I had the opportunity to research and speak with Sam Coleman this past week, and when I finished, I left wanting to know more.

So I hope we’ll have more conversations, but until then, I decided to take everything and distill it down into one case study.

So if you’re curious:

• how to break into the luxury market in only 4 deals & consistently

• how to create a luxury farming strategy

• how to create luxury content for social

Then, I hope you enjoy this one!

— Andrew

💰 The hidden-in-plain-sight secret to breaking into luxury in only 4 deals from nothing

This is what it takes to break into the luxury real estate market in a brand new market without any connections.

I’ve seen numerous times between; Tim Smith, Brad McCallum, Glennda Baker, Ken Pozek, and many… many more…

But I’m just naming the few that I’ve written on.

You (anybody) can become a leading authority in a market IF they learn how to immerse themselves in the market.

Sam Coleman is a prime example of exactly how to do that, so that’s why I wanted to dive into his story and pull out the lesson we can learn from him.

Perseverance despite all odds:

Born in Baltimore, he didn’t grow up with much. 

He was a smaller kid with asthma and played JV basketball for 4 years, yet he somehow found his way into NBA…

However, he got injured his first year in the NBA so he had to fight and claw his way back.

But ultimately, he ended up driving Uber.

Yet he somehow managed to find a way to sell million-dollar homes after only 4 deals...

Which turned into him becoming one of the few names most homeowners think of when they think of luxury real estate in Summerlin.

But to understand what it really takes, we have to see what he had to overcome and what he did to get to where he is now.

At 13 he started working. Not because he wanted to, but because he knew he needed to help his single mom & sister.

And it didn’t get easier. Sam was a late bloomer:

Stuck in JV for nearly 4 years, he struggled to put up single-point games.

with no signs of hope moving forward, he finally got a shot at the end of the year during the “garbage game.”

The garbage time is the period toward the end of a timed sports competition that has become a blowout when the outcome of the game has effectively already.

He finally shined, but he was overlooked and underestimated so he went to driving a forklift at a warehouse.

Sam got the itch to play basketball again and started playing at open gyms. He impressed a coach at Coppin State University during an open gym session and was offered a full scholarship.

This marked the beginning of his Division One career.

He would wake up and train at 4:30 am.

• 4:30 in the gym training

• 6:00 yoga or vinyasa flow

• 9:00 basketball drills, position drills

• 12:00 lunch

• After lunch, weights

• In the afternoon, play more

• Then maybe conditioning after play

He was always inspired by Kevin Garnett because,

Nick Nurse, a famous basketball coach, would even make him stay after and shoot 100, 3’s.

After college, Sam started training for a professional basketball career. He was invited to the NBA combine and impressed scouts with his athleticism and work ethic.

Despite not being drafted, he was invited to train with the Houston Rockets. However, his career in the NBA was cut short due to an ACL injury during his rookie year with the Houston Rockets.

Fighting his way back in to the G League, his basketball career took him to different countries like China, Japan, Israel, Balkan, Montenegro, Mexico, Africa, Ecuador, and Romania.

He got to travel the world, make great contacts, and had great teammates.

In 2015, Sam got another opportunity to go to the Phoenix Suns. However, he was released and returned home.

They told him, “Stay ready…”

Despite this setback, he didn't give up. He continued to work hard and stay in shape, hoping for another opportunity.

Without any options, he began driving for uber.

This was demoralizing for him because everyone noticed his height and said “man, if I had your height, I would play Basketball” and it was a constant poke at his wounds.

He met his wife while he was gambling on his last dime and throughout all of this they pushed through together.

Sam noticed his wife’s mother who was setting up for an open house, she said “if I sell this I’ll make “$30,000”... and that opened his eyes to real estate.

But barely making enough money, he used all his left over Uber money to pay for 3 failed real estate exams.

The final blow was his second shot back into the NBA that ended up not working out…

They told him to keep “Staying ready for the NBA” but at this point he was done.

Multiple failed exams…

Only $100 to his name.

No career.

He had 1 last shot for his 5th attempt at the real estate exam.

And he passed!

From there, his wife had to put all of their MLS dues on her credit card just to give him a shot.

From Zero to Selling Luxury Homes in Only 4 Deals

And his first deal came from an Uber ride. A $230,000 listing.

As a new agent, he spent time visiting new homes:

• He mentioned he wanted to preview the homes and if they, could give him any information?

• He would take all of the flyers and talk to any of the agents who would talk to him

• He knew the sales agents Starbucks order

• He would take them a couple dozen donuts

• Wave, say hi, and go about his day

Where he asked:

• Asked questions about the differences between granite vs quartz vs quartzite marble

• Why shouldn’t you do marble? Where should you vs shouldn’t?

• The difference between LVP vs tile vs engineered hardwood

• Asked why certain people picked certain things

• Asked why some communities would sell for certain prices

That’s when Sam noticed…

From that, he noticed an ugly spec home that wasn’t selling in Summerlin and he got the opportunity to sit an open house for it.

So he did.

4-5 times a week.

For 2 months…

And after 2 months, a buyer came in and said, “I absolutely love this home!” and they didn’t mind the finishes at all.

They registered, and he followed up.

He showed them other homes but they kept going back to that ugly spec home.

When they went back, they wrote up an offer and closed on Sam’s first million-dollar home on his 4th deal.

All from sitting at an open house for 2 months nearly every day.

Then for 3 years, all he did was sit Toll Brothers open houses in Summerlin.

Sam’s Summerlin Luxury Farming Strategy

One of Sam’s favorite quotes:

Choosing Your Market 📍 

Be the Chik-Fil-A of real estate, not the Cheesecake Factory or McDonald’s.

Did you know Chik-Fil-A makes more money per restaurant than McDonald’s, Starbucks & Subway combined?!

Revenue per restaurant:

• Chik-Fil-A = $5,200,000 vs

• McDonalds = $2,600,000

And their number of products:

• Chik-Fil-A = 12 vs

• McDonalds = 49

So that’s 2x the revenue with 75% fewer products…

Because the process is smoother, and you become the authority in your market.

💡 Sam’s personal recommendations:

Plant your flag in the area you want to specialize in and become a specialist in that area.

Become the Knowledge Broker 🧠 

The role of a real estate agent has evolved way beyond just showing houses.

An agent who can provide valuable information and guide their clients through the process is more likely to earn their trust.

💡 Sam’s personal recommendations:

• Know the coffee shops, grocery stores, and schools. Know everything.

• Know what you have to look at: school zones, the average price per square foot, the fair market value, the surrounding area, nearby amenities, neighbors’ homes, HOA details, and market trends.

• Know the pros and cons of living in Subdivision A vs. Subdivision B.

  • “Here's why most of my clients choose Summerland South, Summerland West, Summerland North, and here's the benefits of each”.

• Here's what I think you should do to this home to add value, and the pros & cons of all of these things.

• Become a regular, going to local events, restaurants, and all of the local places in the area.

ALL-IN on Open Houses 🏘️

He honed in on Summerlin, and shifted his strategy, he:

• Searched the MLS for $700k to $1.5M homes that were sitting for 60+ days

• Called every single listing agent and ask if he could do an open house

Most would say, “Screw off, screw off, screw off. But then I would get that one or two that would be like, sure, I don't care, kid. Go ahead.”

And open houses are how he pretty much built his business. A tried and true way to build a database of buyers & sellers in a new area.

💡 Sam’s personal recommendations:

• He suggests starting with open houses, even if you don't have your own listings.

• You can borrow signs and use a notepad to collect potential clients' information.

• Minimum of 20 signs out for open houses. Goal 35. Having the neighbors coming to the open house is HUGE, them seeing your signs

• Circle prospecting every neighbor.

New School Door Knocking 🚪 

Then he would door knock all of those communities as well. Door-knocking is a strategy Sam uses to build relationships without spending money.

Sam is similar to the Bond Street Partners in this respect, David Parnes & James Harris are a $700M small team in LA who sells ultra-luxury, “We’re huge believers in using sweat equity to build your client base, especially when starting from scratch. This is literally how we started in the business when we didn’t know anyone. It’s old school, we know, but it works.”

• You have a buyer looking in the neighborhood.

• You want to invite neighbors to an open house you are hosting.

• You just sold a house in the neighborhood.

• You have a developer interested in the area

Sam’s scripts:

“Hey, how's it going? My name is Sam Cole with IS Luxury Real Estate, and this may not be for you.

However, I have a client that's looking to purchase a home in this particular community and for whatever reason, they've identified your home.

And I know this is out of the blue, um, but I'm just curious, you wouldn't happen to know anybody on this particular street that's thinking about selling, would you?”

• I'd be quiet, and let them answer… No. I don't know anyone.

• Now this is an opportunity for my practiced format. I'm going to share my 15 seconds of fame:

“Yes, we work with some of the most affluent people in the valley, and they've identified your community, and that's probably why you bought this home because it's an amazing community.”

• Now I'm building validity. Why? I always work with people here. Then I want to continue to let them know that I'm the guy that they should call if they want to make a move.

CTA: “Could it be possible that in the next six to 12 months or even in the future, you would possibly wanna make a move or know somebody that would?

Alternative: “Would it be okay if I emailed you a couple of times a year about the value of your home?” (from David & James)

(At some point they're gonna make a move. I don't know if it's today, tomorrow, 10 years from now. But at some point you're gonna make a move.)

“Perfect. Let's keep in touch. And while this may not be the time if our paths do cross, great. If not, you know, you'll know exactly what's going on within your community. And you're gonna see me a lot because this is my area of specialty.

So what's the best number for you? What's the best email address for you?“

And then:

1. I put it in my database

2. Send my assistant a screenshot,

3. Add this to the database

4. Send that note, whatever I'm taking notes on or something important that we talked about that distinctly allows me to remember them.

Dial-in Circle Prospecting & Follow Up 📞 

“I call my farm every single day. I just do the basics”

Similar to Ricky Carruth who sold 100 homes a year for nearly 10 years with only 1 admin, Sam believes circle prospecting is another we he would connect and build his network without spending money.

Becoming a master at follow-up, as Ryan Serhant would say Follow Up, Follow Back, Follow through, will change your business forever. Especially when you master following up with value.

Sam’s Script:

“Hi my name is so-and-so with the Sam Coleman luxury group.

We just sold 123 main street for 2 million off market and we actually have several buyers that are looking to be in your neighborhood, who do you know that's thinking about buying or thinking about selling in this neighborhood?

Oh you don't know anybody perfect well how about you for the right price would you consider selling?”

💡 Sam’s personal recommendations:

• He suggests prospecting for 2-3 hours a day, five days a week.

• Following up with potential clients for about 30-45 minutes a day.

• He emphasizes the importance of time management and setting aside time for prospecting, following up, appointments, and personal time.

Master Mailing 📬

“I’m sending out 14,000 pieces of mail a month to my farm”

Jordan Cohen the #1 REMAX agent in the world who sells $300M with only 2 assistants swears by mailing, and so does Sam.

My farm gets some pieces of mail every single week. Sometimes it's more. The only time it's more is if I have multiple sales because we're gonna send some type of clever, catchy just listed marketing or an event invite.

So outside of what we normally do, I wanna send something that is consistent:

• handwritten note cards

• a neighborhood letter that I generate that’s something that I want to communicate to them specific to me. That's personal. I don’t want to necessarily sell.

• I only do one CTA a month, one call to action a month. QR codes. But most of it is a handwritten note.

I think that's really what allows that generates those leads that I get because I give, give, give, give, give.

And then I only ask one CTA a month and it's… “Hey, 123 Main Street, just sold 456 Main Street just so broke this record… click the link below to schedule a call or to find out what your home value is,” whatever the case may be, or if it's a holiday. Things like that. But I want to hit that farm every single week.

Leveraging Digital Prospecting 📱

So when you combine all of these traditional methods as Sam did:

• open houses

• door knocking

• circle prospecting

• mailers

• events

• becoming a regular

• being the knowledge broker, etc.

You build a list that you can stay in touch with via email. (newsletters)

Sam’s digital strategy on social focuses on

1. Instagram

2. YouTube

These are the main 2 platforms that leverages to cement his brand of luxury real estate in Summerlin.

Luxury YouTube Strategy

Sam's YouTube channel @thesamcoleman is a rich resource for anyone interested in luxury real estate. His videos range from home tours of multi-million dollar properties to personal insights into his journey as a realtor.

Here are some key aspects of his YouTube strategy:

Home Tours: Sam frequently posts videos touring luxury homes in Las Vegas. These videos are not only attract potential buyers, but they show sellers what he’s able to do for listings. This strengths his brand in his community and gives viewers an inside look at some of the luxury properties in the area.

Examples include:

• Touring a $5 Million Mansion in The Ridges

• Inside a $4,775,000 Historic Frank Loyd Wright inspired Las Vegas Estate

• What $3,000,000 Gets You In Summerlin Las Vegas

• Summerlin Drive Tour

Most of his recent videos are touring a luxury home, new home or community.

While some of his past content was educational content ranging from real estate market topics, inspirational or insights for agents based on his experience or personal content that humanized him.

From the look of it, it seems like he may have moved away from:

• educational content

• personal insights

And he’s sticking more to the neighborhood guide/luxury specialist type of content.

Luxury Instagram Strategy

Now if I dissected his Instagram there is 2 different accounts, his personal which is a mix of real estate consumer content and content for real estate entrepreneurs.

His personal Instagram page features:

His personal Instagram has content that targets both consumers (buyers & sellers), and real estate entrepreneurs/agents.

• Inspirational content: text overlay Reels, single image posts, Twitter carousel posts

• Educational Reels: ex. (Next gen buying tiny homes? Consumer debt vs Leveraging debt, I sold 5 homes on the same street, Vegas starter pack: Henderson edition, Your home estimate may be wrong, 2023 design trends etc. or Text Overlay Only Reels that share information

• Luxury features or home tour reels: these show off a single luxury feature (this helps with his luxury brand) or a quick tour of a home

• Green screen listings on Zillow: Sam will find a listing on Zillow and share local insights. This helps show his expertise.

His team's Instagram page feature:

His team page is more targeted toward local buyers and sellers in Vegas.

• Luxury Features or Home Tour Reels: this is somewhat similar to his personal Instagram where it’s either singularly focused on a unique feature of a luxury home or the whole home like what $5M buys you in… / POV: Your Budget is $7M

• Green screen listings on Zillow: Sam usually collabs with both of his accounts for this style of content.

• Educational Reels: The Text Overlay Reels are similar to his personal IG. They’re short Reels with quick text overlays about 1 educational topic. He does also have some talking head (speaking to the camera) educational videos, but fewer than his personal page.

The one trend in all of his content… TONS and TONS of videos.

Plus there’s a luxury element in most of his content.

And most importantly, HE is his brand.

The power of perseverance:

Sam Coleman's story is a testament to the power of perseverance, resilience, and hard work. Show up early. Stay late. Do the basics.

Especially, when you don’t feel like doing it or when others aren’t.

And if you can delay gratification, build genuine relationships with zero immediate benefit, become the knowledge broker, and build a deep community in your farm then you can find your own success.

His journey from the NBA to becoming a successful luxury real estate agent is truly inspiring.

His unique strategies, combined with his commitment to providing excellent service, deep knowledge of the market, and his ability to adapt to new trends, have set him apart in the industry.

His content strategy, which involves showcasing luxury properties, sharing educational content, and providing personal insights, has helped him build a strong connection with his audience and position himself as an expert in the luxury real estate market.

💡 Sam’s personal recommendation:

The key with anything in sales, marketing, or business is:

1. Find the pattern

2. Recognize it

3. Utilize the pattern

4. Then recreate that pattern

🧱 Ex-NBA to Luxury Realtor: How 1 Open House Changed His Life Forever

In this conversation of Breaking and Building Leaders, we discuss:

• what he learned playing under Nick Nurse

• the 1 Uber ride that changed his life

• how his 4th sale was a luxury home

• how he sold 5 million dollar homes in the same street

• the single most important skill for agents

• how any agent can become the market leader (even if you’re new)

• exactly how he built his farm, his scripts, his marketing plan & farming strategies

• And WAY more!

If you want to learn how he broke into luxury from nothing and is now consistently selling million dollar homes, then this is an episode you won’t want to miss!

🏠 Marketing Listings to Get 2, 3, or 4 More!

Recently, I shared a deck from my lessons marketing 1,000 listings and as of lately, I’ve realized a few things.

If you want to target local buyers & sellers the best platform is Google ads, hands down nothing even compares.

But which campaign is best?

• For video views: In-stream ads

• For mass attention: Performance max campaigns

• For hyper targeted ads to target the neighbors, people who drive by, the owner, and others like them: Dynamic search ads

Now, if you want mass attention and the most amount of views possible then putting money behind performing Reels on Instagram, Facebook and even TikTok could be a great strategy to add to your listing toolbox.

🔥 Other Interesting Finds:

• The secret YouTube channel of Mozi Media Team (Alex & Leila Hormozi). This reminds me of their in-depth content they used to create

• How Leila Hormozi manages a $100M team. You definitely need to check out her day in the life of running a $200M portfolio. It’s 🔥 

• Ex-Google Officer speaks out against AI…

• 10 Ways to Grow Your YouTube Channel

• A 60 second masterclass on writing amazing ChatGPT prompts

• You have to slow down to speed up: Creating a Think Day.

📝 In Case You Missed It:

• Last Week’s Issue about How the Queen of TikTok ACTUALLY Became the Most Recognizable Face in Real Estate Video: the most comprehensive breakdown of Glennda Baker.

That's it for today! See you next week!

If you have any questions, then reply & let me know so I can make sure that I'm not just making stuff out of my head, but answering the questions you care about!

Let's have an amazing week!

Andrew Bayon

P.S. It would mean the world to me if you found value from ANY of the content I put out, if you could subscribe to Breaking and Building Leaders on YouTube or Podcast IF you think you may like it & share it with 1 person!

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