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?

Four Ways to Become a Better Competitor

Provided by Realty Times

Tough Strategies for Today's Market

The end of the year is in sight and so are the opportunities to get as much business in before the 'closing bell' on 2012 and set yourself up for success in the new year. That takes a willingness to COMPETE on a HIGHER level than ever before.

That's why I wanted to re-visit four fail-safe strategies for competing stronger this year - and every year:

1. Know what you're up against. If you think about the major sports leagues; baseball, football, hockey, and then think about the most successful teams, you'll find that they have one thing in common. In order to be successful they view and review videos of their games and those of their competitors. They look for strengths and weaknesses so they'll know how to defend and compete effectively. It's the same in the real estate business. You have to know what you're up against in order to outpace the competition. There are a few questions that agents will have to answer in order for them to achieve market-share dominance. For example:

• Who are your top-ten competitors?
• If you lose a listing, to whom do you lose it in most instances?
• How many agents do each of your primary competitors have?
• What is their average experience level?
• What is their annual per person production?
• What is the average number of listings in each office?
• What is their list-to-sell ratio and list-to-sale time-frame?

There are other questions that agents could ask, and it may be a great exercise for you to take some time and write out all the questions that would help you to know precisely what qualities buyers and sellers are looking for and to understand how you stack up against your competition.

2. Have the Weaponry: To "out-gun" your competition, you'll need the tools to do the job. From iPhone to tablet, to contact-management systems and marketing tools you need the essentials, and a few extras to meet the needs of today's informed consumer. Throughout history all of the great armies of the world got to be the best because they had the right weapons needed to do the job better than their opponents. Real estate agents today must have the right tools to battle the highly-skilled competitors they meet much in the same way. These days, those tools also include social media and technology tools such as websites, blogs, social networks and more in an ever-changing world. Be sure you're staying online and up to date so that you always appear top-of-mind when area buyers and sellers are searching for their next agent.

3. Skill: In the more than forty years I've been in this business as an agent, manager and trainer, I've never seen an era where the necessity for high-sales skills was greater. With the accessibility to communication and information as strong as it is, sellers and buyers are savvier than ever before and have more questions and concerns than ever before. We have to overcome more commission objections, "We want to shop around" objections, pricing, length of the listing, etc. The art of persuasion is in demand and critical in the field if you want to compete successfully. The real proof of this is seen in our training classes. We find that the average experience level of the students is almost four years, whereas, not so long ago, it was two years. It seems clear to me that being able to close the transaction is the difference between thriving and merely surviving in the business.

4. Develop a Competitive Attitude: Attitude is everything. It takes a certain mental toughness to be willing to convey to a prospect that you are the best person/company for the job. This mental toughness, added to the facts, tools and skills discussed above, add up to an enthusiastic response to the question, "Why are you the best?" It's like you are saying, "You know Mr. and Mrs. Seller, there are 1,000 agents in our area. However, for what you want, need and are trying to accomplish, you really only have a choice of three: good, better and best. You see, we are all good. After all, you have to at least be licensed. Some are better than others. But for what you're trying to accomplish - that is to get the most amount of money for your home, in the shortest amount of time, with the least amount of inconvenience, it seems to me that there is only one best agent, and what a coincidence that we should be together at this moment."
There are many ways to answer the question, "Why are you the best?" Here are just a few:

• "I'm the best because I am new in real estate and I'm not bogged down like those top producers."
• "I'm the best because my office is right on the corner. Where do you think the buyers are coming TO?"
• "I'm the best because my office is clear over on the other side of town. Where do you think the buyers are coming FROM?

You need the mental toughness to be able to enthusiastically convey to the seller this message.

"Mr. and Mrs. Seller, if you were going to fly coast-to-coast and you had the choice of flying first class or coach, both at the same price, which would you choose?" Seller: "First class, of course." Agent: "I expected as much. May I ask why?" Seller: "Because I get more for my money and a more comfortable journey." Agent: "If you knew you could get more for your money and a more comfortable journey by choosing me over someone who might be considered coach, I'd be the obvious choice, wouldn't you agree?"

My advice to you is to become a competitor. Stay nice-but be a competitor. Put people first - but be a competitor. Care about what they care about - but be a competitor. Never verbally knock the competition-but be a competitor.

Know The Purpose Of Your Presentation

Provided by Realtytimes.com

A quality listing presentation involves considerable advance planning, careful research and analysis, and highly developed presentation and sales skills. This allows you to derive maximum impact from the minimal time you have to present yourself and your recommendations, close the deal, and obtain signatures on a listing agreement.

Your advance planning takes two forms. First you need to qualify your prospects - determining not only their desires and expectations but also their ability to make the buying or selling decision and complete the purchase transaction. The other essential ingredient in a listing presentation is a competitive market analysis (CMA) along with a presentation that displays the full complement of your sales skills and abilities and helps you win your prospect’s confidence and secure their listing.Knowing the purpose of your presentationBe crystal-clear on this point. The objective of a listing presentation is to secure a signed listing agreement before the meeting ends. It’s not to pave the way for a "be-back" listing, where you plan to return at a later date to handle paperwork and secure final prospect approval. Your purpose is to make your case, close the deal, and get ink on the paper right then and there while you’re face-to-face with your prospects. If you don’t, I guarantee the odds of securing the listing start to swing away from you.If you let even a few days or a week slip by, your prospects will have a hard time separating your presentation from other agents who they met in the meantime. And the moment they lose sight of your distinguishing attributes, they’ll revert to a commodity mindset by focusing on price and selecting an agent based on who offered the lowest commission or the highest list price. I’ve personally made over a thousand listing presentations, and I’ve coached and listened to the presentations of hundreds of other agents. I am totally convinced that a quality listing presentation can and must result in a signed contract at the presentation. These are two reasons you need to get the listing signed during the presentation:

1. The moment you leave the appointment, anything can happen. A buyer could appear out of nowhere, knocking on your prospect’s door with a direct offer. An agent who interviewed your prospect a few days ago could be desperate enough to call with an offer to cut their fee by another percent. At Rotary or church or a chamber of commerce meeting, your prospect could meet another agent. Or, after-the-fact, they could begin to confuse you for a different agent whose presentation they didn’t like at all. The list of "coulds" goes on and on. The only thing you know for sure is that if you don’t get the signed listing at the appointment, you leave it up for grabs and vulnerable.
   
2. You need to feel the win. The win in the listing game is when the contract is signed. Don’t underestimate the power of that personal victory. Selling involves the risk of rejection. If it didn’t, it would be called order taking, and you wouldn’t be paid so well because it would be so easy. A listing presentation gives you the chance to go for the win, perfect your close, and attain the victory. Give yourself the satisfaction and adrenaline rush of walking out of the home with a signed contract. Your drive home will be the shortest ever known. If you don’t get it signed, it will be the longest few minutes you’ve ever known.

I have an incredible coaching client who sells homes on Long Island. She is a listing machine in her market area. She takes over 125 listings a year. Yet a while back, when we tracked the numbers she was closing on the night of the appointment, we found her close rate was less than 40%.This finding got her focused on the uncompensated time she was spending on second meetings with listing prospects. It also made her think about how many listings were lost following the first meeting. A month later, her closing figures had changed dramatically. With a new resolve to get the contract closed on the night of the appointment, she skyrocketed her closing rate to over 70%. Again, be crystal-clear. Know your objective of your listing presentation. It is to secure a signed listing agreement before you walk out that door. Don’t leave your business to chance - take control and watch your closing rate skyrocket!

Keller Williams’ Top Five AHAs from Inman News’ Agent Reboot in Austin, Texas

Provided By Blog.KW.com

Last week, the KW Blog Editorial Team attended the very last stop on Inman News’ Agent Reboot tour. With heavy industry hitters such as Chris Smith, chief evangelist of Inman News, Katie Lance, chief strategist of Inman News and Jim Marks, president and Internet anthropologist of Virtual Results, speaking, it was a jam-packed day of back-to-back, socially charged sessions, focused on hitting the high points on how social media, technology and video have changed the way agents interact with their clients and businesses. Here the KW Blog Team shares our top five aha’s from the event:

1: There’s not one person in your database who doesn’t know another real estate agent. So the question is: What are you doing each day to ensure that your sphere stays loyal to you? During his “What Is the True Value of Social Media?” session, Marks  elaborated on the point when he added: “Your sphere didn’t just appear out of thin air! You had to work for it,” he said. “It’s the activities that you do consistently over time that determine the size and strength of a real estate agent’s sphere of influence. And social media is an excellent sphere retention tool – use it!”

2: More information = more business for real estate agents. There’s a rumor still running around that says the more information a consumer has on the buying and selling process, the more likely they will NOT use an agent. But it’s just not true. According to the National Association of REALTORS Buyer and Seller Study, in 2001, 69% of consumers purchased a home through a real estate professional. Fast forward to 2012. Today there’s more information than ever available to consumers, yet 89% of consumers bought a home through a real estate professional. That’s a 20% increase! So what is the strategy for you? Be the trusted expert who is able to answer questions online.

3: Video is here to stay and will be demanded by consumers. “I predict that in the next five years every single listing will have a video,” said Smith. In response to this demand, the number of iPhone and Android apps that allow real estate agents to quickly shoot, edit and post video will rise. One such application that’s hoping to break into the market: Videolicious. Matt Singer, the company’s founder and CEO, took to the stage to walk agents through some very important tips on crafting video that will get more views. Which leads us to our next “aha.”

4: Video etiquette is crucial. We’re sure you’ve heard the stat that every second, one hour of video is uploaded to YouTube. That’s 24 hours every 24 seconds, or a decade every single day! Now, before we throw our hands up and walk away, we have to remember that the real estate industry only makes up a small portion of YouTube, and there’s still room to compete … for now. So what do those numbers have to do with etiquette? With all that video to watch, you have to make sure your video meets the audience’s expectations of a “professional” video. When shooting a listing for instance, Singer suggests taking 10-to -15 second clips of the home’s most admirable features using one complementing these characteristics. He also reminded the audience to be sure and smile before the camera turns on and to remain smiling until the camera stops recording.

5: There’s no app to instant, online success. We particularly liked this one. In real estate, a Website is an important card in your business deck. Yet, so many real estate agents miss its potential power in generating more business. “And even if it isn’t in your business plan to capture leads online, it’s still important to have a presence online to showcase your brand,” said Scott Price of Placester during his session titled “Main Street Has Moved: Invest in Digital.” Price believes that taking the time to think about what a consumer wants to see online, testing a Website’s UI (or user interface) and following key Website analytics to determine how to improve online conversion rates are strategies that real estate agents need to take seriously – or at least invest in someone to do it for them.

Did you attend an Agent Reboot this year? What were your big ahas from the event?