How Teaching Classes Became the Ultimate Growth Engine for My Real Estate Business

Jerad Larkin
3 days ago
6 min read

🎧Listen to the full podcast episode here: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/how-to-turn-agent-classes-into-a-6-figure-income/id1077458313?i=1000700212433

When I stepped into the title insurance world nearly eight years ago, I knew one thing for sure. I needed to find a way to stand out. In a competitive Denver market filled with talented title reps, lenders, and real estate professionals, attention and trust are everything. I quickly realized that if I wanted to grow my business at Chicago Title Colorado and build long-term partnerships with real estate agents, I had to show up in a way that truly added value.

Classes became that vehicle.

Not cold calls.

Not endless pop bys.

Not dropping off bagels.

Teaching educational, high-energy classes became the strategy that changed everything for me. And in the recent interview I joined, I got the chance to share exactly how it all unfolded.

Today I want to walk you through my journey, my mistakes, the strategies that helped me scale to more than 100 title orders per month, and why classes are still the most powerful way for real estate professionals to build a brand, deepen relationships, and generate consistent business.

Let’s dive in.

Getting Started in Title: From Bagel Guy to Mile High Title Guy

When I entered the title industry, nobody knew my name. I had no real estate contacts. I had no background in sales. And I was entering a space where title reps were often viewed as cookie cutters who dropped off pastries rather than delivering real value.

I knew I didn’t want to be the person dropping off bagels. I wanted to be a true partner. Someone agents saw as a resource. Someone they trusted. Someone worth making time for.

The challenge was simple.

How do you stand out in an industry that feels completely commoditized?

I tried everything.

Cold calls.Pop bys.

Networking events.

Every traditional sales activity you can think of.

But it all felt slow and random. Nothing created predictable momentum.

Then one day I stumbled into a sales training program that talked about something called showcase events. That single idea changed the trajectory of my business.

Why I Decided to Build My Business Around Classes

The idea of teaching clicked for me immediately. I’ve always loved marketing. I grew up around real estate. I spent years filming videos, editing content, building small marketing projects, and helping my parents with their commercial real estate business.

Teaching felt natural.

Helping agents with marketing felt natural.

Creating content felt natural.

So instead of trying to compete with other title reps on service or relationships or price, I decided to compete by becoming the person who openly teaches the things agents want and need to know.

Video.Marketing.AI.Google

Business Profiles.

Social media.

Investing.

Divorce and real estate.

Brand building.

Bidding wars.

And dozens more.

The classes became both my value and my differentiation.

But this part’s important.

When I started teaching, nobody showed up.

The Early Struggle: Empty Rooms and Tough Lessons

My first few classes were ugly. I would book a room, create the slides, hyperfocus on the content, hype it up, and then sit in an empty room staring at the door. Other times I would get a small handful of agents in the room, teach my heart out, and walk away with zero meetings, zero new relationships, and zero deals.

Those moments almost pushed me out of the industry.

About 18 to 24 months in, I seriously questioned whether this was the right path for me. I was working incredibly hard but barely seeing results. And at that point, you begin to second guess your direction, your ability, and your decision to stay in the business.

But I held onto one idea.

Consistency is the only thing that wins long term.

So I kept showing up.

I kept teaching.

I kept iterating.

I kept trying new topics.

I kept experimenting with new ways to get people in the room.

And slowly, things began to shift.

The Turning Point: Figuring Out How to Get Agents to Show Up

If you want to build a business around classes, there are two battles you have to win.

Battle one: getting them to RSVP.

Battle two: getting them to actually show up.

Once I figured out how to solve these two things, everything started to move quickly.

Here are the strategies that made all the difference for me.

1. Eventbrite is my number one weapon

Most agents in Colorado will open Eventbrite emails. That surprised me early on, but after teaching hundreds of classes, I learned that Eventbrite is easily the most effective platform for getting registrations.

Eighty percent of the time when I ask someone in the room how they heard about the class, they say Eventbrite.

The key is uploading your database into Eventbrite so the platform can email them for you. And Eventbrite is shockingly good at landing emails inside primary inboxes.

2. Facebook events tied to Eventbrite

Eventbrite lets you click one button to turn an event into a Facebook event. Once it's a FB event, I invite thousands of agents directly because I have all my Facebook friends categorized.

I invite 500 at a time until I max it out.

This works extremely well.

3. Targeted Meta ads

I run Meta ads every single day of the year.Even when I’m not promoting a class.

I upload custom audiences of real estate agents using phone numbers and emails, and I target ads specifically to that list.

My budget?It used to be a dollar a day.Now I’m a big spender at three dollars a day.

Meta ads are still the cheapest marketing tool available for reaching agents, period.

4. Partnering with other professionals

I love partnering with lenders, insurance agents, home organizers, panelists, or anyone with value for Realtors. Cross pollinating your networks makes your event bigger, which leads to stronger brand awareness and more momentum.

What Made My Classes Convert: The Handout Strategy

Early on, the biggest missing piece in my system was converting people from attending a class to booking one-on-one meetings.

That changed when I started using a physical paper handout at the end of every class.

The handout lists five to ten lead magnets. These are things like templates, scripts, checklists, working files, or detailed tutorials. I explain them early in the class so agents genuinely want them.

At the bottom of the sheet, I have one simple question.

Would you like to book a one on one meeting with me? Yes or no.

Before I started doing this, I had to chase people after every class. Now agents circle yes for me, hand me the sheet, and I book the meetings quickly.

This one strategy increased conversions more than anything else I’ve ever done.

Why I Host Panel Events and Fun Community Events

Classes are the foundation of everything I do.

But panel events and social events are the accelerators.

Quarterly, I run large panel events that attract 150 to 200 agents. These events grow my brand faster than anything else I do. I invite top producers, team leaders, high volume agents, and well known professionals in Denver.

When you put other professionals on stage, they instantly elevate your event and attract their networks. You also earn credibility by hosting and moderating.

Beyond that, I mix in fun things like:

Dodgeball

Ski train trips

March Madness hangouts

Broker open classes

Coffee pop ups

Happy hours

Fitness events

And more

Real estate agents all like different things. Some prefer education. Some prefer social. Some prefer niche topics. Some prefer marketing. Some prefer investing.

The more variety I create, the larger my community becomes.

Doing 100 Classes per Year With a Full Family Life

People often ask how I balance this schedule.

The honest answer is that I work incredibly hard, but I also protect my family time. I have three kids, including twins. My wife and I are busy, but we prioritize mornings and evenings with the kids.

From nine to four thirty, I’m on the move.

Teaching classes.

Attending meetings.

Hosting events.

Taking calls.

Supporting clients.

Then I shut it down for family time. And when the kids go to bed, I work again. Emails, follow up, planning, editing, and preparing for the next day.

It’s a lot. But it’s also my passion. Teaching, connecting, and helping real estate agents succeed is what keeps me energized.

Why Classes Still Matter More Than Anything Else

There are many ways to build a real estate business.

You can cold call.

You can run ads.

You can DM people.

You can network.

You can post content.

You can door knock.

You can buy leads.

You can sponsor events.

You can drip campaigns.

You can build funnels.

You can do all of it.

But classes create something most strategies never produce.

Instant trust.

When an agent gives you their time and walks out of a room feeling like they learned something valuable, your relationship with them is already halfway built.

They see you as a resource.

They see you as a leader.

They see you as someone worth partnering with.

Teaching will always, always, always be a shortcut to trust and authority.

And that trust leads to real business.

My Closing Thoughts for Anyone Who Wants to Grow Their Real Estate Brand

If you take away anything from my story, I hope it’s this.

Teach.

Show up.

Give value.

Experiment.

Be loud.

Get in front of people.

Be consistent.

Try new formats.

Stay creative.

Stay patient.

And do not quit too early.

Your brand grows the moment you decide to stop hiding and start helping.

Whenever you’re ready to grow your real estate brand, streamline your marketing, and learn tools that make your business stronger, come to a class. I’d love to help.