Traditional Model vs Paris Paradigm / NEGOTIATOR®





In the eyes of Buyers
Category Traditional Model Paris Paradigm / NEGOTIATOR®
Trusting the system
  • Trust relies heavily on the person and promises
  • Compensation tied to price can feel misaligned
  • Trust is reinforced by structure: pay increases when savings increase
  • Alignment is baked into the compensation logic (Inverse Commission™)
Incentive alignment
  • Higher price → higher commission (perceived conflict)
  • Speed/closure can become the silent priority
  • Savings/terms → higher compensation (Commission on the GAP™)
  • Motivation is transparent at the closing table
Buyer control over property choice
  • Agent may drive the shortlist (availability + incentives + convenience)
  • Buyers can feel ‘steered’ toward closeable options
  • Buyer can pick any listing and send the link to the NEGOTIATOR®
  • Less pressure: the NEGOTIATOR® focuses on negotiation outcomes
Protected from the start (BBA)
  • Sometimes no buyer-exclusive contract until late (or ever)
  • Representation boundaries can feel blurry
  • Buyer Agency Agreement + NEGOTIATOR® agreement is foundational
  • Clear duties, scope, and compensation expectations upfront
Finding negatives (leverage)
  • Finding deal-breakers can slow the deal and reduce enthusiasm
  • Incentives don’t clearly reward uncovering negatives
  • Unfavorable issues become negotiation leverage (GAP improvements)
  • System rewards diligence and tough negotiation
Price anchoring
  • List price often anchors expectations
  • Buyers may struggle to know what is ‘fair’
  • HEV (Highest Estimated Value) frames a rational ceiling
  • NEGOTIATOR® aims to close below HEV when possible
Out-of-pocket anxiety
  • Buyer worries they pay ‘extra’ for representation
  • Fees can feel like a sunk cost
  • Performance framing: paid from savings/credits when achieved
  • If no GAP/savings, compensation can drop dramatically (by design)
Transparency of compensation
  • Commission math often feels abstract
  • Hard to see how effort changes pay
  • Compensation ties to an explainable number (GAP)
  • Clear why the NEGOTIATOR® pushes for better terms
Lower-cost suggestions
  • Alternatives exist but aren’t systematically rewarded
  • May default to ‘standard playbook’ offers
  • Motivated to propose cost reducers: repairs, credits, concessions
  • Buyer sees multiple paths to improve the final deal
Negotiation intensity
  • Negotiation can be ‘good enough’ to close
  • Hard for buyer to verify maximum effort
  • Motive-based proof: more effort can mean more pay
  • If room existed, the NEGOTIATOR® benefits from capturing it
Conflict avoidance
  • Dual agency / conflicted situations can appear in some markets
  • Buyer may question whose side the rep is on
  • Designed for clean separation and buyer-side alignment
  • NEGOTIATOR® negotiates from the other side of the table
Overall experience
  • One agent does everything (search + show + negotiate + close)
  • Specialized roles: NAVIGATOR™ (search/tours) + NEGOTIATOR® (negotiation)
  • Cleaner expectations and more buyer control

In the eyes of Brokers
Category Traditional Model Paris Paradigm / NEGOTIATOR®
Winning buyer agreements
  • Harder to justify fees when buyers find homes online
  • Pitch can feel subjective
  • Concrete pitch: paid to negotiate down for the buyer
  • Easier to win buyer-exclusive agreements consistently
Risk management (conflicts)
  • Perceived incentive conflicts can create complaints
  • Dual agency or mixed loyalties can raise issues
  • Alignment reduces perceived conflicts
  • Role separation clarifies duties and expectations
Standardization across the brokerage
  • Wide variance in buyer-agent quality/process
  • Hard to enforce consistent negotiation rigor
  • Certified process + defined expectations
  • Operational consistency and coaching structure
Recruiting & retention
  • Top negotiators can feel under-recognized
  • Income not tightly linked to skill
  • Merit-based pay narrative attracts strong negotiators
  • Professional track for buyer-side excellence
Training focus
  • Training spreads across lead gen, showings, closing
  • Negotiation can be secondary
  • Negotiation becomes the core craft (specialization)
  • Skill ladder: valuation → HEV → GAP → terms
Compatibility with MLS dynamics
  • Standard MLS buyer-agent workflow
  • Complements MLS dynamics
  • Adds buyer-side negotiation layer
Value auditability
  • Compensation simple but not outcome-linked
  • Hard to show why buyer ‘got value’
  • Outcome-linked story (GAP/savings)
  • Repeatable story for value delivery
Business model clarity
  • Broker revenue tied to traditional splits/commissions
  • Programmatic offering
  • Straightforward per-agent participation fees (where applicable)
Market messaging
  • Hard to stand out: ‘great service’
  • Consumers increasingly skeptical
  • Differentiator: “paid to negotiate down”
  • Message fits modern buyer expectations
Professionalism signal
  • Anyone can claim they negotiate hard
  • System sets higher standard
  • Supports fiduciary narrative
Role clarity for management
  • Buyer agent role can blur into showing/admin
  • NAVIGATOR™ vs NEGOTIATOR® clarifies accountability
Competitive positioning
  • Competes on brand, inventory access, personalities
  • Competes on model + measurable outcomes

In the eyes of Franchises
Category Traditional Model Paris Paradigm / NEGOTIATOR®
Brand differentiation
  • Many franchises look similar on the buy side
  • Clear buyer-first product: Inverse Commission™ + NEGOTIATOR® role
Consistency across offices
  • Experience depends on each office/agent
  • Hard to ensure uniform negotiation quality
  • Standard concepts (HEV, GAP, role split)
  • More replicable buyer experience
Training program packaging
  • Training broad and not productized
  • Specialty certification creates trackable competency
Expansion readiness
  • New markets require heavy customization
  • Core principles translate well; adapt while keeping the promise
Reputation / consumer trust
  • Industry skepticism affects brand perception
  • System-based trust message improves confidence
Agent attraction
  • Attracts agents via splits, leads, culture
  • Attracts negotiation-minded pros; strong identity/community
Operational templates
  • Agents do everything; hard to operationalize excellence
  • Two-role model creates scalable staffing templates
Consumer messaging at scale
  • Hard to teach every agent the same buyer pitch
  • Simple pitch scales: ‘If I save you more, I earn more.’
Network effects
  • Limited buyer-side differentiation
  • Certification signaling enables recognizable network value
Compliance posture
  • Messaging can drift across franchisees
  • Clear rules + agreements encourage consistent disclosures
Unit economics story
  • Revenue tied to price; weak ‘value delivered’ framing
  • Outcome-linked framing supports premium positioning
Future-proofing
  • Sensitive to transparency and expectation shifts
  • Built around transparency + alignment as defaults

In the eyes of Agents
Category Traditional Model Paris Paradigm / NEGOTIATOR®
How you earn
  • Paid as % of price (more spend → more pay)
  • Paid from negotiated value/savings (GAP)
Professional pride
  • Negotiation skill undervalued in pay structure
  • Skill is the product; outcomes drive compensation
Client trust
  • Buyers may suspect you want a higher price
  • Motive is obvious: you’re paid to save them money
Role specialization
  • One agent does search, tours, negotiation, admin
  • Choose a lane: NAVIGATOR™ and/or NEGOTIATOR®
Negotiation permission
  • Pressure to ‘keep deal alive’ can soften negotiation
  • Mandate to negotiate hard is built in
Property negatives
  • Highlighting negatives can feel like risking the deal
  • Negatives become leverage in GAP strategy
Career moat
  • Hard to stand out beyond marketing/hustle
  • Stand out with measurable outcomes + specialization
Referrals
  • Referrals rely on experience; motive isn’t obvious
  • Easier story: ‘They got paid by saving me money.’
Earning upside
  • Income correlates more with price-point than skill
  • Income correlates more with negotiation performance
Showings load
  • Showings can consume the whole week
  • NEGOTIATOR® can focus on strategy while NAVIGATOR™ handles tours
Broker alignment
  • Broker may focus on volume/velocity
  • Broker can sell a premium buyer-side product
Ethics becomes easier
  • Ethics relies on personal discipline
  • Ethics reinforced by incentives + rules

In the eyes of the Industry
Category Traditional Model Paris Paradigm / NEGOTIATOR®
Conflict-of-interest reduction
  • Buyer-side pay can feel misaligned with buyer goals
  • Buyer-side pay aligns with buyer savings outcomes
Consumer understanding
  • Consumers don’t always understand who is paid and why
  • Simpler narrative: compensation explained by GAP/outcomes
Professional specialization
  • Generalist model dominates
  • Distinct buyer-side negotiation profession (NEGOTIATOR®)
Negotiation standards
  • Negotiation quality is inconsistent
  • System encourages measurable negotiation rigor
Transparency
  • Disclosures vary by market and practice style
  • Emphasizes documented logic (HEV, GAP, terms)
Buyer engagement
  • Buyers think: ‘I found it online; I don’t need an agent’
  • Clear reason to want representation: value + alignment
Ecosystem compatibility
  • Existing MLS workflows continue
  • Designed to complement MLS dynamics
Merit-based rewards
  • Pay correlates more with price than skill
  • Pay correlates more with negotiation success
Reputation lift
  • Trust challenges persist
  • System-based alignment can improve sentiment
Market evolution readiness
  • Struggles when consumers demand transparency
  • Built around transparency and alignment by default
Role separation clarity
  • Buy/list roles can confuse consumers
  • Separate buyer-side functions for clarity
Fiduciary proof
  • Hard to prove maximum effort in negotiation
  • Motive-based proof: savings should increase compensation