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.”