Last month, three of The Agency’s own took the stage at Inman Connect and Inman Luxury Connect held at the Marriott Marquis San Diego Marina. From luxury marketing and client advisory to agent retention, our speakers brought insights to an audience of the industry’s best and brightest. Here’s a quick look at what they shared.
Tyler Whitman Talks Marketing That Matches the Mansion
Tyler, a top-producing agent and Managing Partner of The Agency Hamptons, took the stage at Inman Luxury Connect to break down what separates strategic luxury marketing from marketing that just looks expensive. He made the case that cinematic, overproduced listing videos can actually backfire when they feel generic or disconnected from what makes a property special. Sometimes less truly is more.
For ultra-high-net-worth clients, he noted, privacy is often the real luxury. Being the only buyer invited to tour a home can be more compelling than any public campaign. To bring the point home, Tyler shared a standout example from his own business — a $108M private sale that proved relationships, word-of-mouth, and access can build a highly qualified buyer pool without ever going public.
Arushi Kapoor Highlights the Importance of Discretion
At Inman Luxury Connect, Arushi, founder of The Agency Art House, tackled the shift every top producer eventually makes — from closing deals to building long-term trust.
“The difference between an agent and an advisor,” she explained, “is that an agent is focused on completing the transaction; an advisor is focused on whether the transaction is right for the client.” She shared that trust starts the moment a client realizes you’re willing to advise them not to buy, not to sell, or not to take the first offer, and reminded the room that discretion is everything at the top of the market — a client’s name, home, or transaction should never become social currency without permission.
Juliet Clapp On What it Really Takes to Win (and Keep) Agents
Juliet, Senior Vice President and Managing Partner of The Agency North East, brought a sharp brokerage leadership perspective to Inman Connect, revealing what actually keeps top producers in place once they’ve been onboarded.
Great recruiting, she said, doesn’t hinge on headcount. It’s all about finding agents who align with your brokerage’s unique values. Retention, she noted, also depends on a brokerage investing in coaching, marketing support, technology, and business development. And while commission splits do get agents in the door, Juliet was clear that The Agency’s truly connected company culture —one where agents feel known and supported by leadership — is a vital element, and something larger competitors struggle to replicate.
Craig Lotzof Unpacks Why Price and Positioning Drive the Strategy
After kicking off the conference by hosting Inman’s exclusive Luxury Connect networking event at his newly listed 1205 Muirlands Drive, Craig Lotzof, a leading agent based in San Diego, led a session on pricing strategy. In it, he broke down how top agents create value beyond the comps, shape buyer perception, and hold the line with even the most demanding sellers.
With wealth shifting, global uncertainty rising, and demand growing more unpredictable, Craig makes the case that pricing has to be intentional. At once bold enough to capture value, flexible enough to pivot when the market shifts, and disciplined enough to protect the number once it’s set. The conversation dug into what it actually takes to maximize value in today’s luxury market, where pricing has never been more important or more nuanced.
Hats off to Tyler, Arushi, Juliet, and Craig! Thank you for representing The Agency so beautifully. We’re lucky to have you!
All photos by Jared Hankins
