“I saw a post from a realtor I moved 3 years ago. I gave her a $3000 move for $2000 in hopes of getting her business. She just posted that she sold $100,000,000 of real estate this year! She was happy with the job I did, and she sent me two customers, but I’m still feeling a little pissed that all those other homes needed movers and she didn’t refer me. How soon favors are forgotten. This isn’t the first time a realtor promised to hook me up and didn’t follow through in my 20+ years here.”

A mover posted that in a Facebook group. He said what a lot of movers secretly think: "They’ll send me work if I do them a favor." Dead wrong. That’s why most movers get nothing from realtors. But one mover saw it for what it is, and he’s been swimming in referrals since. His name is Neacail Murdock.

Neacail knows referrals are earned, not bought. Don’t get it twisted, realtors love favors. They just love their reputation way more. They always think, “How will it make me look if I refer you?” That's the real filter. They’re judging you more than your favors. If they see you as just another small-time vendor, a discount feels like a bribe. But if you’ve built trust and your name means something, that same discount becomes a beautiful gesture. That’s why two movers can run the same playbook, but only one gets the referrals.

For better or worse, the realtors you know have already put you in one of three buckets:

1. The go-to partner they trust and refer all the time

2. The backup mover they name-drop every so often

3. The desperate one they’ll take favors from, but never refer to anyone

Realtors refer up and across, but never down. If you want them to back you, act like someone they should be proud to refer.

About Neacail Murdock

Neacail started as a satellite tech. Today, he runs Murdock’s Moving and Storage out of Chico and Yuba City, pulling in over $2 million a year. A big part of his growth comes from realtors who refer him. His company was named Industry Partner of the Year by the Sierra North Valley Realtors Association in 2023.

Unlike many movers, Neacail does things that cost him a lot of time, effort, and even money. That’s on purpose. Behavioral economists call that costly signaling: the more it costs you to say or show something, the more people believe you mean it. Everything Neacail does sends signals that say: “I’m invested in this relationship, I’m reliable, and I’m in your world.” Let's break it down.

What Neacail does and why it works

Joining realtor associations and attending their weekly events

If you don’t know any realtors, start here. Almost every area has at least one association. They aren’t as exclusive as they sound. You just need to contact someone and let them know if you want in. Some of these associations will charge you an annual fee. Once you’re in, they’ll invite you to their weekly MLS events (they call those “caravans”). Realtors meet there, share new listings, and visit those homes together. You should show up regularly. If you paid an annual fee, why wouldn’t you?

You don’t need to pitch anything, but put in the effort to learn realtors’ names and shake hands. You’ll become the mover from their inner circle once they see you five or six times. That’s what Neacail did. He joined the Realtor associations in both his markets and the local property owner groups. He still goes to their meetings regularly. Whenever he can't make it, he sends one of his office managers.

TIP

Use Tap cards instead of traditional business cards. They let you drop your contact information straight into realtors’ phones.

You can fill out your details ahead of time (like your company name, phone number, email, and keywords like “mover” or “moving and storage”) so they can search and find you later.

What NOT to do

- Join a realtor association and then only attend their events once or twice.

- Hand out business cards to everyone. You’re better off building meaningful relationships with only 3 to 5 people.

- Only show up in the winter. It makes your efforts look insincere.

- Forget to wear your company polo and hat. You need realtors to remember your business.

Cold visiting realtors in their offices

Neacail walks in and introduces himself. He tells realtors who he is and what he does for no reason but to start a relationship. This can be tricky, since you’re a stranger interrupting their routine. That’s why Neacail never shows up empty-handed. When the time comes to refer a mover, he’s not just anybody. He’s the one they’ve met in person.

What NOT to do

- Show up empty-handed.

- Ask for referrals right away. If you come off as needy, the wrong realtor might dangle referrals to squeeze discounts out of you.

- Treat your visits like transactions.

- Give submissively instead of strategically.

- Overdo the gestures. If you do, they’ll never see you as a peer.

Sponsoring realtor events and community fundraisers

Neacail uses sponsorships to get his business in front of realtors without breaking the bank. It also helps his brand feel like part of the realtor community, rather than just another moving company. He doesn’t expect overnight results, but knows it will pay off in the long run.

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"They refer our business hundreds of thousands of dollars, so what's a $500 sponsorship or building a basket for them to give away at their events?"

- Neacail Murdock, Owner and CEO of Murdock’s Moving and Storage

Targeted direct mail

Neacail sends handwritten letters, trifolds, and postcards to homes that have been listed or recently went under contract. He pays a monthly fee to get these listings directly from the MLS.

He also uses map software to send his salesperson on the road. It helps plan stops that make logistical sense. That map covers apartment complex offices, storage unit offices, and real estate offices. Basically, any place that might need movers. Neacail’s office manager creates one big master list of all these locations. They print their flyers, and then the salesperson goes from place to place, says hello, and drops them off. It’s old-school, but it works. Especially in the wintertime!

Using social media to build relationships

Neacail markets primarily to realtors on Instagram. He says realtors, homeowners, and lenders make up about 75% of Murdock’s Moving’s followers. That might sound weird. Why market to people who aren’t your buyers? But it works, because realtors live on Instagram and they’re the ones holding his ideal customers. He still posts the usual stuff like testimonials, but a lot of Murdock’s content is made with realtors in mind. He knows their image sells, so he makes them look good. Here are a few Instagram tactics from Neacail’s playbook.

Going on home tours to promote realtors’ listings

Showing behind-the-scenes from hosted or sponsored realtor events

Teaming up with realtors on local causes and promoting what they did

Turning realtor office visits into content

Final thoughts

You don’t need more attention. You need to give your presence more weight. Neacail didn’t build his referral engine by being everywhere. He built it by showing up in the right places, the right way until realtors stopped seeing him as just a vendor and started seeing him as one of them.

You should do everything he did, but don’t just show up. Start acting like someone realtors feel safe referring. That’s the whole play.

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