Motivational speakers Jon Cheplak and HGTV star and eXp Realty agent Tarek El Moussa headlined EXPCON’s first general session as it opened to pulsating music, laser lights, and choreographed drummers, kicking off the week-long event being held in Las Vegas at the sprawling Mandalay Bay Convention Center.
“Precision Performance” is the theme where eXp Realty agents are the focus and many took the stage to talk about what inspires and motivates them to perform and achieve success. The takeaways were filled with nuggets of wisdom that eXp Realty agents have come to hold dear at eXp.
Here is a rundown of the highlights in the order they appeared:
Glenn Sanford Emphasizes eXp Realty’s Agent-centric Model
Glenn Sanford, eXp World Holdings Founder, CEO and Chairman, welcomed the attendees, numbering more than 6,000 and establishing this EXPCON as the largest in history.
He also reflected on eXp Realty’s phenomenal growth of exceeding 85,000 agents – marking 30% year-over-year growth. Sanford was joined on stage by eXp Realty Chief Growth Officer Michael Valdes and eXp Realty agent and eXp Board of Director Monica Weakley.
“As the most agent-centric real estate brokerage on the planet, your success is our success. We want to continue to iterate on the value proposition. We want eXp to be so good it would be irresponsible to put your license anywhere else,” said Sanford.
“This growth is happening around the world,” said Valdes. “We have 22 countries and 10,000 agents outside the U.S. We have 5,000 agents in Canada. These numbers are larger than most independent brokerages.”
Jon Cheplak On Messaging, Marketing and Mindset
Jairek Robbins, President, SUCCESS Enterprises, was next on stage and introduced Jon Cheplak, a business consultant and agent coach from Agent Academy. Cheplak opened by remarking on his personal journey of addiction and rehab and then gave an inspiring 30-minute talk on messaging, marketing and mindset.
“What’s important is excellence. Life comes full circle. I’m here because I’ve overcome my challenge and we’re going into a marketplace where we’re going to overcome, too. To grow a business, you need to go deep, not wide. Our lessons are in our past, not our future.”
Transition Your Mindset for a Changing Market
James Huang, President, eXp Commercial led a panel on adjusting to a changing market. The panel included Dave Conord, President, North America, eXp Canada agent Jennifer Jones, and eXp South Africa agent Steven Johnstone.
Jennifer: “My team just had the biggest quarter in history. We are with the right company for this changing market.“
Steven: “First, have faith. Don’t be fearful. No. 2: Cut your costs. When was the last time you did a proper budget? Lastly, focus on lead generation. It’s the engine of your business.”
Dave: “Look beyond the fear and look for the opportunity. One of the best things about our model is our community who is out there figuring it out. Make connections and learn from the people who are doing it and where you want to be.”
Kenny Truong On What His Team Is Doing for Coming Headwinds
eXp Realty agents Curtis Johnson and Kenny Truong took the stage to share how to deliver exceptional performance with big teams, but especially during uncertain times.
Truong joined eXp in January 2020 and currently has 300+ team members, closing on $800M in production this year. He said his team is facing headwinds in the shifting market, but talked about what his team is doing:
“We have the team to be action-based. It’s not easy, but it’s simple. Build our ground game. You can only control what you can control. Here is what we’re doing:”
- Database bootcamps
- Holding agents accountable
- Door knocking
- Open houses
- Social media content
“You have to hold your team accountable and be more intimate with them to understand what they are doing or not doing. Be more visible and do more things. Build more community.
“We are organizing a group hike and a group Spartan race. We set a goal of doing 100 events each year. We did things like a fashion show at the office and a pride party and drag show. We promote diversity on our team.”
Ready, Set, Launch: Skills for Team Leaders
The eXp Realty agent powerhouse foursome of Michael Collier, Andrew Franklin, Gusty Gulas and Kyle Whissel took the stage and delivered info on how to increase your impact as a team leader, role model and coach.
Michael asked the three to open their playbooks. This is what they had to say:
Gusty: “Our goal for our agents is on dollar-producing activities. We are taking things off their plates so they can do what they do best, which is to sell houses.”
Andrew: “We’re trying to get our agents to specialize. Also, our audacious goal is doing 5,000 closings in the next year.”
Kyle: “We are calling them our international team instead of VA (virtual assistants). Think of how that little subtle difference makes a difference.”
On maintaining team culture:
Kyle: “We built a 7-person inside sales team to strip the tedious tasks from our producing agents. We want them to go out and show houses, close deals and do what they want to do, which is to drive fancy cars.”
Andrew: “We are known for our training. I want to be known as the best training place. Our agents have 30 days to get up to speed. They have homework. They make phone calls on Day 3. and if they are not successful by then, they won’t be successful.”
On systems and processes:
Andrew: “There are two books to read: Attraction and Rocket Fuel. Also, read EOS (Entrepreneurial Operating System). It gives you rules and concepts to run your business. It has truly changed our business.”
Kyle: “We have a learning management system. You are going to teach people, but they will forget, so they need a resource to go back to. They want instant answers and you don’t want to be constantly answering their questions. We have a resource library where they can get the information they need.”
On the market shift:
Gusty: “Our vision word for the year was mastery. We want agents to get a Realtor designation. We cover that expense. Mastery and becoming an expert. They have a daily checklist and need to hit their minimums. You have to be in that place to make those phone calls or connections and put in that effort.”
Andrew: “Understanding this is the real normal and the last three years weren’t is what we’re doing. Put your head down and get to work everyday.”
Kyle: “I am a fan of those who are fearful because they freak out and panic. While their head is in the sand, we are going to grab market share. This is your chance to make that million right now.”
Tarek El Moussa Takes the Stage With a Talk ‘Anything Is Possible’
Tarek El Moussa, star of HGTV’s “Flipping 101 with Tarek El Moussa” and an eXp Realty agent, took the stage and recounted his journey into the real estate business and his TV career, going from selling Cutco kitchen knives to his segue into real estate, which started when he was 20 years old.
“The Tarek el Moussa you know today? It all started sitting in a seminar just like this. One of the themes of this conference is that ‘anything is possible.’ ”
El Moussa said he owes his success to attending a free coaching event run by Mike Ferry. “This man changed my life. He convinced me that anything is possible – and it is.”
“The key to my success is nonstop action. Because if you fail, who cares? Just keep going until something works.”
Tarek’s self-deprecating talk was a hit with the audience, recalling his lack of knowledge about just about everything, but one thing he did was to keep going until he found success.
“Action creates opportunity. If you’re not taking action, you’re not finding opportunity.”
Reach for the Stars
eXp Realty agent Lisa Copeland introduced a panel of power hitters, including Tarek, Elena Cardone, Executive producer of 10X Ladies; original “Shark” and infomercial creator Kevin Harrington; “Undercover Billionaire” and Kind Lending founder Glenn Stearns.
Elena: “2008 was traumatizing. One thing we did at that time was to think, we need to ‘build the future.’ All my decisions came out of the past. Going forward, we need to create our future. It was a mindset – even though we were losing it all. ‘Who are we as a couple?’ ‘What do we stand for?’ ‘Who do we want to be?’ ‘What is the lifestyle?’ I envisioned my life and success and then worked in a coordinated and collaborative effort. We built and envisioned the future then reverse engineered it. We completely severed ties with the past. Be, do and then you have.”
Glenn on facing adversity: “I failed fourth grade. I had a kid at 14 years old. I had alcoholic partners. I’ve had a lot of adversity. Divorce. 2008. But it’s not about how you start, it’s how you finish. We’re heading into some troubled waters again. It’s about my family and who you are as a person. We have to stand tall and gather our friends around us.”
Kevin on how his book elevated his success: “15 years ago, I was an entrepreneur. I was doing my infomercials. I got invited to hang out with (billionaire entrepreneur) Richard Branson. He said to me, ‘You screwed up. You didn’t build your own brand. You have to create content and write books.’ My first book was “Act Now! How I Turn Ideas Into Million-dollar Products.” Then, (NBC TV producer) Mark Burnett called. He said, ‘Hey, We’re doing this show called ‘Shark Tank.’ Putting that book out was a direct connection to him.”
Elena on building an empire: “As my husband Grant says, ‘You can do anything but you can’t do everything.’ I have a max-out on my potential that I can do alone. The benefit of partnering with other people is they are there to help you and lift you. Solopreneurship is a myth. To grow anything into an empire requires a team. It needs people. Get around people. They have everything you want.”
Four eXp Power Hitters Talk About on Attracting Agents
Next up was eXp Realty top influencers Carlos German, Jay Kinder, Al Stasek and Dan Beer who spoke about accelerating momentum with top performing agents.
Dan Beer on agent growth: “Big secret formula for agent attraction: Start being kinder, start giving – don’t be a jerk. Were you kind enough to help another agent grow? It’s simply how much you are contributing to agents around you.”
Al Stasek on shifting market: “We are doubling down on basics. Boldness and deposits. Boldness – meaning to be bolder. Write names on my list and not regret reaching out. Deposits – social media and deposits we make in relationships in the market and outside the market. When things start to turn, people will need us even more.”
Jay on attracting: “You just need to keep talking to them and reaching out. I’m more excited about this market than any other time. Keep adding value and keep talking. Keep diligent about staying in conversation. It might not happen now, but it will.”
eXp Realty Announces ‘Revenos,’ an All-Encompassing Referral Division
Leo Pareja, President of eXp Realty Affiliated Services and Monica Foster, a four-time ICON agent from Texas, took the stage together to announce the rebrand of eXp Partners to eXp Solutions and the launch of Revenos, a new division within eXp Realty that ties together eXp’s referral businesses, which will help create a steady stream of leads and referrals in a shifting market.
“My job is to make sure I find the best technology, vendors and solutions for you and your business – to make your life faster, better, stronger, faster.”
With the rebranding, Leo said more tools, more offerings and big discounts will be coming to eXp Realty agents such as Boomtown offering the biggest discounts to eXp Realty only. Also, he mentioned Chime will be offered for $25 a month, which is a big savings from its retail price of $450.
Revenos is the umbrella solution for eXp’s referral businesses including eXp Relocation, eXp Real Estate Owned (REO), eXp Affinity, ExpressOffers and Making it Rain. The unity of these businesses will help eXp agents easily access and utilize their benefits in driving what every agent wants – a robust referral business.
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