Why Branding With JPAR® May Be More Valuable Than Ever
Hitting the market in 2011, JPAR® – Real Estate has now taken its independent, agent-centric franchise model across the country. Here, JPAR® – Real Estate President and CEO of Company Owned Operations Mark Johnson, and Laura O’Connor, president and COO, JPAR® Franchising, give us a look at the blueprint that’s driving JPAR’s success today and into the future.
Your company has experienced impressive growth in a relatively short amount of time. Tell us about JPAR® – Real Estate and why so many are considering joining the brokerage.
Mark Johnson: JPAR® – Real Estate is a brand started by top producers, for top producers. We look at the real estate transaction from A to Z and map out ways to put more money in our brokers’ and agents’ pockets. We have created a commission model that recreates a full-service experience at a flat-fee, capped rate. We are focused on continuously innovating a competitive model for our brokers and agents that enables them to grow their businesses while providing a culture of empowerment through advanced technology, training and support.
A key to our success has been working backwards from “yes” and placing the agent at the center of the transaction experience first. JPAR® – Real Estate is clear in our value chain…our brand is to the agent and the agent’s brand is to the consumer. With that foundational mantra, we focus on what matters, like prompt broker support, accurate and timely commission disbursements, and, of course, industry-leading technology with proven tools such as kvCORE, Hurdlr and JPAR® Sure Sale.
The company has been named one of the fastest growing 100%-commission models. What factors would you most attribute to the successful expansion of JPAR® Franchising?
Laura O’Connor: We have found the perfect balance of a full-service, hybrid model. JPAR® is a brand that does not require sacrifices from our owners and agents. We maintain a collaborative culture backed by industry-leading technology and support. Additionally, the +JPAR® model is a big part of our growth, as it allows for existing broker/owners in the marketplace to capitalize on our low-cost model and resources, while keeping and leveraging their established brands.
What are some of the company’s most significant achievements over the last year in terms of expansion?
LO: JPAR® – Real Estate was recognized by Franchise Business Review as one of the Top 100 franchise brands overall, Top 100 most innovative, and Top 50 most profitable, with a Top Culture in 2022. We are very proud to receive this honor. This recognition demonstrates our commitment to developing a culture where top producers can network and support each other in achieving their growth goals. It has also been recognized as America’s No. 1 Fastest-Growing 100% Commission Brokerage, and most recently as a Top Franchise for 2022 by Franchise Business Review. JPAR® – Real Estate was among more than 300 franchise brands, representing more than 30,000 franchise owners, that participated in Franchise Business Review’s research on the best franchise cultures.
What about your model/culture most appeals to agents and brokers?
LO: Our commitment to developing a winning culture where top producers can network and support each other in achieving their growth goals is what we are all about. We are not a revolving door brokerage. Designed under the premise that agents come first, JPAR® is committed to servicing ourselves as a one-stop, final destination brokerage.
The company is viewed as a bit of a disruptor. Is that still the case, and how do you maintain your edge?
MJ: If we are disrupting anything, it may be the way in which real estate brokers and agents think about their businesses. We provide a hybrid model that offers a full-service experience to the consumer and continuous innovation that maps to business development coaching and consultative services. We have a supportive, industry-born leadership culture at JPAR®. We all have either sold real estate or are still actively selling real estate, so we look for tools that are going to move the needle. Then we test it and can determine with a level of certainty that our agents will adopt what we roll out.
How do you put agents on the path to success?
MJ: A growth mindset is No. 1 on my list of things needed to drive success. The four things required in order of importance are:
- A growth mindset
- A solid gameplan
- Selling and marketing skills
- Enabling tools and resources
Selling real estate is hard work, and it requires discipline and accountability. We work to establish achievable goals through proven systems with our brokers and agents; however, it is important to recognize the difference. For example, losing 10 pounds by the end of the year is a goal. Learning how to change your eating habits is a system.
Our model is attractive to more and more real estate professionals for a very simple reason: we keep our promises to owners and agents by doing what we say we are going to do while supporting the communities where we live and work.
Our culture is also very important. This year, we were recognized as a Top 100 Culture by the Franchise Business Review. Our JPAR® CARES program plays a big role in our success. The program comprises three core values: JPAR® Celebrates focused on our advocacy for diversity throughout the organization; JPAR® Giving Back, which empowers the organization and our affiliated members to contribute to a variety of charities that are important to us; and JPAR Empower that contributes to NAR-approved groups.
LO: We are always looking forward as we position our sales professionals for success now and in the future. Amid growing economic concerns and market volatility, JPAR® is proud to offer our agents a dedicated platform to build long-term wealth. Located in our cloud-based OneStop HUB, agents have the ability to access resources designed to generate additional revenue to plan for the future. Agents are able to invest and earn as they see fit without having to worry about the performance of the stock market and the volatility of Wall Street. In other words, agents can build wealth their way.
How does JPAR manage to provide so much value to its brokers and agents in the 100%-commission fee model?
MJ: The impressive growth of our brand year-over-year is due to the success of our agents and strategic investments in our platform. We have created a centralized and specialized brokerage model that allows us to drive financial efficiencies, enabling rapid marketshare growth.
The JPAR® – Real Estate platform provides our brokers and sales professionals with a best-in-class technology and marketing platform specifically designed to position the agent at the center of the transaction. The technology emphasizes usability for the sales professional and the consumer. It has a mobile-first focus to enhance agent communications while bringing continuous value to their clients. The new technology platform includes JPAR® – Connect, Powered by kvCORE. It’s still kvCORE, but tailored to our culture, brand and experience. The new JPAR® – Connect App enables seamless data transition for JPAR® sales professionals. It combines client relationship management, lead generation, marketing, MLS data and a best-in-class lead generation suite in one easy-to-use platform.
How do you make sure your model continues to evolve in order to help brokers and agents compete in a changing market?
MJ: We evolve by listening to the agents, B2B partners and real estate community. JPAR® – Real Estate is owned by Cairn Real Estate Holdings (www.cairnre.com), a partnership between industry veteran Rick Davidson and private investment firm Aperion Management. Because we are an independently-owned company, we are unencumbered by the drag or paralysis by analysis in the decision-making process that may weigh down publicly owned real estate brokerages. This financial flexibility enables us to focus on providing the tools, tactics and technology necessary for JPAR® brokers and sales associates to navigate the shifting market while keeping more money in their pockets.
We also spend a great deal of effort making sure JPAR® sales professionals are able to provide leading-edge marketing and communications, as well as solutions. For example, we launched JPAR® Sure Sale to empower agents to engage clients with multiple selling options, including: JPAR® Trades, a buy-before-you-sell option from bridge providers; an iBuyer option with JPAR® Instant Offers; and a traditional open market listing, JPAR® Lists. JPAR® Sure Sale has achieved one of the best adoption rates of any offer we provide our agents.
What do you see as the greatest challenges ahead for real estate professionals?
MJ: It depends. Agents and broker associates fall into one of five categories: new to the business; growth mode; cash cow; fading winners or meltdown mode. There is not a one-size-fits-all approach to all five stages. Yet in general, I see too many agents and broker associates not treating their business like a business. Too many new team leaders attempting to build a team for the wrong reasons, and too many agents with only one or maybe two sources of leads, when we know the best practice is four or more.
The market is evolving as it always does. Many active agents have never experienced a down market or interest rates above 5%, so the market dynamics will be a significant challenge for some, but as an organization, we take proactive steps to help all of our sales professionals navigate the changing market. Working with industry-leading coach Tom Ferry, we launched “The Shifting Market Playbook” with a live event. This just-in-time coaching program is preparing our agents for the year ahead.
What’s next in terms of your growth plan? What are your aspirations?
LO: Our +JPAR® model is the ideal solution for existing broker/owners seeking the necessary resources to grow through affordable means. Recruiting and backend support, one-on-one consultations, premier lead generation, marketing and branding resources are all available from day one. Our goal is to be in all 50 states by the end of 2023 while surpassing previous records for net agent count.
For more information, please visit https://www.jpar.com.
