KW Reunion Red Bash - February 10, 2008 (Atlanta, GA)
Check it out …
February 11, 2008
August 24, 2007
KW Mega Camp 2007: Gary Keller, Jim Cronin, Dustin Luther, Eric Johnson, Sami Inkinen … The List Goes On!
Keller Williams Realty holds a Mega Camp for all of their Mega Agents – internationally! This year, Derek and I spent Sunday (8/19) through Wednesday (8/22) in Austin, TX for the 2007 KW Mega Camp and Mega Technology Camps. There was SO MUCH to learn and absorb and we were able to listen to some amazing speakers. There were over 3,700 agents in attendance.
Days one and two were focused on how to be successful in ANY market – Buyers, Seller and (like we are dealing with today) … SHIFTING markets. Day three was focused on all the technology available in real estate industry and the new tech-items that KW offers their agents.
Here is a highlight of some of the people that Derek and I were able to listen to and meet …
During one of the breaks, Derek and I were able to meet up with Keller Williams founder: Gary Keller. He was a very gracious man, who, when we said, “Thank you for building this wonderful company.”
He replied with, “No. Thank YOU for building this company.” Again, another symbol of how Keller Williams is more AGENT-FOCUSED than company focused.
Jim Cronin, our Real Estate Tomato friend, was a guest speaker. He did a great job explaining the importance of blogging in the real estate industry. Even though there were many “deer in the headlight” looks from the agents in the audience, what Jim had to say resonated in the minds of hundreds of “aware” agents. After he spoke, Derek and I met up with him in the Vendor Hall. He was very friendly and we even got a couple Tomato-
Tee’s!
We also had the pleasure of listening to Eric Johnson – Guitar Legend play for us as well as sit and talk with Gary about the similarities between being a guitar artist and a real estate agent. I was amazed at all the similarities – dedication, focus, and passion.
During the Technology Camp on Wednesday, Dustin Luther – Director of Interactive Marketing at Move.com and author of the Rain City Guide, spoke to the attending agents.
Dustin gave the MOST COMPREHENSIVE explanation of Web 2.0 that we had ever heard. What a GREAT guy! We 
were able to chat with him for a few minutes and get a picture.
The COO and co-founder of Trulia, Sami Inkinen spoke during the Technology Camp. First he spoke about all the online resources that Real Estate agents have. This comprehensive list included great plugs for VFLyer, Craigslist, Postlets, and Real Estate Shows.
He also spoke with us about the importance of the internet in real estate and how we (real estate agents) should use it to its maximum potential.
One of the coolest things that we found out about was that we were all notified that the Keller Williams sites (that are provided to each KW agent) will now offer a Blogging Platform!
There were some AMAZING panels of some of the top agents in Keller Williams. They talked about how they run their businesses and how they overcome some 
of the major obstacles that we, as agents, face on a day-to-day basis. Some topics included: Technology, hiring right and lead conversion techniques.
One of our favorite panelists was Chad Goldwasser – Head of one of the largest, most successful teams in Keller Williams. He also did a great presentation on the importance of a POSITIVE ATTITUDE in whatever you do. We met up with him later and bought one of his BREAKTHROUGH CD’s.
Derek really admires how Chad runs his team. We have watched some KWU videos about him and can really identify with how he does business.
He and Derek shared one thing in common … HIGH Energy!
Other people we were able to connect with were:
Dean Poole, KW tech coach, MREA Manager and ProManage Trainer for Keller Williams University was my instructor when I learned how to be a ProManage Trainer back in October of 2006. We met up with him in the Vendor Hall, where he shared with me some new and exciting things to expect from Top Producer.
Craig Owens, Team Lead for KW Realty – North Central – San Antonio TX. He was one of the major tech speakers, along with Dave Therrien (Chief Technology officer at KW) and Bryon Ellington (Author of Internet Lead Generation).
In addition to the keynote speakers and guests that we were able to meet up with, Derek and I were able to finally connect with some of the KW Rainers!
We all met for dinner at 5pm, and stayed there talking until they almost kicked us out at 10pm. The next day, we all sat together for the Tech Camp, and then ate lunch together at a nearby restaurant.
I felt as if we did not have enough time to share what we knew and get to know each other and understand each other’s businesses better. I know that Derek and I learned more than our brains could handle at the Mega Camps – but the time we were able to spend with our new KW Rainer’s friends, was just as valuable – if not more.
Not a whole lot of folks joined us, but the ones who WERE able to make it … What great friends we 
became!!
From left to right:
- Rick Bosl
(Arlington, VA) - Mariana Wagner
(Colorado Springs, CO) - Mark Ryan
(Dayton, OH) - Dee Copeland
(Austin, TX) - Jennifer Klaussen
(Arlington, VA) - Dale Serbousek
(Bellingham, WA)
- Derek Wagner
(Colorado Springs, CO) - Kim Sexton
(Anchorage, AK) - Ben Kinney
(Bellingham, WA)
This was one of the BEST functions that Derek and I have ever been to, and it was the PEOPLE who made it so wonderful! We came home knowledge-smart and friend-rich!
Posted By: Mariana Wagner – Colorado Springs Real Estate
August 17, 2007
Top Online Resources for Keller Williams Agents
Here is a pretty comprehensive list of Internet Resources that we have found to be Super-Helpful for Real Estate Agents. Most of them are great for listing agents, but many can be a great resource for whatever role you have in the world of Real Estate.
First and foremost, KW.com and KWU are always a great resource - one of your BEST resources – for both online and offline marketing. But since that is a given … We will start with MY TOP 5:
- RealEstateShows.com: This is an AWESOME resource for marketing your listings. For just $125 a YEAR – you will have the ability to create UNLIMITED Real Estate Tours of your listings … or whatever else you would want a tour of (neighborhoods, community events …). This site is SUPER user friendly and there plenty of options to customize your tours and great opportunities for branding. These tours can be added to ALL of your online advertising and to many of the sites listed below.
- ActiveRain.com: For those of you who are not already members, Active Rain is a FREE online Real Estate Community – a networking resource and educational Mecca for real estate professionals. This is a great place to read about the industry from many people’s perspectives from all over the country as well as create your own real estate blog and share YOUR perspective of the real estate industry, stories, marketing ideas … It is FREE to join Active Rain and participation is worth it’s virtual weight in gold. Derek and I joined in September of 2006 and it has become one of our best business decisions we have ever made.
(When you join Active Rain, make sure you become a member of the Keller Williams ‘Rainers Group!)
- VFlyer.com: This is a site that gives you the opportunity to create virtual flyers for all of your listed properties. There are several levels of service. The basic service is FREE and every level of service offers the opportunity to “push” your flyers to listing aggregate sites (see below) as well as an easy cut-and-paste way to get your flyer on CraigsList and BackPage. (Check out a Craigslist example HERE).
- SellsiusRealEstate.com: This is another great real estate listing database. It costs $30 a year to upload all of your listings. They are heavy marketers and all leads from YOUR listings go to YOU. And? You can claim your NICHE and show as the local EXPERT for that niche. There are a lot of other great philosophies behind this site: Check them out here: About SellsiusRealEstate.
- RSSPieces.com: This site is aimed specifically at Real Estate Bloggers. There is SO MUCH useful information regarding real estate and blogging that my mind tends to explode about once a week. They also build custom websites for real estate bloggers that come with extensive SEO and support. We are getting one built for team and it should be up and running in a couple weeks. If you are unsure about the benefits of real estate blogging, check out RSSPieces and read a few of their posts.
Top Websites to Post Your Listings On:
-
KW.com – Posts to:
-
VFlyer.com – A virtual flyer that automatically posts to:
-
Postlets.com – Much like VFlyer, but offers different looks and feels. It is a virtual flyer that automatically posts to:
- GoogleBase.com – Your listings WILL show up here if you post to the above mentioned sites, but you can also create a FREE profile that all of your listings can be stored under.
- CraigsList – This is a local site that
you can post your listings for sale on. It is more popular with consumers than many people give it credit for. It reminds me of an online version of the Nickel Ads.
- Realtor.com – Some MLS systems automatically push to Realtor.com, and even if yours does, you should consider becoming a member. It is relatively inexpensive and gives you the opportunity to showcase your listings and add all kinds of neat features that will grab the attention of online home-searchers.
- ActiveRain.com – Localism.com – Whenever you post a listing or consumer-oriented post, it automatically posts to Localism.com. *Tip: When you post a listing on Active Rain, make sure that you put the address in the title. When you do this, the address now becomes searchable by Google – Sellers love that.
- Trulia.com – KWLS automatically “pushes” to Trulia, but there are some “upgrades” that would allow your properties to become “featured” on relevant searches for homes. You should also check out Trulia Voices - which is a open forum for consumers to ask real estate questions and real estate professionals (you) can answer them.
General Real Estate Online Resources
These links are sites that I always learn something new from. There is no real rhyme or reason, but I like each one:
- BloogHound Blog – All kinds of characters make up this site. If you like opinions, or HAVE opinions relating to real estate, then you should be a regular reader/commenter.
- Brian Brady – To put is lightly, this Mortgage Guy is very opinionated. But he is also HIGHLY educated in the world of home finance and pretty much “knows it all” … a definite MUST READ regarding the mortgage industry.
- Transparent Real Estate – Pat Kitano offers a refreshing look into how real estate interacts with the public.
- RealEStaging (Craig Schiller) – If you never understood the benefits of staging, you NEED to check out Craig’s site.
Real Estate Blogging Resources:
Blogging is a wonderful resource for Real Estate Agents. If you do not know what I am talking about, just grab a cup of coffee and peruse through these sites.
- ActiveRain.com – If you are new to the world of Real Estate Blogging, then this is a great place to start. The people are friendly and helpful and there are an abundance of resources for new RE Bloggers.
- WordPress.com or WordPress.org – These are blogging platforms. One is FREE and the other one is a little more user-friendly but costs a few bucks a month.
- RSSPieces.com – One of my favorite resources for real estate blogging. They offer custom blog sites that could potentially replace the traditional website – IF you are a real estate blogger. They are MASTERS at SEO and blog marketing. Their sites are fully custom and affordable and they have some awesome testimonials as well.
- RealEstateTomato.com – Consistently provides a boatload of “Juicy News for Online Realtors®” … a MUST READ. They also offer custom blog sites (and from my understanding, they can do amazing integration with WordPress.) and also offer comprehensive SEO and training. Jim Cronin – president of the Tomato, is/was a guest speaker at the 2007 KW Mega Camp.
- RealtyBlogging – Yes. These folks ALSO build custom real estate blog sites, but they are a WEALTH of understandable information regarding Real Estate Blogging … HECK! These guys wrote the book: Realty Blogging! (If you would like to see a comprehensive book review on this, please read: Realty Blogging Book Review.)
Okay … There are more than 21 resources. And, of course, I am always stumbling upon new and different resources and there are PLENTY of sites that have GREAT information. These are just the ones that “rise to the top” when I think of resources to share.
Please feel free to add to this list in the comment section below.
Thank you for taking the time to check this out and remember … (shameless plug) When you have a client that is relocating to Colorado Springs, Monument or surrounding areas, please remember us:
Derek and Mariana Wagner – Wagner iTeam – Colorado Springs Real Estate – (719) 570-7715 Direct
Have a GREAT Business!
July 20, 2007
Keller Williams Realty - Yale and Stanford Case Study
Keller Williams, as most know, is the 4th largest Real Estate Franchise in North America. There have been many reasons for its continued success and rapid growth. These reasons include the culture and economic
models.
In fact, these are the very factors that have caught the attention of Brian Tayan - research associate with the case writing office of the Stanford Graduate School of Business and James N. Baron, Ph.D., professor of management position at the Yale School of Management.
“This level of recognition from two such prestigious universities is among the greatest honors that this company has ever received,” emphasizes Mo Anderson, vice chairman, Keller Williams Realty. “It’s a reflection of the combined talents and unique contributions of all of our associates throughout North America.”
God - Family - Business
This KW priority organization has been debated among students, and now will be officially studied. Yale has already incorporated this case study into this year’s curriculum, and is set to be a part of Stanford’s core curriculum for the next school year.
Posted By: Mariana Wagner - Keller Williams Clients’ Choice Realty - Colorado Springs Real Estate
