Real estate agents are undervalued and face a crisis of perception, according to Courtney Poulos, founder and broker-owner of ACME | SERHANT. in Los Angeles. Poulos, who is also a member of the SERHANT. CA founding team, describes the issue as a 'mirror problem'—agents are not taken as seriously as professionals like lawyers, and the industry bears responsibility for this image.
Poulos recently completed the Advanced Management Development Program (AMDP) at Harvard University’s Graduate School of Design, graduating in July. The experience, she says, highlighted a critical gap: 'The only thing that is really missing is real estate agents considering themselves as senior-level executives in a business.' She cites a recent example where a client attempted to negotiate her commission down to a figure that would not cover the marketing costs already spent, calling it a sign of disrespect.
One key lesson from her coursework, led by communications expert Carmine Gallo, was the importance of audience-centric messaging. 'Real estate agents fall into the trap of marketing to each other,' Poulos says. 'We post about our sales for other agents to see. We compete on metrics that our clients don’t actually care about.' She argues that agents fail to explain what they actually do—data analysis, risk management, negotiation, and client advocacy—in plain terms that resonate with clients and the public.
To address this, Poulos is developing workshops and seminars, with the first session launching in Orlando this week. The goal is to help agents build messaging that holds up with clients, the press, and regulators, and to rebuild public trust. '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 says. 'It is the moment for something optimistic.'
