The Unseen Course of Behind Panelist Choice and the Impression of Sharing Fashions for Actual Property Success
In 2024, greater than 70 KW®-affiliated brokers took the primary stage at Keller Williams’ annual Mega Agent Camp (MAC). They have been invited to seem as panelists at MAC to share the practices they use to achieve actual property, together with the private tales behind their success.
Yearly, agent panelists are chosen from throughout KW’s worldwide community of greater than 160,000 affiliated brokers. That bought us questioning: What are the factors for choice? How does an agent land onstage on the business’s main agent schooling and coaching occasion — and what does it really feel prefer to be up there? We talked with KWRI’s supervisor of business and studying, Pleasure Powell, together with previous MAC panelists, to be taught extra about what makes MAC so particular.
Confirmed Fashions for Success at Any Scale
MAC began again within the early 2000s, when a motivated group of top-producing brokers convened in a lodge ballroom to brainstorm and share concepts, with Keller Williams’ founder, Gary Keller, serving as their information and moderator. On the middle of their dialogue was one focusing query: What wouldn’t it take to internet 1,000,000 {dollars} in private earnings? Over time, the gathering was formalized into an annual studying expertise for all KW®-affiliated brokers, with a recurring give attention to 5 key subjects: leads, listings, leverage, wealth, and well being.
Whereas the venue has modified, the core idea behind MAC stays the identical: Collect main brokers from throughout KW® market facilities to share confirmed strategies for fulfillment. And whereas the influence of the occasion extends past borders, the seek for panelists begins on the native stage.
Yearly, KW® market middle leaders are requested to appoint high-achieving brokers to seem as MAC panelists. The search isn’t simply restricted to the U.S. and Canada, however consists of nominees from Keller Williams Worldwide. From farming and promoting methods to open homes and investing, leaders are requested to establish why a nominee stands out and what makes that agent’s method contemporary or distinctive.
The nomination course of, which begins yearly in early spring with a web-based questionnaire, sometimes delivers 150-200 agent nominees. Pleasure Powell heads up the vetting and choice course of, looking for actual property execs who’ve a confirmed mannequin that may be successfully communicated, distilled right into a one-page set of steps, and carried out by any agent in any market. It’s no small job.
And whereas MAC traditionally featured agent panelists with exceptionally excessive gross sales quantity or closed items, and people with massive groups, the occasion has developed lately to incorporate brokers at a broader vary of manufacturing ranges, together with solo brokers and people with small or growing groups. Why the shift? As Pleasure says, it’s as a result of good fashions are good fashions at any scale. Listening to from essentially the most elite brokers may be extremely inspiring, however it may also be intimidating. Typically, it’s simpler to be taught from somebody who’s only a few steps forward of you.
An In-Depth Interview Course of
Pleasure says the vetting course of for panelists goes deep. It takes about 4 months to finish, and begins with a one-on-one interview. Along with Pleasure, different KWRI leaders help in conducting calls, whereas Jason Abrams and Gary Keller sometimes have the ultimate say on panelist choice. Over the course of their search, the workforce might undertake a number of interviews with a candidate to make sure their mannequin or system follows a replicable course of. “We actually do our due diligence,” Pleasure stated.
All through the method, the KWRI workforce works to categorize every panelist’s contribution below the occasion’s 5 most important subjects and to establish new and rising themes within the present market. It takes a particular sort of alchemy to make sure every panel contains a complementary mixture of brokers and fashions — not in contrast to attempting to reach on the good seating chart for a marriage reception.
As panels come collectively, a candidate could also be requested to hitch a gaggle stay onstage, or as an alternative, report a video explaining the main points of their mannequin and precisely how they use it of their enterprise. In some instances, an agent could also be requested to have their one-pager included in that yr’s occasion playbook, even when they don’t seem onstage at MAC. As the method evolves, remaining speaker choice can change up till a couple of weeks earlier than the occasion in August. All of it comes all the way down to figuring out the absolute best worth for the viewers.
Sustaining a Studying Mindset
The query usually arises round the advantages of attending an occasion that options the identical core subjects yr over yr. Pleasure says the reply may be discovered within the altering nature of the business and the essential significance of sustaining a studying mindset. Or as Gary likes to say, you’ll be able to educate somebody one thing they don’t know, or educate them one thing they already know, however differently. By the use of instance, Pleasure explains, it’s possible you’ll know YouTube could be a extremely efficient technique of reaching potential consumers or sellers. But it surely’s not till you hear firsthand how another person efficiently makes use of it of their enterprise that you could be be prepared to do the identical – and there’s no substitute for utilizing a confirmed mannequin that’s working proper now, in right this moment’s market.
KW® agent Will Van Wickler is without doubt one of the youngest panelists to have appeared on the MAC stage. Whereas nonetheless in his first yr in enterprise, Will’s manufacturing elevated from $200k to over 1,000,000 {dollars} in GCI. He remembers speaking with Donnie Brookman from the KW LABS workforce about his gross sales methods; the subsequent factor he knew, he was fielding a name straight from Jason Abrams. “I bear in mind I used to be strolling out of my market middle, and I missed a name from Austin, Texas,” Will stated. When he known as again, Jason invited Will to seem onstage at MAC. “I used to be shocked. I imply, I used to be a really rookie agent,” Will stated. He booked his flight for MAC that day.
Will was featured on the MAC most important stage in 2023 and once more in 2024. He says the momentum from serving as a panelist has opened up untold alternatives for touring and talking — and for serving to different brokers. He was additionally invited to hitch Gary’s mastermind neighborhood, and his enterprise has continued to develop exponentially.
However Will says the most effective components about serving as a panelist is being “behind the scenes” with different notable KW® brokers, and realizing they’re simply common individuals. “These are all very regular individuals, however you wouldn’t know that if you’re sitting behind 5,000 different individuals [in the audience],” Will stated. In relation to the superstars of our business, he notes, “The one distinction between me and them is a system they comply with.”
Whereas Will says it’s a real honor to be a featured agent, his major cause for attending MAC and different KW coaching occasions is to find new fashions to implement in his personal enterprise. “I get essentially the most worth out of going constantly; they’re the one occasions I am going to,” he stated. No matter whether or not enterprise is up or down, Will stated, “It’s non-negotiable for me.”
A Pinnacle Profession Second
Susan Lombardo joined the Keller Williams Atlanta-North Fulton market middle after a brief stint at a smaller brokerage. Whereas attending her first Household Reunion (FR) in 2018, she stated she was blown away by the educational alternatives obtainable to KW® brokers. She recalled seeing Cody Gibson onstage at FR, speaking about what he’d completed by means of KW. “I bear in mind pondering, ‘Wow, that may be so cool if I bought adequate at my craft that I might be on that stage at some point.’” She stated the seed was planted six weeks within the door.
Susan had earned her actual property license following a 20-year company profession. Six years into her work as a solo agent, she was seeing success from her extremely efficient method to farming. She was requested to function a panelist at FR breakout periods a couple of years in a row, however Susan by no means knew she was within the working for MAC. At Mega Agent Camp 2024, she discovered herself middle stage in a one-on-one interview with Gary.
“Understanding the caliber of who leads to the funnel on the finish — to get that far was sort of surreal,” Susan stated. “I don’t suppose there’s something that may make you are feeling extra seen and bonafide than Gary telling you that he mainly hand-selected you as a panelist.”
However what about nerves? When it got here to stepping onstage for an unscripted interview with the founding father of the world’s largest actual property franchise by agent depend, Susan stated she didn’t really feel the slightest bit uneasy. She credit Gary with making her really feel comfy each backstage and below the lights — and the sensation of happiness she felt for different brokers onstage, whereas sitting within the viewers.
For a lot of within the business who expertise success, “there are lots of very deep climbs out of very large holes,” Susan mirrored. As the primary in her household to graduate from highschool (and faculty), she consists of herself amongst that cohort. It makes listening to tales of accomplishment all of the extra significant. “You simply can’t not be completely happy for someone at a pinnacle of success, of hard-earned dedication to their craft.”
When it was her flip, Susan introduced that understanding together with her. “I knew from sitting within the viewers that each one of us desires to be that agent,” she stated. “I had determined, earlier than I walked on the stage, that nerves wouldn’t include me, that I used to be going to totally get pleasure from that second.”
Sharing As a Accountability
For each brokers, sharing their information at MAC has had a compounding impact. Jason Abrams has since interviewed each Will and Susan on The Millionaire Actual Property Agent Podcast, which was ranked by HousingWire in 2025 because the No. 1 podcast for actual property brokers and brokers. Each brokers have been additionally quoted in Jay Papasan’s latest e book, Rookie Actual Property Agent: Launch a Limitless Profession That Lasts. Every interview or quote serves as one other level of influence.
However what’s it prefer to share the main points of what you are promoting with such a large viewers? Requested in the event that they felt like they have been gifting away proprietary secrets and techniques, Susan and Will had the same reply. Each really feel a way of obligation to present again in recognition of those that have helped them by serving to propel different KW® brokers to the subsequent stage.
In relation to sharing his fashions and programs, Will defined, “I’ve an abundance mindset.” Even when all people else have been to make use of his method, he is aware of there’s nonetheless room for him to achieve his market. “I’m extraordinarily clear,” Will stated. “I reply each query.”
Susan seems to her mentors and colleagues with heartfelt gratitude. “I really feel an absolute duty for all of the individuals who have stretched a hand out to me once I was new and rising,” she stated. “If you happen to’ve benefited from the wellspring of information of different individuals which are prepared to share with you, then you must cross it on.”
“If anyone can look again on their profession, and I stated, or did, or shared something that helped them alongside, that’s a win for me,” Susan continued. “I’ll be within the entrance row clapping for you.”
