I’m extremely passionate about vision … and I know you are too. With the proper vision in place, you can take control of your business, get what you want, help your team get what they want, and become a CEO who eventually steps out of production.

Our team’s story began in Atlanta in 2008 on the cusp of the housing crisis. Determination and a strong work ethic helped us weather the difficult market until 2011, when someone handed me a red book and said I ought to follow what it said. We took it to heart and used The Millionaire Real Estate Agent as our playbook. We focused on hiring accordingly by bringing on an assistant. With the assistant on board, we doubled our business – and, when ready, hired buying and listing agents who, collectively, helped us skyrocket.

Just how much did our business grow with the right team in place?

From 126 units for $42 million in 2013 to 305 units for $121 million last year; today, we’re the top-producing Keller Williams Realty group in the Southeast Region (Georgia, Alabama, and Tennessee).

Step Back to Propel Forward

During this time, I’ve learned that to construct a winning team, you have to move out of playing and become a CEO.

It began with this quote from Gary Keller:

“When the coach is a player, the accountability is compromised”

When I heard those words, it changed everything for me. At the time, I was doing about 90 listings. Everything was great, yet something was missing. I was holding myself back, and by extension, was holding the business back. Gary’s statement jolted me, and I began jotting down examples of great football coaches. It didn’t take long to see what they had in common: They didn’t throw passes, block, tackle, or kick field goals. They coached … and it was time for me to do the same by moving out of production; when I did, the team’s performance grew exponentially.

If you’re a successful leader and business owner, maybe you’re wondering – is it time to take myself out of the game? It’s an important question to ask and a daunting move to make. But trust me, it is a step with several rewards.

Tips for Moving Out of Production

Here are some action steps to take as you work your way through when and whether to leave production:

Identify how many people you need to achieve your goals and dreams.

What is the someday potential of your business? How big do you dream? What does it look like? First you think it, then you say it, then you have to do it. In order to go 7th Level, you HAVE to have 7th Level talent … people who do things as well or better than you do.

Align yourself with the right people.

To get that 7th Level talent, we have to make sure we’re attracting them. Like John Maxwell says, “We don’t attract what we want. We attract who we are.” What are you doing to attract the right people?

Work on yourself first and make sure you mirror what you want. Are you earning the right to be in business with exceptional people?

Gary Keller says you’re only three key people away from a million dollars. With the right three in position, it allows me to work on the business, so that I’m not the coach and the player and can do the same for you.

Who are these magnificent three?

1. An executive administrative assistant
2. A lead buyer specialist – hire someone by thinking of what you hope they’ll become
3. A lead listing agent – they’ll model what you model and build a business that creates a life worth living

And, in order to attract and retain these roles, you must:

• Be clear on your mission and vision every day. Constantly talk about it in team meetings, daily huddles, and 10-minute phone calls. (Your culture has to be alive!)
• Don’t be the smartest person in the room. Bring in big thinkers and people who know the MREA principles backward and forward.
• Establish big goals and know what it takes to achieve them using the MREA models.
• Coach and consult with them weekly.
• Seek a five-year commitment for big opportunities. This gives them time to grow.
• Invest in taking the Leverage Series. Gary Keller has challenged all of us in his mastermind group to take the Leverage Series twice per year. It’s the foundation of our hiring efforts; I can’t imagine operating without it.

Be the driver, not the driving force. 

You’re not the engine; you’re the driver. You don’t have to know how the anti-lock brakes work or how the engine runs to be able to drive your car. In the same manner, build organizations that are predictable.

With the right people, you can work less and make more by working ON the business, not IN the business.

You’re always working on something. Are you building systems to help people produce, or are you producing?

Final takeaways:

1. Get clarity on what you want and build your organizational chart to reflect that reality.
2. Understand your mission, vision, and values so you can attract and retain the best talent with alignment.
3. Maintain accountability systems and standards. Gary says, “Growth happens under talent.” That’s the litmus test. If growth doesn’t happen underneath someone, they’re not going to help you grow an empire.
4. Invest in training that will help you succeed.

About Andy

Andy Peters is a successful real estate agent, entrepreneur, trainer, and coach. Along with his wife Lesley, Andy leads one of the highest producing real estate teams in the country, The Peters Company from Atlanta, Georgia. His team was the first to achieve MREA status amongst the 6-office Rawls Group family of Metro Atlanta in 2013, an achievement they’ve held now every year since, and he’s a Lifetime Member of the Atlanta Board of REALTORS® Multi-Million Dollar Club.

Andy is a MAPS coach specializing in team building, and he’s a member of Gary Keller’s private Top Agent Mastermind Group. In 2018 The Peters Company completed over 305 transactions for $121 million in sales volume. He is also an Operating Partner for three Keller Williams Realty market centers in north central Atlanta. In his free time Andy enjoys collecting and playing guitars, and he is passionate about his hometown Atlanta Braves, Falcons, and Hawks. He lives in Brookhaven, GA with his wife Lesley and his two children

I’m extremely passionate about vision … and I know you are too. With the proper vision in place, you can take control of your business, get what you want, help your team get what they want, and become a CEO who eventually steps out of production. Our team’s story began in Atlanta in 2008 on […]

In 2018, French mega agent Kirkor Ajderhanyan joined the Keller Williams Massena Market Center, leaving his brokerage of 20 years. Since switching brokerages, Ajderhanyan has tripled his production – further cementing his status as the No. 1 agent in the exclusive and international area of the Promenade des Anglais in Nice, France.

“Keller Williams’ model was made to build success together,” he says. “We wanted to develop our business and we were looking for something – either a franchise or a model that we could copy or improve to perform at a higher level.”

Ajderhanyan’s team, 107 Promenade, is comprised of his daughter, Teni Ajderhanyan-Bagdasar (buyer’s agent), and son, Garen Ajderhanyan, who runs the office as the operating partner. Together, the team specializes in seafront real estate transactions including rentals, villas, castles, and vineyards. For Kirkor and his family, the move to Keller Williams is the beginning of a new chapter of limitless growth and collaboration.

“We are really excited to be part of this huge family and to constantly be involved in our industry revolution, but also having fun doing so. It’s about working together and having fun,” Kirkor says. “We make sure to maintain human values and relationships, so everyone knows how to position themselves in the company’s everyday life.”

Now in his 20th year in real estate, Kirkor is looking to grow as a person as well as a business owner. He is confident he’ll be able to do so through the coaching and training Keller Williams provides.

“How could you even imagine that me, as an independent agent from my previous brokerage, would be provided coaching? And training? It wasn’t even a dream, if you will. But today, thanks to the KW Massena Market Center, we can make dreams come true,” shares Kirkor.

In 2018, French mega agent Kirkor Ajderhanyan joined the Keller Williams Massena Market Center, leaving his brokerage of 20 years. Since switching brokerages, Ajderhanyan has tripled his production – further cementing his status as the No. 1 agent in the exclusive and international area of the Promenade des Anglais in Nice, France. “Keller Williams’ model […]

Paul Reardon & Mary Lewis

The Boston real estate sibling team of Paul Reardon and Mary Lewis moved to Keller Williams from RE/MAX to access cutting-edge technology that makes it easier to reconnect with clients in the city both are passionate about.

Their love of Boston propelled their real estate careers, built 100 percent on referrals. But referrals and repeat clients come with a challenge.

“It’s so hard to stay in touch over an 18-year period,” Reardon says. “By leveraging Command – Keller Williams’ operating system – and learning to use the tools we have, I can reconnect with them and grow my business more.”

After earning his real estate license, Reardon was with RE/MAX for 18 years. Lewis started with Century 21 in 2008, before joining her brother. They chose their careers despite their mother, who spent 30 years in the business, forbidding them from entering real estate out of concern for their work-life balance.

Reardon admits that, five years ago, his work life was out of control – he worked too many hours, too many days a week. He needed someone who could step in and, as he puts it, “be me.” So, he and his sister joined forces so both would have a backup partner who cared about their business as much as they do.

One of Reardon’s current strategies is working with rental clients. Rental transactions net lower fees, but he remains with them through every step of the housing journey – from rental, to condo, to a home in the suburbs. He and Lewis love helping clients find their dream home in the right part of Boston.

“It’s a walkable city, it’s a historic city. Both sets of grandparents grew up there. But it’s also contemporary. It’s a great blend,” Lewis says. “I live in the suburbs … but I can be downtown in no time. I’ve always loved that.”

The Boston real estate sibling team of Paul Reardon and Mary Lewis moved to Keller Williams from RE/MAX to access cutting-edge technology that makes it easier to reconnect with clients in the city both are passionate about. Their love of Boston propelled their real estate careers, built 100 percent on referrals. But referrals and repeat […]

Across the world, real estate teams and individual agents are gearing up to make a difference in their communities on Keller Williams’ annual RED (Renew, Energize Donate) Day, which is May 9^th.  RED Day – which is in its 11th year – is a day dedicated to celebrating Keller Williams Realty’s year-round commitment to improving our local communities.  Each year, on the second Thursday in May, tens of thousands of associates from across the world participate in a wide range of projects, devoting their time to renewing and energizing aspects of the neighborhoods in which they serve.  For John Hallis of Hallis Homes and Keller Williams Integrity in Ellicott City, Maryland, and his army of passionate “hope-pushers and go-getters,” the lead up to RED Day Maryland is an ongoing effort of love that takes 10 months of fundraising, planning, and vision casting.

What started as a plan to improve one elementary school in East Baltimore organically turned into a citywide, much-anticipated annual event aptly named “The Best Day a Kid Ever Had!” That first year, when school administrators saw the massive list of painting, cleaning, and renovation projects that Keller Williams volunteers intended to complete in a single day, they said they really needed to get the kids out of the school for those hours. Thus, the first field day was born in nearby Patterson Park with games, snow cones, a DJ, a dance-off, and Subway lunch for over 600 kids.

Hallis reflects, “It was an amazing, amazing day. To see the kids let go, have fun, and be carefree for a few hours was so heartwarming. We realized we had really stumbled on something significant. The fact that we were able to do this with the kids brought in so much emotion and gave the project so much more meaning.”

A Growing Impact

The event was such a success that the next year a second school was added. Hallis’s team quickly figured out that they needed about $50,000 and 500 volunteers to improve two schools and host two field days. Each year since, the mission has grown in size and scope. Now in its 11^th year, RED Day Maryland plans to serve 10 schools by deploying two massive crews to each, one that creates and delivers “The Best Day a Kid Ever Had!” and the other to improve and enhance the school for the students and teachers.

While the kids are out having fun, a huge team of volunteers is in the school cleaning the walls, painting floor to ceiling, replacing toilet seat covers, installing new equipment, drawing murals, making sure the gyms have basketballs, hoops, and jump-ropes, and adding interesting features that enhance the kids’ educational experience. Teachers’ lounges are added, water fountains are installed, copy machines are serviced, and a school store is set up for kids who earn tokens for good behavior. The transformation is so impactful that kids are kept away until the next day when a ceremonial unveiling adds even more excitement and anticipation to the annual event.

With a decade of momentum and success, kids now look forward to “The Best Day a Kid Ever Had!” all year long. A name like that should be daunting, but Hallis and the event leaders are passionate about pulling out all the stops to show the kids unconditional love, favor, and support. On RED Day, gymnasiums, parks, lunchrooms, and classrooms are transformed so that children can have a mall experience and “shop” for new clothes that were donated by sponsors. They also participate in fashion shows, play field-day games with their friends, dance to live music, and just delight in the joy of being a kid.

 

Hallis says he’s grateful to God for the opportunity to be a part of a group of sponsors, agents, educators, and volunteers who so selflessly serve this great cause. “It’s easy to get overwhelmed with the size of the need, but Keller Williams is emboldening me and my fellow agents and volunteers to commit to a higher level of business.”

A Movement of Love

This year, KW Legacy in Pikesville, Maryland along with several other clients, nonprofit organizations and strategic partners will join Hallis and his team for RED Day. By 2025, he aims to take this movement of love to all 50 of the city’s elementary schools. The program is already being duplicated in Miami and San Antonio, and he hopes to see it spread across the country.

“I’m grateful for the gift of Keller Williams. Gary Keller, Mo Anderson, and my MAPS Coaches ignited a thought process in me to think about my big why. I understand that hard work is worth it when you’re giving your allegiance to a first-rate cause. As I get older, I’m more and more passionate about moving toward a vision that’s far bigger than me and that will last into eternity. This is part of my life’s purpose.” For all the work, hours, logistics, and people that it requires to pull off such a monumental mission, Hallis says, “We get far more than we give.”

Across the world, real estate teams and individual agents are gearing up to make a difference in their communities on Keller Williams’ annual RED (Renew, Energize Donate) Day, which is May 9th.  RED Day – which is in its 11th year – is a day dedicated to celebrating Keller Williams Realty’s year-round commitment to improving […]

All of us have the best of intentions when it comes to managing our time, but then life gets in the way. As we direct our attention to one task, texts, emails, calls, and social media notifications begin pouring in. Soon, we find ourselves in a cycle of respond, start, stop, respond.

Distractions Will Cost You

Research has found that these slivers of time add up – eliminating 28 percent of our day. Imagine if you could have these hours back in an instant. What would you do with 28 percent more time?

This is where time blocking comes in.

Gary Keller introduced me to the life-changing concept of time blocking when I moved to Austin, Texas, with my family three years ago. “It’s the one thing you can do such that by doing it everything else will be easier or unnecessary,” he shared. The challenge is, when you say yes to someone or something else, what you are really saying no to is yourself and the goals you hold close.

Don’t allow distractions to hold you hostage. Reclaim your time by embracing the practice of time blocking. Here’s how!

Think Big. Go Small.

Through years of practice and work around The ONE Thing, I’ve learned that successful time blocking begins by going small. When I began, I made the mistake of trying to time block everything – even bathroom breaks. Consequently, when I missed the time block, I felt like a failure.

When it comes to time blocking, many of us are simply setting the bar too high and feel like a failure when we veer of track. Don’t beat yourself up, just readjust the bar. Think big and go small. Think big by having clarity on your priorities and aspiring to crush your distractions like it’s your day job. And go small, by focusing on controlling 5, 10 or 15 minutes of your day before working upward. Progress is more important than perfection.

Create the Right Environment for Success & Build a Bunker

I’ve also found that your environment must support your goals. Whatever your environment is – even if you’re in a cubicle – there is something that you can do that would allow your environment to further support that goal. As tempting as it may be, do not justify your inaction.

Determine what one thing you can proactively do for each type of distraction to eliminate it. Then do that while in your time block.

• Build a bunker. If you have an office with a door, close it. That’s your bunker. I don’t have an office, so I squat in conference rooms.
• Stock provisions. If you come out of your bunker, you’re going to get sniped. What are the things that bring you out? For me, it’s water and the bathroom. I’ve learned that before I go into a time block, I need to take care of mother nature, then stock up on water.
• Sweep for mines. You close the door, but there are mines everywhere just waiting to blow up in your face. Those mines are usually in the form of tech and other people. Sweep for them: is it your email inbox, the phone, or a customer calling you back?
• Enlist support. To succeed at time blocking, you must enlist the support of other people. One of the ways to do this is to let them know you’re going into the bunker and see if they need anything before you focus on your one thing.

The 66-Day Challenge®

Let me be clear about one thing: time blocking and battling distractions is uncomfortable until it becomes a habit. You must be willing to go on a very short-term journey, doing things that you may not like for an average of 66 days until it becomes a habit.

Why 66 days? In 2009, researchers at the University College of London found it takes on average 66 days to form a simple habit. To overcome distractions and succeed at time blocking, purposely set an intention and tell yourself, “I am going to go on a 66-Day Challenge® to making time blocking for five – or 10, 15 – minutes intentional.”

The longer you stick with it, the easier time blocking will become. In time, it becomes automatic – requiring little discipline or willpower.

Form your first power habit today:  

• Download your 66-Day Challenge® Calendar
• Check out The ONE Thing Blog
• Subscribe to The ONE Thing podcast

About Geoff Woods

Geoff Woods is the vice president of The ONE Thing and hosts The ONE Thing Podcast, which is in the top 5 percent of all podcasts in the world.  After hearing the Jim Rohn quote that “you are the average of the five people you spend the most time with,” Geoff set out on a mission to surround himself with high-level CEOs and successful entrepreneurs. Fast forward just 10 months, and Geoff went from employee to entrepreneur, launching a company with the co-authors of the bestselling book The ONE Thing. Geoff has been featured on Entrepreneur.com and is on a mission to teach people how to take back control of their time and get clarity on how they want to invest it.

All of us have the best of intentions when it comes to managing our time, but then life gets in the way. As we direct our attention to one task, texts, emails, calls, and social media notifications begin pouring in. Soon, we find ourselves in a cycle of respond, start, stop, respond. Distractions Will Cost […]