or stuck relying on 4-5 agents and need a repeatable system to attract and convert new referral partners without cold-calling.