Most client outreach is trying to sell something — a listing, a referral, a reason to call. This week's action item is the opposite: one honest note, sent to a handful of past clients, that isn't trying to sell anything at all.
01The Concept, Explained
Call it the Un-Listing: a short, candid message about what you're actually seeing in the market right now — sent to past clients with zero pitch attached. No listing, no CTA, no "let me know if you or anyone you know." Just an honest, personal read on the market from someone they already trust.
It borrows the same energy driving the Kinda Chic trend on the Engage side of this week's content: honesty over polish. The Un-Listing is that same idea applied to client outreach instead of social content.
02Why This Works
Past clients get plenty of polished market updates — from you and from everyone else in their inbox. What they don't get much of is a real, unscripted opinion from someone who isn't trying to close a deal in the same message. That contrast is exactly what makes the Un-Listing land. It reads as a favor, not a pitch, and that's precisely why it builds recall instead of getting ignored.
03What to Say (And Not Say)
Do: Share a Real Opinion
Something you actually think is happening in the market right now — not a canned stat, your own honest read.
Do: Keep It Short
One paragraph. This isn't a newsletter — it's closer to a text you'd send a friend.
Don't: Mention a Listing
Not yours, not theirs, not a hint. The moment a listing shows up, this stops being an Un-Listing.
Don't: Attach a CTA
No "let me know if you want to chat," no referral ask. Let the note do its own quiet work.
The goal is not to sound like an expert.
The goal is to sound like yourself.
04Where to Send It
A personal text or a one-to-one email works better than anything that looks like a mass send. If texting feels like too much for a given client, a private note to your Stories "close friends" list is a lighter-touch version of the same idea — still personal, still off the main feed.
Why This Works
Most retention plays ask for something — a referral, a call, a reply. This one asks for nothing, which is exactly why it gets remembered. The clients who reply anyway are the ones worth following up with first next quarter.
- Pick 5–10 past clients you haven't talked to in 60+ days.
- Write one honest, unscripted paragraph about what you're actually seeing in the market right now.
- Do not mention a listing, a referral ask, or a CTA anywhere in the note.
- Send it as a personal text or email — never a mass blast.
- Note who replies. That's your warmest list for next quarter.
One honest paragraph, sent to the right five people, does more for recall than another polished market update ever will.