BOLD is HERE!!

Agents,

Don't forget! Find that accountability partner to help you stay on track with your BOLD lead generating techniques! Today is Step 3! Good luck and go make that sale!

Is Your Data Secure?

Provided By Realty Times

With the arrival of the New Year, secure technology should be a priority in the real estate industry. More to the point, the need for servers and/or the convenience of collocating existing servers should be a principal goal of any commercial or residential real estate firm looking to secure its data, hardware, and online business. Without this opportunity, realty companies leave themselves vulnerable to compromising (or losing) their data - customer information, listing details, and maybe even payments - while spending a lot of time and money on keeping this material secure. Such a scenario makes little sense for a growing firm that dedicates itself to doing - with professionalism and care - the one thing all realty companies aspire to achieve: to unite buyers and sellers, execute transactions and establish the valuable brand recognition that accrues from this type of sustained success.

sense of security to their clients - a secure house in a secure neighborhood with a secure broker to help along the way. We are no different. We provide the secure house (or server in our case) and we host it in a secure neighborhood (or data center); and along the way we - the secure broker - are there to provide a helping hand. However, not all colocation companies are the same. Finding the right colocation company for these tasks - for providing servers, hosting existing ones and delivering quality support - depends on a certain degree of due diligence. In other words, not all colocation companies have the reputation, resources, expertise and technical support to assist real estate companies nationwide.

Consider these factors necessities, both for a colocation company and its clients, which hinge on another critical component: 100% guaranteed uptime; the promise that a real estate business will always be online, accessible and, in the rare case something happens, backed by staff who are available to address any relevant questions or challenges. This point is a quick way to distinguish a credible colocation company from lesser competitors. (I write these words with no malice towards the competition - indeed, I welcome the healthy pursuit of excellence, which benefits the public at large - but, as the Director of Business Development for Colocation America, I see too many prospective clients who come to us as the result of missed opportunities and broken promises. Simply stated, these companies have experienced the costly - and frustrating - experience of having their sites go down, or partnering with colocation companies that lack a key presence in major cities like New York, Chicago, Los Angeles and San Francisco, hubs of web traffic and commerce.)

Realty companies have an added interest in following this advice because their sites depend on showcasing specific properties, meaning: they need their sites to be up and running - constantly - without any problems. The right colocation company will have the data centers necessary to fulfill that goal, along with the additional advantages mentioned above. Indeed, other colocation companies should take a lesson from the real estate industry, where the relationship between brokers and clients is friendly, sincere and strengthened by trust. 

And finally, for smaller realty firms that need a server (which is part of a suite of options we offer) it is essential to work with a credible technology company. And for smaller realty firms on the cusp of success, they must not forsake growth for the false allure of partnering with a business that cannot provide and maintain this hardware. Again, the point is simple: perform the necessary due diligence, so reliability is a given and availability (to trained professionals) is just a click or call away. These rewards can make realty companies more flexible and productive, something we should celebrate in this new year of opportunity and goodwill.

Michael J. Maher joins Keller Williams Realty – The Rawls Group Atlanta, Ga.

Provided By KW Blog

Michael J. Maher, the No.1 international bestselling author of (7L) The Seven Levels of Communication: Go from Relationships to Referrals, announced today that he will be joining forces with the No.1 real estate organization in Atlanta, Keller Williams Realty – The Rawls Group.

Maher joins The Rawls Group as Director of Productivity and will be responsible for developing systems for agents at all levels. Maher has led a $40 million producing team and understands the models and skills that are required to succeed at a high level. He will translate these skills for the 1,000+ agents in The Rawls Group as well as assist other real estate professionals in their transition to the team. He will also oversee agent productivity, train the models of Keller Williams and coach all levels of real estate professionals.

Shaun Rawls, operating partner, noted: “Today our organization added the most sought-after coach, real estate professional and trainer in the industry. Bringing talent of this caliber to our team is a huge win for our agents and the leadership at Keller Williams. We became a better company today and we are thrilled to be in business with Michael whose integrity and beliefs are in line with what we stand for.”

In an Atlanta real estate market where many offices are closing their doors or limiting services, The Rawls Group of six Atlanta real estate offices has proactively and productively added services for their agents and their clients. One of these is the latest addition, KW Luxury Homes Services, a service designed as the best in the real estate industry for global promotion of upper-bracket Atlanta homes. They are ranked in the top 100 brokers in the country and provide daily education to their associates. The Rawls Group is led by Shaun Rawls, Jean Rawls, Jeri Moran, Brad Feiman, Robben Matthews, Jennifer Greenway, Jim Alexander and John Fountain.

Maher added, “When opportunity knocks, we have to listen. In exploring the plans for Keller Williams Realty International (KWRI) and, more specifically, The Rawls Group of real estate offices in Atlanta, I was presented a lucrative opportunity that involved incredible leaders, significant challenge and tremendous personal growth. As a consultant, as Director of Productivity, I have one focus – to help the agents do more in less time. As they do this, it will help Atlanta’s job market and the local economy as well. Also, in learning about the Keller Williams plans for the future and without disclosing too many details, I can say with certainty that my goal of making a significant difference in the real estate industry is shared by KWRI. I come in as a consultant, trainer and teacher, but I am just as excited by what I am going to learn.”

Keller Williams executives, leaders named among Inman’s 100 Most Influential in Real Estate for 2013

Provided By KW Blog

Please join us in congratulating our Keller Williams Realty, International executives, Gary Keller, co-founder and chairman and Cary Sylvester, executive director of technology, as well as Sue Adler of Sue Adler Team- Short Hills, Summit, Maplewood, Livingston, Chatham NJ and Lisa Archer of The Geeky Girls for being honored among Inman News’ 100 Most Influential Real Estate Leaders in 2013!

Inman News®, the leader in independent real estate and technology news, announced the winners Thursday, January 17, 2013. The annual list recognizes those who embody leadership, ingenuity, strength, conviction, power, persistence, perseverance and progress.

About the winners

Gary Keller

Gary Keller co-founded Keller Williams Realty in Austin, Texas, in 1983. As chairman of the board, Keller helps provide strategic direction for our “agent-centric” company. Keller and his writing team have written four best-selling books: The Millionaire Real Estate Agent, The Millionaire Real Estate Investor, SHIFT: How Top Real Estate Agents Tackle Tough Times, and FLIP: How to Find, Fix, and Sell Houses for Profit. His new business book, The ONE Thing, will hit bookstores on April (it’s available for pre-order at The1Thing.com now).

Cary Sylvester

Cary Sylvester is the executive director of technology for Keller Williams Realty International and directs the strategic vision for the franchise company’s software platform, eEdge, which after launching early in 2011 saw great agent adoption and results in 2012. Sylvester has been an advocate for the paperless movement. Prior to joining Keller Williams in 2002, she worked as a consultant for Oracle and for Database Consultants Inc., as an implementation manager for Copera Inc., and as a database architect at Dell Computer Corp.

Sue Adler

The prolific Sue Adler, who heads a Keller Williams team in Short Hills, N.J., has more than 25 years of real estate-selling experience. In 2012, her co-founded conference, Hear it Direct, a full-day event designed for real estate professionals to hear consumers’ needs, complaints and desires directly, had two successful gatherings. Adler has been the No. 1 Keller Williams agent in New Jersey for six years running, and in 2011 her team reached nearly $75 million in sales, averaging a sold house once every three days. She’s also a partner in the Keller Williams Short Hills, Summit, Chatham and Livingston offices.

Lisa Archer

Lisa Archer is a Charlotte, N.C.-based Keller Williams Realty team leader, broker and agent, and the peppy half of the real estate tech duo the Geeky Girls. She’s become a fixture in the national real estate community and a frequent speaker at national real estate conferences. Archer’s Keller Williams team, Live Love Charlotte, launched a new website in 2012. Before entering real estate with Keller Williams in 2004, she worked as a bank manager.

The Law of the Lid at Keller Williams Realty

Provided By KW Blog

Just about the only thing constant in today’s new business world is change. It’s at times exciting to witness the pace at which businesses are moving to mold and grow in new and innovative ways. It’s also a strenuous venture for people who aren’t prepared. So what does it take to navigate this generation flux?

According to leadership expert and best-selling author, John C. Maxwell leaders must embrace the “Law of the Lid.”

In his book, The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership, Maxwell says “Leadership ability is the lid that determines a person’s level of effectiveness. The lower an individual’s ability to lead, the lower the lid on his potential. The higher the leadership, the greater the effectiveness.” In other words, the more time you dedicate to developing your leadership skills the better leader you will be and the more successful you will become.

Recently, our company’s leaders sat down with Maxwell to discuss The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership at Keller Williams Realty. Below are some of the top takeaways from the first irrefutable law in the series, the “Law of the Lid,” featuring Todd Butzer, regional director and regional operating principal at North Central.

Todd, you’ve been a long-time leader at Keller Williams Realty. Whose leadership have you come to admire over the years?

“My father and father-in-law were very gifted business leaders. They were good at profit and they were servant leaders. They had integrity. They listened to their people. When you’re around great leaders like Gary Keller, Mark Willis, Mo Anderson, Mary Tennant, John Davis, and Dianna Kokoszka, you pay attention and learn so much because they’re modeling leadership all the time.”

How does one spot an opportunity to raise their lid?

“Every time you get into a situation or any kind of leadership challenge, you have the opportunity to raise your lid. There’s a great illustration of this in Maxwell’s book. In the last few pages of the chapter, he tells the story of Don Stephenson. Don’s company took over the management of hotels that were financially unstable. Each time they came in they did something very bold – they fired the leader. Maxwell asked him how he could make such an audacious decision without interviewing the leader. Don simply explained that ‘If he’d been a good leader, the organization wouldn’t be in the mess it’s in.’ Though firing someone is not always the answer, this leaders inability to move himself forward was a contributor to the overall health of the company. It’s a very real example of the ‘Law of the Lid’ at work.”

How can a real estate agent raise their lid?

“Leadership has a multiplying effect. My suggestion to an agent or someone striving to be a leader in their organization would be to follow Maxwell’s instructions. A person’s impact is only a fraction of what it could be with good leadership. The higher one wants to climb, the more you need leadership. You can be a 9 when it comes to effectiveness and a 1 on the leadership scale. If you stay a 9 and then work on increasing your leadership ability, you’re effectiveness goes up dramatically!”

Earlier in the year, Butzer and more than 25 other leaders at Keller Williams Realty had the pleasure of recording their own leadership lessons with Maxwell. Now they’re available to you in a one-of-a-kind four-disc audio collection. Order The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership for Keller Williams Realty at mapscoaching.kw.com.

The ONE Thing: The Surprisingly Simple Truth Behind Extraordinary Results!

The ONE business book you need in 2013 is finally here! New York Timesbestselling authors Gary Keller and Jay Papasan have once again teamed up to pen a game-changer – The ONE Thing: The Surprisingly Simple Truth Behind Extraordinary Results.

In The ONE Thing, Gary and Jay conquer the question: If everyone has the same number of hours in a day, why do some people accomplish extraordinary things, while others struggle to take a single step forward?

Through compelling research and personal life experiences, The ONE Thingteaches you how to cut through the clutter, narrow your focus and achieve a big life by getting small.

The ONE Thing won’t hit bookshelves until April 1, but if you pre-order today atThe1Thing.com, you can start reading now – no fooling! With every pre-orderwe’ll send you a free eBook available for download immediately. Why wait to reach your highest potential? Pre-order The ONE Thing and start achieving extraordinary results in every aspect of your life today!

What will it do for me?

Identify the lies that mislead you, and confront the thieves that steal your time and energy.

The real solutions we seek are almost always hiding in plain sight. Unfortunately, more often than not they’ve been obscured by “common sense” thinking. If we’re going to maximize our potential, we have to make sure we put these lies to bed.

Discover the truth and find the simple path to productivity.

We overthink, overplan, and overanalyze our careers, our businesses and our lives. The key to success is not in all the things we do but in the handful of things we do well. Use the focusing question – what’s the ONE Thing I can do such that by doing it everything else will be easier or unnecessary? – to zero in on and build your success habits.

Unlock the possibilities within you.

Put the laws of purpose, priority and productivity to work in your business and life. Allow your purpose to be the guiding force in determining the priority that drives your actions. This is the straightest route to extraordinary results.

How can I get The ONE Thing today?

Ready to start? Pre-order The ONE Thing today and you can dive in now! No waiting, guaranteed. When you buy your copy of the book at The1Thing.com, we will send you a free eBook available for download immediately.

What’s your ONE Thing?