🎙️ Episode 37: More Than Real Estate -  Mastering Instagram for Client Attraction 

In this episode, Ashley Walker sits down with Shannon DiBiasi, a Socially Sold student who went from struggling on a real estate team to generating $5.4M from Instagram leads in just 5 months. Shannon's story is about more than numbers - it's about reclaiming her time, being present for her family, and proving that you don't need a massive following to build a thriving Instagram-driven business.

Here's what you'll discover:

✨ From Radio Personality to Real Estate Failure - Shannon had an unfair advantage going into real estate: she built a massive Instagram following as co-host of the nationally syndicated iHeart show "John Jay and Rich." But followers didn't equal sales. She spent years struggling because she didn't understand how to actually convert her audience into clients.

✨ The Team Lead Trap - When Shannon joined a team, she got fed leads. Sounds good, right? Wrong. She was closing 20 houses per year but only keeping 30% of commissions (giving away 70%). The leads weren't hers. The relationships weren't hers. She was barely breaking six figures despite massive volume.

✨ Why Team Leads Will Never Beat Instagram Leads - On the team, clients came via "turn and burn" - 5-minute call windows, no rapport, no connection. She was showing houses an hour away to people she didn't choose. Results: transactional relationships, zero referrals, zero repeat business. Instagram leads? Completely different. They find her. They've binge-watched her content. They choose her. She sells in her backyard. The transactions are smoother because clients already know and trust her.

✨ The Fear Factor - Shannon admitted she leads with fear. When she considered leaving the team to go all-in on Instagram, she was terrified. But her kids going into full-time school became the turning point. She realized the cost of staying the same was higher than the cost of investing in herself.

✨ Results That Prove It Works - Shannon joined Socially Sold in March 2025. First lead came in May. By September, she had closed $5.4M from Instagram leads. One month on Instagram equaled her last seven months on the team. Her mindset shifted from "I can't do this" to "How am I going to handle all these leads?"

✨ Why Suzie the Socially Sold Bot Changed Everything - When Ashley introduced Suzie, Shannon thought, "What is this?" And then it clicked. Shannon filled out her Ideal Client Avatar (something she'd never done before). She uploaded it to Suzie. Now, when she needs content ideas or motivation, she opens Suzie and gets custom captions, Reel hooks, and carousel outlines in seconds - tailored to her exact ideal client. No more blank screens. No more guessing.

✨ The Authenticity Breakthrough - Coming from radio where everyone knew everything about her, Shannon swung the opposite direction - she didn't want to be on camera anymore. She felt self-conscious. But Socially Sold's coaching pushed her to lean in. She started showing her face. She started being vulnerable. And here's what she realized: People don't judge her the way she judges herself. They just see Shannon being Shannon. And they want to work with her.

✨ Consistency is Everything - When asked what agents should do to master client attraction, Shannon had one word: Show up. For two years, she was scared of Reels. She'd post a story here and there but never committed. The algorithm doesn't care if you're famous. It cares if you're consistent.

✨ The Real Win - Better Clients, Better Life - This isn't just about money. Shannon now: Works 1-2 hours per week on content, picks her kids up from school every single day, attends their events and school functions, is a present, engaged mom (not a stressed-out, absent one) AND sells only in the areas she loves.