If Clients Question Your Commission, Read This.
Every so often, you’ll hear someone say real estate agents make too much money.
Maybe it comes from a client. Maybe it’s a headline. Maybe it’s a comment on social media.
And maybe they’re looking at a commission cheque on a $1M home and thinking, “You sold one house and made $25,000?”
From the outside, that’s easy to understand. But that’s only what they see.
They don’t see the weeks, and sometimes months, of prospecting, preparing, marketing, negotiating, coordinating, solving problems, managing deadlines, and guiding clients through one of the biggest financial decisions of their lives.
They don’t see the deals that never close.
They don’t see the weekends you give up.
They don’t see the evenings spent answering calls.
They don’t see the countless hours invested before a single commission cheque is ever earned.
So the next time someone questions you commission, before you get defensive, ask yourself a different question.
Have I actually shown my clients the value I provide?
Most clients only see a small fraction of what we do. They see the showing. They see the sign on the lawn. They see the offer being presented.
What they don’t see are the dozens of conversations, negotiations, follow-ups, pricing strategies, contract reviews, inspections, financing issues, and last-minute problems being solved behind the scenes.
They don’t see the phone calls that keep a deal together. They don’t see the hours spent researching the market before recommending a price. They don’t see the negotiation that saves them thousands of dollars. They don’t see the inspection issue that could have killed the deal, or the paperwork reviewed line by line to protect their interests.
That is where the value lives.
Becoming a REALTOR® requires a big investment. Before many new agents earn their first commission, they’ve already spent thousands of dollars on licensing, board fees, insurance, education, technology, and building a business.
Then comes the real challenge.
There is no salary.
No guaranteed paycheque.
No benefits.
Only the opportunity to earn a living by consistently creating value for clients.
The commission isn’t payment for opening a door.
It’s payment for the expertise, preparation, negotiation, problem-solving, and responsibility that help clients make one of the biggest financial decisions of their lives.
The truth is, most clients never see 80% of what we do. And if they don’t see it, they can’t appreciate it.
That’s why the best agents don’t just provide value. They make their value visible.
This week’s assignment is simple:
- Write down five things you do for your buyers or sellers that most clients never see.
- Create a short video or social media post explaining one of them. Include it in your next newsletter.
- During your next buyer or listing consultation, spend five extra minutes walking clients through your entire process before discussing commission.
When clients understand everything that happens behind the scenes, commission becomes much easier to understand.
Talk soon.