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Friday, February 27, 2015
Thursday, February 26, 2015
Opportunities in Commercial Real Estate in 2015
News coverage of the real estate market often focuses on residential properties. But there is a whole other world of opportunity that exists in commercial real estate that KW Commercial associates are tapping into.
KW Commercial Associate Darrell Nevin
Greater Howard County (Md.) market center
Greater Howard County (Md.) market center
A look at the commercial market trends reveal that commercial real estate really woke up in 2014 and is on the path for acceleration in 2015. In 2015, KW Commercial associate Darrell Nevin of the Greater Howard County (Md.) market center will be keeping an eye on tenant representation. Nevin says that ease of Internet access to CRE data can create huge pitfalls for tenants who think they can find and negotiate their own deals. This creates a big opportunity for commercial agents to increase client service offerings. Other exciting news in the world of commercial real estate is the one-of-a-kind KW Commercial mobile app
The new KW Commercial Mobile App is one of the tools that sets KW Commercial associates apart from the competition. The KW Commercial app performs most of the functions that residential agents and consumers have come to love from the KW Mobile App. Both apps are personally branded to individual agents. In addition, the KW Commercial App features an investment analysis tool that allows users to input data such as purchase price, cap rate and year-one net operating income (NOI) to calculate the projected return on investment.
Wednesday, February 25, 2015
Following Talent with Mega Agent Expansion
In just two Years with Keller Williams, David Hoffman has expanded into three new markets.
It is because of Mega Agent Expansion that David Hoffman of Huntersville, N.C., joined Keller Williams two years ago. He wanted to be part of a company where there were no limits and no barriers to success.
Last year, David opened his first two expansion offices, and before the first month of 2015 even came to an end, he had already expanded into a new market in South Carolina and had 15 clients and eight agents waiting and ready to work with him. Mega Agent Expansion is allowing David to help agents reach their “Big Why” and to grow market share at lower costs. His only regret about Mega Agent Expansion is that he didn’t start doing it 10 years ago when he got in the business.
Hoffman loves the Mega Agent Expansion model for many reasons. He loves that it lifts geographic barriers and has the ability to take him to the next level. As Hoffman builds his business, he is changing lives all around him. He is using expansion to fuel growth in his business and market center by creating mutually beneficial partnerships.
Vice President of Mega Agent Expansion Kristan Cole recently asked Hoffman how long it takes for an expansion office to be profitable. His reply? “One day.” By recruiting and working with existing and established agents in his market and in the markets where he wants to expand, he gets all their experience and clients right away. They don’t miss a beat. The Mega Agent Expansion model makes this possible.
Interested in exploring opportunities to expand? Watch Kristan Cole’s interview with Gary Keller about Mega Agent Expansion, the next revolution in real estate. For more information, click here or email expansion@kw.com.
Are you ready to expand? Don’t miss Expansion Systems Orientation in Austin, Texas on February 26-27, 2015 or on April 1-2, 2015. For more class dates, visit the Austin Events page in myKW.
Friday, February 13, 2015
Keller Williams Now World’s Largest Real Estate Franchise by Agent Count
After another record-setting year of growth, productivity and profitability gains, Keller Williams announced it has become the largest real estate franchise by agent count in the world. The company added a net gain of 17,000 associates in 2014, increasing its worldwide associate count to more than 112,000.
“We’re #1 and we’ve just begun,” co-founder and Chairman Gary Keller said.
Keller also announced an executive leadership transition, with Chris Heller becoming CEO and John Davis stepping in as president. Heller and Davis succeed legendary Keller Williams leaders Mark Willis and Mary Tennant, who are joining Keller and Vice Chairman Mo Anderson on the company’s board of directors. The executive transition is only the third major leadership change in the privately held company’s 32-year history.
“Keller Williams truly is a company built by agents for agents,” Davis said. “We’re all agents. And we share the same mindset, values and vision.”
The announcement was made during Family Reunion, the company’s annual training and networking convention. More than 10,000 Keller Williams associates attended a special session focused on the State of the Company, with thousands more participating via watch parties from Keller Williams market centers around the world.
“We are honored, we are humbled and we are excited to get to work with you to lead Keller Williams to new opportunities,” Heller told the crowd.
For three years, Heller and Davis have been preparing for their new leadership roles. As president of KW Worldwide, Heller launched the first Keller Williams regions outside of North America. During the State of the Company presentation, Heller welcomed hundreds of international guests from more than 20 countries and introduced two new regions – KW Costa Rica and KW Spain. He also reported that last year the number of associates outside of North America more than doubled and the number of market centers more than tripled.
As vice president of growth, Davis has led the regions and a companywide recruiting and accountability initiative that has fueled historic agent count, productivity and profitability gains. Working with local and regional leaders, the Growth Initiative has increased the company’s agent base by one-third in the past two years.
“We have the best systems and models. We have the best training and coaching. We have the best people and culture. And we’re thrilled to have the best leaders to guide us through the next chapters in our extraordinary history,” Keller said.
During a dynamic, high-energy presentation featuring the success stories of individual agents, Heller and Davis announced that the company’s associates had outpaced the industry and shattered Keller Williams records in 2014:
• Transactions increased 16 percent to more than 700,000 units
• Sales volume was up 17 percent to $185 billion
• Commissions earned increased by 16 percent to almost $5 billion
• Sales volume was up 17 percent to $185 billion
• Commissions earned increased by 16 percent to almost $5 billion
The extraordinary productivity gains, which were powered by the company’s focus on training and technology, drove profitability for franchise owners (owner profit was up 22 percent year over year) and contributed to historic Profit Share distributions to associates. Each month that a market center is profitable, roughly half of its profits are returned to the associates who have helped the company grow. Ninety-eight percent of offices were profitable for the year – an astonishingly high figure for franchise businesses.
Moreover, the company shared more than $98 million with associates through Profit Share and Growth Share – an increase of 25 percent over 2013. Since the program’s inception in 1996, the company has distributed more than $573 million in profits with associates. Profit share per agent has almost tripled over the past five years.
“The opportunity to lead Keller Williams is a tremendous honor,” Heller said. “And we’re going to work hard for you every single day. We understand it’s what you do that fuels your success and ensures our collective success. And it’s thanks to you that we’ve become the largest real estate franchise in the world and are on the path to becoming the worldwide leader in transactions and sales volume.”
Davis emphasized the company’s commitment to helping agents succeed in their local markets. “It’s what you’re doing in your local market that is building your business and making you the real estate expert of choice,” he said. “And that means more opportunity for you and more opportunities for your family. Keller Williams is committed to creating deeper and more determined pathways for you to succeed faster.”
Thursday, February 12, 2015
Training Magazine Names Keller Williams #1 Training Organization in the World
On the same day that Keller Williams announced it was the largest real estate franchise by agent count in the world, Training Magazine named the company the world’s #1 training organization across all industries. At a Feb. 9 awards ceremony in Atlanta to honor the Training 125, Keller Williams was recognized for the growth, productivity and profitability gains resulting from its world-class education and training programs.
“Training fuels all of our success,” said KW MAPS Coaching CEO Dianna Kokoszka.
Providing education to associates is a core belief of Keller Williams that drives the success of the company and its associates. Last year, the company set a goal to increase agent count by 14 percent. It finished 2014 with an 18 percent increase to more than 112,000 associates. The company’s agents also increased their sales by 17 percent to $185 billion, which resulted in a 16 percent increase in commissions earned.
To ensure that the most effective models and systems are included in training materials, Keller Williams constantly renews its training programs. Information compiled from the proven models and systems of top agents and leaders in the field are incorporated into training programs.
“Because of our focus on training, we attract more new agents than any othe real estate franchise,” President John Davis said. “As a commissioned-based industry, our challenge is to guide thousands of new associates through our training programs so they can get into production quickly and build their businesses. This creates more opportunities for them and more opportunities for their families.”
Through “market of the moment” training, associates are empowered to establish themselves as the expert in their local markets. Keller Williams offers training programs and courses to associates at all levels in their careers. Whether an associate is new to the real estate industry or leading a high-producing team, the wide selection of courses allows associates to select the training and coaching that will help them grow in their personal and professional lives.
“Our associates are the driving force behind the programming and training we produce,” CEO Chris Heller said. “We’re in business with agents who independently devote two to three weeks each year to participating in extensive training to build more productive and profitable businesses.”
Training Magazine highlights the Top 5 honorees in its January-February 2015 issue and applauded Keller Williams for several programs and initiatives, including:
- Mega Agent Expansion – Mega Agent Expansion is a revolutionary new growth concept launched in 2014. The course teaches associates proven models and successful systems for retaining a core team, or shared administrative hub, while launching businesses into new regions. In 2004, Gary Keller’s bestselling book, The Millionaire Real Estate Agent, showed agents how to leverage exisiting models to earn $1 million annually and become “mega agents.” A decade later, top Keller Williams agents who have mastered the MREA process are searching for what’s next. Keller Williams’ wants to ensure that “next” happens within Keller Williams, so the company can continue to attract top talent. “We’re the first real estate franchise to offer a formal training program to train top agents on how and when to expand into additional markets,” Kokoszka said. “This is a revolutionary concept in real estate that provides associates with unprecedented opportunities to grow their businesses. It also challenges us to develop training on a whole new level.”
- BOLD – BOLD is a pivotal program and a significant driver of financial success for associates. Agents enrolled in the 7-week long course see commissions rise 16 percent, and through this program, 98 percent of KW offices make a profit for the year. BOLD accerlerates productivity by priming agents with mindset exercises, language techniques and “real-play” lead generation lessons.The program is known for its live lead generation tactics where students call customers and produce real business with instructor guidance and support. This high-energy and fast moving course is taught by BOLD facilitators, seasoned top agents who undergo a rigorous certification process to become instructors. Students are organized into 10-person teams for support and are held accountable through public, weekly postings of individual production results. According to the National Association of REALTORS®, the average agent completes 12 transactions in a year and generates $60,000 in commissions. During BOLD alone, agents complete 14 transactions which is equivalent to $70,000 in commissions. “That translates to half a million dollars in annual gross commission income – more than eight times the national average,” Kokoszka said. “We know BOLD participants outperform agents who have not taken BOLD by 169 percent. Moreover, the financial impact compounds as 70 percent of agents take the course repeatedly to master the techniques and boost their productivity.”
Keller Williams developed an entire department focused solely on the creation of competitive real estate and business courses. This dedication to fostering agent success and continued learning has contributed to Keller Williams becoming the largest real estate franchise in the world.
“We are honored to be named as the top training organization in business,” Heller said. “As Keller Williams continues to expand, we will bring our training programs to new regions. At our core, we’re an education-based, technology-driven company. And we’re committed to providing our associates with the best training programs to help them grow their individual businesses.”
Tuesday, February 3, 2015
BOLD Coming to Salt Lake City March 30th!
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