Referrals.

We usually think about industry professionals like lawyers, mortgage brokers, or tax advisors.

But sometimes, the people you least expect become your best leads.

Let us tell you 3 stories that completely blew us away.

One of us was at a local hairdresser for a haircut, as usual with Johnny.

But this time something was different. He had a real estate business card lying on his desk.

“So, you’re into real estate now, huh? I’ll be getting a haircut while you sell me houses?”

It genuinely seemed that he was just showing off 😅. But the story behind it was much smarter.

He was not actually a hairdresser aaand a realtor.

What was really happening is that he had partnered with his close friend, a realtor, who would give 25% of his commission if Johnny brought clients interested in buying or selling a house, and the deal went through.

Never thought of it that way but hairdressers are real lead-gen machines. They can provide valuable leads for realtors without ever picking up a contract themselves.

This story comes from our friend, a realtor who actually started his career as a school teacher.

Teachers know families. They know who is moving, who is buying, who is renting.

Our friend was no different and realized he could partner with a local agent, becoming a valuable lead-gen machine in exchange for referrals.

It all started when he noticed many families were looking for houses near the school. He did not waste any opportunity and called a local realtor whenever he saw potential buyers.

The system worked.

Parents kept asking him for referrals, and he earned a lot of opportunities (and a lot of cash).

Moving forward to today: he realized he could take it to the next level, and he changed his profession to real estate himself. (how ironic)

This one totally blew us away.

Yes, a pool cleaner!!

We got this tip from a fellow broker who had just entered the luxury market but did not have any high-net-worth contacts.

But he knew 1 person who owned a pool maintenance and cleaning company in a really luxurious area of Lisbon.

This was the closest connection he could get to millionaires. 💰💰💰

So he convinced one of the pool cleaners to refer potential buyers or sellers of multi-million-euro mansions.

And it also worked.

Still to this day, he gets at least one million-dollar listing every couple of months and the pool cleaner - a bigger cheque ;)

This actually got us thinking 🤔

How many people do we talk to every week who could unknowingly help us?

People we see regularly but dismiss because they “aren’t relevant”?

Imagine this.

You wake up tomorrow, and your entire network is gone.

No past clients.
No phone numbers.
No WhatsApp groups.
No Facebook contacts.

Would you be able to start over?

It’s a scary thought. But it’s not impossible if you move to another city or country, for example.

We don’t think about it much, because we assume our network will always be there the same people referring us, tagging us, talking about us.

But what if they weren’t?

Real estate is built on relationships. Yet sometimes, we lean so heavily on our existing ones that we stop planting new seeds.

🔹 What if your market suddenly changed and half of your clients moved away?
🔹 What if your old contacts stopped engaging - would you know where to begin again?
🔹 Are you still building new relationships, or just nurturing the same old ones?

Because truth is - most of us rely on momentum. The referrals that keep coming, the messages that keep pinging, the same circles that feel “safe.”

But if we stripped all that away… what would be left?

Would we have the skills, the curiosity, the courage to rebuild from scratch?

Maybe the better question is: When was the last time you met someone new outside your usual circle?

🔹 The café owner who sees you every morning.
🔹 The parent you always wave to at school pickup.
🔹 The neighbor who walks his dog at the same time as you.

Every person is a potential connection.
Not because they might buy or sell - but because they remind you how connections start in the first place. 💡

So, you finally made your 1st content plan.

Congrats 👏 You survived step one.

Now comes the question everyone secretly dreads:

“How the heck do I actually film this thing?”

Because let’s be honest - writing ‘Monday: Day in the Life Reel’ is one thing.
Turning on the camera and actually talking into it… is another story.

We’ve all been there.
Overthinking the lighting, the background, the script, the gear.

Here’s the truth - none of that really matters (that much).

You see: you don’t necessarily need a professional camera. You don’t need a ring light. And you certainly don’t need a studio.

Your phone is enough.

Yes, seriously.

We shot our first 20 videos on an iPhone 12.
Nobody cared.

People cared about what we said, not what we filmed it with.

Here’s the only things you have to pay attention to:

🔹 Lighting. Daylight is your best friend. Face the window. Let it hit your face. Never behind you (unless you’re going for that “shadowy mysterious realtor” look 👻).

🔹 Sound. People forgive shaky videos. They don’t forgive bad audio. Get close to your phone - one meter away max.

🔹 Setup. Nobody cares if your wall isn’t Pinterest-perfect. Sit at your desk. Walk around a listing. Record in your car. (Car rants are a real thing, and they go viral for a reason 😂).

🔹 (Most importantly) What to say. This is where most people freeze. Don’t. Pick one small topic. One idea. No scripts longer than four lines.

Talk like you would to a friend

Here’s a small trick we use:
If you ever get stuck, just open ChatGPT and type - “Write me a 30-second real estate video script, by topics, about [subject].”

You’ll be surprised how much easier it feels once you just start filming.

💡 Try this: film one 30-second video this week.
Use daylight.
Keep it natural.
And please - don’t watch it 25 times before posting.

Just post it.

We hope you find these tips and tricks useful and can start applying them right away!

Would you like to know what prompts we use to generate engaging Instagram-friendly scripts? Let us know by leaving a comment bellow or replying this email!

Let us know if you found this content useful - we read every email 😉

See you in the next one!

Alex and Daria