Aligned Clients Only — How to Attract More Dream Clients in 2026

Your 2025 client list told a story. Some clients lit you up. Others drained you.

In this episode, we’re doing a full Aligned Client Audit to help you:

• Reflect on the clients you actually loved working with
• Spot the red flags you’ll never ignore again
• Build your 2026 "People Pillars" for focused marketing
• Create a simple intake process to protect your energy
• Attract more of the right people — and kindly repel the wrong ones

This is how you build a business that supports your life, not just your pipeline.

Let’s make 2026 the year your client roster finally feels aligned, energizing, and referral-worthy.

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Chapters

• 1:42 Why Client Alignment Matters
• 3:02 Spotting Your Best-Fit Clients
• 5:54 Identifying Misaligned Patterns
• 7:21 Marketing To Aligned Audiences
• 10:30 Building People Pillars And Tactics
• 11:27 Create A Values-Based Intake System
• 13:30 Set Expectations And Boundaries
• 15:22 Yes, Maybe, No: Client Triage
• 16:44 Referrals From Alignment And Closing Thoughts

Transcript

SPEAKER_00: 1:08

Hello friends! I am so excited to dive into this episode. Continuing our closing out 2025 season, we are going to talk today about how to attract more of the clients you loved in 2025. This is about aligned clients-only vibes. Now, this is so important because some of your clients in 2025 were absolute gems, people you would bend over backwards for. And others, let's just say that you survived them barely. So here's my question. What if 2026 was the year that you only worked with the clients that you loved? And I know for some of you that is a privilege, but having that intention and putting that out can be very powerful. And that is what we are talking about today. We are going to walk through a full aligned client audit so you can attract more of the right people, repel the wrong ones, and build a business that actually supports your energy, your boundaries, and ultimately your bottom line. So why does a client alignment matter so much? I'm going to tell you aligned clients change everything. So let's run through it. When you are working with the right people, you are happier, you are more profitable, you are more referred, which is honestly one of the biggest reasons. You're also more confident and you just feel more supported by your client. Like you feel like you are on the same team, which honestly, don't we all just want to be on the same team together? Like getting them to closing. You also get to be more authentically you, which is great. Like you're not shape shifting to make someone like you. You're not managing expectations that were totally unrealistic to begin with. And you're not dreading every time that person pops up on your phone or in your inbox. On the flip side of the equation, misalignment, misaligned clients, they cost you your time, your energy, your boundaries, honestly, your profit, like usually lose money on these people. And I think most importantly, your mental health. Like they are not good for you. They cause anxiety, they cause depression, like they make you doubt yourself. So I hope that in 2026 you are choosing alignment over obligation because we are done taking on any warm body with a pre-approval and a pulse. And just, I know, like you are here to close deals, but you are also here to build a business that fits you and how you want to operate. So the first step is we need to spot who your aligned clients are. Like what are the patterns? So we need to get clear on who lit you up this year. So I want you to pull out your client list, write down all the names if you don't have it handy, but circle your absolute favorite people to work with. And if you don't have a ton of clients in 2025, go back to 2024 and 2023. This is about spotting patterns. So I want you to ask yourself for those circled clients who you absolutely loved, what made them amazing? How did they communicate? What price point were they in? How fast did they make decisions? And what did they value? And also ultimately, did they trust your advice? Like that was a big one for me is I want to feel like you trust me because I'm giving you good advice. And lastly, how did they find you? That is another really important piece. And honestly, that is the golden nugget. Because when you find the patterns and how your aligned clients find you, that is the breadcrumb trail that you need to follow. And those people or those sources, that is how you build your people pillars. That's the foundation for your future marketing, any messaging, any systems, any referrals. It's literally everything. This is how you focus and get intentional on your lead generation and marketing efforts. Now we can't just look at the bright side of the moon. We need to look at the dark side of the moon. And so this is spotting your misaligned client patterns. So let's flip the script. Who of this list of clients drained you? And again, this isn't about like going back and beating yourself up, but it's about really figuring out who were the clients that you couldn't wait to be done with and why? Where did they come from? Was there a common thread there? Was there a particular referral person who is sending all these people your way? Also, what red flags did you ignore early on? I know we all have these like gut instincts when we start working with somebody and we're like, oh, this is gonna be a nightmare. I should say no, but you don't, and you regret it instantly. What boundary did you not set? So, did you not do a buyer presentation and discuss how do you work? What's your availability? How do you tour properties? What's a buyer agency agreement? And how do you prevent this next year, which we will get into in the last step. But thinking about it like, ooh, what mistake did I make with this person? That is such good information. This is going to help you reveal what your filters are and also what your boundaries need to be and where they weren't strong enough. And honestly, that's a fixable problem. So now that we have who you want to work with and who you don't, it is time to start marketing like it. I want you to stop trying to speak to every single person out there and really start speaking directly to your aligned client. And we are talking about their fears, their goals, their personality. And this includes a lot of different stuff. So it includes storytelling, store telling the stories of the people that are like them, showing who you helped, not just necessarily what you are selling. Now, niching is a big thing. So you might have like a downsizer niche or first-time buyer niche, but we're going to get rid of anyone who's just looking to buy or sell because that is just invisible and it blends in with everything that other real estate agents are doing. You really want to get specific on the target markets you are targeting. And this is where people pillars come in. I really like having a pillar for each target demographic that I am targeting. So, for example, first-time buyers in Peterborough, New Hampshire. I want to really hone in on marketing to those people. And then I'm going to come up with my strategies on how I am going to hit that. Could be referrals from your VIP clients. You are going to get super specific on how you are going to build relationships, stay in front of these people, and ultimately hopefully get repeat business or referrals from them. So niching down and coming up with what those people pillars are is super crucial. And honestly, you just develop those people, those people pillars from the research that you do on which clients you loved working with. Now, clients love hearing about stories like themselves. So I mentioned storytelling, but using specific client examples and case studies can also be really powerful. I like to call case studies success stories, but you can put those on anything. Oh my gosh, they're so repurposable. You can use them for blogs, you can use them for emails, social, postcards. Like, don't reinvent the wheel. If you're creating a piece of content, make sure that you are repurposing. Repurposing is so powerful. The other piece is lifestyle content. Maybe you realize everyone's moving to your particular area for schools or for access to the outdoors. Really leaning into what type of lifestyle your ideal client is attracted to is a really awesome strategy for any marketing you're doing. So this is aligned clients, like they want to live like you do. So putting out that you're living that type of life can be really magnetic. And it doesn't matter what channels you're using, you're just getting the message out there to those people. Um, again, this could be social media, this can be direct mail, this can be email, this can be in person. It doesn't matter what the medium is, it is all about a marketing campaign. It is about targeting a specific demographic, your ideal clients. And it does not matter what you use, it's that you are getting yourself and your message in front of them. Now I could probably do an entire episode, and I probably will at one point on developing your people pillars. But I am sure you are smart enough to put one of your pillars on the top of a page, let's just say downsizers, and come up with five specific strategies or tactics that you are going to use to stay in front of this, these people consistently in 2026. That is as simple as it is. It could be I'm sending a monthly farm postcard, I am hosting workshops. Whatever you want to do, it is up to you. Whatever you think is going to be the most fun, whatever you think you are actually going to execute, that is the most important because doing something is better than doing nothing. So we have figured out who our aligned clients are. We have figured out who our misaligned clients are. We have talked about marketing directly to your aligned clients through targeted people pillars with tactics. Now, what is the filter? How do we prevent unaligned, misaligned clients from getting into your ecosystem? This is where we build our intake system. So I want to give you something tactical that you can use when you get a call that says, hey, interested in working with you. Because we're going to be attracting people, right? And we just need to make sure that we have a filter that we can really put three people through to make sure that they are going to be in alignment. So I want you to take a look at your misaligned client list from earlier. And I want you to start asking your question. What did I miss or ignore early on when I started working with this person? Was it that they showed up late to everything? Did were they disorganized? Did they not respect my boundaries? Whatever it is, what did you miss or ignore? And what question or observation could have revealed that before you went too far down the road with them? And then also potentially what system or what boundary could have prevented you from taking them on as a client? And we're going to turn those red flags into filters. This isn't just a like gut check. This is actually going to be baked into your process. So I want you to create, and this is step two, a values-based intake form. And this is every buyer, every seller completes this before you work together. I want you to keep it super simple, but you can ask things like, and this is you're not gonna like give them a form. This is part of your interview, but it's like, what's your ideal timeline? Why do you have to move? How do you prefer to communicate? I'm only available on these days for showings. Does that work for you? I turn my phone off at 7 p.m. Unless we're in active negotiations. Is that going to be a problem for you? What's most important to you in this process and in my job as a real estate agent? Have you ever bought or sold before? And how was that experience? Are you open to guidance and clear timelines? And just these questions, they can be based on anything that has been a red flag for you in the past. And their information, their answers, it's going to give you so much more than you had before because it's going to show you how they think about things. Um, if they're going to be like really, really picky, or if they're in a situation where they're kind of like stuck, they actually can't make a move. Um, that's going to be super interesting information to have. Now, I'm not saying like if somebody's like, I'm I'm moving when that right house comes along, like I'm not saying you shouldn't necessarily take that person, but it's like, all right, so if the right house does come along, are you ready? And if they're like, well, I would need to like sell my house, I would need it to be a full moon, I would need um my firstborn to be seven years old, whatever. You're like, okay, well, I probably am not the right agent for you. Another part of this is just sharing how you work. And this should be a part of every single buyer presentation, which is here's how I communicate, here's when I am available, here's what happens when we find a house that you like, here's what I expect before we start touring property. It is all about setting those expectations and seeing do they push back? Do they interrupt you? Do they fight you? Do they light up when you explain your process? And that is honestly your answer. Because if they are not aligned with you at this point, there is going to be misalignment down the road. I can absolutely guarantee it. So I know this is not what everyone wants to hear, but not every single person who wants to buy or sell real estate needs to become your client. And I like to just kind of put people in buckets after our first meeting. Yet, is it a yes? Great, they're going through my onboarding process. Is it a maybe? I'm gonna pause and then like really check in with my gut and really check in with myself and be like, all right, is this person someone I really want to work with? And there might be a follow-up conversation with that person, and that is totally okay. Is it a no? Then you might just refer it out. And I, this is totally fine, but this is how people build businesses that really feel good. This is how you get a client roster of people that you just love working with and love spending time with. And this really isn't about just you. This is about your clients. They're going to get a better experience when they're aligned. They're going to appreciate your systems and they're ultimately going to send you more referrals, which is what this is ultimately about, which is doing such a great job for this person, making them so happy that they're going to send more aligned clients your way. The most successful top-producing real estate agents have built referral-based businesses. And the ones that have the aligned referrals coming in are the happiest. I am telling you. It's like best friends just being introduced to you nonstop. So I hope this episode was helpful in opening your mind on how you can start attracting and filtering for more aligned clients in 2026. Because when your business feels good, it is actually something you want to keep showing up for. And that is really just the goal. Like, don't we want to love our businesses? So go get it and stay happy.