The Real Moat: Why Relationships Outlast Commission Splits
In Malaysia’s property industry, agencies often believe their strongest weapon is the payout scheme. Raise the split a little higher, promise a bigger override, dangle a bonus—surely that will keep negotiators and leaders loyal.
But history proves otherwise. Commission splits are easily matched, quickly copied, and rarely remembered. What actually keeps agents, leaders, and even clients tied to your agency long-term is something far harder to replicate: relationships.
The Illusion of Commission Splits
Commission splits feel like a moat. Raise it to 90%, 95%, or even 100%, and it looks like you’ve built the most attractive agency in town. The problem?
- Everyone can copy you. Another agency will always offer 1–2% more to lure agents away.
- Short-term loyalty only. Agents who came for payout will leave for payout.
- Margin erosion. Bosses sacrifice profitability, leaving nothing for training, systems, or branding.
Money is effective at bringing people in the door, but it’s rarely what makes them stay.
The Power of Alliances
What truly keeps teams together is not the commission slip—it’s the web of relationships and alliances built within the agency.
- Trust between leader and agent. When agents know their leader fights for them, teaches them, and shares real opportunities, they won’t jump ship for an extra 1%.
- Cross-team collaboration. Co-broking, shared leads, and group branding create networks too valuable to abandon.
- Boss-to-leader alliances. When principals give leaders autonomy to build culture and run their own systems, leaders become partners, not flight risks.
Example: A leader offered a 2% higher split elsewhere might stay because their current principal supports their unique training methods and gives them the freedom to innovate. That trust outweighs the short-term lure of more money.
Why Relationships Are Hard to Replicate
- Time. Loyalty is earned deal by deal, over years of shared challenges and victories. This cumulative history cannot be purchased or fast-tracked.
- Culture. Every agency has its own rituals, unwritten rules, and group dynamics. These cannot be duplicated by outsiders.
- Shared wins. Nothing bonds people more than making money together. Deals closed through collaboration are remembered long after a commission cheque is cashed.
A negotiator might forget what split they were on two years ago, but they’ll remember who had their back when they were struggling to close deals.
How to Build a Relationship Moat
- Invest in Leaders. Empower them with tools, autonomy, and recognition.
- Create Shared Platforms. Use systems like ListingMine Groups and ERP to keep teams connected and deals transparent.
- Encourage Co-Broking. Break down silos; the more people earn together, the harder it is to separate them.
- Be Present. Bosses who show up in the trenches, not just at award nights, build trust money can’t buy.
Final Word
Commission splits may win attention, but they don’t build empires. Relationships, alliances, and trust are the real moat. They create stickiness that no spreadsheet can capture and no competitor can undercut.
👉 If you want true retention, stop chasing percentage points. Start building alliances that last with Listingmine ERP.
