Real estate agents are grappling with a persistent undervaluation that industry leaders say stems from a lack of self-reflection and ineffective messaging. Courtney Poulos, Founder of SERHANT. CA and Team Lead of ACME | SERHANT. in Los Angeles, describes the problem as a “mirror problem,” where agents fail to see themselves as senior-level executives and struggle to communicate their true worth to clients and the public.
Poulos, who is completing Harvard University’s Advanced Management Development Program (AMDP) at the Graduate School of Design, observes that agents are often perceived as “overpaid paper pushers” and face disrespect, such as clients attempting to negotiate commissions below marketing costs. She argues that the industry’s public relations battles are partly due to agents marketing to each other rather than to clients, focusing on metrics that do not resonate with consumers.
“The only thing that is really missing is real estate agents considering themselves as senior-level executives in a business,” Poulos said. “We are not taken as seriously as we ought to be, like a lawyer. And we are still contending with a degradation of our perceived value, even at the senior level.”
Drawing from her coursework, Poulos highlights the importance of audience-centric messaging, a concept taught by communications expert Carmine Gallo. Instead of posting sales figures for peer validation, agents should explain their roles in data analysis, risk management, and client protection. “We protect our clients. We navigate. We clarify. That is the message. And most agents are not saying it,” she said.
To address the issue, Poulos is developing workshops and seminars, with the first session launching in Orlando this week. The initiative aims to help agents build messaging that resonates with clients, the press, and regulators, reversing the narrative of undervaluation. “If what we can clarify for the public is that we are not overpaid, that we are experts, and that our public relations battles are not actually about whether we deserve to be paid, then we start to reverse the narrative,” she said.
ACME, founded in 2011 as a boutique brokerage in Los Angeles, is now ACME | SERHANT. under the umbrella of Ryan Serhant’s national firm. Poulos believes the housing market offers opportunities for optimism, despite negative headlines, and that agents can rebuild public trust through better communication.
