Partnering with Successful Teams: 3 Aha’s from Masterminding with Gary Keller
One of the great benefits of being part of the Keller Williams family is the company’s commitment to education. Earlier this year, Keller Williams was inducted into the “Training Hall of Fame.” And every single day, in market centers across the planet, Keller Williams agents have access to the industry’s best learning experiences.I recently had the privilege of attending two days of masterminds with Gary Keller in Austin. The first day featured around 100 of the company’s top-producing agents. The second day focused specifically on “Expansionists,” with a dozen or so of the entrepreneurs who are redefining how to grow their businesses into new markets.As it happens, Xperience Real Estate had just announced an exciting new partnership with one of the Keller Williams teams participating in the mastermind: the Charlotte Mabry Team based out of Chattanooga, TN. Against that backdrop (and the excitement and inquisitiveness of my colleagues), I was especially attuned to how Gary’s observations related to partnering with — and succeeding through — successful real estate teams. Here are 3 of my aha’s from these awesome mastermind sessions:
1) Real estate is a database-driven business.
Whether you close $1 million or $100 million in annual sales, your database drives your business. As the leader, you can choose to build that database (by attracting potential clients to the value your business provides) … or you can choose to acquire that database by partnering with a like-minded agent. At Xperience, we decided it’s not an either/or proposition. It’s a “Yes, and …” opportunity. So we’ve built a robust database of past and future clients that we’ve established relationships with. And now we’re adding the strong connections that Charlotte and her team have cultivated during her 30 years as a leading real estate professional.Expansion businesses can accelerate growth for their partners by leveraging a larger, more powerful database.
2) Get into business with talent.
A recurring theme throughout the two days of masterminds was the critical need to get into business with talent. From agents just starting out to “Empire Builders” who are building big teams across borders, talent acquisition, talent development, and talent leadership are some of the biggest obstacles to growth. They are also the greatest opportunities to provide creative solutions.At Xperience, we couldn’t agree more. That’s why we recently added the first Director of Talent Acquisition & Engagement to our team. Her role is not simply to hire talent to our hub — it’s also to consult with our partner teams on organizational development and talent strategy. We believe so strongly about being intentional and purposeful about attracting and developing talent that this consulting is now simply part of our value proposition to partners.
3) Build habits and experiences.
Gary spends a lot of time thinking about the most successful businesses. And we are all the beneficiaries of his insights. If you want to lead a business that prints money, he says, sell addictions. In real estate, however, that’s not enough. You have to build habits and create experiences. Consumers are looking for meaningful experiences. There is simply no substitute for the thoughtful, personalized attention and service that real estate professionals can provide. The same is true of teams. When someone joins our team, we want them to feel like they’re getting something they can’t get anywhere else. In fact, we owe our name to our deep commitment to providing an exceptional experience. That’s true for clients. And it’s true for the partners we are so honored and privileged to power.