Ep #17: Co-Marketing Best Practices with Total Expert

Geoff interviews Joe Welu about how loan officers can build genuine co-marketing partnerships with real estate agents using Total Expert's platform. Topics include how to qualify agent partners, what top agents actually want from LOs, and how to use tools like open house automation, direct mail, Zillow lead integration, and BombBomb video to deliver real value. Best for LOs who want to move beyond rate-and-relationship pitches and become a true business partner to agents.

Takeaways you can run this week

• Before co-investing with any agent, ask two qualifying questions: (1) 'How many loan officers are you currently co-marketing with?' — if the answer is 3-5, walk away; (2) 'How many active listings do you carry on average?' — if it's zero, limit your investment to low-cost activities like open houses or buyer seminars only.
• Call the broker of a large franchise real estate office (30-100+ agents) and offer to teach a free 20-30 minute lunch-and-learn on open house best practices. Use that session to introduce co-marketing tools and capture agents as new partners organically.
• Target listing agents specifically — not just buyer's agents — because listing inventory is the point of sale that generates buyer leads. Prioritize co-marketing spend alongside agents who control inventory.
• Integrate BombBomb video into your lead follow-up sequence. When a Zillow or online lead comes in, send a personal video message saying you'll be with them every step of the way — this counters rate-shopping behavior by humanizing the relationship before the first call.
• Position yourself to agents as a lead-management partner, not just a rate source. Approach top producers with: 'You've got leads scattered everywhere — let's centralize them, track what's converting, and do more of what's working.' This reframes you as a business partner, not a vendor.
• For compliant co-marketing on print or digital ads (mailers, billboards, landing pages), ensure each party pays their documented pro-rata share of brand space and keep a digital record of that transaction — this is the compliance standard that protects both parties.

The playbook

1. 1. Identify listing agents in your target market segment (jumbo, FHA, etc.) who carry consistent listing inventory.
2. 2. Qualify the agent with two questions before investing: how many LO partners do they have, and how many active listings do they carry.
3. 3. Offer to teach a 20-30 minute lunch-and-learn at their office on open house lead generation — no pitch, pure education.
4. 4. During or after the class, invite agents into a shared co-marketing profile to centralize their leads in one platform.
5. 5. Agree on co-marketing activities (mailers, open house tools, Zillow leads, single property sites) where each party pays their documented pro-rata share.
6. 6. Use video messaging (e.g., BombBomb) for personalized lead follow-up from shared lead sources to humanize outreach.
7. 7. Track which lead sources are converting; reallocate spend toward what works and eliminate what doesn't — share that reporting with the agent to reinforce your value.

Worth quoting

“It's not as much about the money, it's not as much about lead flow back and forth — it's about a really smooth and consistent customer experience.”

“The end result is always directly related to the quality of questions you're asking up front and on an ongoing basis.”

Best for

LOs who already talk about 'adding value' to agents but lack a concrete system or tool to actually deliver on that promise in a compliant, scalable way.