When he met with Gary Keller, Dave Jenks, and Mo Anderson back in the late ’90s to discuss opening a Keller Williams franchise, mega agent Rich Toepper in Crystal Lake, Illinois, wasn’t quite ready. But a seed was planted and it has been germinating for two decades.
While he was racking up nearly 2,000 sales over his 30-year career, he was reading and practicing the tenets of The Millionaire Real Estate Agent, SHIFT, and The ONE Thing. He often referred to the seven-level wall chart he’d purchased in Austin that was prominently displayed in his office. He was consistent and used 33 Touches to build a massive database and a strong pool of referrals.
As one of the perennial top agents in McHenry County, Illinois, Toepper began his career with a lot of energy and a strong desire to master the profession. He saw how the business attracts a lot of part-time and low-producing agents, which leads to mistakes at the expense of clients. The need for systems and processes to minimize client problems was evident, and Toepper spent years developing and implementing them on his own, yet there were shortfalls in his ability to get to the next level. He offers, “For the last four years, we’ve been consistently selling about 90 homes annually at RE/MAX. It’s good, but I know we can do so much better.”
That’s why he was “blown away” when he attended this year’s Family Reunion. To see the pageant of tried-and-true systems, tools, processes, and innovative tech offerings really impressed him. As a veteran of the industry, he was looking for ways to “reinvent himself” and “finish strong.”
“For the last four years, we’ve been consistently selling about 90 homes annually. It’s good, but I know we can do so much better.”
What really stood out for Toepper was the way the company respected and made provisions for producers and teams to grow exponentially. “When I got to Family Reunion, I saw that there was a significant focus on profitability and that people who had put together teams were also profitable. So that was a change of mindset; not to do more deals, but to do more deals profitably. When I realized that the company has a system of coaching that follows the MREA book, and all I needed to do was plug into the system, I immediately connected.”
“When I realized that the company has a system of coaching that follows the MREA book, and all I needed to do was plug into the system, I immediately connected.”
Toepper saw the potential to triple or quadruple his volume and develop a well-oiled machine that eventually operates independently of his efforts. He and his team are now Keller Williams Success Realty in Crystal Lake, Illinois, and are already thriving in their new environment. Team Leader Natalie Hartman adds, “Rich is a perfect fit for the Keller Williams team. We are extremely proud to call him family!”