When a Client Asks You to Reduce Your Commission

The Broke Agent posed a question agents have heard countless times before: “Would you be willing to reduce your commission?” Agents were quick to react with advice of their own.
Man in a business suit in a crowded office, arms open, with the meme text: Absolutely F*cking Not (censored).
Man in a business suit in a crowded office, arms open, with the meme text: Absolutely F*cking Not (censored).
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If you're still treating AI like a search engine, this is for you. BAM BBQ is two and a half hours of real instruction on AI for real estate, from conversations to content to systems. It’s free, virtual, and loaded with plays you can run the same week. Save your spot →

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?”

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. 

If you’re keen to weigh in on this, head over to Instagram and add your own comment—or reply to someone else’s.

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Real estate may be all about location, location, location, but we know that content is king! That's why we have an army of talented writers behind the scenes, crafting posts like this one to help you navigate the ins and outs of the industry.

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