Stay Paid Podcast - Live Call-ins: The 26-Touch Rule & Staying Top of Mind All Year

Episode Date: March 2, 2026
Hosts: Luke Acrey, Josh Stike, Stephen Acrey
Guests/Callers: Michelle (Virginia), Debbie (Louisiana), Jocelyn (Nevada/Colorado/Wisconsin)

Episode Overview

In this dynamic live-call episode, the Stay Paid team answers real-world questions from listeners—agents, entrepreneurs, and business owners—around business growth, client communication, burnout, marketing strategies, and maximizing relationships. The main theme revolves around staying top of mind all year using the “26-Touch Rule,” hiring and leverage, battling burnout, marketing for buyers, pricing strategies, and deploying effective omnichannel touches to delight your database.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Caller #1: Michelle (Virginia)

Topics: Burnout, Communication, Leveraging People/Systems, Hiring Admins

• Michelle’s Background:

  • 30 years in credit repair, 21 years in real estate, 10-15 real estate deals per year
  • Also starting a ministry, feeling overwhelmed and burned out due to communication gaps with clients

• The Treadmill & Leverage

  • Luke: “I think Dave Ramsey would call this the treadmill stage. You’re the solopreneur, the rainmaker... you also have to service the business, and you’re trying to scale. Leverage comes from two things: people or systems. Both cost money, and people require leadership skills.” [01:28]
  • Action Point: Assess net profit to determine if you can afford help (admin or virtual assistant).
  • Hockey Stick Effect:
    Stephen: “When you hire an assistant, at first your income may drop (the stick goes down) while you train and build systems, but it should bounce up long-term if you release control and hire right.” [04:32]
    • Quote: “If you do it well, you build out the SOP... stay with them the first three months, and then you start to actually release.” [04:32]

• Exercise: Green-Yellow-Red Task List

  • Luke: “Write down, through the lens of what makes you the most money: green (highest value), yellow (important but not primary), red (low value/admin). The red is your job description for the hire.” [07:42]
  • Use ChatGPT to draft a job description from the ‘red’ list.
  • Luke: “You’ve got to take that leap from treadmill operator to owner. You might go through three people... Kiss a lot of frogs to find the prince. But stay in the trench with them until they can show you they know what to do.” [07:42]
  • Notable Moment: Michelle starts doing the exercise live:
    Michelle: “I’m doing it right now.” [09:59]

2. Caller #2: Debbie (Southwest Louisiana)

Topics: Generating Buyers, Open Houses & Pricing, Marketing Mix

• Debbie’s Background:

  • 20 deals/year, strong in networking, BNI, social media, pop-bys, mailouts, billboards/magazines
  • Struggling to find buyers despite many sellers/listings (has 18, soon 21, listings)

• The Buyer Dilemma: Open Houses and Product (Listing) Choice

  • Luke: “Open houses are the driver of most buyers. How many are you doing?” [14:29]
  • Stephen: “Product is what sells. If the home is overpriced, no amount of marketing will solve low buyer traffic.” [16:53]

• Pricing Reality & Hard Conversations

  • Luke: “You’re too soft... not having the hard convo up front to set price expectations. Demand drives price, and you need the right price to drive demand—simple economics.” [19:19]
  • Tactic from Top Team: Bring Zillow, Realtor.com, and Redfin price estimates to the listing appointment, and ask the seller which they think is most accurate—and why. Get their thinking before offering a professional opinion. [21:47]
    • Quote: “When you show them those prices, none of them are the same... you’re validating your value to the marketplace.” [21:47]
  • Stephen: “The consumer is dying for you to tell them the truth... It’s better for the seller if you price competitively and go up, than if you price too high and come down.” [22:37]
  • Luke: “The fault is, you can’t control the market, you control the marketing. But you do control the advice you give them. Set proper expectations upfront, and price reductions don’t become a problem.” [24:25]
  • Lead Gen Tactics: Facebook & Google ads for buyer leads (list-of-homes downloads); ReminderMedia offers services and webinars to manage or DIY the process. [25:57]

3. Caller #3: Jocelyn (Nevada, Colorado, Wisconsin)

Topics: 26-Touch Rule, Omnichannel Marketing, Staying Top of Mind, Content Selection

• Jocelyn’s Challenge:

  • Owns a care business (home care for special needs, elderly, etc.), operates in 3 states
  • Wonders about the best product/touch (magazine, email, etc.) for staying top of mind, getting referrals, and growing both clients and care worker team

• Staying Top of Mind: The 26-Touch Rule

  • Luke: “Whether magazine, email, calls, social... it’s not one thing; it’s a system of things. You want 26 touches to each client a year—magazine, calls, emails, events, Facebook ads—it all matters. Omnichannel is key.” [42:59]
  • Luke: “The principle is: who am I trying to reach, where do those people spend their time, and how can I get my unique value proposition up in front of them as many ways as possible?” [51:15]

• Surveying Clients for Retention and Referrals

  • Luke: “You need a system, a survey at 30/90 days... where answering the questions, you get their true feelings. You need a data benchmark to see at-risk clients.” [34:40]
  • Stephen: “One of those questions should be ‘Would you refer us out?’ On a scale of 1–10, 10 being definitely.” [36:38]

• Marketing Channels & Messaging

  • Choose the Start Healthy magazine for health-aligned branding, but as relationships develop, match interests (e.g., Good to Be Home) [45:11]
  • Luke: “Magazine is just one component—the audience and omnichannel matters more. For your database: magazine quarterly or bimonthly, phone calls quarterly, email 1x/month (preferably 26x/year), and regular social posts.” [42:59]
  • Luke: “Have a call to action with a QR code in the magazine—ask for referrals, reinforce with your calls, and make every touch about watering the seed of your ‘ask’.” [36:58]

• Notable Moment: Jocelyn’s son, Donovan, jumps on camera:
  Michelle (Jocelyn): “This is my why.” [50:12]

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

On Hiring & Leverage

• Stephen Acrey [04:32]:
  “When you hire (an assistant), you’re going to have more time poured into them... for the first three months. If you build out the SOP and do it right, they will triple your business—like you alluded to.”
• Luke Acrey [07:42]:
  “Kiss a lot of frogs to find the prince. Show them what to do, let them show you, then let go.”

On Pricing Listings

• Stephen Acrey [16:53]:
  “Product is what sells... If I overprice a listing and do the best marketing in the world, I still am not going to have traffic.”
• Luke Acrey [19:19]:
  “You want to get them the highest price you can, but the reality is you want to make them the most money possible... I think you have to have some harder conversations.”
• Luke Acrey [24:25]:
  “You control the marketing, but you do control the advice... When you have the conversation and set proper expectations, then price reductions do not become a problem.”

On Staying Top of Mind / 26-Touch Rule

• Luke Acrey [42:59]:
  “It’s not one product that’s the end all. It’s omnichannel. For your database: magazine, calls, emails, events, Facebook ads. The audience matters more than the product.”
• Luke Acrey [51:15]:
  “The hardest part for business owners—you think there is a thing you should be doing... It’s actually a system. Where winners win is in that cadence, the brick every day.”

On Messaging & Referrals

• Luke Acrey [36:58]:
  “[On the magazine:] ‘If you know of anybody that could use my help, I’m totally open. Here’s the QR code. Actually, do you have anybody right now?’ All the marketing is watering the seed of that ask.”

Important Timestamps

• 01:28–07:42: Hiring your first admin and the green-yellow-red exercise for delegation
• 12:41–16:53: Debbie’s marketing activities, open house strategy, and choosing listings
• 19:19–24:25: Tough pricing conversations, bringing data to seller appointments
• 32:32–36:38: Jocelyn’s question on product selection, staying top of mind, and survey systems
• 42:59–51:15: 26-Touch Rule explained; omnichannel touches for maximum retention/referrals

Episode Takeaways

• Burnout comes from lack of leverage—build it via hiring (admin/VA) or systems
• Expect a “hockey stick” effect: initial setbacks, long-term scalability
• List/prioritize tasks (green-yellow-red), delegate the red, focus on your unique value
• The right pricing matters more than the amount of marketing for listings
• Open houses, priced right, are still a top way to generate buyers
• For service/relationship businesses, stay top of mind with a cadence of omnichannel touches (mail, email, phone, events, social)
• Implement routine surveys to identify at-risk clients and prompt for referrals—don’t be afraid to ask
• Every touch should reinforce your value and your ask (referrals/connections)

Practical “Action Steps”

1. Do the green-yellow-red exercise on your current activities.
2. If experiencing burnout, seriously consider hiring admin or VAs—even if there’s a short-term dip.
3. In listing presentations, use multiple price estimates (Zillow/Realtor.com/Redfin) to anchor the price discussion and set expectations.
4. Don’t shy away from tough pricing conversations—advise what’s best, not what’s easiest.
5. Establish a 26-touch calendar: combine print, digital, and calls.
6. Survey clients at intervals to get honest feedback and leverage NPS-style referral questions.
7. Have a clear, conversational ‘ask’ for referrals—use every communication as a gentle reminder.
8. Clarify your unique value proposition, tailor messaging, and select mediums accordingly.

Closing Sentiment

Luke Acrey [51:15]:
“Winners win by constantly taking action and having a cadence. It’s not about finding the magical tactic—it’s about doing the right things, every day, in front of the right people.”

For more, follow the Stay Paid Podcast on Instagram [@staypaidpodcast] and visit ReminderMedia.com.