AI, Authenticity & Agency: A Proptech Deep Dive with Toby Martin

In this powerful episode of The Viking Chats, Kristjan Byfield is joined by the sharp, funny, and endlessly insightful Toby Martin—a former agent turned consultant who’s on a mission to help agencies thrive in a tech-powered world.

This episode isn’t just about AI—it’s about how you, your team, and your business can stay ahead of the curve, remain unmistakably human, and stop sounding like every other agent in town.

🚀 AI: The New Industrial Revolution?

Kristjan opens with a bold claim: AI is our generation’s Industrial Revolution—and it’s moving at warp speed. From automating operations to powering marketing, AI is transforming every layer of the property industry. But for many agents, it feels overwhelming. Toby gets it—and offers clarity.

Together, they explore two sides of AI:

1. Embedded AI – Your suppliers (like The Depositary) are integrating AI into your platforms for you.
2. Direct AI Use – Tools like ChatGPT and Gemini that agents can use to save time, generate content, and boost creativity.

You don’t need a computer science degree to get started. You just need curiosity—and a good prompt.

🧠 From Chaos to Clarity: Getting Started with AI

Toby lays out a super-practical roadmap to get agents from “Where do I start?” to “Why wasn’t I doing this sooner?”

His advice?

• Treat AI like a top-tier assistant or co-pilot
• Give it your brand guidelines, customer personas, and tone of voice
• Learn to write better prompts—or ask AI to help you write them

Agents can begin simply. Want a marketing plan, video script, social media carousel, or localised blog? Ask the right questions and AI delivers—fast, consistent and tailored.

🎥 One Podcast = Ten Content Assets

Kristjan shares how Base Property and The Depositary take a single podcast and transform it into a dozen powerful pieces of content using AI:

• Full video and podcast
• Social video snippets via Opus Clip
• Blogs, email campaigns, and Google posts
• AI-generated LinkedIn content and graphics

All in about 30 minutes of effort. For smaller agents with tight budgets and busy teams, it’s a game-changer.

🎯 The Biggest Risk? Sounding Like Everyone Else

AI can make you faster—but also dangerously generic. That’s the warning bell Toby rings throughout the episode.

He urges agents to use AI to amplify their humanity, not erase it. His approach? Use ChatGPT’s Projects feature to train AI with your brand tone, values, services and customer voice—so that every output sounds like you.

Because in Toby’s words:

“In a crowded marketplace, fitting in is a failure. Blending in is the same as being invisible.”

🔍 Differentiate or Disappear

The duo reflect on a real-world scenario: an agent couldn’t name a single thing that made them different from two local competitors. No surprise, then, that fees were in a race to the bottom.

Their advice? Use AI to audit your competitors. Feed it websites, social media content, and ask: What actually makes us different—and how do we say that louder?

💡 Final Thoughts: Don’t Fear AI—Talk to It

You don’t need a plan. You don’t need a strategy. You don’t even need to know what you’re doing.

Just open ChatGPT and start a conversation. Ask a question. Explore an idea. Repurpose a blog. Build a brand.

Toby and Kristjan’s message is simple: if you start now, AI can elevate your marketing, sharpen your brand, save your time, and help you truly stand out.

🎙️ Listen now to learn how to make AI work for your agency, your team, and your voice.

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