Ashton Ernst Ballard: How to Have the Hard Conversation With a Client
Listen on Spotify or Apple.Ashton Ernst Ballard has sold thousands of houses, and she still scripts out every hard conversation before she has it. In this episode, she and Justin talk through why 2026 has made those conversations more frequent, and exactly how she handles them, from the prep work before the call to the words she actually uses on it.
Why the Conversations Have Gotten Harder
Homes are sitting longer this year, and a lot of agents in the business less than five years have never actually worked a market like this one. Ashton is seeing more price drops, more failed listings, and buyers who need to be ready for anything. The dynamic she describes is jarring: a fun conversation about multiple offers can turn, five minutes later, into a conversation about dropping the price by $100,000.
Preparation Starts Before the Call
Ashton's rule: the worst thing that can happen is a client calling her out of the blue. She stays far enough ahead of her clients that surprise calls are rare, and when they happen, she already knows something's wrong. Every important call is scheduled in advance, and she sends relevant information ahead of time, pricing data, feedback, or a marketing recap, so the client walks in already informed. She also writes out her own bullet points before the call, not to send to the client, but to keep herself on track and make sure she uses everyone's time well.
The Mindset Behind It
Ashton frames the honesty itself as part of the service. Clients are paying an agent to be direct with them the same way they'd pay a heart surgeon or an oncologist for an honest read on their situation. She avoids taking hard calls in the car, because she wants the client to feel like they have her full attention. She also likes to remind clients early that they should be the only person who wants the house sold slightly more than she does, a line that gets a laugh but also resets the relationship as a genuine partnership.
Why Data Comes First
About half of people process information in a data driven way, and half more emotionally. Ashton tries to speak to both. Instead of debating a neighbor's opinion about a red front door, she can point to specifics: fourteen showings and zero offers, or a listing that's roughly four percent overpriced based on the numbers. People generally respect data, and it keeps the conversation grounded instead of circular.
What Happens After the Price Drop
The most common pushback Ashton hears, even after a client agrees a price drop is needed, is a request for more marketing. Her answer is to show, not just tell: a recap of everything already done, showings, feedback themes, and a specific relaunch plan that goes with the new price. That plan usually includes new photos, an updated listing description, outreach to everyone who has already toured the home, a call, text, and email campaign, reverse prospecting, and often a soft relaunch paired with an open house. The price drop is still the most effective tool available, but pairing it with visible action makes it land better.
Resetting Expectations More Than Once
Clients who haven't sold in a market like this one often need to hear the same reassurance multiple times, not just once at the listing appointment. Ashton repeats expectations at the listing appointment, again at the finalization call, and again after the first weekend on market. She shares a recent example: a repeat client couple got five showings their first weekend and felt discouraged, even though the current market average is fewer than four showings across an entire month. Reframing that number as strong activity, while acknowledging it still feels different from a hotter market, is part of the ongoing work.
Her Advice for Newer Agents
Ashton's core advice: do not be afraid to be honest with a client. She has lost listings over the years by avoiding a hard conversation, only to watch another agent have that same honest talk later and win the business. Her practical rule: anything financial, commission or a price drop, and anything strategic has to happen by phone or in person, never by text or email, because tone and intent get lost in writing and a single sentence can be misread in ways that damage trust.
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Justin Landis is the founder of Justin Landis Group and Bolst, two of Atlanta's leading real estate companies. He lives in Atlanta with his wife and three daughters and has been selling Atlanta real estate since 2008.
