From being one of the first four real estate agents of a new real estate company to serving as Chief Operating Officer of a +1,000-member organization, Lauren Bowen has experienced, learned, and achieved more than most in the industry over the past decade … all with boldness and kindness.

We opened 2024 with Lauren as our first guest. Now we’re opening 2025 with her return!

Last year she shared the path from 1 to 16 different lead sources. This year she shares how they vet, distribute, and increase conversion on 24 different lead sources!

Among the MANY helpful things she openly shares with you in this conversation: how they discovered that 56% of leads closed with the second Robert Slack agent they talked to - and what they did about it.

We recorded this conversation in person at Unlock 2024 at The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas.

Listen to this episode with Lauren Bowen for insights into:

- The obvious and non-obvious benefits of grace

- The growth of Robert Slack from one office and four agents to more than 800 agents in multiple offices in five states

- The agent count to start investing in agent onboarding and training

- How they built their corporate staff of 20 people to support about 1,000 team members, including role and recruiting tips

- What it takes to run the organization as a family

- Why teams shouldn’t get above 50 agents (35 is the recommended limit)

- Lessons learned from managing 24 lead sources, including putting agents on two lead sources max (down from five or six)

- Three things they did to double lead conversion on some of their sources

- The three roles that fulfill her vision of “making agents’ lives easier”

- Specific ways they task their ISA team, including an automation to help ISAs “revive the leads”

- Insights into tracking lead conversion by source, reviewing your lead sources monthly, balancing lead quality and quantity, and vetting new lead sources

- A bittersweet change since her appearance on Episode 11 to open 2024

At the end, Lauren talks baseball, building over buying, and being bouyant. She also shares tips for balancing your commitments to real estate conferences.

16 Lead Sources for 800 Agents with Lauren Bowen | Ep 011
- https://www.realestateteamos.com/episode/lauren-bowen-robert-slack-coo-lead-sources-team-leaders

Lauren Bowen:

- https://www.instagram.com/lauren_bowen_robertslackllc/

- https://www.tiktok.com/@lbowen_robertslack

- https://www.instagram.com/robertslackllc/

- https://www.tiktok.com/@robertslackrealestate
- https://robertslack.com
- lauren (dot) bowen (at) robertslack (dot) com

Real Estate Team OS:

- https://www.realestateteamos.com

- https://linktr.ee/realestateteamos

- https://www.instagram.com/realestateteamos/

Compared to 2023, production was down about 18% this year for The Funk Collection brokered by eXp Realty in Orlando, Florida. Co-team leader Renee Funk took no pleasure in sharing that, but also acknowledged that it’s a fact.

Many teams experienced similar results, driven by all kinds of change. But change presents opportunity and Renee is bullish on regulation changes and the year ahead.

Here in this bonus episode themed to the 2024 Wins and 2025 Game Plans episodes that immediately precede it, Renee shares some of the lessons, challenges, and wins their team faced - and what’s ahead in 2025.

FUBCON Session with Renee: https://youtu.be/ClJc94xi3ic

Subscriber-only episodes: https://realestateteamos.com/subscribe

Listen to this episode with Renee Funk for insights into:

- Why operations are the “true glue” of your team and why your first hires should be in this area

- Why there’s no single way to define success in real estate and what that means for leaving or staying in sales production

- Specific conversations to have openly within your team, including teams within the team and offboarding rather than re-recruiting

- The LB NT framework to reflect on any meeting, conversation, or time period

- Why they’re bullish on regulation changes (spoiler: it’s about clarity of value for all)

- Specific times we’ve seen the “end of agents” fear and distraction before

- How they approached training on buyer-broker agreements

- The two-stage buyer conversations to get buyer-broker agreements signed, to get more buyers to contracts, and to level up “Pop Tart” agents

- Resetting strategy with yourself, your team, and your clients

At the end, learn about a top team that’s close to home.

Renee Funk:

- https://reneefunk.com

- https://www.instagram.com/renee_funk

- https://realtyinorlando.com

Real Estate Team OS:

- https://www.realestateteamos.com

- https://linktr.ee/realestateteamos

- https://www.instagram.com/realestateteamos/

FUBCON Session with Renee:
- https://youtu.be/ClJc94xi3ic

FUBCON Session playlist:
- https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLCJiXNo93cVopyNz34nrcV-kVacpWjvAm

7 subscriber-only episodes and email-exclusive insights every week:

- https://realestateteamos.com/subscribe

Get key takeaways from The Teams Report, a first-of-its-kind report providing essential benchmarks for real estate teams.

Get insights into the teams of your peers and competitors in categories like: team size, org structure, roles, compensation, GCI, growth expectations, tech budget, lead gen and distribution, cost per lead, referral fees, database size, SOI and nurturing, and more.

Conducted by the team at RealScout with direct support from the Tom Ferry organization and T3 Sixty and with distribution support from dozens of brands, brokerages, and tech companies, the report is informed by more than 1,000 teams.

Dive in with RealScout Co-Founder and President Andrew Flachner to learn from other teams and team leaders.

Watch or listen to this episode of Real Estate Team OS for insights into:
- Different ways data is empowering tomorrow’s top teams

- 75% of respondents expect 10% or greater growth in the next 12 months

- What respondents think about interest rates and inventory

- How questions answered in The Teams Report were developed

- The median team size and four main org structures

- Which non-agent roles are most common at different team sizes (and why ISAs may be less common than you think)

- Cost per lead and cost per referral across team sizes and why larger teams spend more on lead gen per transaction

- Why SOI and lead nurturing is every team’s greatest opportunity in the year ahead

- The future of The Teams Report

- Why more scale is possible and more standardization is key to future team success

At the end, learn about indispensable team members, the display of choice for pixel snobs, and the problem-solving power of walking and waves.

The Teams Report:

- https://TheTeamsReport.com

Andrew Flachner:

- https://www.instagram.com/aflachner

- https://learn.realscout.com/about/

Real Estate Team OS:

- https://www.realestateteamos.com

- https://linktr.ee/realestateteamos

- https://www.instagram.com/realestateteamos/

[Episode 10 in the Inside Whissel Realty series on Real Estate Team OS]

For each of the past few years, Adrian Quijano has doubled sales production - from 15 to 30 to nearly 60. And he’s pacing to double it again this year.

Learn how and why the top real estate agent in Whissel Realty Group and a top 1% Realtor in San Diego County plugged into the team initially, followed the team’s blueprint, leveraged the team’s resources, and pushed himself on a journey of personal and professional growth.

Hear how he’s scaled his business by adding additional leverage and delegating tasks to his own team within the team - including a co-listing agent and a showing assistant.

Listen to this Inside Whissel Realty episode with Adrian for insights into:

- An agent blueprint for team success

- His path from inside sales in cybersecurity and IT solutions to real estate sales

- Why he joined Whissel Realty Group and why splits didn’t matter to him

- The three characteristics an agent needs to successfully plug into a real estate team and have their business take off

- How and why the “Core Four” informed, motivated, and guided his sales success

- When and how his leads shifted from team-generated to self-generated

- How he structures his day around IPAs (income-producing activities!)

- How the need to delegate admin tasks led to building a team within the team

- The three main sources of his continued learning and growth

At the end, hear how he’s carried Semper Fidelis from the Marine Corps into every aspect of his life.

Adrian Quijano:
- https://www.instagram.com/adrian.quijano/

- https://www.zillow.com/profile/adrianquijano

Real Estate Team OS:
- https://www.realestateteamos.com/subscribe

- https://linktr.ee/realestateteamos

- https://www.instagram.com/realestateteamos/

[Episode 8 of the Inside Whissel Realty series on Real Estate Team OS]

In her move into real estate, Karlee VanDyke spent six months interviewing nearly every team and brokerage in her market.

Now you can learn from that process - how to know what you’re looking for, red flags to watch out for, and one question that tells you how strong the organization is.

Today, Karlee’s a top agent with Whissel Realty Group brokered by eXp Realty in San Diego. Learn about her accelerated path from Bronze to Platinum and what that brought her. Get unique and specific benefits from being on a great team (like “pond days” and agent relationships).

Whether you’re a team leader or an agent, you’ll get helpful ideas in this conversation about how teams can best support and serve agents.

Listen to this Inside Whissel Realty episode with Karlee for insights into:

- Time-blocking to protect money-producing activities

- What she learned interviewing teams and brokerages and how you know you found the right one

- How the team supports her sales production

- The path to Platinum from Bronze and the benefits of putting in that work

- How she plugged into the system and started generating her own opportunities

- A simple fact for an agent concerned about team splits

- How she handles forms, conversations, and presentations after the NAR settlement

- Specific red flags as agents try to find the right team or brokerage (like shielding your top agents)

- How the “pond day” in Follow Up Boss benefitted her business (and how she made calls to those potential clients)

- The most valuable aspect of being on the team at this stage of her career: leveraging agent relationships

- Why she’s not leaving Whissel Realty Group and one question that lets you know how good any team is
- The primary sign that a team is a good one: top agent tenure

At the end, learn of a love of Padres, Chargers, and VanDykes!

Karlee VanDyke:

- https://www.instagram.com/karleevandyke.realestate/

- https://www.facebook.com/karlee.vandyke

Whissel Realty Group:

- https://thewhisselway.com/

- https://www.instagram.com/thewhisselway/

Real Estate Team OS:

- https://www.realestateteamos.com

- https://linktr.ee/realestateteamos

- https://www.instagram.com/realestateteamos/

[A bonus episode in the Inside Whissel Realty series on Real Estate Team OS]

Before we bring you two of Whissel Realty Group’s top-performing agents to close the series, we’re highlighting one of the most important themes you’ve heard from the team.

A key lesson in the series: providing agent leverage profitably.

A unique way they bring it to life: the ACE Team (Agent Concierge Experience).

In this short, jam-packed episode, get the philosophy, strategy, and tactics behind the ACE Team, including specific tips for working more effectively with virtual assistants.

CEO Kyle Whissel
- The three things they want agents doing most often
- The leverage they provide to make that happen
- The way they do it profitably and equitably

COO Chris VanderValk
- The macro trend that requires a team to provide agent leverage

- The specific value the ACE Team adds to the sales funnel

- The importance of the team providing this leverage, rather than agents providing it themselves

Director of Operations Shannon Youssefi

- The core services provided by the ACE Team

- The lessons she learned hiring the initial VA to building a 25-member international team

At the end, hear from our two final guests in the Inside Whissel Realty series - Adrian Quijano (who’s tripled unit sales for three years straight and is pacing to do it again this year) and Karlee VanDyke (who’s closed $45M in volume in her first two years with the team).