13 Mega Camp Panelists Share Their Top Takeaways from the Event

Ada Ciuca| September 1, 2021

Mega Camp 2021 may be over, but for attendees, the value extends far beyond the event itself. Whether you absorbed all the knowledge you could and left with a full notebook, or you’re still referencing the platform (all sessions are available until October 22, 2021), the most impactful thing you can do for your business is committing to a few action items and starting to implement them into your day-to-day as soon as possible. 

Feeling inspired to make your own changes? The Outfront team tapped 13 Mega Camp 2021 panelists and speakers to give readers a peek into their own event notes and aha moments. Here are their takeaways. 

Related reading: Mega Camp 2021 Archives 

13 Key Takeaways

  1. Michele McBride, Greater PA Region: “Two of my biggest takeaways were from the expansion breakout session with Cody Gibson. The first is to always leave space in your calendar for opportunities, and the second is that you have to decide what level you want to play at. KW is the land of opportunities for those who are learning based, hungry, and willing to take action on the things they learn. The KW Expansion Network and the new real estate school will be a key focus of mine and will be an integral part of how I see my region and market centers growing.” 
  1. Kelly Henderson, Southwest Region: “My most immediate takeaway was understanding how to bring a stronger seller message to my database. We implemented immediately and emailed the database asking who wanted a value update (for selling or refi), and got 10 immediate responses on a targeted list of about 300 past clients. We also have that same group of people getting a postcard in two weeks, and another seller-focused message via email two weeks after that. I’m using that same list to prioritize my touches right now – calling and texting.” 
  1. Amber Noble, Greater PA Region: “One of my biggest takeaways from Mega Camp is that the real estate industry has finally realized and is now acknowledging what many people from marginalized communities have known for many years: That diverse workforces break records productivity-wise and add big dividends to the company bottom line. Going forward, I intend on being even more intentional than I’ve already been by implementing the following strategies:
kwx head of inclusion and belonging Julia Lashay Israel on stage at Mega Camp 2021
  • Helping more buyers from marginalized communities with their creditworthiness and lender approvals by exposing them to financial resources;
  • Obtaining more listings in the neighborhoods I grew up in, where I can personally identify all that the community offers;
  • Galvanizing investment partners so we can collaborate and fund deals in the communities we were raised in;
  • Sponsoring more agents who can identify with my life experiences growing up and may be inspired by my success;
  • Sharing with non-KW agents the progress and wins that I’ve witnessed thanks to my role as a leader on the KW Social Equity Task Force.” 
  1. Jennifer Holloway, Texas-South Region: “Writing compelling, engaging email copy is a big part of my job as director of communication for the Loken Group, and molding technical ideas about the market into terms anyone can understand (and understand the importance of) is an art. My biggest takeaway was actually a copy idea from the main stage: “Let’s talk about the wealth you’ve built in your home.” I love what this communicates, and I can’t wait to test it in our emails.” 
  1. Rhonda Smith, Ohio Valley Region: “My takeaways were from Gary’s comments on change: ‘Change is inevitable. Participation is optional,’ and ‘Change doesn’t matter…what changes does.” I thought this was so profound and relevant. Wrestling with change does not prevent it from happening. I plan on being intentional about embracing change and running toward opportunities. Our leadership team has decided that we embrace change on our terms by offering multiple models and concierge services to our agents.” 
  1. Tosha Corrigan, Gulf States Region: “A common thread for me was about investing the time and effort with your database and community, especially now, more than ever. I plan to use more leverage, in all parts of my life, to allow more time to connect with and help others. As it was mentioned, ‘put value in, get value out.’”
  1. Rob Chevez, Virginia Region: “I am excited to be able to tap into the Keller home-services platform to amplify our business. Having the ability to build a mortgage and insurance vertical as an extension to our business is a huge value-add for our organization.” 
  1. Pamela Temple, Carolinas Region: “Real estate is a contact sport. Serve and help people within your community. Put people first. The purpose of lead gen is to talk to people, put them into your database, and then serve them. Focus on connection before the transaction. Become disruptive. Simple to do: Just surprise and delight your customers before, during the transaction, and beyond. Create a wow experience. Create a bond to your brand. It will always be about the value you bring to your database and community. And, always put the emphasis on listings.” 
  1. Chris Orsini, Florida-South Region: “I found myself taken aback by the number of agents that had gotten themselves in hot water with their taxes. We are blessed to work with a company that offers courses like ‘Agent Financials.’ How can we in the market center and team leadership leverage that at a higher level to guide agents to build a life by design?” 
  1. Jack Crutchfield Jr., Maryland and D.C. Region: “My biggest takeaways from Mega Camp are the need to recalibrate our MC tools and systems, how we run our businesses on a daily basis, and the efficiency of our systems. We are privileged to be in business with our agents, so we want to make sure that we are conducting business together the best that it can be done. Also, digging deeper into re-engaging with our agents by utilizing the DTD2 system with our database for care calls. It is a very effective way of meeting our agents where they are personally and professionally, as well as providing uncompromising value and support.” 
  1. Mahogany Rhodes, Southeast Region: “As agents, we have to move out of our own way of ‘liking things how they were’ and embrace these different approaches to the important categories in building our businesses. What resonates most for me is: “You can have control, or you can have growth. But you cannot have both.” This is each individual agent’s E to P (entrepreneurial to purposeful) moment. It is happening, and we get to decide if we are on the sideline watching it go by or if we will reap the benefits of embracing this growth.” 
Pollock Properties Group CEO and founder Vanessa Pollock and Keller Williams board member Mo Anderson on stage at Mega Camp 2021
  1. Harrison Beacher, Maryland and D.C. Region: “Markets change and shift as the world changes, the biggest shift is needed in folks: attention to fact and data. Hearing Gary and Jay Papasan talking about masking and the vaccine was encouraging, as were the continued push for diversity, equity, and inclusion in real estate. Real estate is a business of people, and people need to continue to get better and do better if we ever want to get back to normal. I’m proud to be at a company where the leaders get that and say it on the biggest stages.”
  1. Sarita Dua, Northwest Region: “Household affordability seems to be more and more out of reach (when you see the gap between household median income and median home prices). I feel compelled to educate my clients and fight to get first-time home buyers into homes, and real estate is a contact sport more than ever. The care calls, the care texts, the constant communication. In a world full of uncertainty, it is a privilege that we are in a position to help others, and we have to reach out and connect with the people in our database and find ways to connect them with others.” 

Did you attend the event? What was your biggest takeaway? Let us know in the comments section. 

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  • Jun Sun says:

    My biggest takeaway (or my struggle) is real estate business is a contact sport. It’s easy to say than do. In the post-Covid era, I myself still feel very shy by encountering people, even my neighbors. I alway picture a lot of words in my mind, yet when I met them, I sounded illogic and always hoped to get a chance to converse more, though I understand that people want a brief greeting instead of a lengthy chat. I believe it’s the lack of contact with people leads to the current situation. I will try to reach out to more people, either face to face or over the phone:-)

    • Ada Ciuca says:

      Hi, Jun! Thank you for sharing and excited to hear you’ll be reaching out to more people 🙂 For more tips and takeaways from this year’s Mega Camp, keep an eye out on the tag below:

      Mega Camp 2021 Tag

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