Rethinking How Agents Charge: Flat Fees, Upfront Money, Shared Risk

Rethinking How Agents Charge: Flat Fees, Upfront Money, Shared Risk

You do the work, carry all the risk, and hope you get paid at closing. This episode breaks down fee models that change that. Join Matt and Garrett for a conversation as they explore what charging looks like outside the standard commission box: flat fees for your marketing and expertise, upfront money on overpriced listings, risk-shifting out clauses, and why more money options actually take pressure off the money conversation. Ideas to react to, not rules to follow, and they want to hear your take. → Join the conversation inside the Ten Tenths community: https://tentenths.co

One Thing to Never Automate in Your Real Estate Business (If You Already Do This Change Now)

You've been told to build systems. You've been told to automate. You've been told the agents who scale are the ones who don't do everything manually. All of that is true. And there is one thing you should never, ever put on autopilot. And if you're doing it right now, you're not building your business. You're quietly wearing it down. In this conversation, we get into the one category of client touch that has to stay personal, no matter how big your database gets. This is about doing the right things in the right places. It comes down to automating the value delivery (reports, data, information the client can use) and leaving the emotional moments alone. Done right, your clients feel seen instead of processed, and the referral machine you've been trying to build actually starts to spin. Join us in the 11 Circle for weekly coaching with Matt and Garrett, additional resources, and full access to our online community. Join at https://tentenths.co [https://tentenths.co] Hosted by Matt Bonelli and Garrett Frey, TenTenths.co — #realestate #realtor #realestateagent #realestatecoaching #realestatebusiness #clientexperience #referrals #realestatesystems #realestatesuccess

Do You Have to Buy Real Estate Leads to Survive? (The Truth About the 3% Rule)

Google launched a real estate product pairing listings with buyer's agents. Every platform is pitching you their pipeline. Underneath all of it is the same message: pay to play, or fall behind. We don't buy it. And when you see the actual math, you might not either. In this conversation, we get into what buying real estate leads actually costs, when it can work, and why it's almost never the answer people think it is. We unpack the video that started this whole conversation (a strong take that agents need to buy Google placements or they're making a "dumb business decision"), why the 3% conversion rate is the benchmark most agents don't want to hear, the math that says 1,500 leads a year turns into 45 deals if you're doing everything right (which is 4.2 leads a day you have to actively work). Our take, you can outperform the agents buying leads, by developing a strong 100 person database that you show up for consistently and let the seven-year cycle plus referrals do the heavy lifting. Done right, you stop chasing strangers at a 3% conversion rate and start running a business that compounds every year you stay in it. Not to mention is a whole lot more fun!

The "Wet Blanket" Listings That Are Killing Your Real Estate Business

"Wet Blanket" might not immediately bring an idea to mind, but we would argue once you hear our definition at least one listing or client will come to mind immediately. In this conversation, we get into the "wet blanket" listings that quietly wreck your business, your energy, and your life. One of the beautiful things of this business is that you get to choose who you work with. You don't have to take every listing, The ones you say no to make room for the ones you were meant to serve. It comes down to laying out your process clearly upfront so the seller can opt in with full understanding, chasing what Matt calls the "unified yes" (where their yes and your yes are the same yes), and being willing to refer out the ones that aren't in alignment. Done right, you stop dragging comforters through your day and start running a business that actually fuels your life. Join at https://tentenths.coHosted by Matt Bonelli and Garrett Frey, Life at Ten Tenths. #realestate #realtor #realestateagent #realestatecoaching #realestatebusiness #listings #listingagent #realestatesuccess #burnout

The Dunning-Kruger Effect in Real Estate: Why Smart Clients Make Confident Mistakes

You're sitting at the listing appointment. Your seller has run their home through Zillow, asked ChatGPT what it's worth, talked to a neighbor who sold last year, and read a Facebook post that confirmed everything they already believed. They walk in fully confident. And you have about ten minutes to work with that. In this conversation, we get into the Dunning-Kruger Effect and what it actually looks like in a real estate transaction. We unpack "Mount Stupid" and "The Valley of Despair" (the two landmarks on the learning curve every client and every agent passes through), why your clients hit peak confidence the moment they know just enough to be dangerous, why this is amplified in real estate specifically because so much of the knowledge only comes from doing the work, Garrett's stock market run (and the moment "the Garrett hedge fund" got humbled), the track day version of the same curve, why the Zillow Zestimate accuracy rating is the most underused conversation-starter you have, the Facebook commenter effect and why everyone's the loudest right before they actually engage, the agent who thinks the high-producer next door is "just lucky," and the closing reframe that you don't avoid this curve. Riding it is growth. If you are thinking you have to knock your client off the mountain to get them to where you need them to be - not quite! It simply comes down to a few things. First, acknowledging they were smart to do research up front, the best of us do. Acknowledge that they got information from somewhere they trust. And show genuine appreciation that they are coming to the table with some ideas. Then collaboratively bringing new information to the table without making them defensive. Done right, confident clients become committed clients, and committed clients close. Want to joins us for weekly coaching - check out tentenths.co