How Marcus Chen Closed a $2.4M Deal 3 Weeks Before Competition Even Knew the Lead Existed
Marcus Chen
Senior Broker
Apex Commercial Partners
The Challenge
Marcus Chen had been grinding in Austin's competitive commercial real estate market for over a decade. The tech boom meant opportunity was everywhere—but so was competition. Every broker in town was chasing the same leads, sending the same cold emails, and showing up to the same networking events.
"I was spending 20+ hours a week just researching companies," Marcus recalls. "Reading TechCrunch, scanning LinkedIn, trying to figure out which startups were about to need space. By the time I found a good lead, three other brokers had already reached out."
"In CRE, timing is everything. Being second to a lead might as well be being last. I needed an edge that would get me in the door before anyone else even knew there was a door."
— Marcus Chen
The Discovery
Marcus discovered Real Intel's Discover Leads platform at a CRE technology conference. The concept was simple but revolutionary: instead of manually tracking hundreds of companies, let AI do the work.
"Within the first week, I set up alerts for funding rounds, hiring surges, and expansion announcements in the Austin tech sector. The platform was monitoring thousands of companies for me—24/7."
The Signal That Changed Everything
NovaTech Solutions - Series B Funding
NovaTech Solutions closes $38M Series B led by Sequoia Capital. Company plans to triple Austin headcount from 45 to 150 employees over next 18 months. Current lease at WeWork Congress expires Q2 2025.
The alert hit Marcus's inbox at 6:42 AM—hours before the funding news would hit TechCrunch. Real Intel's AI had detected the SEC filing and cross-referenced it with NovaTech's job postings, current office location, and lease data.
"The AI didn't just tell me they raised money. It connected the dots: Series B + aggressive hiring plan + lease expiring in 6 months = they're going to need 15,000-20,000 square feet of Class A office space. That's the kind of insight that used to take me weeks to piece together."
The Action
Same Day: Research & Preparation
Using Real Intel's company intelligence, Marcus identified the decision-makers: CEO Sarah Park and VP of Operations David Liu. He also pulled three properties in the Domain that would fit their growth trajectory.
Day 2: Personalized Outreach
Armed with context from the platform, Marcus sent a carefully crafted email congratulating Sarah on the funding round and offering to show properties that could accommodate their 150-person team vision.
Day 3: The Meeting
Sarah responded within hours. "How did you know about our funding before we even announced it?" she asked. They scheduled a tour for the following week.
The Result
Six weeks later, NovaTech signed an 18,000 SF lease at Domain Tower III—a $2.4 million deal over the 5-year term. Marcus was the only broker they worked with because he was the only one who reached out before they started their search.
"When the TechCrunch article finally dropped three weeks later, Sarah told me she got emails from 12 different brokers that day. But by then, we had already toured properties twice and were negotiating terms. The other brokers never had a chance."
"Real Intel's Discover Leads didn't just help me find a lead—it gave me a 3-week head start on my competition. In this market, that's the difference between winning and losing. I've since closed four more deals from signals I never would have caught manually."
— Marcus Chen
Key Takeaways
Speed Wins Deals
Being first to a lead is more valuable than being the best pitcher
AI Amplifies Expertise
Let AI handle the research so you can focus on relationships
Context Creates Credibility
Knowing details before outreach builds instant trust
Signals Compound
One good lead often leads to referrals and repeat business