How to Call Agents, Get Referrals, and Close Over 250 Loans with Chris Coghill

Chris Coghill breaks down exactly how he cold calls agents, runs agent marketing classes via Zoom, and built a self-sustaining referral machine in under two years. LOs who rely on one channel for agent business or who avoid the phone will find this episode particularly useful.

Takeaways you can run this week

• Build a tiered agent call list of 700-800 agents segmented by production level and openness, then assign each a contact frequency: top relationships weekly, warm contacts bi-weekly, cold contacts monthly. Block this time daily without exception.
• Before each cold call, research the agent on social media or their listing portfolio and open with one specific detail: 'In prepping for my call I noticed X — congrats on that listing/award.' This prevents you from sounding like a random dialer.
• On cold calls, do NOT go into solution mode. Your only job on the first call is to uncover what the agent is trying to build — ask what their growth goals are, what events they're planning, what's missing from their business. Solutions come later.
• If an agent won't come to your class, offer a 'paired-down version over coffee, one-on-one Zoom, or phone' — flex to their comfort level rather than forcing them into your preferred format.
• To fill Zoom agent classes, use a five-channel invite sequence: cold call, text, BombBomb video email, social media post, and ask the broker-in-charge to cascade the invite to their team's private Facebook group. Relying on email alone produces lackluster attendance.
• Pick 3-5 niche products you can confidently pitch (e.g., manufactured home loans, $100-down HUD programs, a specific DPA program) and write them on a wall chart. Lead cold calls with these when asked 'what makes you different?' rather than defaulting to 'great rates and service.'

The playbook

1. 1. Pull a list of agents from a brokerage site or Zillow listings in your market.
2. 2. Research each agent — social profile, recent listings, awards — and note one connection point before calling.
3. 3. Call with the goal of learning, not closing. Ask: what are you trying to build? What events are you planning? Where do you want to grow?
4. 4. Listen, take notes, and reflect back: 'If I heard you correctly, these three things matter most to you — what else?'
5. 5. Invite them to your next agent class as a no-pitch educational event: 'This is not an infomercial — we talk about low-to-no cost strategies, the trade-off is effort.'
6. 6. For agents who won't attend a class, offer a one-on-one version via Zoom, phone, or coffee.
7. 7. Promote each class via call, text, BombBomb video email, social post, and broker-in-charge cascade.
8. 8. After class, follow up with everyone who registered (attended or not) and everyone who showed up unregistered — each list has different conversion energy.
9. 9. Track referrals per class. Chris averages 2-6 referrals per Zoom class.
10. 10. Use questions raised in class to determine the topic of your next class — let the room set your content calendar.

Worth quoting

“I want to hear no because that means I did my job. If I hear maybe, I've still got to keep digging.”

“When you become their educator, you build trust. They reach out and say, I want to know more.”

Best for

LOs who are active with agents but rely on only one outreach channel — or who have avoided cold calling because they think it doesn't work.