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From Family Painting Business to Coaching 3M+ Agents | Dermot Buffini - Buffini & Company CEORetry
- Leo Pareja
- Oct 2
- 4 min read
Listen to the full conversation with Dermot Buffini where we dive deep into how Buffini & Company coached 3 million+ agents, why trust determines everything in leadership, and the critical difference between being an influencer and being influential.
Dermot Buffini has a contractor who's renovating his 1975 ranch house.
Every single day, Dermot asks him the same question:
"What do you think?"
And nine times out of ten, Dermot does exactly what the contractor suggests.
Not because the contractor has 100,000 followers. Not because he posts daily content. Not because he's optimized his personal brand.
Because when he speaks, Dermot trusts him completely.
That contractor is what Dermot calls an "influential person." And right now, that's the most valuable thing you can become in any industry.
The Influencer Trap
Here's what's happening in real estate right now: Everyone's trying to be an influencer.
Agents are dancing on TikTok. Posting Reels. Creating "content." Some of it's funny. Some of it's clever. But Dermot told me something that stopped me cold:
"I'm not buying a house from a clown."
That sounds harsh. But think about it. When you need to make the biggest financial decision of your life, do you want the agent with the most viral videos? Or do you want the person who, when they tell you something, you know it's true?
The difference between these two things—being an influencer versus being influential—is everything.
The Influential Person
Dermot defines an influential person simply: "When they say something to me, I'm going to listen. When they recommend something to me, I'm going to check that out when I get home."
That's it. No follower count required. No engagement metrics needed.
His contractor has this power. When he says "here's what I would do," Dermot doesn't need a second opinion. He doesn't shop around. He doesn't hesitate.
Why? Because the contractor shows up every single day. He gets solutions. He takes care of things. He's proven himself when it matters.
That's the definition Dermot is working with: someone whose words carry weight because they've earned trust through consistent action.
The Real Estate Opportunity
All the changes in the industry—the NAR settlement, commission compression, technology disruption—have created one massive opportunity:
Be the person in your market that people trust.
Not the flashiest. Not the funniest. Not the one with the most followers.
The one who, when uncertainty hits, people call.
Dermot put it perfectly: "Right now, the most precious commodity is someone you can trust. People are drowning in information and starving for truth."
Everyone can Google home values. Everyone can see listings online. Everyone has access to the same information.
But who can they trust to tell them what it actually means? Who will they listen to when things get complicated?
That's where influential people win.
How Buffini & Company Built Influence at Scale
Buffini & Company has coached over 3 million real estate professionals in 45 countries. They've survived every market crash since 1999. Their coached clients average $460,000 in annual income.
They didn't do it with viral marketing or growth hacks.
They did it by becoming the influential voice their clients trust when it matters most.
Here's how: When someone has a problem—a real problem, not just an inconvenience—Buffini & Company goes all in. Dermot personally reads angry customer emails. He highlights the real issues. He responds directly. He makes sure it gets fixed.
"Trust is built in drops and lost in bucket loads," Dermot told me. "If somebody's having a hard time, that's when we really earn our stripes."
Most companies hide from problems. Influential people run toward them.
The Two Requirements
Becoming influential requires two things, and Dermot's framework here is brilliant:
Will: The determination to show up consistently, especially when it's hard.
Skill: The competence to actually solve problems when you show up.
Most people focus on one or the other. They have the will to work hard but lack the skill to deliver results. Or they have the skill but lack the will to grind through tough times.
Influential people have both. They show up. And when they show up, they're competent.
Dermot's contractor has this combination. He's there every single day (will). And when he's there, he knows what he's doing (skill).
That combination makes his opinion more valuable than any influencer's hot take.
Your Influential Person Moment
Tomorrow, ask yourself this question:
If someone in your market needed to make a major decision, would they call you for advice? Not to hire you. Just to ask: "What do you think?"
If the answer is no, you're not influential yet. You might have followers. You might have likes. But you don't have trust.
And trust is the only currency that matters when markets get tough.
The good news? Becoming influential is simpler than becoming an influencer. You don't need to master algorithms or create viral content.
You just need to:
Show up consistently
Develop real competence
Tell the truth even when it's uncomfortable
Run toward problems instead of away from them
Do that long enough, and people will start asking: "What do you think?"
That's when you know you've become influential.
Dermot proved something powerful: In a world where everyone's chasing followers, the real opportunity is earning trust.
Find the people who need help. Show up for them. Be competent when you show up. Tell them the truth.
Don't try to be the influencer everyone watches. Be the influential person everyone calls.
Leo
P.S. Dermot shared one more insight that stuck with me: "Success is really just attrition. People quit at disproportionate amounts." The influential people in your market aren't necessarily smarter or more talented. They just didn't quit when everyone else did. They kept showing up. They kept developing their skills. And eventually, they became the last person standing—the one everyone trusts.