Real Estate Got Personal at Mega Agent Camp 2024, Where Thousands of Agents Convened for KW’s Midyear Learning Event
If you stopped by the story booth at Mega Agent Camp 2024, then you got a chance to listen in on agents from across KW talking about the different ways Keller Williams has changed their lives.
There are some amazing stories out there, like the agent from Louisiana whose market center stepped up when he needed a kidney transplant. We heard from the woman who started as an admin at her local market center while living in a shelter and in recovery from addiction, who’s now held nearly every position in her office. Then there’s the agent from Texas who at first didn’t think she belonged at MAC, until she realized it was where she needed to be to learn to think like a mega agent. Her strategy worked – and she hasn’t missed a MAC in 20 years.
As with every agent’s story, every Mega Agent Camp is unique. Here are some of our takeaways from MAC24. Have more to add? Share your thoughts in the comments below.
CEO Summit Is for Everyone
Once upon a time, CEO Summit was an invite-only affair. But in the same way that MAC is about helping you think like a mega agent – wherever you are on your real estate journey – CEO Summit helps you think like a CEO. (We even have a t-shirt for it!)
This year’s event opened with Gary Keller, Jay Papasan, and Jason Abrams talking about the concept of antifragility, first coined by economist Nassim Taleb. Gary, Jay, and Jason discussed how cycles of stress and recovery can help you become tougher – antifragile – on every level. Becoming antifragile in the areas that matter – mentally, physically, financially, and spiritually – enhances your capacity to weather change over time.
But getting the counterbalance right is key. When you set stretch goals that stress your systems, you also have to be intentional about your recovery periods. Or as Jay said, “If you don’t take regularly scheduled breaks, you’ll get an unscheduled one by default – and that’s called a breakdown.”
The Market Update Is a Can’t-Miss Event
It’s important to look backward to understand how to move forward. The MAC Market Update provides perspective on where we’ve been, where we are, and where we might be going as an industry and a nation.
This year, Gary Keller and KWRI Chief Economist Ruben Gonzalez talked about how falling home sales historically lead us into recessions, while rising home sales lead us out of them. As the economist of choice for your clients, it’s helpful to know these three scenarios that show where the economy could be headed in 2025:
2025 Economic Scenario 1:
No Recession
Unemployment below 5%
Interest rates falling to 6%
Home sales around 4.5M units
2025 Economic Scenario 2:
Normal Recession
Unemployment at 6-8%
Interest rates falling rapidly to 5-6%
Home sales around 5M units
2025 Economic Scenario 3:
Banking Recession
Unemployment at 8-10%
Interest rates falling to 3-4%
Home sales around 4M units or less
If you’re a KW® associate, you can log in to access the complete 2024 Market Update through Connect.
Mega Agents Really Are All That
From building your database to mastering a MOFIR, every panel at MAC covers a different topic. Each panelist is asked to discuss a proven model or system they’ve implemented that’s made a major impact on their business, which is turned into a one-sheeter that sums up their unique plan of action.
As a KW® agent, you get exclusive access to all of the one-sheets from MAC panelists – even if you didn’t attend MAC! And while the one-sheets are a valuable resource, one of our takeaways from MAC is that being there to hear the details behind the strategy may be even more important when it comes to professional growth. Why? Because learning how someone arrived at a solution and solved a challenge in their business can help you do the same in yours. That’s how you really start thinking like a mega agent.
Lucky for you, you can take a deep dive into some of the strategies and insights of top agents in the KW Secrets to Success in Real Estate YouTube playlist, with exclusive interviews featured at MAC24.
Coaching Moves the Needle Big Time
If you were part of the KW MAPS Masterminds for Agents or Leadership, then you know: KW MAPS coaching can make all the difference in your real estate career. MAPS Masterminds are coach-facilitated roundtable sessions that go beyond surface-level information to dive into the specifics of your business and your personal Big Why. Breakouts are divided by role, and this year’s Masterminds were open to all agents, including those not currently enrolled in coaching.
Communicating value to clients showed up as a key theme in this year’s breakouts. Participants in the Buyer’s Agent Mastermind discussed MAC speaker Phil M Jones’ suggestion for starting conversations about value with the question, “What’s your experience working with a professional real estate agent?” It was a mindset shift for a number of agents, who realized the framework could help them lean into the value of the expertise and services they offer, and naturally differentiate them from the competition.
Phil also says asking good questions in the sales process helps you uncover the “why” behind a client’s needs and actions. When issues arise, you can bring people back to their “why” to help them power through challenges and demonstrate that you understand their bigger mission – just like a great MAPS coach can do for you.
Your Personal Brand Is More Important Than Ever
Branding expert Rory Vaden dropped this piece of knowledge during his entertaining presentation at MAC24: The higher the requirement for trust, the more important it is to have a personal brand. Why? Rory’s research shows that two-thirds of Americans would be willing to spend more money on products and services with companies whose founders have a personal brand that aligns with their values. In short, if your brand communicates who you are and what you do well as a real estate professional, people who resonate with your message will be drawn to work with you.
When it comes to building your brand online, Rory recommends building trust by sharing your wisdom through your blog and social media, starting with a list of 52 questions – one for every week of the year – that your ideal audience would want to know the answers to. It’s an authentic way to demonstrate your expertise and show potential clients that you’re uniquely positioned to solve their problems.
KW Culture Never Changes
While the real estate industry may shift, former KW CEO Mo Anderson and mega agent Vanessa Pollock made it clear that KW’s culture of caring, sharing, and giving never changes. At this year’s Cultural Summit, Mo and Vanessa, along with KWRI’s Wendi Harrelson and John Clidy, introduced the audience to the newest KW® Cultural Ambassadors, who serve as cultural standard-bearers in their market centers and regions.
KW® Cultural Ambassadors are nominated by their peers for modeling the culture of KW at the highest level. Agent Kim Nishizaki from the Florida – South region was among those new ambassadors asked to share their story at MAC24. Kim suffered a stroke in 2021. While she was fortunate not to sustain any long-term disabilities, the experience changed her life and shifted her mindset toward one of servant leadership.
Kim’s stroke led her to reflect on the strain of enduring hardship while having to work and pay the bills. In response, she founded H.U.G.S., a group that provides meal trains, care baskets, care calls, and more for associates in her market center. She says that while the idea behind H.U.G.S. is simple, it helps agents feel seen and loved, and their market center feels more like a family. And H.U.G.S. was launched, other agents have started instituting similar programs in their market centers.
As Mo said, that’s the true impact of embracing a culture of caring, sharing, and giving.
Registration for Mega Agent Camp 2025 is now open!
Get in on lively main stage conversations with top-producing agents from across KW, plus keynotes and events that will empower you to build and grow the business of your dreams.
