KW OutFront Magazine v14.2

TAKE VOL. 14.2 2017

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LISTINGS p.6

FROM

YOUR

CEO

4 THE GAME-WINNING PLAY Kelly Cook’s move from NFL recruiting to KW proves to be a game-winning play.

A CULTURE OF ABUNDANCE With 160,000-plus associates wearing matching red T-shirts, RED Day is a very visible representation of our culture of giving back. Yet the truth is that our culture is on display every day … in our market centers and throughout our communities.

You’re probably familiar with the “What Is Culture?” principles that Mo Anderson and Kay Evans developed.

Everyone remembers “Give seven hugs a day!” but these other definitions of culture are just as important: Implementing the Keller Williams production systems Hitting your monthly and annual production goals You see, production is cultural. The Growth Initiative and the Career Growth Initiative? They’re cultural. They always have been. In fact, all of our training, all of our technology, and all of our tools are designed to help you fund your life and create opportunities.

In this issue, you will hear the stories of people who are leveraging Keller Williams models and systems to make a difference in other people’s lives. You’ll see why Franchise Business Review named Keller Williams one of the top franchises for women. You’ll learn how multigenerational families are building empires and leaving legacies. And you will take away specific action steps you can start implementing today to build a bigger business … and a bigger life. That’s a culture of abundance!

JOHNDAVIS CEO

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10 HEAD-TURNERS Top producers open up about why they’re proud to call KW home.

VOL. 14.2 2017

IN THIS ISSUE

15 TOP FRANCHISE FOR WOMEN KW is named a Top Franchise for Women and female franchisees attest to why.

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TURN UP THE DIAL ON YOUR LISTING PRESENTATION Timely advice and objection-handling tips from Jackie Ellis and Lance Loken.

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HITTING THE HIGH NOTES

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LIVE THE LIFE YOU WANT

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NEW LOOK, NEW LEADERSHIP

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A CULTURE OF CARING

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BUILDING A LEGACY WORTH LEAVING

BUILD YOUR DREAM TEAM Leaders at Keller Williams Legacy use the Leverage Series to bring their big vision to life.

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Mega agent Charlotte Mabry hits the airwaves as a local expert in Chattanooga.

KW MAPS Mastery Coaching helps John Verdeaux and Holli McCray chart a new course to new opportunities.

Lesli Akers brings a whole new look to KW Luxury International to help agents prosper.

KW Cares helps associates find hope and experience healing.

Family teams embody KW culture by creating huge lives for generations to come.

INTRODUCING KW JAMAICA & KW PUERTO RICO The growth continues! KW Worldwide welcomes two new regions.

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ECONOMIC UPDATE Here’s what to expect during the last half of 2017.

Look for associates accelerating their success with KW MAPS Coaching.

BOLD Graduate

Coaching Client

By Dorothy de Souza Guedes

KELLY COOK SCOT TSDALE (ARIZ.)

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KELLY COOK

Mega agent Kelly Cook transformed $40 and a three-line classified ad into a career as one of the most successful real estate agents in Arizona with over $60 million in closed volume last year.

But his real estate career didn’t really take off until 2012, when he joined Keller Williams. It was here he learned to apply the four models for building his business from Gary Keller’s The Millionaire Real Estate Agent with the support of an office of experts willing to share their knowledge to further his goals.

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Following a playbook was a natural transition for Cook: he had been a quarterback and wide receiver at the University of Nebraska, then coached at his alma mater and Ole Miss before transitioning to a career as an NFL agent.

“Every aspect of his business is run by the MREA models,” says Tony Hughes, Cook’s team leader at Keller Williams Arizona Realty. “He teaches the importance of not reinventing the wheel and to stay true to the models that Gary Keller has given us from his 30-plus years of experience.”

Cook’s current goal is to use his business to help at least three people become millionaires. “That’s a big professional goal of mine. Which means I have to become one first,” he says. “I’ve got some good people on my team right now, so it’s definitely a possibility.

I’m right there.”

Cook’s success as a mega agent and founder of the Kelly Cook Real Estate Group might make it difficult to believe that just 12 years ago he was new to the state, unemployed, and sleeping in his sister’s spare bedroom.

PRODUCTION

A Pivotal Moment player he’d been working with as a potential client, Cook began thinkAfter a chance encounter with his ing: the maximum he could charge sister’s landlord – where he learned on a contract as an NFL agent was that the landlord made $25,000 3 percent. That was the same peron a month’s worth of transactions centage he made showing a house.

– Cook decided he would train to become an NFL agent while selling “That’s when I got really motivated real estate to create a steady income. to focus on real estate,” Cook says.

Cook wasn’t afraid of hard work Opportunity In a Challenging Market and long hours. As a graduate assistant football coach, he had averWhen Cook decided to pursue aged 95 to 100 hours per week, 10 a full-time career in real estate months out of the year, and earned in 2009, the market was heavily $800 a month. depressed; however, where others saw chaos, Cook saw opportunity.

A $40 Start He quickly seized short sales when Cook started his real estate career agents asked him to handle the with a 20-agent boutique firm. It time-intensive work for their clients. was 2005, he was in a state where Cook had read Keller’s The Milhe knew almost no one, competilionaire Real Estate Agent and it tion was fierce and the internet was made a lot of sense to him. “The not yet relevant. game plan was set out for you – it So Cook came up with an idea: was there. You just had to follow it, he’d buy the least expensive classiplug into it,” Cook says. fied ad in the newspaper’s Rentals But even though he followed section. His thought process was the principles of the book, things that helping people find a rental weren’t working for him at Prudenwould earn him a quick $100 to tial and he didn’t know why, Cook $400 for each transaction. Then, says. During his years in Arizona, when their lease was up, he’d help many of the successful agents he those renters buy a house. met were with Keller Williams. The With no competition in that way they talked about real estate section of the classifieds, Cook rewas eye-opening: there was training ceived a reasonable number of calls and team building – ideas that were for his $40 investment. never talked about at Prudential or the boutique firm.

From NFL Recruiting to Full-Time Real Estate Cook liked real estate from the getgo. “I loved the fact that you could literally work 100 hours a week and, if you did that, you could do really well financially. You could reap what you sow,” he says.

After two years at the boutique firm, he then made the switch to Prudential Arizona Properties, now Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices, for five years. All the while, he pursued his NFL dream.

After being turned down by a

Changing Teams When he made the move to Keller Williams in 2012, the open culture was something he noticed right away: most agents at KW were willing to answer questions and share their expertise. They helped each other succeed.

Cook’s business began to change.

He began learning how to build a team. “I started taking some of the tools that Keller Williams offers – personnel reports and things of that nature – to try to match up

the right people for the right positions as much as possible,” Cook says. Then, he worked on building systems, so that when someone new joined his team he wasn’t reinventing the wheel.

His leadership has made a significant impact on others, Hughes shares.

“Kelly exudes passion for the craft of real estate and his passion is contagious. He is such a positive influence on all of our 400-plus agents. He teaches in our market center, and is a model for how to build a cohesive and unified team of focused professionals.”

Cook never wants to stop expanding his business, so no one working with him ever feels like they’re bumping up against a ceiling, he says.

“Our goal is to really keep growing. And our vision is specifically that we provide opportunity for growth for all of our team members and clients,” Cook says.

Cook is a great example of what Keller Williams is all about, Hughes says. “He lives the values that we all hold close. He is focused on building a $100 million empire and is committed to succeeding through others.”

COOK’S PLAYBOOK FOR SUCCESS Use time blocking You’re never going to be perfect at managing your time, but the more you do it, the more successful you’ll be.

Begin by putting in the time New agents must work smart and put in long hours during their initial four to eight years to build a clientele database and grow their business.

Think outside the box I got my start in real estate with a $40 classified ad because I knew I couldn’t compete with established agents on their terms. Jump at unique opportunities to develop a niche in the market.

Build a team Your success will attract top talent.

Use available tools such as the Keller Personality Assessment and the Career Visioning course to place the right person in the right job.

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By Shelby O’Neill

LISTINGS

With the summer selling season in full swing, now is a great time to take a quick pause and ask yourself: Is my listing presentation up to par?

A strong listing presentation provides agents an opportunity to share their unique value proposition while solidifying their position as a local expert.

Jackie Ellis and fellow Keller Williams agent Lance Loken of the Katy (Texas) market center are masters of delivering listing presentations that convert.

“I teach a lot about listing presentations and have made an amazing life by helping a lot of sellers,” says Ellis, who has sold over 2,500 homes.

“A listing presentation allows agents to share their value to the seller by providing details of their services, resources, marketing, effectiveness and results,” says Loken, who closed over $301 million in transactions in 2016.

How to Deliver a Listing Presentation like a Pro Internalize It It’s impossible to deliver a winning listing presentation without preparation, Ellis says.

“I don’t believe in winging anything. In order to understand what the seller wants, you have to listen carefully and not be thinking, ‘What should I say?’ To very carefully and methodically present your value proposition, you better know it before walking in the door.”

Another step Ellis recommends in preparation for a listing presentation is the creation and delivery of a preappointment package.

Set the Stage with the Pre-Appointment Package “One of the reasons we feel we’re as successful as we are is that we deliver a pre-appointment package before we even walk into the house,” she explains.

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“For every seller, within an hour of booking an appointment, a package leaves our office and is delivered to them at work or home that explains why they should hire me and my team. That way, when we arrive at the appointment, we focus mostly on them.”

Focusing on the seller allows for the opportunity to create a relationship, which is her favorite aspect of the listing appointment.

“I think connecting with the seller is really important,” she says. “You know exactly when that has happened.

In one hour, I’ve come in and connected at a high level with someone that I didn’t know an hour ago. You’ve created a relationship, and that’s the part I like.”

Overcome Objections Overcoming objections is a crucial step toward winning the listing and Loken’s favorite part about the process.

“My favorite part about listing presentations is overcoming the seller’s objections, allowing them to have a better and clearer understanding of the market on a micro- and macro scale, and getting them to agree to list with us,” says Loken.

To be as effective as possible, he recommends roleplaying those objections each and every week.

Here are some of the most common objections Loken encounters and how he overcomes them.

“The other agent was willing to work on a discounted commission.”

Let me ask you … if the agent is willing to give up their own commission, how hard do you think they will fight on your behalf at the listing table to get your home sold for as much money as possible?

PRODUCTIVIT Y

“I want a local agent.”

Selling is a numbers game. You want your home in front of EVERY potential buyer that is currently looking, not just the buyers in this “local area.”

The only thing that matters is exposure of your listing, and we have the resources, manpower and money to get your house sold. Our team maximizes the exposure of your listing by posting it on over 350 websites, social media, radio and TV advertising!

“I’d rather work with an individual agent.”

We have nothing but the utmost respect for individual agents; we also understand one person can only do so much within a 24-hour window.

When you list with us, we have over 50 agents working for you.

Set Expectations Loken offers one last piece of advice – set expectations.

“When you set expectations, you minimize misunderstandings and help facilitate future conversations, such as lowering the list price when an offer isn’t expected or when a buyer has seen more than 50 homes and still hasn’t put an offer in.”

Loken says the following expectations are a MUST: 1. Make a concerted effort to set clear expectations for communication: How frequently you will be in contact with them and any next steps that are necessary to move the process along.

2. Give your clients a clear view of the market so they know what to expect in regard to pricing so future price-adjustment conversations can run more smoothly.

He learned this the hard way.

“We failed to communicate that we had been experiencing appraisal issues to a first-time seller during an initial phone conversation. We ended up selling their house over list price, but when it didn’t appraise by $5,000, they asked us to decrease our commission so they could net the same amount. When we said no and tried to explain the appraisal process, they were very disappointed and thought we did it on purpose. We quickly learned after that incident that setting expectations up front is very important so sellers know what to expect in good times and bad.”

To help agents turn up the heat with listings this summer and beyond, Keller Williams offers the Business Objective: a Life by Design (BOLD) Experience. This sevenweek course conditions agents with powerful mindset exercises, language techniques and lead generation activities. Agents who took BOLD in 2016 increased written units by 65 percent, sold units by 59 percent and GCI by 114 percent.

“BOLD has been a game changer for our team as it helps with scripts, tone and mindset,” says Loken. “We pay for everyone’s first BOLD class when they join our team because we know it WORKS and helps with exponential achievement.”

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STR ATEGIES FOR A SUCCESSFUL LISTING PRESENTATION

1 Share your value!

If you want your potential client to choose you over another agent, you must share your unique value. Our Language of Real Estate (LORE) tool can help you provide evidence of your value and a template to underscore your validity.

2

Practice overcoming objections.

Put together a list of common objections and find someone in your market center to role-play with.

3

Deliver a pre-listing appointment package.

This will help sellers have a clear understanding of the market and why they should list with you.

4

Set expectations.

Be clear about the type and level of service you will be providing to the seller and help them visualize sitting at the closing table.

Be sure to attend BOLD! This seven-week course will help you land appointments, adopt habits for success and refine your listing presentation scripts.

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CHARLOTTE MABRY CHAT TANOOGA - DWTN (TENN.)

By Shelby O’Neill

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Mega agent CHARLOTTE MABRY takes to the airwaves as a local expert in Chattanooga

CHARLOTTE MABRY

Long-term success in real estate requires the ability to ride out both the highs and the lows of the market. Maybe it was Charlotte Mabry’s background as a music teacher that helped hone her talent for navigating the changing dynamics of real estate. With more than three decades of experience in the industry, Mabry, who is based in the Chattanooga - Downtown (Tenn.) market center, is consistently hitting high notes, closing 327 units in the past 12 months for a total closed volume of $71 million.

“One thing that has remained the same all these years is the message,” Mabry says. “To maintain stability in market shifts and to be

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recognized in your community, I believe you should find a message and – assuming it lines up with your core values – stick with it. People in our area know me as someone with values and standards who strives to do the right thing. As corny as that sounds, I do think that is a major reason I have been in the top 10 in my market for over 20 years.”

“While my message has not changed, my tools for delivery have,” she continues. “I have made sure to keep up with technology and message-delivery tools through the years. When I began in 1986, there were no computers, cell phones or fax machines. Today, we market with smartphones and

Facebook Live, all while using tried-and-true methods from the past.”

Radio - A Powerful Lead Generation Source Mabry’s weekly live radio call-in show has been an excellent lead generation source for her. At first the radio show accounted for 40 percent of her team’s business, but since focusing equally on their sphere, the show brings in 19 percent of closed business year to date.

Her team utilizes Facebook Live concurrently with the broadcast to market to their nearly 6,000 Facebook followers.

“For nearly every Saturday morning for the past nine years, I have been on the radio answering calls, responding and even doing listing appointments live on the air,” says Mabry, who grew up around media as the daughter of the first producer/director of the local NBC affiliate.

“I have had every person you can think of that might be in a real estate-related industry on to interview. Now

LOCAL EXPERT

“Watch your local market numbers, track everything you do and every source of business, put the needs of your clients before the commission dollars you may receive, and show up and work – actually do what you say you will do.”

I do about 50 percent of the shows by myself since we have developed such a following. I focus on topics each week and strive to educate the public and not just sell to them. I’ve had everyone from the mayor to local personalities on as well while working to stay out there as the market expert.”

An Unlikely Start Radio show host is worlds away from where Mabry started.

“After teaching both elementary school music and middle school choral music, I really wanted to have the opportunity to be out and about and not be tied to a classroom all day,” she says. “In addition, control over my own business life was very important to me. During this time, I became – of all things – an Amway distributor and had my first exposure to motivational reading and listening. I was hooked! From that point 35 years ago, I have enjoyed learning, reading and working on improving my ‘stinkin’ thinkin’,’ as Zig Ziglar would say.”

It was this very love of education and learning that positioned her for success in real estate.

“I would love to tell you that I have always had a good head for business; that is so not true,” Mabry says. “My music background did little to prepare me for running a business of any size, particularly the one I run today.

The good news is that I did read, study and attend training and, from that focus, learned more quickly.

For years, I learned business tactics from agents on the ground doing the business I hoped to have. KW has taken this concept to an even larger scale, and it’s one of the things I love most about this company.”

endeavor,” she says. “I was the first agent in our Chattanooga/ North Georgia market to ever run a team. While folks made fun of me, I knew the power of people leverage and have worked hard to learn all I can about developing, running and leading a team of like-minded people. As the years have gone by and with the help of KW, I now have a better focus on not just running a team but growing leaders within my team. I want to be sure my team members have every opportunity to learn and grow, just like I did.”

Additional Mechanisms for Success KW MAPS Coaching and the MREA models are two of the mechanisms Mabry has utilized the most.

“Knowing your numbers is what I think is most important for longevity in this business,” she says. “For so many years, I thought only of the next cool marketing tool or gadget or about how catchy the next marketing piece would be. It wasn’t until I came to KW in 2007 that I realized how important watching my numbers was.”

She schedules meetings on the first Monday morning of the month to review team business. Career Visioning has also assisted in finding the key players on her team.

“I tell my team members all the time that if something were to happen to me, I want their business and our team business to never notice that anything happened,” Mabry says. “I want them equipped to grow and serve our clients whether I am in the office or not.”

In addition to sharing her expertise with her team, Mabry serves as a market center and regional instructor and looks forward to obtaining her master faculty designation.

“I am an original investor in our market center, so I care enough to spend my own money to see that we have an office second to none,” she says. “My favorite thing about KW is how we as a company use on-the-ground active agents to teach and train all agents, particularly our new agents. I volunteer to teach as much as my schedule allows. I find I learn and get great ideas as well.

In addition, the networking with my fellow agents has brought much business to our team over the years.”

Leading a Team The lessons she’s learned from Keller Williams have helped propel her team forward.

“I’ve had a team of some sort for over 20 years, but it has just been in the past 10 that I truly have felt I am getting closer to running my business as a true business 9

HEAD HEAD-TURNERS

RS

Every day, top-producing agents are turning heads as they make the move to Keller Williams.

While the reason for making a brokerage change is personal for each and every agent, the desire to grow personally and professionally is evident in all.

Top-notch agents choose Keller Williams for the value they receive and the endless opportunities they have to build careers worth having, businesses worth owning, lives worth living, experiences worth giving, and legacies worth leaving. In every issue of OutFront, we celebrate these individuals. Here’s a look at a few who are now proud to call KW home.

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TURN AMANDA

SCHLEININGER SHANNON OLSEN

Combine production, passion and philanthropy and you have sisters Amanda Schleininger and Shannon Olsen of KW Legacy (Utah). This team is the second top-performing group out of all of KW Utah and were at their pinnacle of production at RE/MAX when they joined Keller Williams. Despite having a (combined) $29.7 million 12-month closed volume, GCI of $809,000 and 141 total units sold, they wanted more to give back to their communities. They recently started a nonprofit “My Utah Agents Care” and are thriving in the “give back” mentality of the Keller Williams culture. “The more successful we get, the more we give back,” say Amanda.

LAYTON, UTAH

“The limits are endless here, and we have so much to be thankful for.”

Their “KW Career Love Story,” as they call it, began at a convention that they attended alongside several Keller Williams agents. “We saw other people running their businesses and having the same big-thinking vision that we do,” Amanda says. Shannon adds, “The like-mindedness, the training and the positivity were very strong pulls toward Keller Williams. It elevated our energy.”

“We felt like we kept hitting a ceiling at our previous brokerage,” Shannon continues. Since coming to Keller Williams, “Everything has changed! We are working on a long-term business strategy. We are learning to build a team and we are learning the value in leveraging.

We are running a business like a successful business should be run.”

“The limits are endless here, and we have so much to be thankful for.

We are looking forward to continually growing our business, raising the industry standards, providing quality service to all of our clients, and of course, giving back.”

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By Catherine O’Donnell

HEAD-TURNERS

JOHN & PATRICIA

LICATA

LAKE OF THE WOODS, VA. “If you follow what Keller Williams is doing, you can achieve your highest goals.”

John and Patricia Licata purchased their home in Lake of the Woods, Va., as “weekenders” in 2008. However, after realizing that they spent the first 51 of 52 weekends at the lake, they decided to become full-time residents. Coming from the buyer’s side, Pat saw an opportunity to provide her beloved area with a new level of agent service and area expertise. She got into real estate in 2010 and quickly became very successful. Pat’s husband John joined her in obtaining his license in 2012. It was 2014 when they began the process of opening a mega office with Keller Williams.

After leaving Coldwell Banker and joining KW, the Licatas nearly doubled their production, going from $20 million to $35 million. “We didn’t have any hesitations or concerns about joining Keller Williams. In fact, we were very excited about it,” says John.

Among her passions, Pat is ardent when it comes to education and has participated in KW MAPS Coaching, BOLD, Ignite, Family Reunion, and Mega Camp. “Anything we can get to, we do,” Pat says.

John exalts the Keller Williams culture: “It’s amazing to have access to the education, and to high-level achieving agents and teams who are willing to share. The culture and training opportunities at Keller Williams are phenomenal.

We are excited to be part of such an excellent network and to have access to successful agents who share our passion to learn, grow and succeed.”

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CARLA CLARK KENT, WASH. Dedicated and loyal to her team, Clark began talking with them, and together they made the decision to move to Keller Williams after 20 years at Windemere Real Estate. “Our team is committed to an environment that allows us to serve our clients at the very highest level. The training opportunities and the highest level of coaching and modeling what is “These were conversations that went required to take your business and your deeper than just transactions and numlife to the next level has been the most bers. I felt like I was around people who helpful.” looked at life and work in a similar way as I do.” Intrigued by Keller Williams’ “I can’t tell you how much it has culture, training opportunities, systems, benefited my business to have the models and the coaching, she began experience and resources of those who thinking about making a change. “If I have gone before us. Keller Williams’ had felt like I was being sold something, entire philosophy turns real estate into or rigorously recruited, I don’t think I an experience, not just transactions.” would have been as open.”

When Carla Clark of The Results Team in Kent, Wash., joined Keller Williams, she wasn’t looking for a change. She had already grown a successful business that in 2016 sold 110 units resulting in $49 million in sales. But after a series of conversations and get-togethers with KW agents, her interest quickly grew.

“Keller Williams has a language, a culture, models and systems that are unique to real estate. Their entire philosophy turns real estate into an experience, not just transactions.”

CHEENA CHANDRA CHICAGO, ILL. Cheena Chandra originally joined Keller Williams back in 2008, serving as a broker in Irvine and Newport Beach, Calif. At the time, the market had just crashed and she recalled Gary Keller’s words, “In times like that, you can thrive.”

Chandra took Keller’s words to heart and more than thrived, earning KW’s Rookie of the Year and serving on the Associate Leadership Council. “I feel like I’ve been pushed past my comfort zone to elevate and catapult my business,” she proclaimed.

“Returning to Keller Williams is like coming full circle. I have been waiting for the right opportunity to come back to the strongest culture and agentfocused company in real estate.”

After a departure from Keller Williams, Chandra moved back to Chicago and rejoined the company in January 2017.

“Returning to Keller Williams is like coming full circle,” she says. “I started my real estate career at KW in California and have been

waiting for the right opportunity to come back to the strongest culture and agentfocused company in real estate, with a belief system that supports all that is important to me in helping my clients.”

Chandra extols the virtues of the training at Keller Williams. “The training is amazing.

With deep sincerity, it was evident that the Keller Williams culture was one that valued my intelligence. I’m surrounded by people who get it. I feel elevated by smart, amazing people. Everyone is so generous and open, and the great beauty of Keller Williams is that they make this their growth strategy.”

Disciplined and goal oriented, Chandra hopes to open market centers, as well as a luxury division within her current office.

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HEAD-TURNERS

LARS

HEDENBORG

CHARLOTTE, N.C. In 2016, as an independent agent, Lars Hedenborg, Ballantyne Area, N.C., was a $100 million producer. He is an expert in his local area, he holds a master’s degree in business administration (MBA) from the Fuqua School of Business at Duke University and he has invested extensively and wisely in business coaches.

So, how did this mega make the move to Keller Williams? “I got to know Thomas Elrod, professionally and personally. He led the #1 KW team in the Ballantyne area and had just opened a mega agent office.

We developed a relationship that eventually turned into a partnership.”

Hedenborg merged his team with Elrod’s, forming the complementary team of prospecting and marketing excellence. “We are making it prospecting based, marketing enhanced. We are committed to accountability and discipline,” citing Gary Keller’s quote: “Accountability is the breakfast of champions.”

Hedenborg, a devout advocate for the importance of models and systems, elaborates on what sets Keller Williams apart. “Their culture of sharing and giving sets everyone up for success. Everyone at KW really wants you to succeed, in all aspects of your life, not just real estate. All of the training is top tier. We are able to talk and connect to some of the smartest people and work at the highest level.”

“Keller Williams revolutionized the way real estate is structured.”

NAPERVILLE, ILL.

KAREN

“Keller Williams has the best and most defined models. Their straightforward and comprehensive team methodology is unparalleled.”

MARPOSON “The traditional real estate model that’s been in existence has to change, and that change is toward building successful teams.”

This statement came from a woman who spent a large part of her successful 20 years in real estate as an independent agent. In her earlier years, Karen Marposon and a partner built and ran her own “boutique” real estate agency in Naperville, Ill. In 2016, during the middle of a remarkable year that resulted in $32 million in sales, Marposon moved her business to Keller Williams.

What attracted her to Keller Williams were the models, systems and methodologies. “Incorporating this into our business has resulted in efficiencies in the performance of day-to-day tasks, which results in the best service to our clients,” she says.

Her business credo involves “win-win” transactions, positive results and solutions that are tailored uniquely to the clients she serves.

“You have to look at the business and your market and draw some logical conclusions” Marposon explains. “Today we have consumers calling with more information than the person behind the desk. In order to provide the consumer and client with the best service and value, we have to build teams.

This industry benefits tremendously from team structure.”

Marposon reflects on the challenges she was facing, especially having come from being independent for the majority of her career. “Did I really want to grow a team?

Building a team requires commitment and represents a return to the ‘business’ of real estate vs. selling real estate.

Once you make a commitment to hiring the right team, you begin to build the ‘machine.’”

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OPPORTUNIT Y

TOP FRANCHISE FOR WOMEN

TOP

FRANCHISE FOR

WOMEN

Mega agent Geetika Nagpal isn’t surprised that Keller Williams is on Franchise Business Review’s list of the Top 50 Franchises for Women in 2017.

“I think Keller Williams is very supportive of both men and women,” Nagpal explains. However, having female role models within the company such as Tracey Forde, her team leader at the Kirkland (Wash.) market center, makes a difference to her. “She consistently pushes me to think bigger.”

Franchise Business Review developed its list based on feedback from 6,400 female franchisees that rated aspects crucial to their success such as leadership, training, marketing and financial picture. The publication’s list honors franchises that support women in meeting their personal and financial goals while fostering gender equality.

Breaking the Mold At Keller Williams, not only are more than 50 percent of the company’s 150,789 associates women, so are twothirds of the board of directors and half of the executive leadership team. That is in stark contrast to a 2015 study of women in leadership by Urban Land Institute which found women surveyed only make up 14 percent of CEOs of real estate and land use organizations.

“Keller Williams has always been a strong advocate and platform for women leaders,” says Mary Tennant, current member of the Keller Williams board and the company’s former COO and president.

GEETIKA NAGPAL

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By Dorothy de Souza Guedes

TOP FRANCHISE FOR WOMEN

Earlier this year, Swanepoel named Tennant one of the 15 most powerful women in residential real estate. Her leadership trajectory reflects the opportunities Keller Williams provides women entrepreneurs. The year she joined the company as an agent, she was named Rookie of the Year. This led to the opportunity to serve as the team leader of the company’s flagship market center. Later, she became an operating partner of what is likely the largest single real estate office in the world.

In her many roles, Tennant has provided countless women leaders with opportunities to build profitable, sustainable businesses and make a difference in people’s lives.

There are regional owners, regional directors, market center owners, team leaders and coaches who are women, notes Mo Anderson, vice chairman of the board. She was a 57-year-old woman chosen by a 37-year-old Gary Keller when she was named CEO of KW in 1994, Anderson says.

And the trend of women in leadership roles has continued: by June 2017, 55 percent of market center leadership were women.

Shattering the Glass Ceiling “Keller Williams provides everyone the limitless ability to make dreams come true,” Anderson says. “We are taught to build profitable businesses, teams and wealth.”

One of the most successful Keller Williams leaders is Dianna Kokoszka, CEO of KW MAPS Coaching.

Kokoszka led the company to be named the No. 1 worldwide leader in training across all industries by Training magazine. “The training and coaching division of our company responsible for this award is run by a brilliant woman,” Anderson says.

Keller Williams has always attracted women leaders and provided them with opportunities to succeed, says Holly Priestner, vice president, KWRI. “At KWRI, we are spoiled having direct access to extraordinary mentors like Mo Anderson, Mary Tennant and Dianna Kokoszka. It’s an honor to work alongside and learn from great leaders like our General Counsel Jamie Jatzlau and our Chief Financial Officer Ann Yett,” Priestner says. “I can’t imagine a more supportive environment in which to grow and develop as a leader.”

That’s often not the case in other real estate companies. For example, a recent Inman’s Special Report, “Does real estate have a gender problem?” noted that nearly 40 percent of women felt that their

gender was a factor in them not getting a promotion, compared to 10 percent of men who reported they had the same experience.

Building the Career of Her Dreams For Nagpal, she has been able to develop as a business owner and leader of her team with the direct support of Forde and the rest of the Kirkland office. Even before she joined Keller Williams in January 2016, Forde was interested in her success, Nagpal says. Forde also helped her solve the problems she was facing.

In her first four months, Nagpal closed four homes. The next year, she closed 28 homes and began drawing the attention of other companies, but decided to turn real estate into a full-time career with Keller Williams.

“I just felt better connected with Tracey. She had my best interests in mind,” Nagpal explains. “She would always make the time for me.”

Forde’s persistence not only convinced Nagpal to leave the

Left to right: MO ANDERSON (VIce Chairman of the Board), MARY TENNANT (Member of the Board).

Left to right: DIANNA KOKOSZKA (CEO of KW MAPS Coaching), HOLLY PRIESTNER (Vice President, KWRI), JAMIE JATZLAU (General Counsel), ANN YETT (Chief Financial Officer).

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OPPORTUNIT Y

brokerage where she began her real estate career, but after less than three months with Keller Williams, Nagpal also quit her job at Microsoft, where she had worked for nine years.

She is both excited and surprised by the change in her career path. She moved to the United States from India, earning a degree in computer engineering from the University of Maryland in College Park. “When I got a job at Microsoft, that was the biggest thing that could happen. What more could I ask for?”

With her new career, Nagpal has answered her own question.

“I started to enjoy (real estate), and I quit (Microsoft). I’ve never looked back. It’s pretty amazing, actually,” Nagpal says.

She loves the healthy competition.

“There are a lot of people who are doing so much better than you and running bigger teams. They inspire you,” Nagpal says.

When they met, Forde asked Nagpal what her plan was to scale her business. “I had no clue, I was clueless,” Nagpal says. Last summer when Nagpal decided to grow her business beyond referrals, she began working 10 to 14 hours a day. “It was crazy,” she says. Forde gave her the idea to create a team.

“I made my first hire, and that gave me confidence when I started to see results,” Nagpal says. With training and guidance, she has hired two more agents and an admin/ in-house transaction coordinator to leverage herself more. “It’s still a new team, but I already see results.”

grow a real estate business. The Keller Williams value proposition was the main driver in her becoming the company’s agent, she says.

“Reading The Millionaire Real Estate Agent was mind-blowing since it became clear to me what the steps were to reach superior levels of performance,” Gomes says.

For example, she learned to have a purposeful approach to building a team. “Accountability also made me have clarity about my business numbers and has been fueling me to reach my goals.”

The organizational model of her market center provides her with the support she needs to overcome the daily business challenges, Gomes says.

“Keller Williams gives everyone the same opportunities independent of their gender, religion or race,” she says.

The challenges in her market are not dependent on gender. Instead, it’s about having a great value proposition and a level of service for buyers and sellers, Gomes explains.

Even with her growing success, Gomes is still able to balance what she considers the best benefit of being with Keller Williams: more time with her family.

“Above all that, I’m in control of my business and personal life because I can manage time based on my priorities,” she says.

“I know that my success totally depends on the way I perform my activities since Keller Williams provides me everything I need to succeed.”

- Mariluz Gomes, KW Portugal

Supporting Women Worldwide Keller Williams provides entrepreneurship and leadership opportunities to women all over the world. Two years ago, Mariluz Gomes chose KW Portugal because she could access models and systems with proven results to

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By Catherine O’Donnell

HOLLI M C CRAY & JOHN VERDEAUX KNOXVILLE-WEST (TENN.)

When husband and wife team Holli McCray and John Verdeaux opened The Holli McCray Group (HMG) at the Knoxville-West (Tenn.) market center, Knoxville was a flourishing real estate market and they were profitable

WANT HOLLI MCCRAY AND JOHN VERDEAUX

right out of the gate.

Today, the Holli McCray Group is the #1 Keller Williams team in Tennessee, the #2 Keller Williams team in the region and a top 100 Keller Williams team worldwide. In the past 12 months, they have closed 430 units for a total volume of $80.5 million. McCray and Verdeaux are proud of the business they have built, but looking back, McCray admits they weren’t always living the life they wanted to.

“I was chained to my business,” she says.

After years of working late evenings and entire weekends, the couple recognized it was time for a change and made the decision to join Keller Williams.

A Clear Choice Verdeaux says it was clear which company they needed to join.

“Keller Williams was doing business a lot differently than the other brokerages in town. Their technology and agent training were far more advanced than any other. We knew we wanted to break the existing mold here, and we believed that only Keller Williams would allow us to do just that.”

The Need for Accountability John and Holli made the move to Keller Williams and saw their business continue to scale. While skeptical at first, a colleague helped McCray see that a KW MAPS Coach would help the team work through their growing pains and provide the accountability they unknowingly craved.

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MASTERY

“Our coach has helped Holli and I have more defined roles within our business, which has greatly reduced some of the stress and tension we experienced early on as a by-product of working together.”

- John Verdeaux

Their Mastery coach began by helping them define their goals and then held them to the process of attaining them while providing direction and encouragement.

Since enrolling in the program, their GCI has more than doubled and they have been able to build the sales team they’d always dreamed of.

“Mastery Coaching helped us set standards for our team members, and as we’ve hired to the standards, we’ve been able to attract highercaliber team members,” says McCray. “As a result, we are ALL working toward the same goal.”

“The success of our team has opened doors to work with some great people within the industry,” adds Verdeaux. The renewed focus and leverage gained through Mastery Coaching has allowed McCray and Verdeaux to open doors of opportunity to their team.

Rewards “Coaching taught me what to focus on so that I could gain leverage and provide opportunity for others while I work on HMG from a 30,000-foot view versus working in the field,” says McCray. “Our general manager and I work closely.

While he provides a high level of team accountability and customer

service, I work to create more opportunity for our team members.”

The results of Mastery Coaching have not only been extremely rewarding for the husband-wife duo professionally, but personally as well.

“Now, we can take family vacations because I know the talented people that work with us at HMG have everything covered. As a mother of a teenager, the ability to spend time with family is priceless,” says McCray.

Verdeaux agrees.

“Our coach has helped us have more defined roles within our business, which has greatly reduced some of the stress and tension we experienced early on as a by-product of working together.”

Team Leader J. Lewis points out that Verdeaux and McCray are not only successful, but balanced and widely revered leaders in their market center.

“John and Holli have given the most to KW Cares of any agents in our market center. They are very involved in their church, family and community. They have helped lead their team to long-term volunteer positions with two charities within our community. They are always willing to help and teach and are a shining example of our Keller Williams culture.”

KW MAPS MASTERY COACHES SHARE THREE UNEXPECTED WAYS COACHING CAN POSITIVELY IMPACT YOUR LIFE. 1. Clearer sense of purpose A well-defined purpose is the foundation of a big life, but the process of uncovering and identifying your purpose can be difficult. Through a variety of exercises and thought-provoking questions, coaches help you break through the mental clutter that gets in the way of helping you identify your personal mission.

2. Increased financial literacy Financial stability frees you from the mounting stress of day-to-day life and is the ticket to a better future for you and your family. Coaching will increase your financial literacy and help you identify where to place your energy and dollars so your dreams can become reality.

3. How to remain at your peak performance With the many demands of business, family and community, it can be easy to run yourself into the ground. Coaching introduces you to new methods and techniques so you can better recognize when your life is out of balance and how to restore quickly so you can maintain a high level of performance.

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SELL AS SPACE

MARKETING

KW LUXURY INTERNATIONAL

Lesli Akers, one of the most recognized leaders in high-end real estate, takes the helm at KW Luxury International and is bringing a whole new look to luxury.

NEW LOOK, NEW LEADERSHIP If there is a champion of luxury real estate, it is Lesli Akers.

As the new president of KW Luxury International, making Keller Williams the number one brand in luxury is the highest item on her agenda. And, after rolling out the division’s new branding at their annual retreat in May, she’s proving that she is well on her way!

Akers steps into the role with a profound understanding of the luxury market and more than

15 years of corporate sales and marketing experience. Throughout her real estate career, she’s built an impressive database of clients including top CEOs, numerous coaches for the Dallas Cowboys and other professional sports teams, as well as famous Texas families with deep roots in the Metroplex.

A natural relationship builder, Akers easily transitioned to a leadership role at her market center. Her talent and devotion earned her

the title of Hall of Fame Team Leader of one of the world’s largest real estate offices, where she served for nine years. Under her leadership, the Keller Williams DFW Southlake (Texas) market center grew to nearly 700 agents, and their luxury division, consisting of two dozen agents, closed nearly $700 million in transactions in 2016.

OutFront sat down with Akers to learn more about her passion for real estate and how KW Luxury’s new branding provides agents with an opportunity to stand out in the market and win with luxury clients.

CONTINUED

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KW LUXURY INTERNATIONAL

By Lalaina Rabary

“It’s a timeless and classic look that is unique yet warm and OutFront: When did you know you wanted to get into real estate?

Lesli Akers: I knew at the age of 12 this was what I was going to do. It all began with my parents’ agent, Kathleen, who helped our family find a house in Austin after my dad (Fred Akers) received the position as head football coach at The University of Texas. I was so intrigued with what she did and asked her a million questions. After we bought the house, I told my parents, “I’m going to be a real estate agent.”

inviting. It will resonate with the luxury market once clients see it.”

Tell us about when you joined Keller Williams.

I joined Keller Williams as an agent in 1996 after many years in sales and marketing for some of the top senior living facilities in the country. I was the 12th agent at the Southlake office. That was back when you made a property flier by taking a picture, going to the pharmacy to get it developed and taking a glue stick and attaching it to paper [laughs]. But I loved it. I still remember my clients. A year and a half later, I was lured back into the senior living industry in sales and marketing until returning to real estate in 2001.

What draws you to luxury real estate?

An unusual, high-level, over-the-top service.

When you work with a clientele that is accustomed to a certain level of service, they appreciate the differences. My real estate business was 95 percent referral based and hinged on the level of service I provided.

What is luxury?

It’s an environment where you start noticing the little things. The little details set apart the ordinary from the extraordinary. That’s the difference between traditional real estate and luxury.

What drew you to your role at KW Luxury International?

Professionally, it was a natural progression LESLI AKERS

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MARKETING

from my role as a team leader. market, looks are paramount. The Everything I’m teaching now is process began with benchmarking what I did at my own market center. luxury brands across a variety Personally, it was Keller Williams’ of industries. Next, our talented values: God, Family, then Business. design team created several Five years ago, my older brother different concepts, which we became very ill with cancer and had placed in front of consumer test to have surgery. My agents prayed groups for feedback. us through a life-or-death situation.

The final product is a timeless and He had a fifty-fifty chance of surclassic look that is unique yet warm vival and ended up surviving. There and inviting. It will resonate with was a bond with my agents more the luxury market once clients see than ever after that. it. The new branding is more than a As his disease progressed, I made pretty logo. It’s a look that will help a commitment to come home at an agent’s company look beautiful least one weekend a month. On while creating more validity and Thanksgiving 2016, I had to tell my legitimacy around their business. crew that things were getting bad All of this is important because, and their support was critical. at the end of the day, it’s all about I would work in the Dallas area helping our agents have better until Thursday night, drive to businesses. The new branding Austin on Friday and be back in the includes tools and marketing pieces office on Tuesday before we opened that are crafted to speak specifically every week. I was my brother’s to the luxury market. It will help caregiver. After he passed away this agents build their own name and past January, I decided to move to brand within the Keller Williams Austin to be with my parents. When brand. When you see more Keller we say God and family first, we are Williams signs in the yards of luxury not giving it lip service. I want to homes, the general public will go, model that with my agents.

“Wow! KW Luxury is the luxury real estate company!” and then What would you like to do this year homeowners down the street will say, with the luxury division?

“I want to list with them too!”

I’ve been tasked by John Davis, a leader I admire greatly, to grow the What else do you look forward to acluxury division to the point where complishing this year? we are the voice of luxury in the I am helping leaders understand industry. Our brand-new look is the value of having luxury divisions just a part of this plan. in their market centers and how they create them. I believe that our Tell us a little bit about why KW Keller Williams agents should have Luxury re-branded and how the new access to the benefits and, maybe look will help agents. even more importantly, the referral We pursued the re-brand due to support system that our division compliance and so our luxury membership provides. agents could resonate even more When agents join KW Luxury with today’s consumer. In this International, we help them

understand how to use their membership to be more successful. I look at real estate as an opportunity for servant leadership with my people. At the luxury division, you get to serve at a much different price point.

Let’s fast forward to a year from now. What would have to have happened for you to say that KW Luxury had a successful year?

An agent would be able to confidently say, “I love the Keller Williams luxury division. This is something that has really helped build my business. My GCI has doubled as a result of being a member.”

You’re busy! How do you stay motivated and productive?

While my world certainly gets messy, I feel that having a team in production ensures that I never lose sight of what’s most important in the day-to-day life of a luxury agent. At Keller Williams Realty International, I am surrounded by a strong, cohesive team and we know what our ONE Thing is – supporting our luxury members.

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By Lalaina Rabary

KW CARES

A CULTURE OF CARING After Hurricane Katrina ripped through the Gulf States in 2005, leaders at KW Cares made a decision that would set the trajectory of the organization and change the lives of Keller Williams agents for years to come.

“Katrina was the catalyst for us to help our people when a natural disaster strikes,” comments Kathy Neu, executive director for KW Cares.

An emergency hotline was set up to locate associates and a long-term relief program called Heart 2 Heart launched to allow market centers from across the country to adopt Keller Williams families impacted by the hurricane.

Since Katrina, KW Cares has provided both short- and long-term support to agents and their families in 16 natural disasters. They have also awarded over 1,000 grants through their emergency hotline.

Overcoming Challenges Each disaster has brought new sets of challenges that the KW Cares team has worked diligently to overcome.

“When the Louisiana floods happened right on the heels of West Virginia last year, we were scrambling to get the supplies to Louisiana,” says Rachel Tang, programs manager at KW Cares. “After that experience, we began working on streamlining our efforts so we can provide relief on a faster and more targeted basis.”

Neu agrees with Tang and adds that the organization “could have easily been one natural disaster away from financial crisis.” at that time. “In addition to being more prepared, we have to raise more money because things can happen so quickly,” she says.

The organization is now poised 24

VOL.14.2 2017

to respond more meaningfully during catastrophes.

Thanks to the generous contributions of Keller Williams associates, KW Cares was able to purchase three trailers for semi trucks stocked with supplies that can be used in any disaster. The semi trucks will allow for resources to be quickly dispatched and delivered to those in need.

“We want to be a force that is really big out there so we can help a lot of people. That is why in the future, we’re strategically placing ourselves across the country so we can take our support to a whole new level,” Neu says.

Disaster relief is only one facet of KW Cares.

The organization also provides assistance to associates and their families experiencing hardship as a result of a sudden emergency. Andy Kontz, agent at the Sioux Falls, S.D., market center, has experienced the generosity of KW Cares firsthand. In the fall of 2013, Kontz walked into the emergency room suspecting he had the flu, and within hours he was diagnosed with leukemia. After hearing about his diagnosis, the Sioux Falls market center wrapped their arms around Kontz.

“They delivered food and pillows to me, organized fundraisers, and made sure the snow on my sidewalk was shoveled out.” The market center encouraged him to apply for a grant from KW Cares that was approved to help pay for Kontz’s medical and living expenses. “It was a relief that I didn’t have to worry about paying my rent. I knew I wouldn’t have that if I were with another company in town. The first bill I received from the hospital was $110,000. At that time, I didn’t have health insurance.”

After two rounds of chemotherapy, doctors told Kontz that he would need a bone marrow transplant to survive, but they couldn’t find a donor in the database and none of his siblings were a match.

“When I received the news, I remember my mom called and I couldn’t talk to her. After 20 minutes, I composed myself and remember saying that there will be someone out there.”

Kontz was correct. At the last minute, a donor was found in Germany, and on April 2, 2014, he had the bone marrow transplant that saved his life.

“I wouldn’t be here without my market center and KW Cares. KW Cares gave me hope and gives thousands of people hope every day.

When you have support around you, miracles can happen.”

CULTURE

LEGACIES WORTH LEAVING

BUILDING A

LEGACY

WORTH LEAVING At Family Reunion 2017, the International Associate Leadership Council (IALC) voted to approve two additions to the company’s mission statement: careers worth having, businesses worth owning, lives worth living, experiences worth giving and legacies worth leaving. Meet Keller Williams associates who are living this mission and creating huge lives for future generations to come.

The Belt Team Brother and sister Terry Belt and Christy Belt Grossman, of the McLean, Va., market center, are following in their mother Gail Belt’s footsteps, running the highly successful real estate team she began in the 60s.

When asked what she loved most about seeing her children carrying on the legacy she’s built, Gail says, “I am in total awe of what they have done. I know that the business I built is in the best hands it can be and will continue to provide for future generations.” Gail’s husband and business partner Jerry adds,

“Take nothing for granted. Even family members need to prove themselves.”

- Christy Belt Left to right: GAIL, TERRY, JERRY and CHRISTY BELT

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By Allison Teegardin

LEGACIES WORTH LEAVING

“Who wouldn’t dream of working with their children and seeing them achieve such great success? It is very rewarding.”

As Terry and Christy continue to build the successful business their mother started, they are planning for their children’s future as well as their parents’. “One of the great things Keller Williams offered was the opportunity for our mom to build profit share and still earn while she entered a new chapter in her life,” notes Terry.

“We were living the Keller Williams mission statement long before we joined the company,” says Christy.

“And this is why we wanted to be in business with a business that shares our common values,” adds Terry, who encouraged the family to move to Keller Williams in 2008.

In addition to passive income opportunities, Terry and Christy utilize a host of tools provided by Keller Williams to help them in all aspects of the company’s mission. “The MREA budget model and agent financials have helped us get real about our business and be profitable,” says Terry.

The Belt Team is truly living lives worth living. “In the beginning, I couldn’t believe the Keller Williams culture was real,” says Christy. “But we quickly experienced it firsthand in our market center when our father was ill and everyone stepped up to help us. It’s like an extended family.”

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The Finkelstein Reader Team

“I am grateful that my daughters and grandchildren love what I did and they are truly paying homage to my life’s work.”

- Marilyn Finkelstein

The Finkelsteins of the Plantation, Fla., market center have real estate in their DNA. Laurie Finkelstein Reader, a second generation real estate agent, wanted a flexible career with unlimited earning potential so she could provide for her two children. Unknowingly, when Laurie joined her mom Marilyn Finkelstein in the business, she embarked on a venture that would provide for much more than her own children. It was the beginning of her legacy.

From crawling under her grandparents’ desk to being recognized as one of REALTOR® Magazine’s 30 Under 30, seven-time BOLD graduate Saria Finkelstein loves being in business with family. “To be able to share every aspect of your life and build a relationship beyond family is incredible,” she says. Active in her local Keller Williams Young Professionals (KWYP) chapter and a KW MAPS Coaching client, Saria’s success and passion for the business inspired

her cousin Eric Beane to join them.

“Working with people you like is key, but working with people you love is priceless,” says Beane.

Gabrielle Beane is also building the family business as an administrative associate, truly making this a family affair.

While the Finkelstein Reader team is on track this year to hit $4.5 million in GCI, Laurie notes that it is about so much more than money. “Nothing can match the satisfaction of being part of such a great company and getting to

VOL.14.2 2017

Standing left to right: SARIA FINKELSTEIN, LAURIE FINKELSTEIN READER, GABRIELLE BEANE and ERIC BEANE Sitting: MARILYN FINKELSTEIN

experience it with family,” she says.

“Our daily question is, ‘How many other people can we help?’” says Saria. “How many lives can we change? As a family we are making the effort to change lives.”

The journey has been nothing short of exciting for Marilyn to watch.

“In 1974 when we opened our first of five offices, we did not realize how our business would affect our children. I am grateful that my daughters and grandchildren love what I did and they are truly paying homage to my life’s work.”

CULTURE

“I wanted to build a life to protect my parents and give them freedom to do what they want.”

- Seychelle Van Poole

The Van Poole Team Barbara and Seychelle Van Poole, of the Dallas Preston Road market center, are a dynamic motherdaughter duo. Barbara became an agent in 2001 with dreams of building her own business. She hit the ground running, earning the honor of International Rookie of the Year her first year in business.

“We are blessed to be in the real estate industry, because we make a difference in people’s lives,” says Barbara. “To have my daughter and family share this vision and passion of helping people is profoundly rewarding, exciting and fun!”

When her daughter, Seychelle, decided to get into real estate, it actually wasn’t at Barbara’s urging. Seychelle

BARBARA and SEYCHELLE VAN POOLE

wanted to find a career that would not only sustain her, but allow her to provide for her parents in the future. “At first I wasn’t attracted to real estate, but then I learned about real estate investing and my interest was piqued,” says Seychelle.

From not having any industry interest to closing 36 deals her first year, Seychelle became a successful real estate agent before she was a homeowner. “I purchased three rental properties before I bought my first home,” she notes.

Together, Barbara and Seychelle are empowering their team to invest in real estate and fund their “big why.” Using The Millionaire Real Estate Investor and HOLD books, they can show people how easy investing can be. “These books break it down into a process and they help eliminate the fear of the unknown and the risks,” says Seychelle.

Seychelle adds that when people build their legacy, they have an idea that what they are doing is bigger than themselves. “I wanted to build a life to protect my parents and give them freedom to do what they want.” Mirroring Seychelle’s sentiments, Barbara says, “Seychelle is a talented leader who inspires the best in everyone around her. It is an honor to be her mother and business partner.”

Every family has a different story to tell, but these three families have quite a bit in common. Even though some stories began almost 50 years ago and others are just getting started, they are all fueled by the desire to enjoy careers worth having and businesses worth owning. These families are not only living lives worth living, they are also providing others with experiences worth giving, and, as a result, they are creating legacies worth leaving.

THE VAN POOLES ON BUILDING A BUSINESS WITH FAMILY Don’t cheat on the hiring process. Before you hire a family member, make sure it is not only good for them, it is good for the business.

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By Gwen Moran

MASTER BUILDERS

BUILD YOUR DREAM TEAM Grow your business by helping talent self-discover their natural strengths.

Left to right: Co-Team Leader VLADIMIR KATS Market Center Administrator TEAL CLISE Operating Principal SETH CAMPBELL Agent KAREN CLARK and Co-Team Leader TINA BELIVEAU

In three years, Keller Williams Legacy in Pikesville, Md., has catapulted from a launch market center to a powerhouse with 411 agents. The market center’s gross sales totaled more than $441 million in 2016, with 2,195 units sold.

As of April 2017, Keller Williams Legacy was number one in market share in Baltimore City and Baltimore County – an area with “hundreds of real estate offices,” according to Co-Team Leader Vladimir Kats. Their secret? Using the Leverage Series to move people into the right roles, making the entire team stronger.

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GROWTH

“The magic of going through the Career Visioning process helped me figure out what my ideal future world would look like and if this organization would be a fit.”

- Tina Beliveau

“I remember sitting in this building when it was still under construction. We just had a flip chart, and we were mapping out what we really wanted to do in this area,” says Operating Principal Seth Campbell, who also serves as regional director for the Maryland and D.C. Region. The team kept coming back to creating a “mega agent conversation” that would attract top talent. Their “big why” was to “transform lives through real estate,” he says.

The Value of Career Visioning Being devotees of the accountability, systems and training that are among the Keller Williams hallmarks helped the

market center gain traction very quickly. When the company unveiled the first tools of the Leverage Series in 2016, the market center became an early adopter.

Career Visioning is a leadership process and course that helps anyone looking to build a business, find, train and lead people.

In addition, Career Visioning breaks down the hiring processes into manageable steps and introduces models to help businesses map out their plans for growth.

Campbell calls Career Visioning the team’s “operating system.”

Attracting (and Maximizing) Talent One example of a Career Visioning-inspired career change is Tina Beliveau. She was a $50 million producer in the summer of 2016 when she went through the Career Visioning process with Kats.

What they found was astonishing: Even though she was one of the company’s top producers, she showed just a 40 percent match for being a mega agent.

“I’ve achieved a pretty respectable level of success, and yet there are a lot of areas of friction that have not been comfortable for me. So the magic of going through that process, the motivational interview, and talking about what my ideal future would look like, and whether this organization, culture and role could be a vehicle – it built that confidence and that vision,” she says. Now, as co-team leader of the market center, she says she’s in her “behavioral sweet spot” and that it’s the best thing that’s ever happened in her career.

Kats and the team are building a leadership bench and helping team

members discover their own strengths and preferences.

The goal isn’t necessarily to identify weaknesses so they can be addressed, explains Kats. Rather, it’s to identify the areas of greatest strength so that Keller Williams Legacy can match the individual to the best possible role and then build out systems for areas where the individual may not be as strong or focused.

For agents, it’s like a laser-focused tool to help them overcome why they’re not achieving their goals, adapt new habits or even new roles, and get them back on track for success, says Kats.

Karen Clark’s story is proof that the system works.

“I came to the market center with two very stagnant listings. Since January, they both closed and I’m holding 18 listings right now,” she says. She credits the productivity training and tools like the Career Growth Initiative (CGI) for helping her understand her big why and how to get to the next level.

Consistency Is Key Kats says that by having the whole team – from the OP to the TLs to each agent – plug into Career Visioning and the Leverage Series courses (which also includes 30-60-90 and Success Through Others), everyone has the opportunity to adjust and adapt their career paths to ensure their greatest success.

In keeping with Keller Williams’ commitment to helping people achieve their personal and professional goals, no matter how big they are, agent teams also have access to the Leverage Series tools to deepen their talent bench, just like the Legacy leadership team. Building on individual strengths allows each to build their own careers, teams and the market center as a whole.

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By Lalaina Rabary

KW WORLDWIDE

The growth at Keller Williams continues!

At Family Reunion 2017, our company announced the addition of two new regions, Jamaica and Puerto Rico. Through talented local leadership, KW has impacted the lives of over 4,300 agents outside of the United States and Canada and is poised to empower more agents with proven models and systems.

INTRODUCING ...

RORY MARSH

KW JAMAICA In June, under the leadership of Rory Marsh, Jamaica-based Meldam Realty was transformed into KW Jamaica.

“We are all very excited! Keller Williams’ culture of caring for agents and extensive training is well-known across the country,” says Marsh.

Marsh is a revered leader in Jamaica’s real estate market. He is a REALTORS® Association of Jamaica member and recently won the St. Ann Chamber of Commerce’s Young Entrepreneur Award. As the regional operating principal, he oversees the implementation and expansion of Keller Williams’ proven systems, models and agent-centric culture.

“The systems and culture of Keller Williams have been ingrained in us for years,” says Marsh, who credits The Millionaire Real Estate Agent written by Gary Keller as the business’s blueprint for success. “By following the principles of the book – leads, listings and leverage – we earned the highest amount of listings in the MLS. With further implementation of the systems and models of Keller Williams, I believe that we will become THE real estate company of choice in Jamaica.”

“Keller Williams’ culture of caring for agents and extensive training is well-known across the country.”

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VOL.14.2 VOL. 14.2 2017 2017

JAMAICA & PUERTO RICO

“We are changing real estate in Puerto Rico!

Now we can provide agents with more structure, education and training so we can become better at what we do.”

ORBE SOTO & SYLVIA PURCELL

KW PUERTO RICO After learning about Keller Williams, Orbe Soto and his leadership team saw an opportunity to expand their business while making a positive impact on their agents.

“We were already implementing a lot of principles from Keller Williams’ culture and it felt like a natural fit,” he says.

Since 2000, Soto has served as the owner and president of Puerto Rico-based Grand Homes Real Estate and will soon become the regional operating principal of the newly rebranded franchise that will open in late summer 2017.

“It’s all about offering agents an opportunity to become better professionals so they can have an abundant future,” Soto explains.

Sylvia Purcell, regional director of the new region, is confident that joining Keller Williams will help their team of 60-plus agents continue to make their mark on the Puerto Rican market.

“We are changing real estate in Puerto Rico! Now we can provide agents with more structure, education and training so we can become better at what we do.”

KW WORLDWIDE OUTLOOK Keller Williams Jamaica and Keller Williams Puerto Rico join 23 other locations beyond the United States and Canada. The worldwide division continues to explore further opportunities across South and Central America, Central and Eastern Europe, Africa, and Asia.

“As KW grows around the world, we are delighted to welcome leaders such as Orbe, Rory and their talented team members,” says Bill Soteroff, president of KW Worldwide. “They embody all that is good in our industry and have demonstrated that our KW culture is applicable and strong in both Puerto Rico and Jamaica. We are making a difference in people’s lives!”

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SELL AS SPACE

E C O N O M I C U P DAT E

STAFF ECONOMIST

ECONOMIC TRENDS TO WATCH FOR THE REMAINDER OF 2017

Ruben Gonzalez, staff economist for Keller Williams and a key member of the in-house research team, outlines several economic factors to keep an eye on during the last half of the year.

FEDERAL RESERVE POLICY The housing market has benefited over the past several years from both the Federal Reserve’s accommodative monetary policy and its direct provision of liquidity into the secondary market for mortgages.

With the economy near full employment by all appearances and inflation beginning to normalize, we are likely to see these benefits begin to diminish in the near future. This normalization of Fed policy will almost assuredly translate into higher borrowing rates for most potential home buyers.

MORTGAGE RATES Mortgage rates have been a tricky topic over the last couple of years and may remain that way for some time. In this environment, it’s unlikely that mortgage rates will be able to maintain the persistently low levels we have seen over the previous year. At the beginning of 2017, we saw mortgage rates consistently close to half a point above the levels seen in the same months of 2016.

The impact of upward trending rates will be to slow demand for the purchase of homes, but from what we have seen so far, we think that we will continue to see high demand at the bottom end of the market. However, at the move-up and lower-end luxury price points, higher rates

might slow things down meaningfully in markets that have seen a lot of turnover in the previous couple of years.

to move into the entry-level markets; however, the question of whether or not it is enough given the timing of rising mortgage rates still remains.

POLICY WINS AND LOSSES

If everything works out perfectly, then we would see entry-level and move-up inventory levels converge to a more normal market level. They typically have been slightly different, but the gap now is much larger than we believe is historically normal. Construction has typically lagged behind the market, and low inventory levels may persist for some time, depending on how much impetus is behind the move by builders into the lower-end market.

A new president means new policy, and we expect changes this year. We anticipate potential changes in four major areas: trade, immigration, tax policy and infrastructure spending.

Rather than taking a political stance on how these policies are likely to impact the economy, we think it would be more useful to view these policy changes as events with a stochastic impact on the economy.

The chances that the policy succeeds (has a positive impact) or fails (has a negative impact) is based on probability. Since there will be many more of these events this year, the odds that an event with a negative economic impact occurring are higher. The opposite of this is also true, of course, in that there are also more chances for a positive impact as well.

What we are essentially in is a situation where our market is more vulnerable (in either direction) than it would be in a more static policy environment.

INVENTORY DYNAMICS Inventory is going to be a point of interest for the remainder of the year. We have heard evidence of builders starting

In the longer term, we may have to worry about overbuilding, especially if mortgage rates continue to trend upward.

The aforementioned lag in construction can lead to builders continuing to add inventory to the market just as demand begins to wane.

IN CONCLUSION Overall, Keller Williams anticipates a solid year for the market, but believes we may be entering a period of increased volatility.

However, we believe fundamentals behind demand remain strong and we still anticipate a period of strong home sales similar to last year’s.

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F I R S T Q UA R T E R 2 017 *

NU M B ER S YOUR

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VOL.14.2 2017

50 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50

TOP-PRODUCING TEAMS

NAME

CITY, STATE

Bob Lucido Team Alchemy Real Estate Group Ben Kinney Team Kevin Blain Team The Rider Elite Team Jesse Weinberg and Associates Reynolds Team Realty Jeff Glover & Associates The Loken Group, Inc. Laurie Reader Team Global Living Five Doors Network - Hub The Search In Seattle Team Lysi Bishop Real Estate LLC Chernov Team Bracha Group NYC The Heyl Group Brett Jennings Real Estate Experts Ms Properties Team Builder KW Boyenga Team Kenny Klaus Team The EZ Sales Team Center City Listings Noel Team Sheri Dettman & Associates Jennifer Young Team Tom Daves Group Laura Gillott Team The Peggy Hilll Team Beer Home Group Unity Home Group Eng Garcia Properties Brad Schmett Real Estate Group The Redbud Group Christie Cannon Group Lee Tessier Team The Stephen Cooley Real Estate Group The Zamir Group The Kink Team The Perna Group McCarty Team The Holli McCray Group Mg Residential The Maez Group Levinson Real Estate William Bustos Group Rare Properties Chris Suarez PDX Property Group Dave Clark Team

Ellicott City, Md. Seattle, Wash.

Bellingham, Wash.

Visalia, Calif.

Scottsdale, Ariz.

Marina del Rey, Calif.

Chantilly, Va. Plymouth, Mich.

Katy, Texas Plantation, Fla. Philadelphia, Pa. Pikesville, Md. Seattle, Wash.

Boise, Idaho Studio City, Calif.

New York, N.Y. Austin, Texas Los Gatos, Calif.

Beverly Hills, Calif.

Kirkland, Wash.

Los Gatos, Calif.

Mesa, Ariz.

Westlake, Ohio Philadelphia, Pa. Santa Monica, Calif.

La Quinta, Calif.

Chantilly, Va. Roseville, Calif.

Corvallis, Ore. Barrie, Ontario San Diego, Calif.

Anchorage, Alaska Washington, D.C. La Quinta, Calif.

Charlotte, N.C. Frisco, Texas Bel Air, Md. Fort Mill, S.C. Tenafly, N.J. The Woodlands, Texas Novi, Mich.

Marco Island, Fla. Knoxville, Tenn.

Washington, D.C. Albuquerque, N.M. Edmond, Okla.

Midvale, Utah Beverly Hills, Calif.

Portland, Ore. Campbell, Calif.

*Based on data/transmittals received for 2017 (January to March 2017).

Closed transactions identified with specific agent/team.

GCI

$2,300,277.80 $1,703,246.95 $1,381,265.41 $1,362,966.21 $1,298,432.28 $1,152,811.80 $1,150,022.15 $1,121,008.54 $1,105,321.73 $1,099,547.71 $1,025,515.23 $910,125.81 $900,097.01 $884,130.24 $848,612.51 $846,684.88 $830,618.39 $829,650.24 $813,839.18 $813,495.54 $803,382.53 $802,346.58 $785,407.97 $773,006.06 $771,032.25 $769,476.22 $759,319.97 $740,557.30 $731,233.33 $729,248.67 $728,876.82 $724,498.91 $722,257.81 $664,576.71 $660,170.22 $651,656.74 $641,431.32 $639,691.91 $630,735.25 $628,338.00 $627,478.61 $616,067.10 $613,120.03 $596,502.45 $594,505.73 $593,498.92 $593,285.36 $593,176.79 $580,432.42 $579,358.33

UNITS

286.2 68.7 190.14 274.515 226 58 83.936 202 348 116.445 168 0 75.7 59.077 17.25 23.25 53.6 30.55 16 118 27 138 190 110 24 42 81 81.1 121 85.2 45 87 44.7 43.5 95.5 72 90 117 64 36.5 107 31 91.2 60.1 95.3 115.5 68 16 44 22

NUMBERS

20 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20

MARKET CENTER

CITY, STATE

TEAM LEADER

Arlington Austin SW Ballantyne Area Heritage Dallas Preston Road Houston Metropolitan Federal Way Charleston / Mt. Pleasant Cary Metropolitan Greater Howard County NYC - Manhattan Greater Portland Charlotte - South Park San Antonio City-View Portland West Fort Mill Dallas DFW Montclair Ridgewood

Arlington, Texas Austin, Texas Charlotte, N.C. San Antonio, Texas Dallas, Texas Houston, Texas Federal Way, Wash.

Mt. Pleasant, S.C. Cary, N.C. Bedford, N.H. Columbia, Md. New York, N.Y. Portland, Ore. Charlotte, N.C. San Antonio, Texas Portland, Ore. Fort Mill, S.C. Southlake, Texas Montclair, N.J. Ridgewood, N.J.

Dennis Tuttle Diane Johnson, Melanie Kennemann Chip Walton Craig Owen, Lisa Munoz Brett Caldwell Kenneth Zarella Rebecca Jones Adam Roach Courtney Whalen Gregory McCarthy J. Pat Newland Lezley Dawn Schad Shannon Selig Stefanie Scroggins Amy Clifton Josh Hackenjos Shelby Ryburn Dustin Wright Alicia Acciardi Sally Ponchak

19 1 2 3 4 5 5 6 6 6 7 7 8 8 8 8 8 9 9 9

TOP MARKET CENTERS

TOP STAKEHOLDERS (Q1 2017)

NAME

MARKET CENTER

Brent Mitchell Bodie Stark Leigh Broughman Ronda Thurlkill Michelle Bennett Michael Napolitano Monty Maulding Laura Ramos-Valadez Cindy S. Blustein Jason Smith Diallo Stevens Martin Porter Renee Despins Kristen Hughes Jane M. Smith Holly Garner Michael Bacarella Manuel Moreno Kristen Anderson

Austin SW DFW Metro SW Lynchburg Frisco Greater Quad Cities NYC - Brooklyn Bay Ridge Austin SW Heritage Houston Memorial Coral Gables-Coconut Grove NYC - Queens /Jackson Heights Beverly Hills Hollywood Hills Downers Grove / Hinsdale Palatine Central Oregon Plantation Destin Chesterfield

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ASSOCIATES SPONSORED

39 15 14 13 12 12 11 11 11 10 10 9 9 9 9 9 8 8 8

1 2 3 4 5 5 5 6 7 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 9

PROFIT

$496,708.75 $431,167.01 $408,323.79 $311,921.14 $282,896.22 $251,079.76 $237,583.90 $236,740.52 $229,638.97 $228,713.77 $228,091.26 $222,527.80 $216,252.00 $214,940.62 $211,971.26 $208,784.91 $207,143.60 $199,401.61 $193,881.77 $193,287.52

TOP STAKEHOLDERS (Q4 2016)

NAME

MARKET CENTER

Robert Cartwright Brent Mitchell Monty Maulding Leigh Broughman Israel Gonzalez Bill Linkwald Dana Johnson Kristen Hughes John Rettich Martin Porter Denise Holtz Gayle Satcher Manuel Moreno Frank Montro Patricia Brady Yau Lung Chan Molly Austin Kalista Bradshaw Robert Rico

KW Maui West Austin SW Austin SW Lynchburg Collegeville Atlanta - Roswell Houston Memorial Downers Grove / Hinsdale Keller Williams Home Town Realty Beverly Hills Charleston / Mt. Pleasant Naples Destin Keller Williams Preferred Realty Central Valley Greater Nassau, NY Missoula Nashville - Franklin L.A. Westside

ASSOCIATES SPONSORED

22 19 15 13 12 12 12 11 9 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 7

Correction: April 21, 2017 We discovered an error on the Top Stakeholders rankings in the printed edition of OutFront Vol. 14.1 2017. The correct names appear above.

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SELL AS SPACE

NUMBERS

F I R S T Q UA R T E R 2 017

50 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50

5

TOP-PRODUCING AGENTS* NAME

CITY, STATE

GCI

Sheri Bienstock Stephanie Vitacco Larry Allen Grant Linscott Bart Anthony Lulu Knowlton Julie Wyss Jonathan Bryant Gregg Phillipson Jennifer Rosdail Erhan Kostepen Merve Gumusyazici Glenda Marie Lousignont Cindy Cole Paige Martin Kyle Seyboth Mark Tyoran Julie Hopkins Greg Simpson Kathy Wallace Nina Kirkendall Nora Gallogly Claudia Hellmund Haley Rowley Mingli Wang Susan Spiegel Bonnie Goldner Lee Potts Charles Dong Jennifer Gelfand Coco Tan Jessica Ye Timo Rivetti Kimberly Ziton John Walker Roger Burdiek Tonya Peralta Nicki Banucci Jim Carmichael Zsuzsanna Nagy Nicola Klein Leonard Stone Mark Andries Marchello Mary Whitworth Eric Delgado Reza Shirangi Anthony Koutsos Donald Kracke Lenwood Johnson Christine Cardoso-Moore

Los Angeles, Calif. $622,297.50 Encino, Calif. $597,276.60 Bedford, Nova Scotia $546,809.54 Los Angeles, Calif. $474,422.50 Orem, Utah $425,558.35 Santa Monica, Calif. $402,370.00 Los Gatos, Calif. $382,441.64 Bowling Green, Ky. $380,284.45 La Mesa, Calif. $379,463.45 San Francisco, Calif. $370,950.00 Miami Beach, Fla. $368,609.31 Aventura, Fla. $364,251.00 Los Angeles, Calif. $359,175.00 Destin, Fla. $359,138.75 Houston, Texas $352,728.99 Cumberland, R.I. $342,438.64 Westlake Village, Calif. $329,656.25 Park City, Utah $323,717.50 Los Gatos, Calif. $317,000.00 Pittsburgh, Pa. $312,137.50 Pasadena, Calif. $297,825.00 Mission Viejo, Calif. $294,178.75 Houston, Texas $284,600.00 Phoenix, Ariz. $282,770.00 Rolling Hills Estates, Calif. $276,105.00 Carmel, Calif. $275,925.00 New York, N.Y. $274,432.50 Kahului Maui, Hawaii $274,351.79 City of Industry, Calif. $269,750.00 Boston, Mass. $267,012.51 Cupertino, Calif. $264,062.50 Cambridge, Mass. $259,580.04 Santa Rosa, Calif. $258,125.00 Woodbury, Minn. $250,355.25 Falls Church, Va. $248,786.25 Shawnee, Kan. $248,703.00 Oxnard, Calif. $242,486.57 Los Gatos, Calif. $240,075.00 El Cajon, Calif. $239,424.88 Studio City, Calif. $238,612.50 Boca Raton, Fla. $232,235.55 Burlingame, Calif. $231,432.50 Kahului Maui, Hawaii $231,304.01 College Station, Texas $230,076.35 Encino, Calif. $225,279.00 Mission Viejo, Calif. $224,882.50 San Francisco, Calif. $223,250.00 Omaha, Neb. $220,869.95 Woodbridge, Va. $220,780.80 Oxnard, Calif. $217,094.93

1 2 3 4 5

TOP COMMERCIAL

NAME

CITY, STATE

Cindy Hill Slater Robert Stepp Byron Field David Meir Levon Alexanian

Studio City, Calif.

Long Beach, Calif.

Los Angeles, Calif.

Calabasas, Calif.

Burbank, Calif.

GCI

$434,518.75 $380,400.00 $302,750.00 $278,950.00 $276,302.50

UNITS

10.4 11 10 2.25 5

Executive Editor: Annie Switt Editor: Lalaina Rabary Brand Manager: Robin Jhaveri Copy Editors: Jeff Ryder | Owen Gibbs Art Director: Caitlin McIntosh Designers: Karla Teceno | Ashley Rogers | Owen Gibbs Contributors: Allison Teegardin | Catherine O'Donnell | Celesta Brown | Dorothy de Souza Guedes | Gwen Moran | Shelby O’Neill Advertising: Tom Freireich (advertising@kw.com) Job Inquiries: (outfront@kw.com)

OutFront is published by Keller Williams Realty, Inc. The entire document of OutFront is copyright© 2017 by Keller Williams Realty, Inc. No portion may be reproduced in whole or in part by any means, including electronic retrieval systems, without the express written permission of the publisher. Editorial or advertising does not constitute advice but is considered informative.

Copyright© 2017 Keller Williams Realty, Inc. All rights reserved.

Vol.14.2 2017 OutFront is a publication of Keller Williams Realty, Inc. 1221 S. MoPac Expy., Ste. 400 Austin, Texas 78746 512.327.3070

*Based on data/transmittals received for 2017 (January to March 2017).

Closed transactions identified with specific agent. All production completed by non commercial agents who do not serve on a team.

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