How to Approach Real Estate Agencies and Acquire Them as Clients | DataSend.ai

Introduction: High Commissions, Tough Competition, Weak Marketing

Real estate agencies, individual agents, developers, property managers. Real estate is one of the largest segments in Central Europe — in Switzerland, with more than 28,000 firms, it is the second largest industry right after consulting.

It is also a segment with an exceptionally high value per transaction. The commission from the sale of an apartment can be several thousand euros, and from commercial property, even tens of thousands. Yet most agents and agencies acquire clients through advertising portals, where they pay for visibility and compete with dozens of similar listings.

This article shows why real estate is an interesting target group and how to approach them.

1. Why Real Estate is a Good Segment

High value per transaction. An agent cares about one number: how many new listings your marketing brings. With commissions of several thousand euros per transaction, just one additional listing per month can multiply their investment in marketing. The argument for return on investment is simpler here than in any other segment.

Sharp competition drives them to marketing. In real estate, many players compete for the same properties. An agent who is more visible gets more listings for sale. They know this and are willing to pay for it.

Visual industry. Photos, videos, virtual tours, drone shots. The quality of visuals directly affects how many potential buyers a property attracts.

Recurring work. Every new property needs photos, descriptions, and promotion. This means a steady flow of work, not a one-time project.

Personal brand is key. In real estate, clients do not choose the agency, but the specific agent. Building a personal brand is therefore a high-value service — and most agents struggle with it.

2. What Services Real Estate Agencies Need

Property photography and video. The foundation of the entire industry. Professional photos, drone shots of the exterior, video tours, or even virtual 3D tours. One-time for each property or a monthly flat fee for larger volumes.

Agent's personal brand. Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn. Regular content — listings, tips for buyers and sellers, behind-the-scenes work, client testimonials. 400 to 1,000 euros per month.

Website with their own listings. Most agents rely solely on advertising portals, where they pay for each ad and compete with others in the same list. Having their own website with listings and a form for a non-binding consultation reduces this dependency.

Google Ads and Meta Ads. Targeted campaigns for specific locations and types of properties. At the same time, campaigns aimed at acquiring properties for their portfolio — that is, for sellers, not buyers. This is a segment that most agents do not address at all, yet it is more valuable for them.

Local SEO. Queries like "real estate agent [city]" or "apartment for sale [district]" are highly valuable. Most agencies do not appear for these.

Email marketing and database of interested parties. Agents collect contacts of interested parties but rarely work with them systematically. Automated communication for new listings is a service with a quick return on investment.

3. How to Find Real Estate Agencies to Approach

At DataSend.ai, you can set filters:

Industry: Real estate activities — mediation of sales and rentals, property management, development activities.

Region: Real estate is locally bound. Filter by city or region.

Size: A solo agent has a different budget than an agency with 15 agents. Filter by number of employees and turnover.

Web score: Agencies with outdated websites are ideal candidates.

Before reaching out, check their listings on real estate portals. If they use phone photos, lack video, and the description is two lines long, you have an immediate and concrete argument.

4. How to Write an Email to a Real Estate Agency

Agents are salespeople. They understand sales, understand commissions, and have no patience for long emails. Be specific and talk about listings.

Example of a Good Email:

“Hello [name], I looked at your current listings on [portal]. You have good properties, but the photos are clearly from a phone and there is no video — while [competing agency] uses professional photos and video tours for similar apartments. For the same property, this determines how many potential buyers even open it. I do photography and video for real estate agencies in [city]. Can I show you the difference with a specific example?”

Alternative Angle — Acquiring Properties:

“Hello [name], most agents focus their marketing on buyers. But your real competition is about acquiring properties for your listings — that determines whether a seller finds you before the competition. I help real estate agencies with campaigns targeted at sellers. Do you have 15 minutes?”

The second approach works better because it addresses a problem that the agent actually has, but most providers do not see.

5. Specifics of the Segment

Decisions are made quickly. Unlike lawyers or manufacturing companies, agents decide within days, not weeks. They are used to quick transactions.

Talk about listings, not reach. “We increased post reach by 40%” does not interest anyone. “The campaign generated 8 inquiries from sellers” is exactly what they want to hear.

Be aware of the difference between the agency and the agent. In larger agencies, marketing may be handled by headquarters, but individual agents often pay for their own promotion. Both are legitimate target groups with different budgets.

Seasonality is mild, but it exists. Spring and autumn are stronger periods for property sales. Summer and December are slower — a suitable time for preparation, website, and brand building.

Conflict of interest. If you manage marketing for one agency in a city, a competing one will likely not want to collaborate with you. Keep this in mind when planning expansion.

6. How to Build Long-Term Cooperation

Real estate is a segment where one-time projects naturally turn into retainers. Every new property needs visuals and promotion — if you do a good job on the first one, you will get more.

Typical sequence: Photography and video of one property as an entry project. After success, a flat fee for all new properties monthly. Then social media management and the agent's personal brand. Finally, campaigns for acquiring properties for the portfolio.

Set a clear scope. When on a flat fee, define how many properties per month are included. Otherwise, you will face classic scope creep — the agent will send you 15 properties for the price agreed upon for five.

7. How to Scale in the Real Estate Segment

Build a portfolio in one city. Agents know each other and watch what the competition is doing. Noticeably better photos at one agency will be quickly noticed by others.

Create clear packages. “Photography for one property”, “Photos plus video”, “Monthly flat fee for up to 10 properties”. Clear packages simplify decision-making.

Work with before-and-after differences. In this segment, visual proof sells better than any numbers. Show the original listing and the same one after your intervention.

Approach systematically. At DataSend.ai, set a filter for real estate firms in your region and launch a campaign with automated follow-ups. The segment is large, so even with a normal reply rate, you will get enough responses to build a stable client portfolio.

Conclusion

Real estate is a large, visual, and competitive segment with a high value per transaction. Agents understand return on investment, decide quickly, and have a recurring need — every new property means new work.

The strongest angle for outreach is not marketing towards buyers, but assistance with acquiring properties for listings. This is a problem that agents deal with daily, and most providers do not offer a solution for it.

Want to find real estate agencies to approach? DataSend.ai — filters by industry, region, and size, verified contacts, and email campaigns all in one place.

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