Phil M Jones’ 4 Strategies for Knowing Exactly What to Say

Phil M Jones has spent a lifetime mastering the words that move people into action. Put simply, he knows “exactly what to say.” During our conversation for the first episode of The Millionaire Real Estate Agent Podcast, he shared the following advice on how to improve your communication skills, build stronger relationships, and achieve your goals more quickly.

1. Prepare for the recurring key moments in your life.

The worst time to think of what to say is the moment you need to say it. Phil told us that conversations, just like lifetimes, are just a series of “moments.” He explained that the key to knowing “exactly what to say” begins with understanding what the recurring key moments in your profession and life are. Once you have them identified, you can develop a pantry of words to choose from ahead of time. Preparation for these moments allows you to focus on your delivery instead. 

Pro Tip: Focus on three critical conversations: one in your personal life, one in your role as a leader, and one that’s going to put money in your pocket.

2. Ask questions on the front end to avoid problems on the back end.

Questions are the fuel that a good conversation runs on. Phil uses questions, mainly in the sales process, to uncover the “why” behind someone’s actions. When problems arise, you bring people back to their “why” to help them power through adversity.

3. Be intentional in the first 15 seconds of a conversation.

The first 15 seconds of a conversation are crucial. This is when you’re making a first impression and setting the tone for the rest of the interaction. Phil uses one of three frameworks to start any conversation: a genuine compliment, sincere recognition, or the request of an opinion. These frameworks help him to join the other person’s story or to invite them into his.

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Keller Williams Fuels Agent Businesses with Technology Enhancements

Latest powerful CRM upgrades turbocharge marketing, branding and client relationships

AUSTIN, TEXAS June 13, 2023 — Keller Williams (KW), the world’s largest real estate franchise by agent count, announces powerful feature enhancements to Command, a smart CRM-plus solution, and its associated mobile app. 

“As we continue to make investments in our Command platform, we remain laser focused on what our agents want,” said Chris Cox, chief technology and digital officer, KW. “Our latest capabilities allow our entrepreneurial agents to thrive in the midst of a challenging market.”

Through Labs, the innovation hub of KW, the franchise continues to partner with real estate agents and teams to release software integrations and CRM features aimed at increasing productivity and eliminating pain points with lead generation, marketing, and real estate team workflow capabilities.

The latest updates to Command include: 

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KW Cares Marks 20 Years of Generous Support to Keller Williams Agents and Families

Since 2003, more than $60 million has been awarded across more than 6,200 grants

AUSTIN, TEXAS MAY 23, 2023 — Keller Williams (KW), the world’s largest real estate franchise by agent count, celebrates the 20th anniversary of KW Cares, a 501(c)(3) public charity created to support KW associates and their families. 

From Jan. 1 to May 15, 2023, KW Cares has awarded 121 grants, totaling $1.5 million, up 47 percent over the same period of 2022.

“We’re extremely honored to celebrate 20 years of our KW family helping each other,” said Alexia Rodriguez, CEO, KW Cares. “You don’t see this level of generosity in other companies—it’s remarkable to witness the sustained impact we’ve had.”

In 2022, KW Cares awarded $6.4 million in grants and disaster relief, up 12.3 percent over the previous year. Since 2003, KW Cares has provided over $60.0 million in assistance through more than 6,200 grants to KW agents and families.

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Keller Williams Expands to India


AUSTIN, TEXAS April 18, 2023 — Keller Williams (KW), the world’s largest real estate franchise by agent count, is expanding across Asia with a new region in India. As of March 31, the brand has 35 market centers and 1,349 agents across eight regions in Asia.

“Our global presence continues to expand with an impressive year-over-year increase of over 17 percent in our international agent count,” said William E. Soteroff, president of Keller Williams Worldwide (KWW), the international division of KW. 

As of March 31, KWW has more than 320 market centers (outside of the U.S. and Canada) across 55-plus regions. KWW has 18,461 agents collectively operating outside the U.S. and Canada, up 17.6 percent since the end of Q1 ’22.

“Building upon this remarkable growth, we’re excited to announce the opening of a new region in Asia, located in the vibrant and rapidly developing market of India,” said Soteroff.

Led by Regional Director Sahil Kapoor, KW is initializing operations in India. Currently, Kapoor and team are in conversations to partner with several respected developers in the Delhi-NCR market area.

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Keller Williams Named to Fortune’s Most Innovative Companies 2023 List

AUSTIN, TEXAS March 30, 2023 – Keller Williams (KW) the world’s largest real estate franchise by agent count, was recognized on Fortune’s list of America’s Most Innovative Companies for 2023.

“We are honored to be named by Fortune as a top innovative company for 2023,” said Gary Keller, executive chairman, KW. “And we will continue ideating, creating and releasing solutions in partnership with our agents that allow entrepreneurs to thrive.”

According to Fortune, America’s Most Innovative Companies ranking honors the 300 companies transforming industries from the inside out. KW ranked No. 92 out of 300 companies.

As part of Labs, the innovation hub of KW, the company partners with real estate agents and teams to release software integrations and CRM features aimed at increasing productivity and eliminating pain points with lead generation, marketing and workflow capabilities.

“By prioritizing innovation, we remain at the forefront of our industry, delivering exceptional value to our agents and their clients,” said Chris Cox, chief technology and digital officer, KW.

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Keller Williams Dominates RealTrends 500

Franchise has more $1 billion dollar-plus brokerages ranked than any other brand

AUSTIN, TEXAS March 24, 2023 — Keller Williams (KW) the world’s largest real estate franchise by agent count, has the most top producing brokerages in the 2023 RealTrends 500, according to the annual ranking produced by RealTrends, a part of HW Media.

“We represent more than a third of the top-producing brokerages in real estate,” said Marc King, president, KW. “We are proud to be in business with our market center leaders who are providing the ideal environment leveraging our culture, training, and technology for entrepreneurs to thrive.” 

In its 35th year, the RealTrends 500 reports on the top 500 brokerages in the U.S. for calendar year 2022. 

The franchise significantly outpaced any other single real estate brand based on the number of top-performing brokerages ranked with more than $1 billion in sales volume. KW had 128 brokerages ranked with more than $1 billion in sales, including 42 brokerages with more than $2 billion.

“As a national network, Keller Williams is No. 1 by sides and No. 1 by volume by a pretty big landslide,” said Clayton Collins, founder and CEO of HW Media, on an HW Podcast interview with King this week.

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Building Wealth Begins with Your Taxes

This time every year across the United States, early spring ushers in colorful wildflowers, longer evenings, and the collective anxiety of Americans preparing to file their taxes. Whether you bravely handle your own paperwork or you work with a CPA, you’re in good company if you procrastinate come tax time or think of your taxes as a necessary evil. But this year, Brett Tanner has recommendations that can help you change your mindset and turn tax time into an engine for growing your wealth.

A self-described “nerd” when it comes to wealth strategy, Brett has made it his mission to help other agents leverage their real estate business to create passive income and massive wealth for themselves and their families. As a top-selling real estate agent, Brett’s 110+-person team has been ranked No. 9 in the country by The Wall Street Journal, with more than $2 billion in real estate sold. A sought-after speaker, wealth coach, and leader of the newly created KW Wealth Community, Brett mentors entrepreneurs in creating consistent and seamless strategies for building wealth. As it turns out, tax planning is chief among them.

In a recent conversation with Jason Abrams, Brett revealed that despite tremendous cash flow early into his real estate career, he wasn’t building wealth because he didn’t have a model to follow or a proven plan in place. “I wanted to be worth a fortune,” he said, “but I had a $5 wealth plan.” That’s when Brett started studying the practices of the wealthy, including tax strategies that many CPAs often overlook.

Today, Brett shares his expertise in a live wealth-building workshop geared to help agents in building a strategic net worth wealth plan – to $50M! – including 15 proven strategies to reduce the No. 1 expense in business: taxes.

Whether you submitted your taxes early or filed an extension, this is the perfect time to start thinking about Brett’s top wealth-building strategies, beginning with an unconventional approach for qualifying the very best person to handle your tax returns.

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Keller Williams Reports Year-End Results

Franchise records aggressive worldwide growth and agent count YOY increase

AUSTIN, TEXAS March 13, 2023 — Keller Williams (KW), the world’s largest real estate franchise by agent count, reports year-end results, having achieved significant worldwide growth, technology milestones, and topped franchise and corporate culture rankings.

“In our 40th year of business, we continued to grow our agent count,” said Gary Keller, executive chairman of KW. “As a company, we are well-positioned as the place for entrepreneurs to thrive.” 

At the end of 2022, KW was home to 174,019 agents in the United States and Canada and 17,858 agents operating outside of the United States and Canada, for a total of 191,877 agents worldwide – a 2 percent increase over FY ’21.

“Closing out 2022, it’s clear that taking a new listing is harder than ever,” said Marc King, president of KW. “To that end, we’re singularly focused on enabling our agents through training, coaching, masterminding, modeling, technology, and more to charge the storm and position their businesses to continue to grow over time, no matter the market.”

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Top 4 Takeaways from KWFR 23

Once again, real estate professionals from all over the globe stampeded to the Anaheim Convention Center for another unforgettable Family Reunion. While some things remained consistent (the culture, the camaraderie, the Gary, etc.), there was plenty to distinguish this event from years past (the market conditions, the tech innovations, the 40th birthday celebration, etc.). It would take a full-length KellerINK publication to cover everything that took place during FR23, so for the sake of time, we’re going to hit you with the Top 4 Takeaways from this year’s Family Reunion. 

1. The Market Has Shifted

It’s official, the post-pandemic housing boom is no more. The days of 3% interest rates and same-day home sales are a thing of the past, and we may never see them again. “My guess is you will never see 4% [interest rates] in your lifetime,” Gary Keller predicted during his industry-defining Vision Speech. His aim wasn’t to scare agents, but to prepare them for the hard truths they will have to deliver to buyers whose expectations were shaped by the remarkable conditions of 2020 and 2021. 

(download the Vision Speech slides)

One of the biggest drivers of this market shift is inflation. “It’s kind of still gonna be a rocky ride in ’23, because ’23 will be a full year of the federal government trying to get control of inflation,” Keller warned. Mortgage rates are just one of the knobs and dials the Fed has at its disposal to try and ward off a full-blown recession, but several other factors could upend the economy, including the current federal debt ceiling standoff, the ongoing conflict in Ukraine, and climate change. Despite these concerns, there are plenty of reasons for real estate professionals to remain optimistic.

2. Things Have Been Much Worse

Although the market isn’t as advantageous as it was a couple of years ago, it’s important to take a step back and put things in perspective. As Keller Williams celebrates 40 years of business, Gary Keller recalled the 10-to-18 percent interest rates he was up against during his first years in the real estate industry. It may seem unfathomable to current buyers to agree to a double-digit mortgage rate, but there are two things Keller pointed out that remain true today: 1) real estate appreciates and 2) you can always refinance when interest rates go down. As he often says, “The best time to buy a home is now.” 

This example underscores the message agents need to relay to their clients: real estate is the best long-term plan for wealth building. “Even if owning a home takes up 60 percent of your income, do it,” Keller urged. “Why? Because you’re trying to lock in your cost of living.” To prove his point, Keller compared the overall value of homeownership versus renting.


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Keller Williams Expands to Germany

2023 marks 10 successive years of aggressive international growth


AUSTIN, TEXAS February 16, 2023 — Keller Williams (KW), the world’s largest real estate franchise by agent count, announces continued robust worldwide growth and expansion into Germany. 

“In 2013, we first set forth with our vision to expand outside of the U.S. and Canada,” said Gary Keller, executive chairman, KW. “And today, we’re excited to report the demand is only growing increasingly stronger for our agent-centric culture, models, systems, training and technology.” 

As of Jan. 31, Keller Williams Worldwide (KWW), the international division of KW, has more than 18,000 agents outside U.S. and Canada, up 20.5 percent from the end of January 2021.

KWW Momentum (holistic production outside U.S. and Canada YE ‘22)

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Gary Keller Named No. 2 Most Powerful Leader in Real Estate

Swanepoel Power 200 ranks most powerful executives in the residential real estate industry.

Gary Keller, the co-founder of Keller Williams (KW), the world’s largest real estate franchise by agent count, was ranked in the Swanepoel Power 200 (SP 200) as the nation’s No. 2 most powerful person in real estate for 2023.

According to the SP 200 report, “Keller is the only leader to have been named one of the top five most powerful people in residential real estate brokerage for the past 10 years.”

“This recognition marks once again a shared moment for our whole Keller Williams family,” said Keller. “I’m honored to be in business with each of our team members and market center and agent partners as we continue to thrive together.”

Marc King, the president of KW, was ranked No. 87 on the SP 200. King’s position moved up dramatically from No. 145 in last year’s ranking due his continued efforts to increase KW’s market share and position the company as the place “Where Entrepreneurs Thrive.”

“As we embrace our 40th year in business, we are truly reigniting a culture of supporting entrepreneurs,” said King.

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Terra Jorgensen Joins Keller Williams

Terra Jorgensen has joined Keller Williams in Montgomery, Alabama. In 2022, Jorgensen sold 58 homes, equating to $17.9 million in sales volume.

“KW has the tools and technology to help elevate our business to a new level,” said Jorgensen.

Since joining KW Montgomery, Jorgensen’s real estate team has been rebranded ‘At Home.’ The At Home real estate team consists of Jorgensen and 2 additional agents.

Jorgensen is the founder of At Home real estate team. For more than a decade, Jorgensen has served as an award-winning, top-producing Alabama real estate agent.

Prior to beginning her real estate sales business, Jorgensen for many years coordinated Jubilee City Fest, a citywide event in Montgomery, Alabama. She has an extensive network of influence in the Montgomery, Prattville, and River Region communities.

Original author: KW Marketing Team

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Keller Williams Further Expands Command Capabilities

CRM enhancements focused on driving meaningful relationships and maximizing profitability

During 2022, KW partnered with real estate agents and teams to release software integrations and CRM features aimed at increasing productivity and eliminating pain points with lead generation, marketing and real estate team workflow capabilities.    

“The iterative updates we rolled out for Command in 2022 were highly influenced by consistent engagement with agents,” said Chris Cox, chief technology and digital officer, KW. “Our solutions will always be anchored in our agents’ success with a laser focus on what drives growth in their business.”  

“Command gives agents more time to deliver increased client satisfaction while maximizing higher profitability,” said Cox. “Agents today want immense value from their CRM; they want efficiency and speed in their business operations and they want it all seamlessly delivered. Command does that.”

The latest updates to Command, a smart CRM-plus solution, include: 

End-to-end integration of CRM tools was enhanced via further embedding the rich, intuitive capabilities of the Campaigns, Contacts and Designs apps within the Opportunities app, which tracks deals across phases of a sales pipeline.The Marketing Tab features curated lists of top performing marketing assets, such as print flyers and trifolds, Facebook and Instagram ad templates, and prescriptive marketing campaign templates. Recommendations change based on deal phase in the Opportunities app. Contact Quick-Create feature within the Opportunities app, which allows agents to rapidly create and edit contact details. The Contacts Imports Wizard enables the thousands of agents onboarding monthly with KW to have an easy and efficient means to import their contacts into Command.Instagram social posting for business accounts was added to the Campaigns app to increase the lead generation and brand-building and engagement opportunities for agents via social media.Contacts information validation functionality was added to the SmartPlans app to give agents visibility on the gaps among the data a SmartPlan requires and the data available for a contact.Cap accuracy dashboard enhancements allow agents to view in real time their progression toward a production cap. As production cap is reached, an agent no longer pays a commission split, meaning the agent is at a 100 percent commission until their anniversary year starts again.Expanded native software integration with DocuSign, which allows for further embedded signature processing, simplifying workflows and document processes between agents and market centers. An Earnnestintegration allows for quick and secure handling of earnest money within the Opportunities app, simplifying the workflow for agents, buyers and escrow holders. A Sisu integration enables real estate coaches to view agent production data on Sisu-powered coaching dashboards, leaderboards and coaching reports.

“When our agents connect with clients through Command, it is the beginning of a meaningful relationship, and that’s the reason we’re a part of one of every five transactions that happens in the U.S.,” said Cox.

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Keller Williams Continues 10-Year $1 Million Commitment to Community First! Village

AUSTIN, TEXAS December 2, 2022 —  Keller Williams (KW), the world’s largest real estate franchise by agent count, has donated $100,000 to Mobile Loaves & Fishes to support the expansion of the organization’s Community First! Village, a 51-acre master-planned community designed specifically for men and women who are coming out of chronic homelessness. 

Nearly 400 formerly homeless neighbors currently live in the Village.  

“Community First! Village represents the model for how communities across our world can seek to resolve the immense challenges of homelessness,” said Gary Keller, executive chairman of KW. “And we’re honored to continue supporting its success and robust expansion efforts.”

On Dec. 1, KW executives toured Community First! Village and presented an annual $100,000 donation.  KW is more than midway through an initial 10-year, $1 million commitment to support the mission of Community First! Village, having donated $600,000 to date. 

Community First! Village is a development of Mobile Loaves & Fishes, a social outreach ministry that has been compassionately serving Austin’s homeless community for nearly 25 years. 

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Keller Williams Reports YTD ’22 Results

AUSTIN, TEXAS November 3, 2022 — Keller Williams (KW), the world’s largest real estate franchise by agent count, reports YTD ’22 results, having achieved significant worldwide growth and topped corporate culture rankings.

“As we face increasing macroeconomic headwinds, we are preparing for what we expect to be a slower growth period,” said Sajag Patel, chief operating officer, KW. “Yet, our value proposition in training and coaching is specifically geared to enable our agents to take more market share during economic shifts.” 

“To embrace the market of the moment in Q3 ’22, we purposely launched four new business communities as agents are wanting a greater sense of connection, empowerment, and impact,” said Patel. “Developed in partnership with agents, communities are one more way we’re enabling entrepreneurs to thrive in this fast-shifting market.”

United States and Canada (production in YTD ’22)

Agents closed $381.4 billion in sales volume, down 3.0% from YTD same period of last year.Agents closed 884.5 thousand transactions YTD ’22, down 12.6% over the same period of ’21.Agents took 536.7 thousand new listings (new inventory), down 7.7% over the same period ’21.Agents wrote 962.4 thousand contracts (projected closings), down 13.9% over same period ’21.Contracts written volume was $414.7 billion, down 4.7% over the same period of ‘21.

“While we are less than pleased to report our sales volume is down by a low single digit percentage year to date, there’s immense opportunity in this market for our agents,” said Marc King, president, KW. “And, we are leaning into our powerful culture, training and technology to enable our agents to map a growth trajectory for their businesses based on the new math required by this market.”

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Keller Williams Named to Forbes Ranking of World’s Top Female-Friendly Companies

AUSTIN, TEXAS November 2, 2022 —  Keller Williams (KW), the world’s largest real estate franchise by agent count, was named one of the World’s Top Female-Friendly Companies for 2022 by Forbes. For the second consecutive year, KW ranked among 400 top companies leading the way to support women inside and outside their organizations.

“We are honored to be recognized for our ongoing efforts to empower women to thrive as leaders and entrepreneurs,” said Gary Keller, co-founder and executive chairman, KW. “While our important work is nowhere near complete, we’re proud to be ranked among so many other world-class companies as part of a shared commitment.” 

To compile the annual ranking, Forbes partnered with Statista to survey 85,000 women in 36 countries. 

Respondents were asked to rate their employers’ performance on gender-related criteria and their willingness to recommend their employer to others. 

Statista also asked respondents to rate companies based on their corporate responsibility, marketing campaigns and public perception, as related to gender equality. The final list ranks the 400 companies that received the most recommendations and boast the most gender-diverse boards and executive ranks.

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Four Winter-Weather Safety Tips to Share With Your Clients

From freezes in Texas, to wildfires out west, to hurricanes in the east, and everything in between, it’s safe to say the weather is getting a little unpredictable these days. While meteorologists and Magic 8-Balls may not have all the answers, there are some steps your clients can take in order to prepare themselves and their property for various weather events. The following four precautions are a great way to get started. Leverage them for social posts or share with your sphere in an informative email.

Make an emergency kit.

Fact: unexpected emergencies are stressful. Anything you can do to alleviate some of that stress is a worthy investment, and nothing is more soothing than knowing you have the supplies you need to weather the storm. That’s why building an emergency kit should be at the top of your to-do list.

To begin, choose a bag that’s big enough to carry a variety of objects, but small enough to transport without too much trouble. Double-strapped bookbags with multiple pockets are always a solid option. Next, fill it with the following essentials:

•Refillable water bottle
• Water purification tablets
• Protein bars
• Flashlight
• First aid kit
• Prescription drugs
• Battery-powered or hand-crank radio
• Whistle
• Face masks
• Toilet paper
• Garbage bags
• Multi-tool
• Local maps
• Extra batteries and backup charger

The final step to building your emergency kit is knowing where to store it. Pick a location in your house that’s easy to find and reach even during a power outage. Beneath a bed or inside a linen closet are great options for keeping your kit out of sight, but accessible.

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Keller Williams Launches Real Estate Planner Community

Franchise unveils training and masterminds for KW New Homes and DEI communities

Keller Williams (KW) has launched the KW Real Estate Planner community for agents to train and mastermind on providing clients with wealth management services.

“As the housing market continues to shift, we’re leaning heavily into the value of business communities to enable our real estate entrepreneurs the opportunity to thrive,” said Sajag Patel, chief operating officer, KW. “As part of a community, our agents are gaining a greater sense of connection, empowerment and impact while staying focused on business growth.” 

KW Real Estate Planner (REP) is a community based around certification, training and networking opportunities for agents to grow and mastermind skills on wealth management for their clients. 

An emerging community, KW REP is led by Dan Ihara, who serves as its’ director. Ihara is also the founder of the Honolulu, Hawaii-based The Ihara Team

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Keller Williams Releases Expanded Edition of Your First Home

Gary Keller’s consumer guide to the adventure of home buying is now available

Keller Williams announces the release of an expanded second edition of Your First Home: The Proven Path to Homeownership, a book that serves as a consumer guide to the adventure of home buying. 

“This book is about buying your first home, and I sincerely want to encourage you to make that leap,” said Gary Keller, best-selling author and co-founder and executive chairman, KW. “What’s great about owning a home is that it can lay a solid foundation for your financial future while also setting the tone for your personal lifestyle.”

“This book’s goal is to be your trusted guide and help you know what to expect,” said Keller.

Assembled from hundreds of interviews and in-depth research with real estate agents and consumers, Your First Home is an in-depth guide on the complete process of homeownership. The book was expanded to address new trends and tools to help consumers find, finance and buy a home.

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Leverage Systems Every Solo Agent Needs to Know

For solo agents, hitting a ceiling is a question of when, not if. Eventually, you simply can’t do more yourself to build your business, and that’s when it’s time to double down on one of the Three Ls of The Millionaire Real Estate Agent – leverage.

“When we’re looking for leverage, we’re looking to buy back time, and we’re looking to grow,” says Jason Moon, a KW agent in Walnut Creek, California. A longtime solo agent, Moon began adding members to a team last year, in part to make it home for storytime with his two young sons.

Halfway across the country in the greater Kansas City area, KW agent Kaleena Schumacher reached a similar realization. “By the time you say that you need help, it’s already too late,” she says, encouraging other solo agents to bring leverage into their lives sooner than later.

After all, once you begin to add leverage to your business, you can better protect your life worth living and give better customer service too. So, how do you get there?

Five Tools to Get Started

For Moon and Schumacher, the road to obtaining real leverage starts with a mix of goal setting and accountability tools and adherence to two MREA models.

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