Episode Details
Back to Episodes292 | How to Sell More Homes by Referral (Part 2)
Description
Want to build exclusively by referral? Book a discovery call to see if the 3-month group cohort is right for you.
Have questions or need help?Β
π§Β Email Me - garrett@garrettmaroon.com
------
Haven't listened to Part 1? Check that out first!
Most real estate agents want a referral-based business. They just don't have a system for it β and good intentions without structure will always lose to life, busyness, and distraction.
In Part 2 of this referral series, Garrett Maroon breaks down the exact 36-touch system he's used to sell 50+ homes a year for ten consecutive years β never missing a single month, even through personal loss. Built from a combination of the Brian Buffini method, Keller Williams systems, and years of field-testing, this isn't theory. It's a repeatable, low-cost, relationship-first framework that any agent can install and run.
Last year, Garrett spent $7,500 on this system and generated $700,000 in GCI. No Facebook ads. No pay-per-click. No cold outreach. Just consistent, intentional touches with the people already in your world.
This episode is the actionable follow-up to Part 1 (mindset). Here, Garrett walks through every single touch β mailers, emails, video texts, handwritten notes, pop-by gifts, and client events β structured on a quarterly calendar so simple you'll know your exact lead generation strategy five years from now. If you've been wanting to build a business by referral but didn't know how to make it consistent, this is the episode.
Key Takeaways
1. Consistency beats creativity β every time. Only 11% of agents consistently send anything to their database. The agents who win in referral-based real estate aren't the most creative β they're the most consistent. Garrett has never missed a single month of his 36-touch system in ten years. That consistency is the pipeline.
2. The 36-touch system broken down. Each month includes three core touches: a mailer sent on the 1st, an email sent on the 15th, and one personal touch. That's 24 low-level touches per year (12 mailers + 12 emails) plus 12 personal touches β structured in a quarterly rotation of phone call/video text β handwritten note/pop-by gift β client event/client coffee. Rinse and repeat.
3. Use Wise Pelican for postcards and keep costs low. Garrett sends a simple postcard every month β not a fancy mailer in an envelope that gets tossed unopened. Postcards work because people see your face before they throw it away. Pro tip: split the cost with a mortgage lender by co-branding the card.
4. Emails don't build relationships β but they still matter. Don't spend hours crafting a polished monthly newsletter. A simple email sent to a blind-copied database on the 15th keeps your name in front of people. Toss the content into ChatGPT and send something clean and easy. The goal isn't a deep read β it's a consistent presence in the inbox.
5. Video texts are the highest-ROI personal touch for most agents. In the first month of every quarter (January, April, July, October), send a 20β30 second personal video text to everyone in your database. No tracking needed β bold their name in your Google Sheet as you go. It's warm, it's human, and it doesn't require a phone call most people don't actually want to receive.
6. The handwritten note is a superpower β less than 0.7% of mail today is handwritten. In the second month of