Windermere Real Estate’s Coaching Minute features Marguerite’s Referral Business

After 15 years at Windermere Real Estate I was delighted to be interviewed by Windermere Services SVP Michael Fanning for his “Coaching Minute” podcast. If you’ve never heard it before Michael interviews agents from across the Windermere network and beyond about the strategies that make them unique and make them successful. This episode is called, “Season 9 Episode #7 The Referral Business: Building Connections for Success” and can be found on iTunes, Spotify, Youtube, or wherever you get your podcasts.

I was delighted to spend some time answering Michael’s questions about something I’m often asked about: how a referral-based real estate business really works, and who it’s for. I get a lot of emails from agents all over the country who heard about how I connect clients with agents that I vet for them. Agents are curious about how the process works. It will be great to be able to just send them this podcast now!

Why Windermere wanted to talk to me about referrals

The episode focused on my transition from traditional production to a 100% outbound referral-based business, and what that shift has required in terms of mindset, systems, and identity.

After a decade as a Tacoma real estate agent I began referring clients in 2011 and moved fully to a referral-only model in 2017 after the success of my website, Tacoma neighborhood guide, and Tacoma podcast MovetoTacoma.com. Today, my business is built entirely around matching buyers with expert agents who are a fit for them and maintaining those relationships (with the clients and the agents) over time.

What interested the coaching team wasn’t just the model itself, but the discipline behind it:

• My belief that all clients deserve to work with experts

• How I built an online presence that builds trust with clients and encourages them to reach out to me

• How I vet the clients and the agents so that both parties are happy (and the transaction actually closes!)

• How I strive to set clear expectations around process, communication, and outcomes

What makes my referral business actually work

One of the biggest misconceptions we discussed is that referral businesses are “passive” or easier than traditional production. While it’s true that I no longer do transactional work, my job is now earning the trust of clients and prospecting for those clients as well as finding the best real estate agents in the region and keeping track of their niches and expertise.

A few of the core ideas we unpacked:

• A referral business requires lots of clients. Like 4 times as many as a traditional agent.
  You can’t refer business you don’t already have. A full time referral model only works when the volume of clients reaching out to you consistently exceeds the number of people you can work with.

• Trust is built through making sure clients work with experts
  Matching clients to agents isn’t about popularity or branding. It’s about understanding transaction types, communication styles, price points, and local expertise and making sure the agent and the client are the right fit.

• Not every referral will close - and that’s okay.
  Most years, roughly half of my referrals close within 12 months. Tracking those metrics, setting expectations, and maintaining long-term relationships matter far more than short-term wins. That said since that interview the conversion rate has gone way up. One of life’s mysteries. But for others, I strongly recommend planning for a 50% close rate while you figure out your own.

• Identity is often the biggest barrier.
  Many agents struggle with the idea of “giving away” clients because their identity is tied to being the person who does everything. Letting go of control is often harder than learning the systems.

Which agents this model is (and isn’t) for

We were very clear about this on the podcast: a referral-based business is not a shortcut, and it’s not a starting point for new agents.

It works best for professionals who:

• Have strong lead generation already in place

• Know their market deeply and can discern who the experts are

• Are comfortable playing a long game (patience is required for this to work)

• Care more about quality and sustainability than volume (though volume comes with time)

For others, hybrid or partial referral models can be a powerful step- especially when paired with clear partnerships and tracking systems.

Who this interview is for

What struck me most about this conversation is how relevant it feels right now. Markets shift. Technology accelerates. The pressure to “do more” never really disappears. What does change is the need for clarity — about what kind of business you’re building and why.

That’s the work I continue to do with agents and professionals today: helping people design businesses that actually support their lives, instead of consuming them.

If you’re curious about referral systems, alternative business models, or what sustainability really looks like in real estate, this episode is worth a listen. If you still have questions, heck- book an hour with me on my coaching schedule and we can figure it out for your specific situation.