Aaron Wan, Group Division Director at PropNex Realty and the youngest Top Recruiter awardee, shares how he grew his team hundredfold in the past year.
Aaron Wan is an astute conversationalist – the first hint is his approachable demeanor, even before we exchange any words.
His perceptiveness comes through in the way he parses each question swiftly yet shrewdly, and it’s clear that this quality trickles into his career as a team leader in PropNex Realty, too.
It’s little wonder that at just 31 years of age, Aaron is one of the youngest leaders in PropNex with the fastest-growing team under him – he was recently crowned the agency’s Top Recruiter in 2018.
How he started
Aaron would tell you, though, that when he first entered the property industry through ERA in 2013, the thought of becoming a leader had hardly crossed his mind.
But things quickly changed when he was recognised for his good performance within just a couple of months, and fellow property agents began coming to him for guidance.
Discovering both a knack and enthusiasm for mentoring others, he eased into a leadership role to head a team of agents in 2014.
In 2018, Aaron joined PropNex Realty’s Powerful Negotiators Group (PNG) to once again build up his own team. In the short span of a year, he’s grown his one-man team into the impressive Aaron Wan Division that’s almost 100 agents strong.
Differentiating himself
Aaron recognises, “If an agent was to walk into the PNG office looking for a team to join, why would they choose to join mine instead of someone else’s?”
Hence, he places importance on workshops and trainings, one-to-one coaching sessions, social events and more that are unique to his division.
For instance, top achiever sharing sessions are often case studies by agents in his own division, making these sharings more relatable whilst fostering a sense of togetherness.
Also noting that every agent has different motivations and metrics of success – one agent might be looking to multiply his income while another might prioritise the flexible work hours – Aaron pays attention to catering to these differences.
You’ll find that his team members are all at varying stages of their real estate sales careers, from aspiring agents to veterans who have been in the industry for decades.
You could say that he differentiates himself as a leader by differentiating each member of his division.
Mentoring others
When asked about his leadership style, Aaron responds, “I want to build others up to have the same mindset as me.”
As LiTing, one of the managers he works closely with, would say, “When you help others achieve their dreams, you will achieve yours too.” This frame of mind is something you’ll also find in many others in his team.
Under his mentorship, LiTing also went on to grow her own team of agents under LiTing Associates.
Perhaps this is Aaron’s secret to success: his willingness to empower others to the best of his ability.
For instance, for managers interested to learn how to grow their people, he brings them along to interview sessions to help them understand first-hand how he builds his team up. “Everything counts – gestures, tonality, the things you say and even the things you don’t say,” he reasons.
For completely new joiners, he onboards them onto the various property platforms, equipping them with tools that he personally finds useful, too.
As a Carousell Agent Influencer, he has introduced many of his agents to list their properties on Carousell.
Aaron Wan Division
His goal for his division?
To strive to become a team that others are envious of.
Despite the fanfare of having an entire division of property agents under his name, Aaron abides by a big-hearted, people-oriented management strategy to help each agent achieve their best.
In this way, Aaron Wan Division can be greater than the sum of its parts.
