On September 12th from 11 AM – 3 PM EST, you’re invited to join us for a virtual conference and be part of something bigger.

Grow your business while giving back: Help raise much-needed funds for SickKids Foundation

This isn’t just another conference. This is a chance to grow your business with insights from top-tier speakers while helping Bruce Johnson cross the finish line on his incredible mission to raise $1,000,000 for SickKids, in memory of daughter, Alyssa Rae Johnson.

Why this matters 

Bruce’s story matters. He’s raised $900,000 so far, and now he’s battling stage 4 lung cancer. With your help, we’re pushing to get him to that $1 million mark. 100 per cent of ticket sales go directly to the SickKids Foundation through Bruce’s campaign.  

Every speaker. Every bonus. Every dollar. All for a great cause. This is your opportunity to grow AND give back. 

Together, we can make a difference — for your business, for Bruce, and for kids in need of lifesaving care at SickKids. 

Speaker lineup

Check out our top real estate & marketing expert speaker lineup and walk away with actionable strategies to boost your business. 

Andrew Perrie

Andrew Perrie is a luminary in the realm of real estate who stands as a beacon of charisma, leadership and inspiration. With over five years of unparalleled experience, he has not only established himself as a triumphant real estate team leader but has also ascended to the pinnacle of oratory prowess, captivating and motivating audiences on stages of all sizes.

From his early days, Andrew’s innate ability to forge connections and genuinely understand clients’ needs sowed the seeds of his flourishing career. This passion evolved into the creation of his own real estate team in Niagara-on-the-Lake and Muskoka, where his unwavering dedication to both clients’ triumphs and the team’s expansion earned him acclaim as a charismatic and results-driven leader.

Beyond his undeniable real estate acumen, Andrew’s exceptional gift for simplifying intricate concepts and inspiring through his podcast, “That Fine Life,” further solidifies his standing. His influence extends to the digital realm, where he has amassed a substantial and engaged following, emphasizing the importance of personal branding in today’s digital landscape. Andrew’s journey is marked not only by personal achievements but also by his fervent commitment to mentoring aspiring real estate professionals, making him a true luminary in the industry.

Justin Konikow

Justin Konikow is a visionary leader and co-owner of Prime Real Estate Brokerage and PRIME Media Productions, where he’s known for turning the industry on its head with innovative strategies and a fresh perspective. With decades of experience in the real estate market, Justin has become a national thought leader and sought-after speaker, guiding agents, developers and investors on mastering the art of market domination. His expertise spans luxury and waterfront properties, commercial investments and cutting-edge media production, making him a triple threat in the industry.

Justin owns one of the only firms that touch all aspects of real estate, a concept he calls “focused diversification.” His firm handles residential, commercial, investment, agricultural, land and recreational properties, cross-pollinating clients across these asset classes to offer a truly comprehensive service. His team operates like a Navy SEAL unit, assembling a tactical group of specialists, tailored to each client’s needs, all guided by the same core values, mission statement and decentralized command.

Beyond his role as a top real estate agent, Justin is a successful entrepreneur, content creator, and host of the Prime People Podcast, where he dives into the intersection of real estate, entrepreneurship and personal development. His work is a blend of sharp business acumen and creative storytelling, leveraging the latest in technology and social media to reach and engage a global audience.

Kelley Skar

Kelley is a second-generation realtor, Max/Recruit real estate coach and real estate trainer with a proven track record, as well as an international speaker.

He knew early on in life that he was going to be an educator. Kelley started in university with the goal of becoming a high school teacher; however, life took him in a different direction. His passion for learning and educating has never left and as a result, he’s a dedicated learner and a student of history, business and life. His passion lies in high-level discussion around business strategies and helping agents & brokers build a bigger, better, highly profitable real estate business.

He has been married to his beautiful wife for over 17 years and they have smart, athletic and articulate 15-year-old twins. They enjoy hiking through the Okanagan, spending time at the beach and on the lake as well as travelling the continent and hopefully at some point, the globe. He loves to play golf, work out in the gym, hang out with friends and take in Green Bay Packers football games — as a huge fan.

One of his favourite quotes comes by way of Jocko Willink: “Getting better isn’t about a hack or a trick or one change that you need to make. Getting better is a campaign. It’s daily, weekly, an hourly fight. Against weakness, temptation & laziness. It’s a campaign of discipline. A campaign of hard work and dedication. It’s about getting up early, going to bed late and grinding out every second in between!”

Jess Lenouvel

Jess Lenouvel is a real estate marketing expert, founder of The Listings Lab and best-selling author of *More Money, Less Hustle: Becoming the 7-Figure Real Estate Agent.*

After spending 15 years in real estate, selling over $300 million worth of property, Jess hit a breaking point from the relentless hustle. Determined to find a better way, she dove into digital marketing and transformed her business into a scalable, sustainable model. In 2018, she founded The Listings Lab to help other agents do the same, teaching them how to market effectively and build successful, hustle-free businesses.

Tony Joe

Located in Victoria, British Columbia, Tony has been selling real estate since 1991 and has earned production awards including VREB Gold, Special Gold and President’s Awards as well as Re/Max Diamond, Circle of Legends and Western Canada Special Services Award (2009). Tony was president of the Victoria Real Estate Board in 2008 and of AREAA (the Asian Real Estate Association of America) Vancouver 2015-2019.

He’s an Instructor for the B.C. industry regulator (BC Financial Services Authority), a subject matter expert for the B.C. Real Estate Association and a certified coach for Richard Robbins International. Systems and processes allow Tony to run a hyper-productive yet small team while being massively active in his community, serving on several community boards and fundraising initiatives while balancing abundant family time and an exciting personal life. His radio show, The Whole Home Show, airs weekly on iheartradio.ca and its podcast can be found on iTunes and elsewhere.

The Leads are Sh*t

Taylor Hack

Taylor Hack is so dedicated to saving families from 3-star experiences in real estate that the team he leads, HACK&CO @ Re/Max River City, became the most-reviewed real estate team in Edmonton, Alberta on rankmyagent.com.

A passionate entrepreneur, Taylor is considered notable within the real estate industry for his creative business solutions and strategy. In less than three years, Taylor broke into the top 2 per cent of Re/Max Agents in the world and was asked to appear on stage throughout North America, featured as a Top-35-Under-35 in Real Estate Professional Magazine, and honoured as a finalist for Real Estate Innovator of the Year by Inman.

As a dedicated team leader, Taylor has helped HACK&Co teammates achieve rare experiences in real estate that are hallmarks of performance, such as making million-dollar listings and Top Teammate rankings and becoming strong providers for their families.

Andrew Fogliato

Andrew Fogliato has been in the real estate industry since you still had to physically print out six copies of an offer plus a clean one for the lawyer when the deal was done.

He’s worked as an agent, a trainer for one of the big brands, a proptech consultant, a marketer, a speaker and more.

Now he owns Just Sell Homes, a real estate marketing agency specializing in helping realtors grow their business, and RealEstateMagazine.ca, the premier news source for Canadian realtors.

Learn more or get your tickets for the Sept. 12th event.

Are you hiring? Looking for the next superstar to join your team? Do you need someone who can take care of your business as if it were their own? Someone to prompt you rather than you chasing them? Great! You’re on the right track.

In today’s tough market, finding qualified and talented people to elevate your business can be challenging. You need someone proactive, not someone who needs constant prompting. It’s crucial to have a clear vision and a strategic approach when searching for the right candidate.

Like you, people excel at their craft — look for someone specialized

It’s important not to look for a Jack (or Jill) of all trades. If the role is highly administrative, don’t expect them to also be a graphic designer and an outbound sales rep. They excel in their craft just as you do in yours. The objective is to systemize your hiring: hire slow and fire fast. 

Envision what your hire will do and list out the must-haves and nice-to-haves. Always start with the end in mind because today’s hire might not be in that seat tomorrow. Remember, you’re not hiring family, so don’t call your employees family unless they are actually related to you.

Create an avatar of your ideal hire and set realistic expectations by observing your colleagues’ hiring patterns and employee retention. It’s not just about salary; it’s also about how you treat your employees and the workplace culture you foster.

Review your job description to ensure it aligns with what you want, need and can realistically offer. This alignment is critical to attracting the right candidates who will thrive in your business environment. Just remember, you won’t find a candidate that fits your description perfectly. This is part of the learning process in understanding what you need versus what you want. Flexibility and openness to different skill sets and experiences can lead to finding a candidate who brings unexpected value to your team.

Networking is key and you’re the brand ambassador

Networking is paramount. Tap into your experiential real estate network, targeting those not actively looking on job boards. Great candidates often need to be sought after. Ensure your job description is clear on salary, hours, responsibilities, must-haves and nice-to-haves. Remember, you’re the brand ambassador for your business, and this is your chance to attract the right person. The more precise and attractive your job listing, the higher the quality of applicants you will attract.

First, network with your brokerage and colleagues to create a referral network. This is similar to drumming up new business from your CRM. Leverage your existing relationships and let them know you are looking for top talent. Referrals can often lead to high-quality candidates who may not be actively seeking new positions but would be open to the right opportunity.

It’s tough, but you’re tougher

Interviews can be an emotional roller coaster. Some candidates will show interest and then drop out, requiring you to start over. This happens at any stage of the recruitment cycle. It’s similar to a sales cycle: you’re constantly selling the dream to your candidate until they sign on the dotted line. Persistence and patience are key during this process.

Remember, while hiring is tough in any season, even in a candidate-rich market, all you need is one standout candidate to enhance your business. This candidate will bring new ideas, energy and perspectives that can drive your business forward.

Defining your interview process

Mitigate risk by having a defined interview process:

1. Phone screen. Introduce yourself and thank the candidate for their interest. This initial step helps you gauge their communication skills and enthusiasm for the role.

2. Face-to-face/video call meeting. Assess if the candidate fits your business culture while also selling your company to them. This is your opportunity to delve deeper into their experience and how it aligns with your needs.

3. Paid assessment. Invite them to your workplace to assess mutual compatibility. This hands-on approach provides insight into how they might perform in the actual role.

4. Professional references. Conduct thorough reference checks. These references can provide valuable information about the candidate’s past performance and reliability.

5. Make an offer. Ensure it reflects current market value and recognizes the candidate’s worth. A competitive offer demonstrates your commitment to attracting top talent. Don’t minimize the value your employees bring. Offering a low salary might result in losing them to a higher bidder.

Move candidates through the process swiftly, ideally every five days, to prevent losing them to other opportunities. Timeliness shows candidates that you value their time and are serious about filling the position. It’s very similar to a serious buyer on a property that you listed. Imagine if you dropped that ball!

The first three months

Ensure there’s a clear paper trail covering salary, vacation, bonus and job description. The first three months are crucial for setting the tone and developing cohesiveness in your business. 

These initial months, often termed the onboarding phase, are vital for integrating the new hire into your company culture and ensuring they have the tools and support needed to succeed.

It’s about brand presence, people, strong customer service and consultative sales

Your brand presence is reflected in who you hire and it shows who you are in both client and employee interactions. Past employees and interactions shape your brand. A positive reputation as an employer will attract high-calibre candidates and contribute to long-term business success.

Understand that recruitment doesn’t end with hiring — it’s about people, strong customer service and consultative sales. Your employees can become your biggest fans and referral sources. Keep them happy to foster retention and attract inbound leads.

The process of recruitment is ongoing and requires diligence, strategy and a commitment to fostering a positive workplace culture. It can be emotionally taxing and one in which you need to manage your emotions as well as those involved in the process. But, by following these steps and maintaining a clear focus on your goals, you can build a team that will help take your business to new heights.

When you sit down with Mark Faris, it doesn’t take long to see why his team has done over 1,700 transactions in a single year. Even in 2023, when the market was down for many, his team still did over 1,000 transactions.

Kiran Gandhi and I sat down, over Zoom, with Mark recently to get a backstage pass to how Mark operates. We didn’t want to just break this down into what he’s doing now. We wanted to go back to the beginning, and then see how that approach has changed over the years.

Here’s a glimpse into how Mark built his business. His approach was shaped by necessity and ingenuity. Let’s dive into the journey.

In the beginning

Looking back to 2007, Mark brought up the piece that most don’t talk about early in their career: “There’s always a race when you start in real estate, a race before you run out of cash. You have a certain amount of money and you’re going to burn through that. And so, for me, there was a race there because we were burning through our credit cards and we had a limit.” 

Mark looked at the cost-effective methods for building his business when he didn’t have a lot of money available.

“Cold calling and door knocking, which a lot of agents don’t like, but I didn’t have any money for anything else. I’d bring them a little calendar. But I didn’t knock on every door. I’d only knock on the doors of the leads that I had from cold calling. It was a more targeted approach. (In) some cases I did full streets if it was in an area that I liked.”

Mark did 12 deals in his first six months and decided to set a goal of 40 deals for the next 12 months. He fell short and did 38. Then, he jumped from 38 to 100 in the next 12 months. Since then, he hasn’t looked back.

The script

We asked Mark what he did when he was cold-calling and door-knocking. What was he saying to people that contributed to his success?

Mark kept it simple. He’d call or knock and say: “Hi, it’s Mark Faris from Royal LePage, we just listed a home down the street from you. We’re really excited about it, we’re curious and we’re working hard for our sellers and want to get it sold. Do you know anyone looking to move to the neighbourhood? Any friends or family? Wouldn’t it be nice to be able to pick your own neighbour?” Then, he’d follow up with, “Oh, by the way, have you thought about selling?” 

The ice was broken and he already started to prove to potential clients how hard he works for his existing ones. That made him get in enough doors to gain the traction he needed to win the new real estate agent race.

The listing presentation

When someone is passionate about something you can tell. They lean in a bit, their face lights up and the enthusiasm shines through. Get Mark Faris talking about listing presentations and you’ll see the passion.

He likened how much he practiced listing presentations to how he used to practice shooting hundreds of pucks a day. “I can still pick the corners because I did it so much. The more you do something, the more fun it gets.”

Mark had his listing presentation fine-tuned. He’d start by telling the sellers he’d arrive within a 30-minute window. That way, if there was traffic or other issues causing delays, he wasn’t panicked about a few minutes here and there. He’d try to always arrive at the beginning of the window, but he had a buffer.

Then, he’d get himself enthusiastic and excited because enthusiasm sells. He’d walk in, pay a compliment about the home, take a tour of the home and then sit down to deliver his listing presentation. The focus is on being very clear about what differentiates him from other realtors and adds value to the seller.

Mark doesn’t believe in skipping the listing presentation, especially for friends and family. It will help save your relationship down the road. If you skip the regular procedure because they’re a close personal relationship, you put it at risk. You need to avoid the “What are you doing for me?” question that’s answered during a great listing presentation.

When Mark was still selling homes, he was personally selling 150 a year. It was starting to hold back his team’s growth. At its size, he needed to be focused on the business, not working in it. “That was a hard thing to give up, the listing appointments, because that was my baby,” he recalls.

Reputation is everything

“Reputation is built by leaving sparks and seeds of hope, love and care.”

This is something Mark shared in the interview, when he expressed there’s nothing more important to him and his team than their reputation within the community. It’s everything. It encourages more referrals because people put their reputations on the line by referring their contacts to you. They need to be confident you’ll protect that.

Mark understands that not everyone can be perfect — no one is expected to be. Your reputation is just as much built on what you do in those scenarios. Even if it means writing a check sometimes to cover a client’s loss when you weren’t legally required to. Don’t think of those situations as losing money in a deal; think about them as investing in your reputation.

When you fix mistakes, it shows people that you’re stepping up. Investing in your reputation is always the right move; it’s more important than money. Admitting, “I was off on that, here’s what I’m doing to make it right,” will cement you as their agent forever.

Focus on scale

Now, Mark’s time is spent mostly focusing on scale: how to scale the business up and make it better. 

When he was selling 150 homes a year and his team was doing 1,000, he was doing four to five listing presentations a day. He described it like he was a madman during that time. He was also asking himself how companies scale and why they hit ceilings. 

Mark is constantly reading books and looking for advice on what he can do to improve his business. For example, more than once during the interview that focused on us writing stories about him, he stopped to ask us questions that might help him improve his business. His care and passion shine through.

Mark doesn’t believe there are any silver bullets in this industry. Instead, he believes there are what he refers to as  “golden bee-bees” — the little things you do consistently over time. Just keep doing them better, that’s what creates and grows a brand. It’s the boring minutiae of the day that most get bored by.

He’s also not afraid to still get his hands dirty. When building out their ISA (inside sales) department, Mark’s team went through several iterations to figure out what worked. He jumped in while acting as the CEO to take lead calls to help refine the system. It was a lot of trial and error.

An avid believer in the systems and processes from the book Traction, by Gino Wickman, Mark sees himself in the visionary role. One of the pieces that really helped him scale was finding his vision. Then, he focused on the 20 per cent of processes that drive 80 per cent of results. 

The culture

Mark likes to ask his team members, “What’s the number one thing about working here?” The responses are always interesting but often vague — from “the people are great” to “there’s just something different here.” 

Mark views culture as a living, breathing challenge and is constantly asking himself about how to formulate a better team culture. You keep a high threshold for people coming in, and sometimes you have to “liberate people to the marketplace”, according to Mark. 

One thing was clear in talking to Mark: he knows what it takes to succeed and he focuses relentlessly on how to do so at a high level. Despite his success though, Mark could only be described as confidently humble. He knows he doesn’t know everything and is constantly trying to learn more.

Spend time with Mark Faris and you’ll see why he leads one of the top teams in the world. 

Photo source: FarisTeam.ca