Network News, February 2006, A Coldwell Banker Johnston Publication

Who dreams of being a lion tamer? Andrew Zsolt does. As strange as it sounds I think being a lion tamer and a broker have something in common. While the first thing that comes to mind might be "3-ring circus," being up for a challenge, and performing under pressure are requirements for both jobs. Just try starting a brokerage never having sold a house. Fast forward a few years (being kind here of course) and you are one of the most respected brokers in North America and still haven't sold a home. Now that’s taking on a challenge!

We decided to feature Andrew Zsolt in this issue of Network News because he attends every event possible, in fact, he has attended the last 14 IBC's, and has 40 of his agents going to San Francisco next week. When we interviewed Andrew though, we found there is a much more interesting story to report.

Originally a CA (that's when he decided a la Monte Python, that he wanted to be a lion tamer), he completed his MBA at Western and then began selling commercial real estate, developing 3 million square feet of space between 1984 and 1990. During this time he acquired an 35 person, Homelife office which he sold to his manager, deciding to start over again from scratch with a brand offering more to its network. In 1990 he opened the first Coldwell Banker passport office in North America (meaning he started the office with no agents)and has since grown that to 300 agents and counting – one of the largest in our network. He has been around for every single Coldwell Banker Canada president - an honour only a few of us share. His downtown Toronto office is #1 in the network for it's size, 4 years running.

How does someone build a company with 300 agents and 5 offices in one of the most competitive markets in the world from scratch? The simple answer is: acute business acumen and an understanding of what agents need, to be successful. His unwavering commitment to ongoing training and cutting edge technology is a major attraction to his agents. His goal is to give his agents the edge over the competition by staying current on industry trends and technology. For example, he recognizes the power of online marketing, and recently had us put on a workshop at his North York office on search engine marketing; he is having us back in March where we'll introduce the power of blogging to the online marketing presentation.

Sara had the pleasure of spending a few days in New York city with Andrew last January at the Inman News conference (an educational conference with an emphasis on industry trends and technology). Andrew was the only other Canadian attending the conference from Coldwell Banker aside from a few head office staff. Sara recalls: "He arrived in New York a day or two before us and you wouldn't know it was his first time in New York city. When we met up with him he already had all of Manhattan figured out and photographed, had been to 2 or 3 Broadway shows, and became our official tour guide. He'd also found the steakhouse with the largest portions I've ever seen." Andrew is a hobby photographer and has been known to take as many as 600 non-digital photos at a conference.

Andrew emphasizes the importance of events saying that they open up your mind to new possibilities and methodologies, provide an opportunity to build a referral network, and are the best place to learn all about Coldwell Banker Tools and Systems.

If you're going to any of the Coldwell Banker events planned over the next few weeks, and want some advice from a true industry expert, then look up - at 6'3" he’s one of the tallest brokers you’ll see. As for taming lions, I think he’s tamed more than most. That, I can definitely picture.

	The Lion Tamer				Andrew Zsolt
	Who dreams of being a lion tamer? Andrew Zsolt does. As strange as it sounds I think being a lion tamer and a broker have something in common. While the first thing that comes to mind might be "3-ring circus," being up for a challenge, and performing under pressure are requirements for both jobs. Just try starting a brokerage never having sold a house. Fast forward a few years (being kind here of course) and you are one of the most respected brokers in North America and still haven't sold a home. Now that’s taking on a challenge! We decided to feature Andrew Zsolt in this issue of Network News because he attends every event possible, in fact, he has attended the last 14 IBC's, and has 40 of his agents going to San Francisco next week. When we interviewed Andrew though, we found there is a much more interesting story to report. Originally a CA (that's when he decided a la Monte Python, that he wanted to be a lion tamer), he completed his MBA at Western and then began selling commercial real estate, developing 3 million square feet of space between 1984 and 1990. During this time he acquired an 35 person, Homelife office which he sold to his manager, deciding to start over again from scratch with a brand offering more to its network. In 1990 he opened the first Coldwell Banker passport office in North America (meaning he started the office with no agents)and has since grown that to 300 agents and counting – one of the largest in our network. He has been around for every single Coldwell Banker Canada president - an honour only a few of us share. His downtown Toronto office is #1 in the network for it's size, 4 years running. How does someone build a company with 300 agents and 5 offices in one of the most competitive markets in the world from scratch? The simple answer is: acute business acumen and an understanding of what agents need, to be successful. His unwavering commitment to ongoing training and cutting edge technology is a major attraction to his agents. His goal is to give his agents the edge over the competition by staying current on industry trends and technology. For example, he recognizes the power of online marketing, and recently had us put on a workshop at his North York office on search engine marketing; he is having us back in March where we'll introduce the power of blogging to the online marketing presentation. Sara had the pleasure of spending a few days in New York city with Andrew last January at the Inman News conference (an educational conference with an emphasis on industry trends and technology). Andrew was the only other Canadian attending the conference from Coldwell Banker aside from a few head office staff. Sara recalls: "He arrived in New York a day or two before us and you wouldn't know it was his first time in New York city. When we met up with him he already had all of Manhattan figured out and photographed, had been to 2 or 3 Broadway shows, and became our official tour guide. He'd also found the steakhouse with the largest portions I've ever seen." Andrew is a hobby photographer and has been known to take as many as 600 non-digital photos at a conference. Andrew emphasizes the importance of events saying that they open up your mind to new possibilities and methodologies, provide an opportunity to build a referral network, and are the best place to learn all about Coldwell Banker Tools and Systems. If you're going to any of the Coldwell Banker events planned over the next few weeks, and want some advice from a true industry expert, then look up - at 6'3" he’s one of the tallest brokers you’ll see. As for taming lions, I think he’s tamed more than most. That, I can definitely picture.				Broker Coldwell Banker Terrequity Realty, Toronto, ON azsolt@terrequity.com Andrew is pictured above collecting an award from Jim Gillespie at IBC last year. Andrew & Sara, Times Square