Above, agents from broker/owner Jim Roberts’ Metro Roberts Realty in Buffalo, New York with Allan Dalton and John Featherston. Photo courtesy of WNY Metro Roberts Realty.
For Jim Roberts—founder and broker/owner of Buffalo, New York-based Metro Roberts Realty—standing out in today’s market requires more than a competitive commission plan. It means constantly finding new ways to deliver value to agents and helping them stay ahead of an industry that continues to evolve.
That commitment was reflected recently when 125 real estate professionals gathered in Buffalo to attend RISMedia Founder and CEO John Featherston’s Real Estate Renaissance tour. Hosted through the firm’s participation in RISMedia’s Broker Leadership Network, attendees were introduced to a fresh perspective on the future of the industry—one that challenges traditional thinking and encourages agents to prepare for a rapidly changing marketplace.
One way agents can position themselves for that future is through the Certified Real Estate ConsultantSM (CREC)—a nationwide training and certification program developed by Anthony Lamacchia, founder of Crush It In Real Estate training, and industry veteran Allan Dalton, in conjunction with Featherston.
Designed to transform the relationship between homeowners and real estate professionals by equipping agents with the tools to elevate their relevance and value, the CREC certification intends to help real estate professionals rise to the same level as a financial advisor in the consumer’s mind. Dalton joined Featherston in Buffalo to outline the premise, structure and benefits of the course to the audience.
Meeting the moment: New thinking for a changing industry
For Roberts, the event stood out for its energy, insight and forward-thinking ideas.
“I thought the event was great,” says Roberts. “John and Allan brought a tremendous amount of energy, and the presentation resonated across our organization.”
That forward-looking perspective also struck a chord with Stephen McGonagle, broker associate at Wagner Realty in Bradenton, Florida, who Roberts personally invited to attend.
“The presentation was very relevant and very informative as far as real estate strategy/marketing strategy,” says McGonagle.
“The real estate industry is changing exponentially, and for brokers, it’s kind of worrisome as far as the unknown, but it was encouraging to hear that a guy in John’s position embraces this change,” he adds. “And Allan’s strategy part of it, his marketing, I paid a lot of attention to that as far as the direction Wagner Realty is going to go.”
Beyond the event’s energy, Roberts says what impressed him most was the expertise Featherston and Dalton brought to the discussion, a perspective that he says differs from many of the traditional coaching and training programs agents are accustomed to. “It was a totally different approach,” he says.
That approach also resonated with agents who have enrolled in the certification program.
“I signed up because I felt my current business model (w)as more of a ‘white-glove service’ and just being more relationship-based,” says Mitchell Fischer, a licensed real estate salesperson with Metro Roberts Realty, who felt the certification would catapult him to the next level.
“I’m enjoying (the course) so far and really enjoy the teaching style. It feels more real than the typical ‘read from a prompter with no emotions’ type of video, which is refreshing. I think what is being taught is extremely missed in (at least) my market today, so I wanted to jump in at ground level and get a head start before it starts to catch on,” he adds.
McGonagle shared a similar view, noting that he believes more brokerages could benefit from hearing directly from Featherston and Dalton about the forces shaping real estate’s future.
“Everybody knows about RISMedia, and everybody pays attention to it,” he says. “Everybody knows Allan. Those are the big voices in the real estate industry, and it’s a must that you listen to them and get their perspective.”
Though still in its early stages, Roberts believes the certification can help agents distinguish themselves by demonstrating their expertise and commitment to professional development.
“The certification is going to open up doors to get agents into houses they couldn’t have gotten into before. We train our agents to build a database, and to do this, and to do that, but I think we have to look at it through a different lens at this point,” explains Roberts.
Early adopters of the certification say that the emphasis on differentiation and long-term client relationships is what attracted them to the program.
“My boss Jim Roberts had posted about meeting (John and Allan) at the last event he went to, and if he mentions someone, you know there’s something there,” says Realtor® Jeremy Wright.
“I liked Allan’s energy and ideas and thought it was such a simple change to not think of people as past clients,” he adds. “I was pleasantly surprised that there was a whole course to drive the idea home. It made so much more sense to run with the consultant title than just some other alphabet soup of designations.”
For Roberts, that shift in mindset is part of a larger effort to help agents distinguish themselves in an increasingly competitive marketplace.
“At the end of the day, the more things you’re knowledgeable about and you have a certification for, you’re going to separate yourself,” he says. “The more bandwidth you have, the better you’re going to be, in my opinion.”
That need to differentiate extends beyond individual agents and applies to brokerages as well. Operating in a market with two legacy brokers, Roberts says other firms must find new ways to demonstrate value.
“Those legacy brokers are going to be spending a lot of money on marketing and capital to keep that market share, so other brokers are going to have to have different ways to touch customers,” says Roberts, who points to changing market dynamics as yet another facet that requires a new approach.
“Not only has our market slowed down, but it’s also become more of a buyer’s market, so you’re going to have to get to the customer in a different way, faster, in order to stay vibrant in this market,” he adds.
Extending beyond the classroom, Roberts plans to create a dedicated department within the company for CREC members, with the goal of adding 50 or so over the next year to grow market share.
“Creating this department is going to let the marketplace know that we have something that’s a little bit different,” he explains. “I think agents in one market or another, especially struggling agents, are going to say, ‘Well, what is that about?’ We’re going to encourage that and try to spend some marketing on that in order to get that out there.”
McGonagle says the certification is something he plans to explore further.
“There’s a lot more that I need to learn about it,” he says. “It’s definitely something that piqued my interest.”
Driving innovation beyond the transaction
A willingness to embrace new ideas has become a defining characteristic of Metro Roberts Realty’s growth strategy. As an independent brokerage competing against larger franchise brands, the firm has focused on finding new ways to support agents and strengthen its presence in the local market while delivering value above and beyond the traditional real estate transaction.
“We’ve done very well with promoting what makes us different,” says Metro Roberts Realty Marketing Director Ryan McDonough, pointing to the brokerage having built its identity around being a local expert—a company whose leadership, agents and services are rooted in the communities they serve.
“The region, and the city of Buffalo itself, value authenticity and being homegrown, so we push the message that we’re the largest and most successful real estate brokerage that is 100% local and non-franchised—and people really appreciate that,” he says.
Laser-focused on taking that message right to the people, McDonough notes that a key initiative over the last 12 months has been ensuring the firm maintains a strong presence in all of the townships where its offices are located.
“Our agents are your neighbors, we’re your community members, and our owner is present in the community,” says McDonough, who points to Roberts as the driving force behind everything they do.
“He sees what’s out there nationally and what’s coming—and while sometimes our region might lag behind in terms of tech trends and things of that nature, we can use that to our advantage because we can see what could be coming down the pipeline and do everything that we can to make ourselves attractive for many years to come while competing with some of the other brokerages that are in our area and that might be coming to our area,” adds McDonough.
Providing agents a broad range of tools and resources, the brokerage continually adapts and introduces new auxiliary services designed to add value and enhance the agent experience.
“We never stop looking for the next thing for the agents,” says McDonough, noting that celebrating their success is a key part of the company’s culture.
“If somebody has a big month, we make sure that’s celebrated on social media—not just for them, but so other folks who work in the industry can see that people come here and have career years with us,” he adds.
“We got so many awesome ideas from John and Allan in the short time that we were with them, and we’re looking forward to implementing those while tightening up what we already have,” says McDonough.
Navigating the AI era
While the CREC certification is designed to help agents stand out in today’s market, its creators believe that its relevance is rooted in a larger shift: the rapid rise of artificial intelligence and its growing influence on the real estate industry.
“Many real estate agents, brokers, coaches, media companies and consultants like me are now ironically asking AI—our potential disruptor—how to avoid being disrupted. Sports teams don’t ask their opponents for advice on how to beat them,” says Dalton, yet that’s exactly what he did during his year-long research when writing his book titled, “Agent to AIgent.”
As Dalton prompted various AI models and asked what real estate agents should do to avoid disruption and instead elevate their value and respect, he says AI offered the following advice:
“Agents who are trained and credentialed regarding how to use AI to power in-home consultations with homeowners during the years they are not in the market, and who realize that consumers will increasingly look to AI for advice (just as agents will), must consult more than advise. Those who consult will flourish, and those who don’t will not survive.”
Roberts shares a similar view, noting that AI is likely to reshape the way in which agents deliver value to consumers.
“AI is, in my opinion, going to change the landscape for many agents,” he says. “I think it’s a separator that you’re more of a consultant than you are an agent.”
And as consumers gain easier access to information, agents will need to demonstrate their value earlier and more effectively.
“AI is going to (allow) every person in the marketplace the ability to have the majority of the information we were giving them before, so we have to get there a little bit faster on the timeline, because if we wait for the timeline to be filled, there’s just too many options,” adds Roberts.
For Dalton, that guidance reinforced the notion that agents need to evolve from transaction-focused salespeople into trusted consultants, which ultimately led to his collaboration with Lamacchia and Featherston in building the Certified Real Estate Consultant credential and the in-home consultation system.
“We recognized the need to elevate agent value by rebranding and expanding their role from real estate salesperson to real estate consultant—from being seen at best as a salesperson who also advises to a consultant who also sells,” says Dalton, who points to Buffalo’s own history as a fitting metaphor for the industry’s current transformation.
The city is home to the world’s first AC power plant—where alternating current was introduced to complement DC, or direct current, electricity. This singular moment in history changed how power was generated, distributed and experienced across the globe.
“John and I used this history as a metaphor for how AI can be utilized as part of our Certified Real Estate Consultant course and credential—connecting transactional value and income with relational and consultative value,” explains Dalton.
The point proved particularly relevant in Buffalo, where home values are approximately half the national average, yet educational levels are meaningfully above it—a contrast that, according to Dalton, speaks directly to the sophistication of the Metro Roberts leadership team and its associates, who understand that value is never defined by price alone.
“We were committed to introducing a professional credential that does not end up as cryptic initials in the alphabet soup section of the Bermuda Triangle but instead as a consumer-respected credential, one attained through the completion of a rigorous course,” he says. “A credential that will automatically command the attention, respect and curiosity of consumers and clients for years to come.
“Although Buffalo is synonymous with Buffalo wings…AI will disrupt agents who ‘wing it’ instead of consulting,” adds Dalton.
The Buffalo event was another memorable stop on the Real Estate Renaissance tour, continuing a journey that has provided Featherston the opportunity to meet and connect with real estate professionals who are committed to elevating the industry.
“Connecting with Metro Roberts Realty makes it clear why they’re a highly respected brokerage leader in the greater Buffalo market,” says Featherston.
“Under the leadership of the incredible, innovative career real estate professional Jim Roberts, the brokerage has built a talented team of 450 sales professionals deeply committed to helping clients reach their real estate goals,” he adds.
“The 125 agents we met demonstrated an eagerness to improve their skills, elevate their service, deliver exceptional results and value to their clients,” concludes Featherston. “I thoroughly enjoyed getting to know so many incredible real estate leaders in Buffalo Bills territory!”
For more information, visit https://crushitinre.com/certified-real-estate-consultant-course.
