The Email That Got Me a Referral Partner | Blake Fahey, Real Estate Agent & Shawn Kunkler

Realtor180 | Real Estate Podcast for Agents Who Want to Grow with Shawn Kunkler

Realtor180 | Real Estate Podcast for Agents Who Want to Grow with Shawn Kunkler
The Email That Got Me a Referral Partner | Blake Fahey, Real Estate Agent & Shawn Kunkler
Aug 05, 2026 Season 3 Episode 175
Shawn Kunkler / Blake Fahey

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Most agents send mass "just listed" emails to out-of-town agents and wonder why nobody responds. Blake Fahey did the opposite. He sent one hyper-local, BART-commute-specific email that turned into a referral partnership, a friendship, and this podcast episode.

In this conversation, Blake breaks down exactly why his old mass-marketing emails got 60% open rates and zero replies, and what changed when he ditched the templates for something personal. Shawn pulls back the curtain on the actual email that made him respond, why "clever" beats "professional," and how feeder-market specificity cuts through agent inbox noise.

Connect with Blake Fahey:
 LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/blakefahey
Twitter: https://twitter.com/blakefahey
Website: https://blakefahey.com

Support the show

𝐘𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐑𝐞𝐚𝐥 𝐄𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐂𝐨𝐚𝐜𝐡 𝐈𝐧 𝐘𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐏𝐨𝐜𝐤𝐞𝐭.

Most agents are tired of being busy but not productive. 𝘈𝘤𝘦 𝘠𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘋𝘢𝘺 is the 52-card deck that turns professional chaos into 15-minute sprints.

Draw a card. Do the thing. Build the business you know you are capable of.

𝐆𝐞𝐭 𝐨𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐭 𝐛𝐞𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐧𝐞𝐱𝐭 𝐝𝐫𝐨𝐩 𝐬𝐞𝐥𝐥𝐬 𝐨𝐮𝐭:
👉 www.fifteenminutemomentum.com

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About the Podcast:
Realtor180 is a weekly show dedicated to connecting you to top-performing agents nationwide to learn their insider secrets for succeeding on a massive scale. Each week we discover fresh marketing ideas, business strategies, and doses of inspiration to grow your business to the next level. More importantly, we will hear firsthand from industry experts about the pitfalls to avoid making along the way.

Hit that subscribe button now, grab a notebook, and learn that one thing that will help you turn your business around 180 degrees.

Watch the full episode on: https://www.youtube.com/@realtor180/videos

Connect with Us:
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Episode Artwork The Email That Got Me a Referral Partner | Blake Fahey, Real Estate Agent & Shawn Kunkler 1:00:52 Episode Artwork You Know What to Do: The Story Behind the Ace Your Day Deck | Susie Adamson, Real Estate Coach & Shawn Kunkler 59:08 Episode Artwork Pedal or Paddle: How Betty Batty Built a Referral-Only Business by Knowing When to Say No | Betty Batty, Real Estate Agent & Shawn Kunkler 44:11 Episode Artwork Your Strategy Works. Your Internal OPERATING SYSTEM Is What's Broken. | Kelly Parker, Real Estate Coach & Shawn Kunkler 1:31:16 Episode Artwork Be Kind First: How Jennifer Anderson Built a VA Relationship That Lasted (and a National Charity in 3 Years) | Jennifer Anderson, Real Estate Agent & Shawn Kunkler 40:08 Episode Artwork Build It Right or Don't Build It: How Bianca Colasuonno Built a Low-Turnover Team With a Salaried Agent Model | Bianca Colasuonno, Team Leader & Shawn Kunkler 52:08 Episode Artwork The $10 Website Strategy: How Phil Ganz Generates 1,500 Leads a Month With Zero Ad Spend | Phil Ganz, Mortgage Specialist & Shawn Kunkler 44:35 Episode Artwork His WORST Agent Closes 60 Deals a Year, Here's the System Behind It w/ Christopher Watters & Shawn Kunkler 52:10 Episode Artwork Most Agents Run a Hobby, Here's What Running a Business Actually Looks Like w/ Michael Abraham & Shawn Kunkler 58:23 Episode Artwork The Meditation Myths That Are BLOCKING Real Estate Agents From Their Best Performance 46:16 Episode Artwork He Waited 13 Years for His First Six-Figure Quarter. What He Discovered Will REWIRE How You Work. 1:01:27 Episode Artwork He Does $100M a Year Without AI. His REAL Secret Will Change How You Think About Sales 51:31 Episode Artwork The Profitability Problem: Why Most Agents Don't Know What They Actually Keep | Shawn Kunkler & Kathleen Metcalf, Real Estate Business Coach 59:56 Episode Artwork The Cost of Caring Too Much: Starting Over and Building a Real Estate Business From Scratch | Shawn Kunkler & Rachel Hausman Masse, $50M Producer Turned Two-Market Agent 1:24:00 Episode Artwork Why Your Real Estate Partnership Will Fail: How to Build a Team That Actually Lasts | Shawn Kunkler & Dena Zarra, Top 10 Connecticut Compass Agent 44:52 Episode Artwork Ep 160 The Human Connection Crisis: Why AI Is Making Real Estate Agents Invisible And What's ACTUALLY Working Now | Shawn Kunkler & Skye Michiels 1:01:49 Episode Artwork Ep 159 The Pitch Expert Who Won Shark Tank: Attention, Persuasion, and Owning Any Room | Shawn Kunkler & Precious Williams 59:31 Episode Artwork Ep 158 She Had 2 VAs Fail (Then Realized She Was the Problem) | Shawn Kunkler & Tanya Jones 48:24 Episode Artwork Ep 157 I Made Rejection a Game, and It Changed Everything About How I Sell | Shawn Kunkler & Alyssa Curran 1:29:13 Episode Artwork Ep 156 How She Built an Untouchable Referral Business by Doing What No One Else Will | Shawn Kunkler & Jillian Adler 52:32 Episode Artwork Ep 155 From Real Estate Empire to Coaching: Redefining Success on Your Terms | Shawn Kunkler & Elizabeth Convery 51:16 Episode Artwork Ep 154 From TED Talk Dreams to Book Launch: The Mindset in Motion Method | Debbi DiMaggio & Shawn Kunkler 43:54 Episode Artwork Ep 153 She Left Notes on STRANGERS' CARS & Built a Real Estate Empire | Alley Buscemi & Shawn Kunkler 1:30:00 Episode Artwork Ep 152 PLAYBOOK: $2.5 Billion Real Estate Team (We Are Giving It Away for Free) | Andy Bovender & Shawn Kunkler 49:49 Episode Artwork Ep 151 AI, Authenticity, and the Future of Real Estate | Shawn Kunkler & Ryan Garson 54:38