Unlocking excellence: How DiJones empowers agents to thrive

Founded by Diane Jones, with an all-female team, the real estate brand always ensures it goes the extra mile for clients and provides growth opportunities to its agents.

From the get-go, the brand pioneered innovative marketing, creating a real estate magazine with vibrant, photo-driven listings and lifestyle staging to elevate property presentation.

Jones’ forward-thinking approach also included the early adoption of virtual tours and internet auctions in 1998, setting new standards in the industry.

Now, 30 years on, Jones’ values remain the cornerstone of DiJones, where the leadership team is dedicated to fostering an environment where both realtors and clients can thrive.

According to DiJones COO Brent May, the network is designed to ensure their agents have all the necessary tools to be relevant in today’s real estate landscape.

“We focus on what’s coming down the pipe, what experience we could be facing, and therefore, what our customers are facing. Then we analyse how we can take those challenges to the next level and reverse engineer it from a customer’s perspective to really deliver,” May said.

CEO Dean Mackie said DiJones promotes experience over the often vague notion of “culture”, bringing actionable and tangible processes, directly influencing how individuals grow, work and thrive.

“What we are trying to do here is help our people become more than what they could become on their own. All of the systems and processes infrastructure we put in place are designed to enable them and help them unlock more in both their career and their personal lives,” Mackie said.

Unlocking agents’ potential

One key core commitment of DiJones is to develop agents’ potential, helping them become the best version of themselves.

“For us, we understand that everyone is different and we really like to bring the uniqueness of individuals to the floor and create an environment where they can be uniquely themselves,” May said.

May added that unlocking individual potential means acknowledging that each team member brings unique strengths and that there is no one-size-fits-all approach.

“For example, some agents might excel in relationship-building while others might be data-driven; recognising and amplifying those strengths help people excel rather than forcing them to conform,” he said.

To help foster their agents’ skills, DiJones promotes continuous learning into everyday experience through training, mentorship and hands-on practice, but also targeted events such as the “Unlocked” one.

“The Unlocked events expose the team to new skills and experiences beyond their usual real estate-focused training, helping them grow personally and professionally, so they can bring their best selves to work and deliver exceptional value to clients,” Mackie said.

By using training events as a safe space for experimentation, Mackie said the networks empower agents to see failure as a stepping stone, not a setback, helping them to take calculated risks, try new strategies, and continuously improve.

Additionally, at DiJones, staff have been encouraged to embrace innovation and keep up to date with the rapidly evolving real estate industry.

The network ensures agents are updated with the latest technology, including innovative training where agents develop their AI tools, virtual tours, and other market changes.

“There are so many challenges for the team as it relates to AI and improving technology and so forth, and so many times an agent or an individual can feel quite a bit of pressure around that and it becomes a little bit overwhelming,” May said.

“So it’s part of the experience. We’re trying to give them skills and knowledge to help them deal with those things and simplify it to make their life easier and help them become more productive.”

Collaboration over lone wolves

While real estate can be considered as a solo sport, Mackie said that DiJones aims to foster a culture of collaboration over competition, where agents share tools, data, and support rather than working in silos.

The approach enables individuals to bring their strengths to the table, achieve greater collective success, and eliminate duplication of effort to help agents focus on what they do best.

By creating a shared infrastructure and unified approach to systems like customer databases, DiJones ensures that agents can leverage technology and data at scale, benefiting agents, customers, and the entire organisation.

“We know that in many real estate agencies, competition is common, with individuals often competing internally against others from the same brand within the same area,” May said.

“But at DiJones, we look at getting like-minded people who understand that together we can achieve more than we can on our own. That’s a fundamental part of somebody’s mindset.”

“It all begins with that mindset, and from there, we build in core principles and frameworks around who we are, how we do business, and how we hold people accountable – rewarding and recognising the collaborative behaviours that bring our values to life daily,” May said.

Fostering the winning mindset

At DiJones, success starts with recruiting values-driven, aspirational individuals eager to grow, embrace change, and continuously improve.

“If you’re not the type of person who is aspirational, sets goals, embraces improvement, or seeks change, then our environment is likely to feel uncomfortable and may not be the right fit for you,” Mackie said.

The leadership team said it prioritises fostering an environment where innovation is cultivated not just through significant, flashy changes, but through stepping outside one’s comfort zone.

“We’re determined to take things to the next level, which means we need people with the right mindset –someone who understands that being at DiJones might feel a little uncomfortable at times, because we’re always pushing to improve and grow.”

By emphasising “progression over perfection” and iterative growth, DiJones aims to unlock the best version of every team member.

This commitment to continuous learning and adaptability ensures the business remains at the forefront of industry transformation, inspiring its people to thrive personally and professionally.

Mackie said the network implements minimum standards to promote consistent collaboration, which also enhances the diversity of their team and helps them serve a broader range of clients.

“We walk the talk by stepping out of our comfort zones and championing continuous improvement through small, consistent steps, aiming to bring out the best in every team member,” he concluded.