For decades, agents have relied on a familiar playbook: do great work, stay in touch, and trust that clients will send business your way when friends or family need an agent.
That playbook is fading.
At Sell It 2025, Byron Lazine and Ryan Serhant didn’t mince words about where the industry is headed. Byron made it clear the referral-driven model agents have leaned on for years is no longer enough to stay competitive.
“The individual agent business referral model that has been taught for decades is dying right now. So if you’re going to rely on all of the clients you’ve done business with in the past to send you their loyalty and their business in the future, that playbook is running out.”
Why Referrals Aren’t Enough Anymore
The problem isn’t that referrals have no value. The problem is that loyalty no longer holds the same weight it once did.
Clients today are bombarded with offers directly from national platforms promising more exposure, more savings, and more convenience.
That pressure is only going to increase. Byron explained:
“The offers that are going to be put in front of all of our clients are going to be a lot more offers, and they’re going to be a lot sexier. So we have to rely on remarketing that same investment.
“Everybody gets emotional about paying for leads, or how do I invest in leads, or building a certain type of content. They want to do it on the cheap. (But) you have to invest in your own database, or it will disappear.
“And it’s not just being their friend anymore. That won’t be the loyalty when they get (a lower) mortgage payment and this much off (their) comp. The cupcakes (you sent) were good, but I’m going with the deal that makes me the most money.”
That last line says it all: cupcakes are cute, but when clients see a chance to save thousands of dollars, even award-winning cupcakes don’t stand a chance.
How Zillow, Rocket, and Homes Are Playing the Game
National platforms aren’t sitting back and waiting for clients to find them. They’re actively inserting themselves into your transactions, even after a seller has signed with you.
Byron pointed to Homes.com and Zillow Showcase as prime examples.
“Homes right now is sending your sellers, and Zillow just started doing this the other day, too, sending them marketing: ‘Why didn’t your agent tell you about Zillow Showcase? Why didn’t your agent tell you about the marketing you could have had on Homes?’
“You already have a signed contract with that seller, and they’re remarketing them to tell them, ‘Hey, let your agent know to invest with us to enhance your listing so you get more eyeballs on your property.’”
This is happening right now, and it works.
“It’s an eyeball game, and they know that message hits because the sellers are now coming to you saying, ‘Why didn’t we talk about this?’”
The Danger of Ignoring Competitors
The biggest risk isn’t just that national platforms are marketing directly to your clients. It’s that too many agents have no idea what those offers even look like.
Byron pointed out that these companies are constantly innovating, rolling out products and promotions designed to pull consumers away from agents.
“Not enough agents are studying what these companies are doing. Ten or twenty years ago, you didn’t have to, because they didn’t exist. But you do now.”
These platforms aren’t just building consumer-facing tools. They’re reframing the agent-client relationship. Instead of a seller questioning the value of a major portal, they start questioning the value of their agent.
The pitch is simple: your agent didn’t tell you about this feature, but we will. And you’re losing money or visibility because of it.
The offers themselves are powerful:
- Zillow Showcase promises enhanced placement and more eyeballs on listings.
- Homes positions itself as an add-on that maximizes exposure.
- Rocket is bundling financing incentives.
Each one chips away at the agent-client relationship by promising tangible benefits that sound better than small gestures or casual touches.
And unless you study those moves in real time, you can’t counter them effectively.
How Agents Can Compete
Beating billion-dollar platforms doesn’t mean outspending them. It means shifting your approach. The path forward comes down to three actions:
- Refresh your offer regularly. Byron urged agents to treat their offer like a product that must evolve. “You have to really dig into what you’re offering on a quarterly or annual basis,” he said. “Refreshing your offer so it not only matches but exceeds at your local level the offers coming from Rocket and Zillow and Homes.”
- Get ahead of competing messages. Don’t wait for your clients to come to you asking why you didn’t tell them about a competing service. Tell them upfront what they’ll see and explain how you’re already covering it. As Byron put it: “The messaging needs to change, where you’re identifying what offers they’re going to see throughout the process and getting ahead of it.”
- Invest in your database. Your past clients are valuable, but not automatically loyal. Regular remarketing, education, and consistent communication are what keep them from drifting toward national platforms.
Ryan’s reminder is worth repeating:
“It’s not enough just to be the biggest. You have to be the best, you have to be the smartest, you have to be the most well-read, the most intelligent.
“Chasing the shiny object or hoping loyalty carries you is not enough anymore.”
Bottom line: the referral-driven model is eroding, and platforms like Zillow, Rocket, and Homes are accelerating that shift. Your clients are seeing competing offers, and they’re asking tough questions about why you didn’t bring those offers up first.
The sooner you adapt your approach, the better positioned you’ll be to keep control of your client relationships and grow your business in the years ahead.
