In 2010, Trey Willard started his real estate career as an assistant to a Keller Williams agent. From there on, his ascension was swift. He was named Rookie of the Year as early as 2011, and after spending two and a half years as a buyer’s agent, he seized the opportunity of starting a boutique residential real estate company. The business thrived, eventually merging under the Berkshire Hathaway umbrella and leading Willard himself to receive accolades as the number two Berkshire Hathaway agent for 2019. Even so, after eight years apart, Willard is coming home to Keller Williams along with his team, The W Group.
“We hit a ceiling. And in order for our business to continue to grow and progress, we needed to make a change,” shares Willard. “We felt like Keller Williams was the place that could help us achieve our goals.”
To the naked eye, it might be difficult to spot the ceiling Willard mentions. After all, the team sold $42 million in production volume and 173 units in 2019. But, success doesn’t come without a few bumps in the road. For Willard, this bump came in the form of the year 2017: “It was the first time in my real estate career that I was merely breaking even, and I found myself in what I like to call the ‘valley of the J-curve,’” he shares. “That was a big aha for me because I realized that I was not holding my agents to any real level of accountability.”
After this realization, Willard re-centered and guided his team of 11 toward his ultimate mission: turning their clients into raving fans. “It’s my job as a team leader and as the CEO of the company to make sure that we are providing enough support, training, processes, and systems for these agents to be able to be successful,” says Willard. In doing so, he empowers his agents to create their own goals and provides the support they need, gearing them up for successful transactions that will leave clients impressed and ready to rave – in turn, leading to higher profitability.
In coming full circle, the tools Willard used to bring his business back on track are the same tools he sharpened during his first stint at Keller Williams – The Millionaire Real Estate Agent’s models and systems. “I never went in any other direction, because in my opinion, the MREA is the bible of real estate,” he says.
With the right systems and the right allies in place, Willard is ready for his homecoming. And for that, he credits Chuck Roberts and Wyatt Graves of the Zachary market center. “I met with them, and we had very similar mindsets, goals and ambitions,” he says. “I felt like these guys could really help me grow my real estate business, and that was one of the big reasons why I came back to Keller Williams.”