Client Success Story: An Interview With Scott Schultz of ResComPros

At Wild Fig Marketing, we love working with each of our clients to reach their audience and grow their business. And we love getting to share their success stories! 

Here, we’re highlighting one client who has been with us for a number of years, Scott Schultz of ResComPros. ResComPros is a real estate team with RE/MAX Results that sells both residential and commercial real estate in Minnesota. 

Throughout his many years in the business, Scott has found success in real estate — even when the market hasn’t been ideal. He shared with us that, despite the market over the past few years, his business has been thriving, and he attributes that to the work we’ve done on his marketing. (Though we have to point out that his success is also due to the fact that he’s an excellent Realtor!) 

Read on to learn what else he has to say about the real estate market in Minnesota and how marketing has helped him maintain strong business growth over the years.

What has the real estate market been like so far this year? What are you seeing happening in the industry? 

So far, this year has been similar to the last two years:

• Buyers need homes
• Mortgage rates are a bit higher
• There is a shortage of listings

However, we’re also beginning to see some agents leave the business due to a lack of inventory and industry changes surrounding commissions. To summarize those changes, we’re essentially back to where we were 35 years ago, when the buyer's agent used to negotiate with the buyer and seller to get paid. 

In recent years, the typical scenario has been that the buyer’s agent’s commission has been paid for by the seller. But now, beginning July 24th, the seller will only pay the seller’s portion of the commission. The buyer’s agent will need to negotiate with the buyer for their commission. This is the same way commercial real estate works now: When the buyer’s agent puts in an offer, they negotiate a commission with the buyer (“My fee is 2.7%...” etc.).

So while it sounds like a huge change, ultimately it will all come out in the wash in terms of who pays what. 

What role has marketing played in your team’s success this year?

We’ve never stopped marketing, even in our best years! Even when business is great, we’re always trying to come up with new ideas to keep our marketing fresh and our agents front and center. This helps keep our business steady even in more difficult markets.

By comparison, I have a friend in the business who has been in real estate for 15 years. Over the past couple of years, he’s let his business coast, so now he’s struggling and might have to leave the industry. 

This is the difference marketing makes.

What advice would you give to others who want to build the kind of success you’ve seen?

Have a continuous presence and don’t quit. We have a consistent presence on Facebook and through our email marketing where we talk about the local area, home improvement, social events, and so on.

When is the best time to market your business? Right now! When is the wrong time? Never. Never stop marketing. Market hard and prepare for the future. Do what you can do so that, no matter what the current business climate is, you're prepared for the future. Whether your business is up or down, you cannot stop and you cannot slow down.

That friend I mentioned earlier was making good money during the good years, but he wasn’t reinvesting in his own business. He did zero marketing, and now he can’t get work and is really close to falling out of the business.

ResComPros, on the other hand, has never let up on our marketing, and we are doing very well despite the changes in the market. We aren’t throwing a ton of money at marketing, but we’re doing the right things.

We’re getting some really good hits with our Facebook marketing, but our email marketing is just as important. It’s the mix that has made the difference for us.

If someone wanted to know what to do to make their business a success, I’d tell them that it’s not just one thing, it is a combination of things. You can’t say in any situation that this one thing got you this particular job. It’s the combination of things that makes it work.

What would you say to someone who is on the fence about marketing?

How could you be on the fence? It’s so obvious that this is what you have to do. Don’t just throw money at marketing with no purpose, of course, but don’t hold back! 

We’ve increased our marketing because it’s working.

Also, you have to hire the right people. You wouldn’t have your dentist fix your car. We’re real estate agents, not marketing experts, so we’ve hired the Wild Fig team to do our marketing for us. You need to bring in the people who know how to do what needs to be done.

Learn more about Scott and the ResComPros team on their website.

If you’re looking for a trusted marketing partner who can help you grow your business, schedule an exploratory call with our Chief Creative Officer, Kari Switala. And in the meantime, download our free eBook to learn about the benefits of outsourcing your digital marketing.