Douglas Elliman agent Johnny DelPrete spent much of his early life on the green, sharpening his skills as a golfer.
Adjusting the twist of his wrist, strengthening his hip alignment, taking stock of wind gusts and directions, and memorizing the various courses he played on the Korn Ferry, PGA Canada and PGA China tours — where he logged top 10 and top 25 finishes — reflect the instinct and dedication honed through sport that have served DelPrete well in real estate, pushing him to the top of South Florida’s luxury market.
Johnny DelPrete
“I grew up playing golf in high school, in college and then professionally, so golf’s always been a huge part of my life,” he told Inman. “That background has been a huge influence on who I work with, and I’m able to use it to entertain clients. There are other ways to kind of get deals done and get clients in the mix, but I happen to use golf as my platform.”
Although most agents don’t have PGA bragging rights, DelPrete said building a solid network all comes down to knowledge, preparation, consistency and confidence.
“… Relationships are pretty much core to your business and your success,” he said.
The following conversation ahead of DelPrete’s appearance at Inman Luxury Connect in San Diego has been edited for length and clarity.
Inman: What are you looking forward to at Inman Connect San Diego?
DelPrete: I’m excited to come out because it’s nice being on the West Coast, as opposed to Florida, where we kind of run into the same people everywhere we go. It’s kind of nice to connect with other agents in different markets, developers and other kinds of industry leaders from across the country.
Let’s talk about your Luxury Connect session — ‘Your network is your net worth.’ What are a few of the high-level insights that you’re most excited to talk about?
You know, the higher levels and whatnot of any industry, especially in sales, I would say these relationships are pretty much core to your business and your success. So it’s extremely valuable to make those relationships, keep them and progress with them.
Most of these high net worth individuals rely on their private wealth advisors, their attorneys and anyone who has some influence in their daily lives or business. So relationships with those people can turn into some big-time clients for anybody.
Relationships are everything in real estate. How does your advice differ based on an agent’s level of experience? What would you tell a new agent about building connections? And what would you tell a veteran agent about maintaining them?
When people are new to the industry, you’ve got to prove yourself. So you might leverage a more seasoned agent to help you navigate that learning curve and help you build your brand. But as long as you’re successful with your clients, that proves yourself not only to them but also sets you up for other opportunities they may have for you.
And over time, you’ll develop a certain reputation, which is very important for building and maintaining those relationships.
How can someone maintain their reputation through career mistakes? How can you make sure those flubs don’t become career killers?
I think a lot of that would kind of fall back on how you kind of operate and run your business, in a sense. You have to look at the big picture, understand the moving parts that can make things smooth and seamless. It’s about preparation, and that is a big factor in how you can kind of control the experience and keep your reputation.
One thing we’ve talked about a lot this year is AI and its impact on social media, brand building, etc. How can agents effectively leverage AI, social media and other forms of marketing to reinforce their reputation and expand their reach?
The AI and tech part of our industry has completely transformed in the past 12 to 18 months. My team and I have our own AI software and a third-party marketing team that helps navigate everything and be consistent in how we show up digitally.
I’m terrible at golf, but I’m currently obsessed with the latest season of Netflix’s Full Swing series. The golfers often talk about the strategy and discipline needed to excel in the sport. How does your experience with golf transfer to your business?
It kind of goes back to what I mentioned in how you run your business. There’s so much structure in golf, and you’ve got to have discipline and structure. And just being an athlete and having the competitive edge in a sense, plays a factor in real estate as well.
