The foundation of EXIT Realty is focusing on the human potential and for EXIT Realty Blues City Broker/Owner Eddie Aeschliman what makes his five-city West Tennessee operation special is focusing on agent success.
EXIT Realty Blues City Owner Eddie Eddie Aeschliman with EXIT Southeast and EXIT Realty Corp. International leadership.
With offices in Jackson, Collierville, Atoka, Paris and Milan, EXIT Realty Blues City offers coverage from the Tennessee River to the Mississippi River and Eddie also has his license in Mississippi with several agents there. Based out of Collierville, his commitment to his agents is reflected in the franchise vision statement.
“It’s clear in our vision statement that we focus on the individual agent to ensure they are successful, profitable and happy, not only in business, but in their personal lives,” says Eddie. “We work closely with our agents in training and I remind them often to treat your first 25 clients right and they will keep you in business with referrals and repeat business the rest of your career.”
An EXIT person through and through, Eddie has been with the company for eighteen years and has had his license with EXIT for his entire career.
After studying at Union University in Jackson, Eddie earned his license and began selling real estate and sponsoring agents. (Pay attention to that part and will reveal more in the story!)
“I tried to get my broker at the time to open a Memphis office and she encouraged me to buy one. Honestly, I complained to my wife about that and she just ignored me! At Christmas in 2014, my mom, Bonnie Aeshliman, had sold her business and was going to retire. She suggested I take my future inheritance to get started, predicting I’d waste it anyway!”
Aeschliman did take the investment but with the caveat his mom move local, get her license and help him launch the business. Eddie taught her lead generation and they actually took Bonnie’s commissions to open more locations as she helped him run the business.
“I’ve only been with EXIT my entire career and I love the message of being in the business of helping grow agents so they can sustain themselves, have a career, make a living, invest in real estate and grow long-term income,” he shared.
Eddie Aeschliman, wife Renee, and daughter Elliana
Eddie Aeschliman and mom, Bonnie Aeschliman
Eddie considers it a mission in helping agents and has established the Blues City Real Estate School. The son of a preacher with family expectations that he follow suit, Eddie candidly shares he didn’t feel good enough but considers helping agents grow a future and have financial freedom his mission.
His Blues City Real Estate School works with potential Realtors to help get them up and running with the goal to be producing $7 million in sales within a couple of years – depending if the agent is full-time or part-time. And, he has a lot of success stories.
“Tamara Harrald, based out of our Atoka office, joined in 2016 and quickly, double, then tripled sales, and, in 2021, her gross sales were $13 million. Sommer Crosby, based out of Jackson, is another great example. Her first year was 2020 and she did $1.7 million in product and the second year $7.6 million. We are coaching them up and getting the agents to produce,” he said.
Eddie says the key to his success is doing everything in the EXIT plan from training, technology and branding to office culture. “My biggest advice to new agents Is to find a great coach and mentor who is invested in you beyond what you bring to the office. Find someone who’ll share the hard lessons and the helpful lessons at the same time. This is a long-term commitment,” Eddie said.
Eddie feels strongly there is no better real estate brokerage than EXIT.
“It starts with the support from the top with (Founder) Steve Morris, his admin staff to (Regional Owners) Kenny and Stacy as well as your fellow brokers. This support for a franchise owner is huge. If I need to bounce off an idea, I can call for advice and be told that is a great idea or that’s the dumbest thing I’ve ever heard. Support is so important,” he said.
Regional support and events have also meant a lot to the franchise owner.
“Kenny and Stacy provide us with a lot of events with the recent Rally being a great example. They stepped up. It was a big expense and a big pay-off for us from networking and learning how to grow business to making connections with other agents for future referrals,” Eddie said.
Residuals, earned from sponsoring other agents, have been an important part of Eddie’s business. Click here for more information on how this works.
“I have one person I sponsored in 2006 and have received $120,000 from that one sponsorship. It is exponential based on how many people you sponsor. The single-level residuals, unique for EXIT as a brokerage, have helped support our brokerage and is a great incentive for agents who produce. It is something they can’t find anywhere else,” Eddie explained.
The future is clear for EXIT Realty Blues City from giving back to the community to growing more offices.=
With around 90 agents and counting, you’ll find their agents helping out in the community in a variety of ways, and, at Christmas, the brokerage lent their support to the Jackson-based Regional Inter-Faith Association (RIFA) food bank and thrift store.
Eddie’s long-term marketing plan is to bring EXIT to smaller towns which need a smart brokerage like EXIT. “We bring the tools and the technology to help these agents grow and serve their community. My goal is to bring a franchise to every county seat town in West Tennessee as we build our brand,” Eddie said.
Connect with EXIT Realty Blues City and Eddie Aeschliman today at EddieWithEXIT@gmail.com.
