Debra Beagle, managing broker of Nashville, Tenn.-based The Ashton Real Estate Group (TAREG), is at the top of her profession. What’s her secret? Never stop (learning).
“I have a voracious appetite for learning,” Beagle answers when asked about her incredible success as managing broker for TAREG. “And that extends to our agents—both new and established—and throughout our company culture. Because the better the agent, the better the service, the better we are as an organization.”
Beagle’s efforts are paying off in spades. In 2018, TAREG, co-owned by Beagle and Gary Ashton and Jonny Lee, had an agent count of 145 and generated over $426 million in sales volume. Their team recently took top honors as the No. 1 RE/MAX Team in the World, with Beagle taking honors as the No. 1 RE/MAX Broker/Owner across 5,000 offices in the United States.
“Debra is focused on educating the agents and giving back to the agents,” says Ashton, TAREG’s namesake. “She has created an amazing environment where a new agent can become really successful within 30 days, which is extraordinary in the industry.”
The success is found within the type of agent Beagle onboards. “We’re fairly selective,” she says. On average, she receives 40 applications each month, but may recruit fewer than 10 agents. “I’m looking for highly motivated individuals who have a growth mindset and want to thrive in a professional setting. We’re constantly growing, evolving, adapting—and our team needs to do the same to keep our competitive edge.”
For Beagle, the drive to be the best in the business is mission critical. TAREG maintains a high profile in Nashville and beyond through extensive brand marketing and partnership campaigns. In addition to a substantial advertising presence with 80 billboards and six radio stations, TAREG is the official broker for the NFL’s Tennessee Titans, the NHL’s Nashville Predators and the MLS’ Nashville SC soccer team.
TAREG is also a leader when it comes to technological innovation. Beagle is always looking to optimize their processes.
“We don’t settle, and we certainly don’t rest on our laurels. That’s just not our philosophy,” says Beagle. “If there’s a better way, a more efficient way, we’ll find it. Oftentimes, that means beta testing and adapting new technology, which means our entire team must embrace the process in our quest to deliver the highest level of service.”
When Beagle and Ashton joined forces in 2010/2011, they combined traditional real estate techniques with a tech-forward lead generation program.
“We were the first to seriously invest in technology and lead generation. Eight or nine years ago, the industry was generally skeptical about online leads,” explains Beagle. “Building on Gary’s relationship with Morgan Carey and Real Estate Webmasters, we were first out of the gate. That’s been huge, and we’ve perfected it over the last eight years.”
Beagle’s push for knowledge, innovation and optimization has been extraordinary the last eight years, resulting in a 418 percent growth in headcount and a 433 percent growth in GCI.
And she’s only getting started. “We’ll never stop learning. We’ll never stop masterminding. We’re driven to be the best and stay the best.”
For more information, please visit www.realestatewebmasters.com.
Zoe Eisenberg is RISMedia’s senior content editor. Email her your real estate news ideas at zoe@rismedia.com.
