When a Client Asks You to Reduce Your Commission

A post from last week on @thebrokeagent’s Instagram has gotten over 13K likes and more than 380 comments. 

In it, he uses a popular Leonardo DiCaprio meme to answer a question legions of real estate agents have heard from prospective clients: 

“Would you be willing to reduce your commission like some of the other agents we talked to?”

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by The Broke Agent (@thebrokeagent)

Leo’s answer resonated (hard) with most of the commenters, who expressed a range of emotions in response to the triggering question. 

We’ll share some of them here. 

“100% This”

Most of the commenters agreed 100% with the emphatic “No!” — with some adding details from real conversations they’ve had with clients. 

“No, and here’s why”

Several commenters explained why they say no to this question, adding words they’ve actually used with potential clients, even when it meant losing their business. 

For many, the best response was another question. 

“Know your value”

Quite a few comments echoed this sentiment in one way or another—or, adjacent to that, “You get what you pay for.” Several agents responded favorably, including those who still struggle with asserting their own value. 

“This is what I’m hearing”

Some agents suggested parallels to give the client an idea of what they heard when asked to reduce their commission or give the client a share of it.  

Not everyone agreed

Of course, a few comments sprinkled in took issue with the post. Some made blanket assumptions about other commenters. Others simply disagreed and explained why they sometimes reduce their commissions.