Ep. 129 - What's Really Working Today in Real Estate Marketing?

Geoff and Michael Hellickson debate what's actually working in real estate marketing — cold calling, door knocking, farming, open houses, portal leads, and personal branding — and whether Zillow is a threat or an opportunity. They also cover how LOs can position themselves as true partners to high-producing agent teams rather than vendors with their hand out. LOs who want to break into top-producing agent teams or diversify beyond a single referral source should listen.

Takeaways you can run this week

• Audit your lead sources today: if any single source (agents, Zillow co-pays, referrals) exceeds 25% of your closed volume, build a plan to reduce it — the benchmark for a durable business is no source over 25%, ideally under 5%.
• When approaching a high-producing agent team (75+ transactions/year), lead with what you'll bring them, not what you want from them. Calculate how many consumer leads you generate monthly and tell the agent: 'I can commit roughly X leads per month; on a typical conversion rate that's Y closings per year for your team — at no cost to you.'
• Use this exact script agents should say to buyers to introduce your lending services without friction: 'If we could save you $10,000 to $20,000 on your mortgage, would you be interested in just chatting with one of our lenders?' — only ask AFTER the showing appointment is already set.
• Go to clubwealth.com/blog and find the 'Massive Open House' post (includes a free hour-long video and checklist). Call one agent and offer: 'Let me help you get 50 to 150 people to your next open house — I'll show you exactly how.' Use this as your door-opener with new agent relationships.
• Target agents doing 75+ transactions per year exclusively. Stop spending relationship capital on agents doing 4 deals a year — the same time and energy invested with a team agent yields 10–20x the return.
• If you want to build a personal brand through content and social media, set a realistic timeline: expect zero ROI for 8–12 months, modest ROI by month 24, and meaningful ROI only after 36 months — plan your cash flow and agent hustle accordingly so you don't quit early.

The playbook

1. Step 1: Identify agent teams doing 75–150+ transactions/year in your market.
2. Step 2: Approach with a lead contribution offer, not a service pitch — quantify the transactions you can bring.
3. Step 3: Negotiate to be embedded in the team: attend their huddles, get access to their lead database, make outbound calls alongside their agents.
4. Step 4: When team agents connect with buyers, set the showing appointment first — never demand pre-approval before showing a home.
5. Step 5: Once the showing is booked, use the script: 'If we could save you $10–$20K on your mortgage, would you chat with one of our lenders?'
6. Step 6: Co-invest in portal leads (Zillow, realtor.com) proportionally — but only if you have access to those leads directly and can make outbound calls on them yourself.
7. Step 7: Track pipeline momentum (leads touched, apps pulled, pre-approvals issued) at 30–60 days; expect actual ROI no sooner than 6–12 months.

Worth quoting

“Price is only an issue in the absence of value.”

“Stop becoming a tool for your agents and become a partner for them.”

Best for

LOs who are over-reliant on a handful of agent relationships and want a frank framework for breaking into high-producing agent teams without co-marketing checks as their only lever.