Gary Keller, founder and chairman of Keller Williams Realty, has another great new idea - Millionaire Agent Mega Camp, a boot camp for top producers that will give them the kick in the pants to turn themselves into millionaires. The boot camp was held last week in Austin for over 600 agents, up from 30 agents when the convention started six years ago.

With over 15,000 agents throughout the U.S., Keller Williams Realty is the seventh largest residential franchise firm. But the camp is not about branding or convincing people to join Keller Williams - it's about education, says Keller.

"It is not an idea-fest, it's very specific," says Keller. "People came out going this is most unique thing I've ever attended. It's the anti-convention convention. Not pomp and circumstance, and we aren't selling anything."

According to Keller, what's been wrong with the industry so far is that there is too much concentration on generalities - how to get listings, how to work with buyers and sellers, etc., and not enough on how to be a mega producer.

"We realized we need to get more specific - that people are still struggling," says Keller. "The more general you are, the more agents have to figure it out on their own, and that's a waste of everyone's time. I'm wise to learn from the people who lived before me, and agents are wise to learn from the agents who are running mega businesses."

Featured speakers included top agents earning over $1 million annually from Keller Williams, but there were also leaders present from competitive franchises and independent brands. Attendees of the camp are "friends of the family," or any agent who is earning over $200,000 annually in gross commission income.

They need help? They most certainly do - to take their production through four levels until it generates itself, says Keller.

"There is a specific path you take," describes Keller. "And that's why general models and advice don't work."

First you have to have four new definitions of success which Keller correlates to four action steps to get there: .

• Think like a million - find out how millionaires think, and learn what their plans are
• Earn a million - after you think it, you have to do the actions that millionaires take to become millionaires
• Net a million - you resolve the issues that are different from sales issues, and that is succeeding through other people (teams, assistants, others)
• Receive a million - hiring a person who runs the business for you

Concurrent with the definitions of success are executing the models to get there:

• The economic model - you have to understand the economics of how much money you have to make and where it comes from
• The budget model - you have to understand the cost of operations to run the business
• The organization model - who is responsible for which tasks?
• The lead generation model - how will you find buyers and sellers?

"We discovered that those men and women who make money have a tight focus on those four models," shares Keller. "They know what people are going to do to get and service those leads; they are clear about what they are going to spend, how much they are going to charge, and how much they are going to make."

How do agents know when they are ready for mega camp?

"How did you know when it was time to hire a maid or a landscaper?" volleys Keller. "When you don't want to do it anymore. It's just like running a family. As fast as you can afford to, you should delegate. If you don't have anyone doing it, you are that person, so if you are cleaning the house, you are a housekeeper. At a certain level, that's OK, but as a businessperson, it can burn you out. If you own a second house, and all you do is clean it, why have it? If you can't afford to have someone else clean it, don't buy it."

"You know when you aren't having any fun or you feel maxxed out," advises Keller. "The way to get out of no man's land is to hire an assistant. Everyone should aspire to have an assistant, so they don't burn out. When you feel you don't have enough arms and legs, it's time to start delegating. When you starting dropping balls in the air, you need relief."

So what's in it for Keller Williams? Is the camp a recruiting opportunity? Why is it open to all agents, including competitors to the KW brand?

"Agents don't think that way," admonishes Keller. "Only brands do.

Keller says the camp isn't about peeking into the Keller Williams franchise. According to Keller, he does no recruiting at the conference, and there is no KW branding on the walls or materials.

"It would make people uncomfortable if we did that," says Keller. "It's not about recruiting or about the money. In fact, if an agent registered early, they could get in for $99."

The intellectual goldmine of these nationally prominent agents was too good not to use in some way. Keller says he is writing a book that he plans to self-publish about millionaire agents and how they think and execute models.

"It's hard to do your best when you are just trying to get by," says Keller. "Why would you get into real estate and then take a class on how to get by? If I'm going to be in this industry, I might want to learn from these guys.

"This is really about learning to be the best, from the best and brightest in the industry."

Published: September 25, 2002

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