Dan Wojcik and Alex Elieff, two sales reps with Century 21 in Barrie, Ont., give new meaning to the word teamwork.
Less than a year-and-a-half after the pair got their real estate licenses, they’ve already sold a whopping 120 properties between them.
It’s worth noting that 38 of those sales occurred this year in January and February, which is normally a down time for transactions. It was also a time when the market in Barrie had been showing signs of slowing.
“We set a goal of 24 deals for the first year – 12 deals each…then in May or June we hit the goal,” says Wojcik. When they learned their company gave out various awards of achievement, they decided to set a new goal and try to earn one of them. Instead they earned three: the sought-after Centurion Team Award 2019 presented to the top Century 21 producers for outstanding performance based on volume of homes sold; the #1 Team, Century 21 B.J Roth in Barrie; and a Top 30 under 30 award, which recognizes the top 30 agents across Century 21 Canada under the age of 30, for their ability to adapt to traditional and modern ways of selling real estate.
“Their sales record is unheard of in our industry,” says Ron O’Neil, director of training and development, Century 21 B.J. Roth Realty, who recruited the pair.
“What took them to accomplish in one year takes five years or longer to achieve. We are truly blessed to have them part of our Century 21 family,” he says. “Every time they come into the office, they bring their energy and enthusiasm.”
And they’re just getting started. Wojcik, who is married with children, is 31. Elieff, who is engaged, is 28. They joke that they work so well together they’re like a married couple.
The two met in 2010 while working at Rogers and four years later they both moved into sales positions for Barrie’s largest home builder. They learned almost every aspect of the industry, including purchasing, answering design-related questions and pre-delivery inspections. During that time they fostered relationships with over 1,000 clients, developed a friendship and even invested in two properties together.
Ask them their secret to success and you’ll get more than one answer: personality, chemistry, natural sales ability, their background in the building industry, their focus on good client relationships, and of course, hard work.
“We don’t just come to the office,” says Wojcik. “We’re 24/7 trying to come up with a deal out of nothing. A client may ask for a three-bedroom condo. We don’t wait for the listing to come to us,” he says, adding they’ll chase after referrals or leads, whatever it takes to help a client.
Rather than work from home, the two go to their Barrie office at Century 21 every day. “We’re fortunate. Our office is designed in a way that we can listen to each other’s conversations. We jive. We can pick up on a client’s needs by picking up on the conversation. It’s unique what we have,” says Wojcik.
When a new client walks in, they determine which of them they think would work best with that client and assign themselves appropriately.
Typically the duo will attend listing presentations together. “Our client gets the attention of both of us,” says Wojcik.
Early on, in a spirit of true teamwork, the duo decided to share their earnings equally. “It was never an issue if one sells 10 and the other sells less or more, we just know we drive each other and if one has a better month than another… everything’s 50/50,” says Wojcik. “We didn’t want to be competitive.” At least not with each other.
In the marketplace it’s a different story. For any agents up against them in a bidding war, be forewarned, Wojcik and Elieff have a track record of coming out on top.
“Earlier this year we competed on 10 separate properties with other agents and most of the offers we submitted had at least three other offers and we got every one except one, which didn’t sell. So out of every competing situation we secured the property for the buyer,” says Elieff.
The pair work in the Greater Toronto Area, Simcoe County and Barrie. Both live in Barrie (Wojcik has called Barrie home for more than 20 years, Elieff for 11 years) and try to capitalize on their roots in the community. “We made our faces big on our marketing and for sale signs,” says Elieff. “We want to connect with all the people we’ve met in the past.”
The two agents know each other’s strengths and use them to their advantage. “Alex’s strong point is a creative mindset – he’s got like marketing genius in him,” says Wojcik. “He’s got this vision before anybody else does and he’s very upbeat about every situation no matter what.”
Dan, on the other hand, is more detail oriented, Elieff says, “So when it comes to numbers and paperwork and negotiations Dan’s good at that, so in a sense we’re opposites.”
Asked if they had any tips for other agents, they suggested keeping up to date on the industry.
“Your brokerage sends you information, see what the government is releasing, or what the Bank of Canada is doing. The statistics are in front of you and most people don’t look at them. That’s where we shine,” says Elieff. “We check the market every 10 minutes. What sold, why did it sell so fast? We look at everyone’s listing.”
Creating genuine relationships with people is also key, says Elieff. “That’s something that comes naturally to Dan and I as we really enjoy the people aspect of this business.”
It also helps to love what you do. “We’re so passionate about real estate, and homes. We love looking at homes,” Wojcik says.
According to their website the pair offer or arrange home staging, photography and videography, floor plans and black line drawings, aerial drone footage and social media advertising.
Not surprisingly, their team is growing.
They’ve recently added another sales representative, an executive assistant, a mortgage agent, and an operations manager who happens to be Dan’s wife, Joanna.
With business on an upswing, do these self-described go-getters ever have any free time? “No,” says Elieff, “Last year we worked our asses off. But we’re not too busy for the next client.”
Diane Slawych is a contributing writer for REM.
