Michael Bernier
As president, co-owner, real estate broker, and sales manager of Realty Group Inc., Michael Bernier shares a vast number of responsibilities with his business partner, Long Doan. However, Michael also has his own unique role in the company. Acting as part visionary and part implementer, he devotes a great deal of his time to agent development where he works to equip agents with the tools, the mindset, and the skill sets they need to become even more successful in the field. This involves a lot of one-on-one as well as group education and development. Michael also takes a leading role in strategic planning to help grow and scale Realty Groups' business model.
However, Michael admits that today the company looks much different from when he first started. In 2014, when he became a fifty percent co-owner of Realty Group Inc., he and Long had only eight agents working with them. The partners knew they wanted to shift the way they had conducted business in the past when they worked with banks and foreclosures. They also knew that they had to first determine how they were going to be different from the existing realty companies. So, the duo set out to develop a clear mission and to state what they wanted to bring to the market: brokers who listen and who provide relevant training, marketing, technology, systems and automation, and support that agents need to be successful.
Like Long, Michael’s challenging background had a significant impact upon his business approach. Throughout his childhood in Minnesota, he experienced the continual struggles of poverty and lack of opportunity. Due to these frustrating developmental years, he decided early on that he wanted more in life than a traditional job and a limited opportunity. It was also during his youth that he developed a sincere desire to help others.
In fact, both Michael and Long are passionate about empowering their agents to be even more successful than they have been. Since 2014, they have traveled nationwide to every convention possible in order to become immersed in the latest technological advancements, best practices, new strategies, and new opportunities. Both men believe that the more they can learn, the better equipped they will be to assist their agents in achieving higher levels of success. Michael and Long even work together to relieve the company’s agents from spending their valuable time on projects with little to no return so that they may focus their attention on higher-earning activities.
According to Michael, “the company is trying to create an impact for the agents that work with them as well as for the consumers they work with.” He explains that Realty Group has reacted to the needs and desires for building their company, and that action has resulted in building more platforms, technology, and support for their agents. “The reason for our success,“ says Michael, “is that we have learned to listen, to react, and to pivot.” Taking the time to study the constant changes in market trends and being prepared to meet the challenges head on is how Michael and Long have stayed ahead in the field and set Realty Group Inc. apart from all the other companies.
In addition to the numerous awards he and Long have received on behalf of Realty Group Inc., Michael is a former Top 1% Agent in the state of MN, and currently serves as a professional real estate coach for Club Well.
Michael Bernier
CEO/Broker
Realty Group, Inc.