From $10M to almost quitting — to $143M in one year. These are the luxury real estate tips Manhattan's top agent wishes he knew sooner. Michael Franco started in real estate in 2008 with a law degree, 14 years of closing experience, and zero idea how to actually build a business. He sold $25 million his first full year. Then sat back and waited for the phone to ring. By 2012 he was down to $10 million and almost walked away from real estate entirely. Then he found coaching. And everything changed. Today Michael is one of Manhattan's most respected luxury real estate agents at Compass — with $1.5 billion in career sales and $143 million closed in 2025 alone. In this episode Tom Ferry sits down with Michael to unpack the luxury real estate tips, mindset shifts and business decisions that made the difference — including: • Why being a former attorney gives you an unfair advantage in luxury real estate • The 3 decisions that transformed Michael's career from $10M to $143M • How to earn trust with wealth managers, accountants and family offices • What luxury clients are really hiring you to do — and how to deliver it • The psychology of getting comfortable at a higher price point • The co-listing strategy that gets you into luxury real estate fast • The biggest pricing mistakes luxury agents make — and the scripts that fix them • The pre-launch phone and email campaign most agents completely skip • Where Michael is investing his marketing dollars in 2026 — and why print is out "Everybody has imposter syndrome in the beginning. You gotta get a little confidence, remove the ego, and just serve the customer." — Tom Ferry If you want to break into luxury real estate or take your high end business to the next level — this episode is for you. --------------------- Let’s Connect: Get Your Real Estate Coaching Consultation → https://www.tomferry.com/free-coaching-consultation/ Attend A Tom Ferry Event → https://store.tomferry.com/ Free Tools & Playbooks for Real Estate Agents → https://www.tomferry.com/agent-tools/ Visit My Website → https://www.tomferry.com/ Instagram → https://www.instagram.com/tomferry Facebook → https://www.facebook.com/TomFerry X → https://x.com/tomferry ------------ Interested in a FREE Coaching Consultation? Click Here: https://bit.ly/TFfcc For the majority of my life, I’ve been passionate and dedicated to changing lives by giving away the very best strategies, tactics, and mindset techniques to help you and your business succeed. Join me as we take this to level 10! ------------ Let's Connect: Website - https://TomFerry.com Facebook - https://facebook.com/TomFerry Instagram - https://instagram.com/TomFerry Twitter - https://twitter.com/TomFerry Podcast - https://TomFerry.com/Podcast Events - https://www.tomferry.com/events _____ You are advised that any Information provided on this podcast is not legal advice. Ferry International assumes no responsibility for consequences resulting from the use of the Information. Some of the Information may be outdated or not consistent with current law.

Most realtors sound like everyone else — and it's costing them clients every single day. Joanna Wiebe built a $30M business on client communication tips for realtors that actually work. 0:00 – Intro 0:56 — Why sales and copywriting are the two superpowers that matter most in the AI era 1:50 — Jo Wiebe's background: from English major to copywriter to founding Copy Hackers 5:43 — Jo's copywriting mentors: Claude Hopkins, John Caples, and Jay Abraham 7:40 — The psychology of great copywriting: how word choice changes behavior (the fertility study example) 11:32 — Fixing your website headline: leading with the problem, not the solution 14:35 — Writing a compelling bio/About page that makes prospects feel understood 18:10 — Jobs to be done framework and the empty-nester condo story (storage + dining room insight) 24:15 — Instagram bio hack: the "I help [blank] do [blank]" formula 29:04 — The Copy Selling System framework: listen, find your hook, choose a framework 30:57 — The SweatBlock case study: turning a customer review into a winning headline 32:53 — Copywriting frameworks: problem-agitation-solution vs. desire-obstacle-solution 39:20 — Using AI as a thought partner (the right and wrong way to prompt it with reviews) 42:02 — The rehab center case study: "If you think you need rehab, you do" 46:50 — Two action items: build a habit of listening to customers and documenting it Everything a realtor does every day is writing. Emails. Texts. Listing descriptions. Offer letters. Your bio. Your website headline. Your Instagram profile. And yet almost nobody in real estate was ever trained in the art and science of using words that actually get clients to say yes. That changes today. Tom Ferry sits down with Joanna Wiebe — the woman who coined the term "conversion copywriting" and built a $30 million business helping brands communicate better — to unpack the client communication tips every realtor needs right now. Here is what you will learn: • Why your homepage headline is almost certainly wrong — and the one fix that changes everything • How to write a realtor bio that makes clients feel understood instead of sold to • The voice of customer method — how to use your clients' own words to attract more clients • The Instagram bio formula every realtor should be using: "I help [blank] do [blank]" • Problem-Agitation-Solution vs Desire-Obstacle-Solution — which framework to use and when • Why AI produces generic copy — and what to do instead to stand out • The rehab center headline that got 400% more clicks and 20% more signups overnight • How one word change made people 4.6x more likely to act — and what that means for your listings "Value and differentiation are at the heart and soul of all marketing, all copywriting, all advertising." — Joanna Wiebe If you are a realtor who feels invisible online, sounds like every other agent, or just wants more clients to call back — this episode is for you. Get Joanna's Book: The Copy Selling System: https://copysellingsystem.com Follow Joanna Wiebe on Instagram for daily copywriting tips Tom Ferry Success Summit: https://www.tomferry.com/success Free Tools & Playbooks: https://www.tomferry.com/tools #TomFerry #ClientCommunicationTips #RealtorTips #JoannaWiebe #RealEstateMarketing ------------ Interested in a FREE Coaching Consultation? Click Here: https://bit.ly/TFfcc For the majority of my life, I’ve been passionate and dedicated to changing lives by giving away the very best strategies, tactics, and mindset techniques to help you and your business succeed. Join me as we take this to level 10! ------------ Let's Connect: Website - https://TomFerry.com Facebook - https://facebook.com/TomFerry Instagram - https://instagram.com/TomFerry Twitter - https://twitter.com/TomFerry Podcast - https://TomFerry.com/Podcast Events - https://www.tomferry.com/events _____ You are advised that any Information provided on this podcast is not legal advice. Ferry International assumes no responsibility for consequences resulting from the use of the Information. Some of the Information may be outdated or not consistent with current law.

A 100-year-old brand you already know and trust is about to revolutionize real estate lead generation strategy forever. And their August 1st launch might be the biggest listing lead opportunity of 2026 — but only for the right agents. 0:00 – Intro 0:22 — Why the current real estate lead generation strategy is broken — and what Kelley Blue Book is doing about it 6:16 — What the Kelley Blue Book name means for consumer trust — and why that matters for your lead gen in 2026 12:21 — How Kelley Blue Book Homes delivers more accurate home valuations than Zillow's Zestimate and traditional AVMs 14:13 — How TrueTrack data gives hyper-local pricing intelligence no automated valuation model can match 19:47 — The subscription model that gets agents listing leads without paying a single referral fee 20:46 — Why only vetted, top-performing agents get access — and exactly how to qualify before August 1st 23:53 — How agents are already using Kelley Blue Book Homes to win price reductions and convert stubborn sellers If I asked you how much your car is worth, there's one name that instantly pops into your head. Yes. Kelley Blue Book. Now they're coming for real estate — and your lead generation strategy will never be the same. A Name You Know. And One You Probably Don't, But Should. How did a former New York real estate agent and Harvard graduate named John Liss convince Kelley Blue Book to enter the home valuation game? That's exactly what Tom Ferry unpacks in this episode of the Tom Ferry Podcast Experience — including: • How Kelley Blue Book Homes is building a smarter real estate lead generation strategy by replacing oversimplified AVMs with accurate, data-based property valuations • Why this changes everything for sellers, buyers, and agents tired of Zillow Zestimate alternatives that still miss the mark • How TrueTrack gives agents hyper-local pricing intelligence that no automated valuation model can match • The subscription model that delivers real estate seller leads without a single referral fee • And most importantly — how to get in on the ground floor of the biggest listing lead opportunity of 2026 "Real estate is a hyper-specific game, and you really need to give people the experts where they're at," John says. Might that expert be you? Tom Ferry Success Summit → https://www.tomferry.com/success🎟️ Free Tools & Playbooks → https://www.tomferry.com/tools 🛠️ #TomFerry #RealEstateLeadGeneration #KelleyBlueBookHomes #ListingLeads #RealEstateAgentTips ------------ Interested in a FREE Coaching Consultation? Click Here: https://bit.ly/TFfcc For the majority of my life, I’ve been passionate and dedicated to changing lives by giving away the very best strategies, tactics, and mindset techniques to help you and your business succeed. Join me as we take this to level 10! ------------ Let's Connect: Website - https://TomFerry.com Facebook - https://facebook.com/TomFerry Instagram - https://instagram.com/TomFerry Twitter - https://twitter.com/TomFerry Podcast - https://TomFerry.com/Podcast Events - https://www.tomferry.com/events _____ You are advised that any Information provided on this podcast is not legal advice. Ferry International assumes no responsibility for consequences resulting from the use of the Information. Some of the Information may be outdated or not consistent with current law. #TomFerry #RealEstateLeadGeneration #KelleyBlueBookHomes #ListingLeads #RealEstateAgentTips

Most agents are layering AI on top of an already overwhelming workload — and wondering why they feel busier than ever. This week on the podcast, TF Coach Emily Terrell breaks down what separates agents who drown in AI tools from the ones who use AI to actually buy back their time. Emily runs a real estate team, coaches roughly 14 hours a week, and handles eight speaking engagements a month — and she does it by treating AI as one integrated system, not a junk drawer of flashy apps. If you're a top producer who's hit a ceiling because there's simply no more time left in your day… this is the episode you've been waiting for. In this episode, you'll learn: The Five-Minute Rule: The mindset shift that has you hunting the small, repeatable tasks where AI quietly saves 5–10 minutes at a time — and how those minutes stack into hours. System Over Tools: Why fitting AI into the business you already run beats forcing your business into someone else's app. The 30-Second Listing Presentation: How Emily turned hours of manual prep into roughly 30 seconds of output after five minutes of data collection. The J-Curve of Adoption: The honest learning curve — anywhere from 30 minutes to 30 days — that every agent has to climb before AI starts giving time back. Building Your "Agentic" Team: The shift from doing every task yourself to managing a roster of AI automations that work while you sell. The 90/10 Future: Emily's prediction on where real estate AI adoption is headed over the next 7–10 years — and why waiting is the most expensive option on the table. The structure that lets Emily run a team, coach, and speak without burning out is the same structure she builds with agents inside Tom Ferry coaching. Ready to make AI work for you instead of adding to your plate? Schedule a free call with a Tom Ferry consultant to learn more about coaching and see if it's right for you. 📞 https://www.tomferry.com/free-coaching-consultation/ ------------ Interested in a FREE Coaching Consultation? Click Here: https://bit.ly/TFfcc For the majority of my life, I’ve been passionate and dedicated to changing lives by giving away the very best strategies, tactics, and mindset techniques to help you and your business succeed. Join me as we take this to level 10! ------------ Let's Connect: Website - https://TomFerry.com Facebook - https://facebook.com/TomFerry Instagram - https://instagram.com/TomFerry Twitter - https://twitter.com/TomFerry Podcast - https://TomFerry.com/Podcast Events - https://www.tomferry.com/events _____ You are advised that any Information provided on this podcast is not legal advice. Ferry International assumes no responsibility for consequences resulting from the use of the Information. Some of the Information may be outdated or not consistent with current law.

The generalist agent is disappearing. The ones winning right now aren't trying to be everything to everyone — they're becoming the undeniable expert in one thing. Valerie Upham, a Compass agent in San Diego, did exactly that. By committing to a single, high-need specialty most agents won't touch, she generated over $475,000 in GCI in 18 months — and $267,000 of that came straight from educational seminars and events. If you're still chasing every lead in every price point and quietly wondering why you feel replaceable… this episode shows you the opposite move. In this episode, you'll learn: The Niche-Down Paradox: Why narrowing her focus to one specialty actually multiplied her referrals — and made her the obvious call. The $267K Seminar Engine: How educational events became her single biggest source of GCI in 18 months. The Room of Two: Why Valerie works a 2-person seminar like a full listing appointment — and the listings it's closed. Fill the Room: The exact channel mix she uses to drive attendance — direct mail to 30-year homeowners, Facebook, NextDoor, LinkedIn, and Eventbrite. The Trust-First Play: How shredding events and her own podcast build relationships years before anyone's ready to list. The Equity Protector: Why she personally manages contractors and renovations to protect a family's return through a major life transition. Valerie's results weren't luck. The structure behind her niche was built inside Tom Ferry Coaching. Ready to stop competing as a generalist and become the expert clients seek out? Schedule a free call with a Tom Ferry consultant to learn more about coaching and see if it's right for you. 📞 https://www.tomferry.com/free-coaching-consultation/

This week on the podcast, you'll hear from a coach who closes consistent deals in the exact market everyone else is calling "stuck." Kristi Jencks is a Tom Ferry coach who guides 40 coaching clients, sells 20+ homes a year, and is raising eight children — and she still treats every listing as a way to test scripts she can pass to her clients. In this conversation, she breaks down why the real estate market feels frozen right now, and why the problem lives in your clients' heads, not in the rate sheet. If your pipeline is full of "great" leads who just won't pull the trigger… this episode names exactly what's stopping them, and gives you the scripts to move them forward. In this episode, you'll learn: The Three-Layer Diagnosis: What clients say vs. what's actually stopping them. The 25% Overprice Problem: Why sellers swear their home is worth more than it is. Loss Aversion at the Table: The quirk freezing your best deals at the finish line. The Buy-Now-vs-Later Calculator: The math that ends "let's just wait." Credibility Trackers: How to swap your opinion for hard proof. The "Field Research" Edge: Why Kristi still takes listings on purpose. Everything Kristi teaches her clients runs on the structure of Tom Ferry coaching — the same system behind agents who keep closing while the rest of the market waits. Ready to unstick the deals sitting frozen in your pipeline? Schedule a free call with a Tom Ferry consultant to learn more about coaching and see if it's right for you. 📞 https://www.tomferry.com/free-coaching-consultation/

How's the market? It's the question every agent gets asked. And in Summer 2026, no two markets give the same answer. This week, Tom sits down with David Childers, CEO of Keeping Current Matters, for the data and context agents need to give clients the right answer right now. David brings the latest on mortgage rates, inventory, pricing, and foreclosures. And contrary to what most of the headlines are saying: no, the market isn't crashing. If your sellers think they'll get asking price, your buyers think rates will crater, and everyone thinks foreclosures mean another 2008 — this episode is your reset. In this episode, you'll learn: The Bifurcation Map: Why California, Washington, and Florida prices are softening — while the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast remain rock-solid. The Rate Reality: What mortgage rates are actually doing — and the lender play that can lower a buyer's rate today. The Equity Cushion: The number every agent should have memorized. The 80/40 Listing Truth: 80% of sellers expect to get their asking price. Only 40% do. Here's how to use that gap on listing appointments. The Inventory Reality: Why only 15 states have returned to 2019 inventory — and what that means for your local market. Watch the episode now and then make sure to download David’s slides to use them in your presentations, conversations, and marketing. Get David’s slides here: 👉https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1iOsH-FyajxgrpXIUdpEnLK78zGfiUz97/edit?usp=sharing&ouid=110484379841180842609&rtpof=true&sd=true Ready to become the agent your market actually trusts for answers? The agents who thrive in markets like this don't have better opinions. They have better data — and the discipline to use it. That's the foundation of Tom Ferry coaching. Schedule a free conversation with our office to learn more about coaching and see if it's right for you. 📞 https://www.tomferry.com/free-coaching-consultation/

Most agents are either ignoring YouTube — or posting videos nobody is searching for. Both are costly mistakes. In this episode, Tom sits down with Aaron Cuha, a YouTube coach, real estate veteran, and host of Listing Velocity—YouTube Edition — a revolutionary new YouTube training program only for Tom Ferry Coaching members. Aaron has helped agents sell billions of dollars of real estate using YouTube. Here he gives you the full playbook: how to get found, build trust fast, and convert views into listings — even if you hate being on camera. In this episode, you’ll learn: The #1 video type that drives real buyer and seller search traffic How to build a posting rhythm the algorithm actually rewards Simple SEO moves that move the needle fast Hooks and thumbnails that earn the click How to turn one video into content everywhere The mistakes that kill your reach before you even start