Inman Connect NYC: JPAR’s Mark Johnson Had ‘Em Begging For More

This was Inman Connect Week in NYC, and D-FW was on stage

Mark Johnson, CEO and President of JPAR, spoke at the industry’s signature conference in New York City. Inman, as you know, produces two major annual events geared for agents, influencers, and tech in real estate. Connect is a “3-day exploration and celebration of the glorious, complicated, rapidly evolving real estate marketplace. It’s where ideas are nurtured, tribes are found, and careers are built,” says the company that also produces a daily online publication devoted to the industry.

Founded by the former real estate editor at the San Francisco Chronicle, Brad Inman, Inman does a great job of bringing the real estate industry “together to share ideas and connect”, hence the conference name. “Inman events are built for the entire residential real estate ecosystem and for every player in that ecosystem. Agents, brokers, executives, tech and finance professionals, entrepreneurs and investors, and more gather, in person and virtually, to learn, share, and forge essential relationships.”

Inman Connect New York — ICNY2022 — is more geared to Wall Streets’ influence on the industry. And Johnson is definitely an industry influencer, frequently sought out by the media, industry insiders, and trade groups. He was recently named a RisMedia newsmaker in the creative thinker category. We are lucky to have him in DFW.

Johnson says the Connect conference in NYC is 3 days of inspiring conversations with 75 engaging sessions, 250 leading speakers, thousands of top-producing agents, brokers, franchise executives, MLS and association leaders, tech entrepreneurs, and investors. And he was in the thick of it.

He spoke with the audience about scaling a business. And whether you are a solo agent, a team, a small brokerage, or an enterprise, scaling is a topic we can all benefit from.

Here’s why Johnson knows a thing or two about scaling: In the last four years, JPAR’s Texas operations have grown from 1,000 agents across the state to nearly 2,300 plus the addition of 40 franchise owners, 1,500 agents, all in 25 states. How to manage all that?

A few choice tips Johnson, who is also a real estate coach, shared: 

• Lead with revenue. Create and be clear on your business values. 
• Make sure you’re ready and prepared for growth. 
• Focus on what you want to be – not what you are. 
• Build a great team both internal and external. Learn from competitors. Have rules for your staff and business partners to follow. 
• Access outside expertise to stay in touch with what’s happening. Systems will produce what systems will produce … not happy with a result? Take a look at your “system.” 
• Be soft on the people and HARD on the systems. Perfection is not a standard, while progress is. 

One of the audience’s favorite takeaways was Johnson’s statement about brand and pricing: “Your brand, my brand is only as good as the promises we make and keep!” he said. “So keep your promises! Price is only an issue in the absence of value. So what do you do? Create more value!”