Infonestira

When you stop making marketing about yourself and start making it about buyers and sellers, Jimmy Burgess writes, everything changes.

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Invest in yourself, grow your business—real estate’s biggest moment is in New York!

Most agents are missing the mark when it comes to marketing. Not because they aren’t working hard. Not because they don’t care. But because they’re still marketing like it’s 2019 in a market that looks nothing like it did five years ago.

For a long time, real estate marketing was built around one idea: Look at me. Look at my sales. Look at my rankings. Look at my hustle. And to be fair, there was a time when that approach worked. That time has passed.

Today’s buyers and sellers are more informed, more skeptical, and far more focused on what’s in it for them. They don’t want noise. They don’t want ego. And they definitely don’t want recycled bragging points that feel disconnected from the reality they’re navigating right now.

5 things your clients don’t care about

The following are five things agents boast about that today’s customers could care less about. Instead of these brags, I’ll share what is actually working right now to earn attention, trust and business.

1. Past successes where you are the hero

There’s nothing wrong with having a strong track record. Experience matters. Results matter. What doesn’t matter is repeatedly bragging about how much business you did during the pandemic years or how many total transactions you’ve closed over the course of your career without connecting it to what a client is facing right now.

Buyers and sellers aren’t impressed by what you did in a market where homes sold themselves in 48 hours. They’re wondering if you can help them navigate a market where listings sit longer, buyers hesitate and decisions feel riskier.

The shift here is simple but powerful: Stop making yourself the hero, and start making your process the hero. Instead of saying, “I’ve sold X number of homes,” show how you developed a marketing plan that repositioned a listing after showings slowed.

Share the story of a buyer who plugged into your buyer system and how it helped prepare him to win a home others missed.

Stats may tell, but your stories of how you’ve helped buyers and sellers achieve their goals will sell.

When people can see themselves in the story, trust follows. When trust is expanding, so is your business.

2. Social media follower count

The market does not care how many followers you have. Follower count is one of the most misleading vanity metrics in real estate marketing. I’ve seen agents with massive followings struggle to convert, and agents with a few hundred hyperlocal followers quietly dominate their markets.

What matters isn’t reach. It’s relevance. I’d rather have 80 views from the right people than 8,000 views from people who will never buy or sell in my market. Depth beats breadth every time.

Instead of chasing numbers, focus on creating content your ideal client would actually value, share or save. Talk about local changes. Market shifts. Neighborhood insights. Things that help someone make a decision, not just scroll past a post. When content resonates, growth happens organically, and it actually converts.

3. Whether you like doing video

The market could care less whether you enjoy video. I know that’s not what some agents want to hear, but it’s reality. Video is how people are consuming information today. Whether it’s YouTube, Instagram or short-form clips shared in group chats, this is where decisions start forming.

This isn’t about becoming an influencer. It’s about accessibility and trust. People want to hear how you explain things. They want to see how you communicate. Video acts as a filter, and not just for clients, but for you. It helps the right people lean in, and the wrong people move on.

You don’t have to be perfect. In fact, the early videos shouldn’t be. You will get better with time, but the authenticity in your early videos will attract buyers and sellers.

4. Awards and accolades

Awards look great on a wall. They just don’t move the market. Consumers are savvier than we give them credit for. They know many awards are purchased or based on criteria that don’t reflect what matters to them.

The shift here is moving from putting yourself in the spotlight to becoming more like a lighthouse. A spotlight shines attention on you. A lighthouse guides people safely where they want to go.

Instead of posting about awards, talk about obstacles you’ve helped clients overcome. Highlight creative solutions. Share how you navigated appraisal issues, financing challenges or timing constraints. Those stories demonstrate competence far more than a trophy ever could.

5. How hard you work

This one is tough, especially for agents who pride themselves on hustle. But the market does not care how hard you work. It cares about outcomes. Buyers and sellers aren’t hiring for effort. They’re hiring for results.

Talking about late nights, early mornings, and nonstop grinding doesn’t inspire confidence. It often creates doubt. People want to know you can get the job done efficiently and effectively, not that you’re exhausted doing it.

Shift the message from effort to impact. Tell stories about wins. Not just big wins, real wins. Share how your systems and processes get results. Share the stories of how your systems and processes helped a seller maximize their sales price, sell their home faster or have a smooth transaction.

Focus on the results and how it benefits them to work with you.

The real takeaway

This isn’t about dumbing down your marketing. It’s about sharpening it. The fastest way to grow in today’s market isn’t louder bragging. It’s clearer messaging. Messaging that says, “I understand what you’re facing, and I know how to help.”

When you stop making marketing about you and start making it about them, everything changes. The agents who embrace this shift will build trust faster, attract better clients and grow more sustainably. The ones who don’t will keep shouting into a market that’s no longer listening.

Jimmy Burgess is the Chief Coaching Officer for HomeServices of America and President of Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices. Connect with him on Instagram and LinkedIn.

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