Two special guests highlighted the second General Session on Saturday at the eXp Shareholder Summit, including Fred Reichheld, the creator of the Net Promoter® System (NPS) and Cassandra Worthy, the founder of the Change Enthusiasm® Strategy.
The theme of the second General Session was “Strength and Perseverance” as eXp agents Gail DeMarco and eXp Canada President John Tsai welcomed the crowd, emphasizing that eXp surpassed 88,000 agents worldwide, and Canada now has 6,000+ agents. They also welcomed 300+ eXplorers, who are non-eXp agents visiting the Summit in Orlando and checking out the eXp experience.
Matt Gardner, Jennifer Jones and Curtis Shewell Discuss Strength and Perseverance
After sharing how to be the CEO of your own success, Amy Somerville, the CEO of SUCCESS Enterprises, was joined by 3X ICON agent Matt “Roar” Gardner, 3X ICON Canadian agent Jennifer Jones and Curtis Shewell for a panel discussion on strength and perseverance.
She asked each of the agents what makes their teams persevere in such a tough market.
“One of the big things they say is don’t hire new agents, it’s so tough,” said Jennifer. “We found that our top producers or unicorns are all new. Create training and have them on your team. Hire new agents or you’ll miss having unicorns working for you and with you.”
Curtis said, “Do a lot of great things for people and they notice. Through perseverance, don’t quit; bring it. Mean it and show up more than ever – showing up matters. We keep that message intact. We’re all going cloud-based. Show agents the opportunity!”
Strength and perseverance go hand-in-hand. Each agent shared their individual experience with staying strong despite the constant changes in real estate.
As someone who has battled cancer and had a successful career as a fighter pilot, Matt embodies strength.
“Life throws challenges at you. Perseverance was a requirement for me. I want to build a foundation in real estate. Consistent effort over time leads to success. Challenges are inevitable. Take consistent action — those are the ones who will succeed.”
– Matt ‘Roar’ Gardner
Jennifer highlighted the tough market with low inventory.
“Agents struggle day-to-day. Focus on lead gen, door knocking, calling, or whatever your preferred lead gen is, and do it daily. As team leads, be that support consistently. Run meetings, and get them pumped up! Believe it and it will be great. Refocus. The people that are consistent are the ones that consistently produce,” says Jones.
Shewell had a different approach to staying strong in the market. “Stop being busy, start being productive and strategic. Have a team, have a purpose. Have a routine and know your why. Meet them where they are and change your business now. Get the message out and bring them to the table.”
Elena Cardone and Rico León Talk Creating a Legacy, Mindset, and Real Estate Challenges Ahead
eXp Agents Kendall Bonner, Elena Cardone and Rico León, who stars in the HGTV show “Rico to the Rescue,” took part in a panel on goal-setting and accountability.
Elena Touches Upon Mindset, Collaboration and Building an Empire
On nearly losing everything: “It was 2008 and Grant and I (her husband, 10X Rule founder Grant Cardone) were on the verge of losing everything financially. Prior to 2008, I operated on a strong, solo powerful woman basis — not dependent on anyone. Then in 2008, I realized I can’t do it by myself and I got an idea about building an empire. How do you build an empire that can’t be destroyed? I looked at empires and it’s not made by one person alone. It’s made by many people. You are all my eXp family. I need you all to grow.”
On creating legacy: “One reason I joined (eXp) is the opportunity for revenue share and stock — those are legacy moves. One thing about earned income: You can earn your way to becoming rich, you can’t earn your way to wealth. Study the greats. They have income in the second, third and fourth areas.”
On creating an empire: “The thing about an empire is a mindset. How do I include people and expand? It’s collaboration. That is the new currency. If you want a legacy, figure out how to collaborate and cooperate together to reach a heightened level of success. That’s the model Grant and I apply.”
On mindset: “How can we hit our goals and dreams? It’s a mindset. How big can you go? It started with a commitment. If you fall short, you’re still miles ahead of where you started in the first place. It’s not about money, it’s about abundance – integrity, courage, relationships, grit, audacity. That’s what builds an empire. We scratched and clawed our way to the top.”
On tracking success. “We think about successful actions. An action increases the stat. You need to understand what they are. We have graphs and stats for everything – calls made, appointments and actions lead to success. In order to see what’s responsible for a lead or listing, we have a graph of those successful actions so they can be repeated.”
Rico on Connecting With Clients, Social Media Do’s and Don’ts and Market Challenges
On connecting and retaining clients. “The first thing I do is figure out how do people feed their kids? What are their hardships? I find out everything about them. I help them feed their kids and pay their bills. If I take care of them, that’s who they will remember when it comes to their listing. I have such a vast network, so if people need ANYTHING, they call me. I just don’t take care of them when it comes to real estate but for everything else too. Also, that creates a network of people helping you and that will come back, too. Take care of people, that will take care of everything.”
Words of advice about social media. “What people need to realize is how they hurt themselves on social media. If you have an opinion about anything — half of your audience is gone. That’s money. When it comes to social media, be a Boy Scout. Don’t think red or blue – think green. If you’re growing a team, this person is focused on making money, not your political thoughts. Be very careful on social media. HGTV would never pick me if I was hyperpoliticized.”
Real estate challenges he sees ahead. “I work with hedge funds and manufacturing companies and they are playing 5D chess. They are manipulating quarries in South Africa, to save money here and there. These people are building a quota of wealth and they are going to buy up everything. There might not be houses to buy in 15-20 years. The middle class? Bye-bye! You will either be a landlord or a renter. They are buying everything up. These guys are not messing around. Do you want to be a landlord or a renter? That’s what you need to think about.”
Glenn Sanford Holds a Special Fireside Chat With Net Promoter® System creator, Fred Reichheld
Fred Reichheld is the creator of the Net Promoter® System or NPS and has been called the “high priest” of loyalty. He is a sought-after speaker and best-selling author. His most recent book, “The Ultimate Question 2.0: How Net Promoter Companies Thrive in a Customer Driven World,” explains how NPS helps companies – including eXp – become truly customer-centric, experiencing profitable growth through systematically converting more customers into promoters and fewer into detractors.
Take Your Social Media to the Next Level Panel
Social media’s ever-evolving landscape is a hot topic for real estate professionals. As one of the most essential tools for growing your business, top agents, including Gogo Bethke, Ricky Carruth, Amy Gregory, and Claudienne Hibbert shared the stage to discuss how to take your social media to the next level.
Moderator Levi Lascsak asked all agents to share what is their top platform and what is their strategy on the platform. Here is what each agent had to say.
Claudienne Hibbert: “Being authentic and documenting my journey is my strategy on Instagram.”
Gogo Bethke: “Honesty. I got the most followers and authentic comments when I showed I didn’t have a front tooth for 8 months. Allow them to get to know you and they will follow you.”
Amy Gregory: “Instagram. I only talk to one person. I don’t want to work with everyone, that’s not my style. Don’t be Walmart, be Gucci. I target one person and get ROI.”
Ricky Carruth: “Be consistent. You will reinvent yourself. Who I was in 2017 has changed – I’m not the same. Be real. People are telling you what to do but not how on social media. Create content and you’ll find a lot more engagement.”
Lascsak agreed with the panel saying, “Slow and steady wins the race. Consistency wins the race. If you look at data on the backend and you can get caught up. Make a plan and learn the platform. Learn everything you can and be all in and you will do well!”
What Is Your Social Media Plan for 2023?
Hibbert highlighted adding call-to-actions to all social media posts. “Tell people what to do and where to go. Post 3X more, go live more and get out of your comfort zone. Make sure you are intentional on what to do. Go to work the smarter way!”
Bethke and Carruth noted that the media can distract you from your mission. “I don’t watch the news, I live in a bubble. When you have an algorithm for your business, log back in and see how your content performed,” says Bethke. “Combat the negativity of the media. Consumers don’t understand the facts. Share real data on social media. That’s what I continue to do for consumers and agents. Sitting on the sidelines is a mistake,” agreed Carruth.
Gregory preferred to look at analytics and how that played into her business. “I love a market shift. That means I can double down. People quit and I double down. Keep track of what content will do best. Look at insights at least once a week to gain traction.”
Known as a YouTube expert, Lascscak focused on growing and connecting with his audience there. “Thumbnails will capture viewers. People buy and sell regardless so keep your message positive. Share stories about your clients and relay those stories so someone can relate to it. Stay positive to capture the people that are intentional.”
Understand why you are on social media, which will help you grow your audience. As Carruth says, “Social media is a marathon. Just start and you will get better.”
Kirtus Dixon Leads a Panel on Customer-centricity
Kirtus Dixon, SVP of Agent Development, moderated a panel on Customer Centricity featuring agents Shannon Milligan, Dylan Nonaka, Kunal Seth and Knolly Williams. The panel was full of valuable, time-tested tips for enhancing customer focus to drive business.
“I have an 18-touch system for keeping in touch with my clients,” Knolly said. “Your customer can change over time, and sales is about finding out what people want and need, and then getting it for them.”
When asked what generates referrals, his answer was simple but powerful: “Be top of mind, you need top-of-mind awareness,” he said. “That’s why I created my 18-touch system. But then you need to become an influencer. You want to become the local celebrity and expert. It shortens the curve of people liking and trusting you.”
For Shannon, it all comes down to being a “servant heart leader with golden rule action,” she said. What does that mean? “I treat people how I want to be treated,” she explained. “I send handwritten notes in this time of technology. I think about the buyer and seller experience and then offer thoughtful value-adds at each milestone. It’s about creating an experience that will make them refer me to their friends.”
It’s about service for Dylan as well, who stressed the importance of serving people what they need before they know they need it. He does that by leveraging video, which helps him create a personal connection. “We offer unsolicited video tours when we see people interested in our listings, and it has a 100% conversion rate,” he said. “Videos are more personalized. You need to be thinking about long-term client conversion so that you stay sticky with them.”
Kunal cited a “top-down approach” as the key to his success. “Everything I do – I have a top-down approach,” he said. “If I can add value to the industry at a top level, the customer will come. It’s about enriching lives. You have to get macro-focused, look at the market and add value. Then the buyers and sellers will come.”
Keynote By Change Enthusiasm Strategy Founder Cassandra Worthy
Cassandra Worthy, a noted expert in transformational change within companies, gave a dynamic and highly charged presentation, with the theme “Lead From Where You Sit.”
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Missed the eXp Shareholder Summit this year? Be sure to register for EXPCON, being held Oct. 2-5 in Las Vegas, where you can attend valuable events like this one.
