How Do You Grow Without Working More? Inside eXpcon Salt Lake City’s Thursday General Sessions
Business changing announcements, winning clients, and getting your time back. Here’s a peek at what happened at Thursday’s general sessions.
What does it take to run a real estate business on 20 hours a week? How do you become the agent a seller knows before the first appointment? And what happens to a lead while you’re busy with another client?
If you want an honest look at how top-producing agents actually run their business, Thursday’s general sessions at eXpcon Salt Lake City had you covered.
Real agents took the mic to share exactly how they manage their calendars and handle their lead follow-up. But first, Leo Pareja and Wendy Forsythe stepped up with some major tech updates – introducing new options for the tools agents use, the listings they prepare, and the clients they serve.
Key Announcements You Don’t Want To Miss
Photo by Richard Ortega
"People said it wouldn't work. Too different. Too risky. Too far ahead of the market. They said that about a lot of what we've done since. And every time, we've been right to bet on the future instead of protecting the past."
Leo Pareja opened with that reality check before diving into the next major industry shifts.
Working With the Tech You Actually Like: Enter MCP First. AI of Choice. This initiative connects familiar tools like ChatGPT and Claude straight into eXp systems. Curious how it works? This article breaks it down.
Making Operations Easier For You: Leo also introduced AGNT OS as a broader modernization of company operations. Expect smoother commission payments and upgraded transaction management.
More Money for Your Sellers: Got sellers who need home repairs but lack upfront cash? eXp Ready, powered by Notable, now provides eligible borrowers up to $50,000 for pre-listing work. Check out our eXp Ready coverage for exactly how it works.
Say Hello to Revenos Mortgage: Leo also announced Revenos Mortgage, powered by Newrez, a mortgage joint venture planned to launch in early 2027.
Be in Two Places at Once (Kind Of): Double-booked with buyers and panicking about missing a hot listing? “We heard you,” Chief Brokerage Officer Holly Mabery told agents as she introduced ShowGo – a new tool where agents can easily grab or hand off showing coverage without any messy separate agency paperwork. Whether you need someone to step in or you want to pick up an extra tour, read our ShowGo article to learn how it works and get started.
eXpcon 2027 Is Headed to California: Thursday morning announcements wrapped up with a major destination reveal. Go ahead and block off your calendar for next fall because eXpcon Anaheim is officially happening October 4-6, 2027.
A New Chapter for Glenn Sanford and Leo Pareja: After reflecting on 17 years of eXp history, Glenn Sanford announced he is stepping down as CEO of AGNT, Inc. and passing the reins to Leo Pareja.
“We have a team that actually can run without me,” Glenn told the room before inviting Leo onstage. He’ll remain Chairman of the Board.
Leo’s response captured the moment: “Thanks for dreaming so big that we are all inside your dream now.”
What Agents Need From Their Brokerage
Think those agent feedback surveys vanish into the void? Chief Brokerage Officer Holly Mabery took the stage with National Agent Advisory Council leaders Mindy Price, Jayson Ramsey, and Stacey Lambright to show how feedback reaches leadership and drives changes, including adding Wyoming forms to SkySlope and recognizing transaction counts in lower-priced markets.
“We fight for you,” Stacey told the room.
Mindy and Jayson also shared how serving on the council helped expand their visibility and referral relationships. Whether you want to contribute an idea or help represent fellow agents, apply for the National AAC by October 31 or connect with your council members in The Hub.
Building a Business That Fits Your Life
A bigger sales number looks great on an awards slide. But what if getting there means working 80 hours a week and missing the life you’re supposed to be paying for? Amy Gregory, Brent Gove, and Wendy Forsythe explored how agents can grow their income while making more room for themselves.
Work Less, Get More
Amy Gregory challenged agents to measure success by their hourly rate, recalling how her $4 million in annual sales was called “cute” even though she earned $240 an hour.
“Men expect their business to perform for them. Women expect to perform for their business.”
She told women selling $8 million in 20 hours a week or $16 million in 40 hours that their earnings placed them in the top 1% of female earners nationally. Her advice: give yourself credit and start making decisions like a CEO.
Use her hourly-rate calculator, then:
Own your lead source to reduce hefty referral fees.
Raise your price point to increase earning potential per transaction.
Shrink your map by referring business beyond a 30-minute drive.
Explore revenue share, starting with one fully capping sponsored agent.
For leads, post content around highly searched real estate phrases. Invite viewers to comment a keyword, then use ManyChat to deliver a guide and direct interested prospects toward your calendar.
How to Get Paid In Between Deals
Let’s talk about making money that doesn’t rely entirely on your own closing schedule. Brent Gove broke down exactly how bringing other agents to eXp can create a serious secondary income stream.
When you sponsor someone, you get a chance to share in the company's revenue based on that agent's production.
Just keep in mind that this cash is tied directly to their production. You only see that money when they are actively closing transactions. Want to run your own numbers? Play around with the revenue share calculator to see what your bottom line could look like.
Check Your Calendar Against the Life You Wanted
You got into real estate for flexibility. Now you’re missing dinner again. Wendy Forsythe opened with that familiar scenario before introducing FACTOR, her six-part framework for building a career you can enjoy.
Her advice gives agents a way to examine where their time and energy go:
Focus: Write down two activities that could make the biggest impact on your business.
Action: Commit to doing them instead of waiting until you feel ready.
Community: Introduce yourself to someone you admire and learn from their experience.
Technology: Use AI for routine work so you have more time for clients and relationships.
Operations: Review last week’s calendar against your priorities, then adjust the coming week. Repeat monthly and quarterly.
Resilience: Make a plan for your health and well-being alongside your business plans.
Let AI Do The Hard Parts For You: How to Build An AI Assistant.
Live on stage, Seth Siegler, Dill Ward, and Andy Griesinger built an AI agent that searches The Hub for referral opportunities while they’re doing other things. They gave it instructions in plain language, without writing code.
To follow their approach:
Choose an AI agent platform that supports scheduled tasks and MCP connections. The demonstration used an ai that could keep checking for opportunities.
Describe the job. Tell it: “Search The eXp Hub for referral opportunities in [your markets]. Check every 10 minutes and flag relevant posts.”
Connect The Hub. Open the MCP marketplace in The Hub, select the Hub connector, and follow the instructions for your platform. Complete the required authorization.
Choose where the results go. Ask it to email matching opportunities to you or a team member, then connect and authorize your email.
Test the workflow. Review the matches and adjust the markets, instructions, or frequency as needed.
If you get stuck, the panel suggested asking the AI what information it needs to complete your request. The MCP setup toolkit provides connection instructions and example prompts to help you get started.
Building Recognition and Turning Attention Into Business
Your next client may be watching your videos without liking a single post. Krista Mashore, Rafael ‘Rey’ Reyes, Gogo Bethke, and Keegan Shivers explored how agents can turn that attention into recognition and, eventually, client conversations.
Become Known Before You’re Needed
“When you’re making an important decision, what do you do?” Krista asked the room. “You go online and research. Make sure you’re showing up in that search.”
Her approach starts with becoming a familiar source of local information while prospective clients are still researching.
You don’t need her old $6,000 commercial budget to begin. Her advice:
Record useful local videos on your phone. Cover weekend activities, neighborhood updates, and questions buyers and sellers ask.
Study successful agents’ marketing. Identify practices you can adapt to your market.
Publish consistently. A lack of comments doesn’t mean nobody is watching.
Start within your budget. Post organically or learn to run local ads on Facebook for a few dollars a day.
Krista also encouraged agents to create relevant local content with AI search in mind. The goal is to become recognizable in your market, so the first appointment builds on familiarity you’ve already established.
Start With the Phone You Already Have
The pandemic took both Rafael’s father and his job. Left figuring out his next move, he grabbed the smartphone in his pocket and started hitting record.
“I turned my grief into growth,” he shared.
Rey skipped the expensive media companies and ignored the need for a massive production budget. Instead, he just shot educational clips and property walkthroughs himself. Those simple online posts quickly turned into real buyer inquiries. Between 2022 and 2024, that straightforward video strategy helped him sell roughly 50 homes.
Want to see similar results? Start by studying agents who already post high-performing content. Figure out what makes their videos work, then adapt those exact approaches for your own local market.
Rey invited attendees to check out his Instagram for live examples. He proved that basic sales skills and a camera phone are all you actually need to generate serious business.
Stop Overthinking Your Reels: What Actually Works on Social Media
Noor Marzook put Gogo Bethke and Keegan Shivers in the hot seat during a game of The Wheel of Realty.
Every spin landed on a random social media question they had never seen before. The clock immediately started ticking, giving them just 60 seconds to tackle topics like buying followers or building actual trust online.
Drop the text for a voice note. Gogo responds to direct messages with voice memos. Hearing an actual human voice builds immediate rapport.
Chop up your long videos. Keegan takes his long-form content and splices it into bite-sized clips. Those short snippets grab attention and funnel viewers toward his deeper explanations.
Ignore your follower count. Gogo strongly advises against buying followers. Focus entirely on driving comments, shares, and saves.
Post the imperfect video. Keegan urged agents to just hit publish. Stop wasting hours searching for trending audio or worrying about a messy grid.
Film testimonials at the closing table. Record your clients while they are still glowing from the transaction. Gogo suggests getting their permission to film right then and there.
For agents unsure what to say on camera, Gogo offered a starting point: meet a lender, title professional, or moving company for coffee, then record a video explaining something useful you learned.
A Quick Reality Check
We all have that one client follow-up we keep ignoring. Maybe there is a big marketing idea you keep pushing to next week's calendar.
Daniel Fitness, Glenn Sanford, and Matthew Ferry challenged the common excuses and mental roadblocks that keep real estate businesses completely stalled. It is time to figure out exactly what is holding you back and finally make your next move.
Feeling Stuck in a Slow Market? Daniel Fitness Has a Question for You
You think a slow housing market is tough. Try learning how to walk again after a four-and-a-half-story fall.
That is exactly what Daniel Fitness had to do before building Fitness Realtors Group. Following his recovery, his team went on to close more than 1,100 transactions in just three years.
During a recent event, the crowd erupted in applause as he shared his intense physical journey. Then he delivered a blunt reality check to anyone blaming bad leads or high interest rates for their current slump.
“What is your excuse?” he asked the room.
If you are feeling stuck right now, Daniel suggests focusing strictly on what you can actually control. Figure out your next logical step and ask for help when you hit a wall.
He even closed his talk by offering to personally help attendees work through their hurdles. You can read the full story of his recovery and career here.
Examine What’s Keeping You From Taking Action
You can know the scripts and lead-generation strategies and still struggle to follow through. Glenn Sanford and Matthew Ferry explored how the beliefs agents hold about themselves can affect what they do next.
Matthew illustrated the point with an exercise: attendees turned to see how far they could reach, visualized going farther, then tried again. He used it to challenge their assumptions about their limits.
For agents and team leaders, the starting point is to examine the story behind “I can’t.” Identify what you believe is stopping you, and consider how that belief affects your actions. Glenn also encouraged making personal development intentional, with structure beyond whatever appears in your social feed.
They introduced SUCCESS Coaching’s 12-week program for those interested in developing coaching skills for themselves, their teams, or a separate coaching business.
Stay Tuned In
Thursday’s general sessions gave us plenty of notes to review and brand-new tools to test out. Whether you are setting up an AI assistant, rethinking your social media strategy, or finally calculating your true hourly rate, the next step is simply taking action.
The momentum does not stop here. Stay tuned for our complete recap of Friday’s general session to see exactly how eXpcon Salt Lake City wraps up.
Photos by AJ Canaria | www.ajcan.com
Visit https://exprealty.com/income for a full view of the typical earnings, equity, and historical results of all eXp Realty participants. Earnings are performance-based and not guaranteed; most participants earn supplemental or no income. Success in real estate requires significant time, specialized skill, and persistent effort. Reported figures represent gross payments and do not include business expenses like marketing and travel, which can exceed earnings and result in a net loss. Individual results depend on your personal sales and leadership efforts over time.
