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I’m going to dive right in today, and say that again.

Your biggest competition isn’t other Realtors.

It’s STATUS QUO.

Let’s talk about what that means. Here at BLUEPRINT, when I ask our Realtor clients,

“So who’s your competition?”, I typically hear the standard company bias pitch…

“Welllll, we’re doing [insert XYZ marketing or systems activity] to be more disruptive.” 

Or the client emails me their current company slide deck showing the “competitive landscape.” This landscape typically presents as a two-by-two grid with different variables on the X and Y axes of market regions and their Realtor contenders, with Client magically landing in the enviable position of the upper right “MARKET LEADER” quadrant. 

These analysis grids are valuable; they SHOULD be included in your deck. But there’s one competitor that I never see on these grids.

The heavyweight 800-pound gorilla in the sales space, likely the meanest competitor you or your team will ever face: 

STATUS QUO. 

Or, simply put: Doing nothing. No decision. Your buyer or seller lead saying, “Thanks, but we’re all set.” 

Actual data confirms this. 60 percent of all qualified sales pipeline opportunities end up in “no-decision.”

John Doe Renter wants to buy, but “just not yet, I’m gonna sit out the market a little while longer.” Or Jane Doe Seller wants to sell, but decides to reject the Realtor-hire track and attempt a FSBO to “see what happens.”

Status quo, again.

Here’s the deal: Your real estate service represents CHANGE and people don’t have an emotional connection to change.

They have an emotional connection to what they know. And very often, what they know looks like cruising along in neutral and “just thinking about it,” or continuing to “weigh out the options,” or doing it themselves.

That means they AREN’T deciding whether or not to work with you or The Other Realtor. They ARE deciding if they’re willing to make a change or not. This reframes everything.

It means THE STATUS QUO — not other Realtors — is your first and biggest competitive enemy.

It means your best sales pitch sounds more like, “THIS is why you’ll be SAFER if you make a change to buy or sell; how can we do this together?”

… instead of being a monologue on why you’re better than other agents. Your marketing strategy then changes instantly to helping leads understand their PROBLEMS and potential LOSSES.

To apply this concept this well in your marketing, remember what’s called “lizard brain.” (It’s real brain science, y’all.)

Salespeople need to win over the audience’s lizard brain, the primal part of the brain that ensures survival. The lizard brain assesses safety issues and decides whether or not to change. 

Unless it senses danger, the lizard brain advises the body, “Nah bro, chill out, stay where you are.” Maintain status quo; keep cozy. 

If your leads aren’t converting, it mayyyyy be because they’re blind to the risks of not changing. 

How do you stimulate your audience’s lizard brains to convert into action?

Beef up your marketing with the 3 C’s of Status Quo Conversion:

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01 – CONTEXT

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Your buyers and sellers need to know the danger of not making a change. 

Like, why shouldn’t they just keep renting, or keep waiting for interest rates to fall, or do lazy FSBO marketing to sell their home themselves?

If you can explain the real problems of the status quo, you’ll create a sense of URGENCY that prompts the lizard brain to seek safer spaces. (AKA, working with an RE expert like you.)

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02 – CONTRAST

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People need to understand the DIFFERENCE that will result from them making a change. 

Like, what are your strongest before and after seller case studies? What is the “breakeven horizon” for your buyer leads, where buying will become cheaper than renting over time?

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03 – CONCRETE

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Confusion is the enemy of conversion. Lizard brains hate the abstract. Avoid complex examples + dense language in your marketing and use simple visuals to depict contrast and context, keeping copy light where you can.

The bottom line…

Next time you go to market yourself, do something different.

Actually acknowledging that status quo exists IS the first step toward reworking your real estate storytelling. So call out the 800-pound gorilla in the room and stop competing with the shiny Realtor down the street with the good hair — YOU KNOW THE ONE — and ridiculous ad spends.

You’ll notice an immediate change in the conversation. When you communicate, “Hey, you COULD pass on working with a Realtor who is an expert in your market” — your audience will inherently view you as more authentic. Suddenly you’re set apart from the other pitches.

Of course don’t stop there. Apply the 3 C’s of Conversion above, roll up your sleeves, and get to work moving your hottest leads toward CHANGE they can trust.

Call Status Quo into your team meeting, your brand strategy, your social media content. 

See it like the actual market competitor that it is.

This might show up as a more specific, stress-tested Realtor value proposition. 

It might look like more detailed ROI calculations shared with your audience, weaving more extreme positive outcomes and anchoring techniques into your buying/selling solutions.

Might not be easy, but beating Status Quo in your real estate marketing may be the most important victory of your track record.

To you and your brand success, always —

P.S – What’s BLUEPRINT, again? 

We’re a gaggle of designers, writers, and creatives on a mission to change the branding narrative in real estate.

We offer a signature branding service and the industry’s most elegant and high-converting digital products to help modern, stylish Realtors do three things:

➝ Communicate their worth;

➝ Become the obvious choice;

➝ Tell the right stories to stand out + SELL more.

We love new friends, so hop on our email list for more value content, take our wildly popular real estate personality quiz, or follow us on The ‘Gram to join the family.