Troy and Denise Schroder
Written by Zachary Cohen | Photos by Nested Tours
In 1999, Denise Shroder wrote to Oprah Winfrey, sharing about women’s health issues she had after giving birth. Denise never expected to get a response, but sure enough, Oprah’s team replied and invited her onto the show.
Denise’s time on Oprah was a big success, and she was asked to return to the show the following year. Even more importantly, she learned a lesson she would carry with her for the rest of her life.
“What I learned from that experience was the power of really being authentic and being vulnerable and sharing your story and the impact it can have to help others,” Denise reflects. “That experience sparked a lot of my media experiences. I learned about the power of having a platform.”
With Oprah’s massive viewership, Denise was able to gain leverage for her stories and lessons learned. So, when Denise and her husband, Troy, launched their real estate careers in 2013, creating a platform and leveraging outside-the-box marketing became central themes in their marketing efforts.
Since then, Denise has made numerous national television appearances, including two on Steve Harvey, four on HGTV’s House Hunters, and an appearance on Worst Cooks in America. She’s also appeared on CBS, The Talk, Rachel Ray, and has hosted The American Dream. Most recently, she was featured on a new Netflix reality show. Being on national TV has allowed Denise to express her authenticity and build a unique marketing strategy.
“Every time we are on a show, it stems back to use as Oklahoma City REALTORS®,” Denise says. “I always remind people of what we do. It’s been great using media and being on several major network shows because it always links back to our work in real estate. The relationships and connections I've built have been really amazing. It’s brought exponential growth to our business.”
Denise and Troy’s creativity doesn’t stop at national television. They’ll do whatever it takes to execute for their clients. For example, Denise recently listed an old Victorian home in Yukon, OK. When she held the open house, she wore her wedding dress. She encouraged prospective buyers on her Facebook livestream, saying they would love the house so much they’d want to marry it. It was quite a unique take on marketing.
Denise has also discovered a love for the art of storytelling.
“I love telling stories,” Denise continues, “whether that’s our story or our clients’ stories. We're authentic. We use humor. We stay connected. We have a creative approach to things. We like people to know who we are.”
Each time Denise and Troy have been featured, they’ve created a marketing strategy to leverage the impact. They’ve had so much success with this that they even published a book about it: Out of the Box: My Response to Everyone Who Said I Could Never Sell Real Estate.
“This book is applicable to any small business owner that is trying to walk in authenticity and be a storyteller for themselves and their clients' beautiful stories,” Denise explains.
As top agents with Keller Williams Realty Elite, Denise and Troy take every opportunity to create joy in their work. They also take their business seriously, understanding that client satisfaction is the ultimate lifeblood of their work. Their success is not built on creativity alone; it’s built on a foundation of innovation, strategic systems, and exceptional service.
“If there’s one thing I’d want readers to know, it’s this: Don’t let anyone steal your dream because they don't have one. I was told I could never make it in real estate over 20 years ago, but when I finally got my license, I told Troy that failure is not an option. I wanted to do things differently. I didn’t want to be cookie-cutter. We have to stand out, or we’ll get swallowed, and we’ve done that since day one. We haven't been afraid to be made fun of. It’s worked for us. When you are authentic and serve from the heart, the blessings in the business come. We’ve seen a blessing from being true to ourselves.”
