What does it really take to thrive in high-end real estate? According to two of the industry’s most respected professionals — Jade Mills of Coldwell Banker in Beverly Hills and Frances Katzen of Douglas Elliman in New York — it comes down to mastering the basics, staying composed under pressure, and cultivating unshakable client relationships. In a recent Luxury Presence panel led by Chris Linsell, they revealed hard-earned insights that go beyond the surface. For agents aiming to build lasting credibility, inspire trust, and consistently deliver in the luxury market, their advice was a blueprint for sustainable success. Here are five key takeaways that may surprise you.
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1. How you get in the room
Breaking into luxury real estate isn’t about waiting for a million-dollar referral. It’s about making bold, sometimes uncomfortable moves to earn your seat at the table.
Frances Katzen’s story sets the tone: Within 30 days of entering the industry, she landed her first multimillion-dollar listing by staging it herself, literally using her own furniture. “It’s amazing what fear will make you do,” she recalled. “You don’t give up. You just don’t give up. You don’t have the luxury to give up, you can only create what you close.”
With no soft landing, Katzen relied on sheer determination and relentless drive. “People like people who are hungry,” she said. “It makes them feel like they’re going to have someone working on their behalf a little bit more… that goes a long way.”
Jade Mills, who built her business in Beverly Hills from the ground up, reinforced the idea that tenacity gets you noticed, but service earns you trust. “Your clients want to feel like they are the most important people in your life,” she said. “You have to make them feel like you are going to live and breathe their listing.”
For both agents, getting into the luxury market wasn’t about having the perfect résumé. It was about showing up, doing the work others wouldn’t, and proving your value, one phone call, showing, or staging job at a time.
2. Radical honesty builds the strongest client relationships
In luxury real estate, it’s tempting to tell sellers what they want to hear, especially when the stakes are high and the listing is aspirational. But both Katzen and Mills insist that honesty, especially the kind that stings, is what builds trust and ultimately, results.
“I say what I think, not what they want to hear,” Katzen said. “I’ve had to master and learn how to be a chameleon in terms of learning when to say it, and when not to say it.” For her, candor isn’t just a personality trait; it’s a professional obligation. “You take away their choice when you’re not straight,” she said. “And I think New York is such a hard-hitting town… they don’t want to talk about the weather. They want to know what you’re going to do for me, and how you’re going to do it, and what’s the number.”
That kind of unfiltered honesty can feel risky, but Katzen sees it as empowering. “It’s really scary for newer agents,” she admitted. “But I definitely think being straight allows them to have agency in it. And I think that’s when trust is formed.”
Mills, too, doesn’t sugarcoat the numbers. She shared a recent example where she was asked to list a property well above what she believed was its fair value. “I just had someone, and I gave them a price. They listed it for $3 million more than I gave them… ‘I can’t get you $3 million more than your house is worth.’” Even then, the client insisted: “They said, ‘We have all the faith in the world in you. We want you to try it.’ What do you say to that?”
Despite her reservations, she agreed to the listing and delivered a substantial offer. “I got a $10 million offer, and they said, ‘We’re not doing that. We want full price.’” At that point, she was clear: “I will have to say, I can’t do this for you, and you’re gonna have to go elsewhere.”
The takeaway is that you can’t manufacture a market. “We’re not magicians,” Mills said. “It still has to be priced reasonably.” Katzen put it even more bluntly: “You can’t manufacture a market.”
3. If you’re new, align with experience and lead with knowledge
Neither Mills nor Katzen advocates for bluffing your way through a listing appointment, but both insist that confidence, preparation, and strategic alignment are essential when you’re just starting out.
“You fake it till you make it,” Katzen said. “You emulate and watch the big boys… you learn your craft.” That means studying every listing in your market, analyzing data, and refining your ability to speak about pricing, inventory, and trends with fluency. “Know your market,” she added. “Because now you’re an advisor, you’re no longer the new guy hunting for the business.”
Mills echoed the importance of pairing humility with hustle and leaning on trusted partners early. “I would say probably the first five listings I had, I took someone with me… they were the professional, I was the new person in town.” That collaboration helped her gain credibility while building confidence. When asked how she thought about commission splits, she didn’t hesitate: “It’s better to have 50% of something than 100% of nothing.”
But none of it works, they agreed, without full commitment. “You have to go into any situation with total confidence,” Mills said. “They need to know that you feel you can sell their house.”
In short: Bring the energy, borrow the credibility, do the homework, and never let the client feel like they’re taking a risk on you, even if they are.
4. True luxury service is personal, proactive, and persistent
Exceptional service is about anticipating needs and creating emotional connections.
“You need to be in touch with your clients all the time,” Katzen said. “It’s that constant presence that makes them feel completely looked after.”
For Mills, personalization is paramount. “You can’t be too busy,” she said, “you can never say to anybody, ‘Oh, I’ll call you back, but I have four other calls first.’ They have to feel the most important, and I think that is the key to being successful.”
Mills continued, “Everybody still says to me, ‘Oh, my God! You sold the spelling manner, or you sold the Playboy mansion.’ That is such a tiny bit of what I have done and what I feel good about. I feel good about giving my clients amazing service.”
Mills and Katzen also provide stand-out service through thoughtfulness. “If you see something in the news that you know they’re interested in… send them something,” Mills said. “I find books that I love… and send those books to people that I know might be interested in that subject.”
Even closing gifts are bespoke: Mills has sent private chefs and custom wine cases; Katzen has gifted Steuben glass and Hermès blankets. “I bought her the Hermès blanket,” Katzen said of one client. “She said, ‘Even I didn’t buy that for myself.’”
5. Your personal brand is your most powerful listing tool
The agents may operate on opposite coasts, but both credit their personal brands and digital presence as silent drivers of trust and growth.
Katzen, who has a background in professional dance, channels her creative instincts into cinematic listing videos. At first, she said, “I just felt dumb… but I was like, can we do something a little bit more off, a little quirky? And it worked.”
Mills points to her website as a key differentiator. “I can’t even tell you the amount of listings that I get by showing my Luxury Presence website,” she said. “People will say to me, ‘Oh my gosh, this is amazing. OK, where do I sign up?”
For agents looking to compete in a luxury market, brand credibility, both online and off, is non-negotiable.
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If you want to compete like the pros, your brand has to look good, but it also has to tell your story, build trust, and convert at first glance. Whether you’re breaking into luxury or scaling an established business, Luxury Presence is the partner behind thousands of the industry’s most visible agents and teams.
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Learn how we can help take your real estate business to the next level. Schedule a time to speak with one of our branding experts today.
