What Separates KW From the Pack?

It's late at night and I am bleary eyed and tired. I had a full day at Family Reunion and my head is busting with new ideas, new tools, and inspiration. Today we had a guest speaker from Swanesoel Trends Reports during our Team Leader Mastermind. Mr. Swanesoel is highly esteemed as an expert in the real estate market and industry. I wanted to share this short video of Mr. Swanesoel as he describes what makes Keller Williams unique from other real estate companies.

What is the number one reason that Keller Williams is the fast growing real estate company? CULTURE. This was not lost on Mr. Swanesoel as he spent the last few days with us at Family Reunion in Orlando.

KW Atlanta Perimeter 2008 Agents of the Year!

Agents of the Year!!

The Frye Team

Congratulations to the Frye Team who were the Top Producers at Keller Williams Atlanta Perimeter in 2008. In a year where the Atlanta Real Estate market decreased 22%, the Frye Team grew their business by 32% to gross commission income of $384,261. Way to go Frye Team!

That doesn’t mean that growth and success came easy for the Frye Team. When I first met Pete and Teri in April 2008 they weren’t so sure what 2008 had in store for them. At the time, Pete and Teri were trying to figure out how to handle administrative responsibilities that their assistant Cindy Wichman had taken care of before her illness. In addition, they recognized that the market was shifting and saw that sales were becoming harder and harder to come by.

But they re-organized and re-energized their activities to ramp up their business and overcome the challenges in the market. Teri and Pete understand the value of education, dedication, and hard work. They became students of the tactics in the SHIFT Book and tirelessly worked to bring in more leads and more listings. They also implemented the models from the MREA book and became accountable through coaching with Shaun Rawls. One big accomplishment last year was in August when they took on over 20 high-end, new construction listings in Sugarloaf Country Club.

In addition to working hard to grow their business, the Frye Team actively participated in the Agent Leadership Council. They are always there to mentor agents when they have problems, they give back to the office through leadership and training, and they are role models of the KW Culture.

Thanks to Pete, Teri, and their Buyer’s Agent, Kim Scruggs for all their encouragement and inspiration. We are blessed to be in business with you!

Tom Cruise Like Excitement

It's not everyday that I meet someone that is so happy that they want to jump up and down for joy. On those days when I do, I want to jump up and celebrate with them. Today was one of those days...

Recently we began the "Suit Up and Show Up" program which allows the agents to obtain a voucher for a free desk each month if they participate in Power Hour, come to Team Meetings, and make their appointment goals for the month. The results have been phenomenal! We meet each morning at 9 am to watch a short inspirational/educational video. We share our goals, ideas, and challenges and then we are off to the phones for about an hour and a half. At 10:30 a.m. we reconvene to share and celebrate our successes. Who says that the real estate market is bad....Last week we made over 30 appts!

Sheralyn Skaar picked out a desk last week and her results have been life changing. I have attached this video so you can feel her excitement.

If you too are interested in boosting your business give me a call at 678-298-1665. I would be happy to share with you how to make it happen.

Whole-Hearted Devotion

Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men.Colossians 3:23

Happy Valentines Day! I just came home from a great night out with my husband and two kids. We went to dinner at "Thaicoon" on the Marietta Square. I actually got my 12 year old, finicky eater, to admit that the spicy tuna roll actually tasted good to him! Victory!!! As I am sure you do, I value the time with those I love more than anything.

My family and friends are my passion. As you, and our office, is my passion. I love what I do and I love who I do it with. Since Valentines Day is meant to be spent with those we love - doing what we love to do, I thought that I would share with you an excerpt from a book written by John Maxwell, The 21 Indispensable Qualities of a Leader. I hope you find it as inspirational as I did.

May You Live Your Passion,

Connie

Experts spend a lot of time trying to figure out what makes people successful, and more than anything the passion is what makes the difference.

Take a look at four truths about passion and what it can do for you:

1. Passion is the first step to achievement: Your desires determine your destiny. The stronger your fire, their greater the desire--and the greater the potential.

2. Passion increases your willpower There is not substitute for passion. It is fuel for the will. If you want anything badly enough, you can find the willpower to achieve it.

3. Passion changes you. If you follow your passion you can't help but become a more dedicated, productive person. In the end, your passion will have more influence than your personality.

4. Passion makes the impossible possible. Human beings are so made that whenever anything fires their soul impossibilities vanish. A fire in the heart lifts everything in your life. An individual with great passion and few skills always outperforms an individual with great skills and no passion.

Not A Chair To Be Found!

There wasn't a chair to be found in today's team meeting. We kicked off the event with the agents sharing "Tell Me Something Good" stories while passing around the beach ball. Toss after toss agents shared how they are finding buyers and sellers by calling their sphere, holding open houses or networking on the golf course (go Bob Fiscella). It was also great to see Scotchie Cochran back in the room after his heart surgery.

After the inspirational celebration, I filled the everyone in on a new form that needs to be completed when they turn in contracts. The new form will help protect our clients in complex short sale transactions. For instance, we are finding that sellers are hiring a third party to negotiate with the banks on short sales. Oftentimes these third party representatives are not licensed real estate agents. When the third party rep is NOT a licensed agent, the listing agent must present all offers to the seller (not just the third party rep). The new form is a check and balance for short sale requirements.

The main event today was hosted by our ALC member, Dionne Stokes-Hicks. Dionne invited Dagmar Sands of Real Estate International, Inc (http://www.dagmarsands.com/) to discuss networking on an international scale. Dagmar presented innovative ways to grow our real estate business through social networking on the internet and joining networking associations. To wrap it all up Dionne and Mia Hannah shared an inspirational story about overcoming our fears.

I think everyone left jazzed up and ready to tackle the real estate world. At least Barney Trader was - as evidenced by this video.

Tell Me Something Good - Moment #102

Hi Connie,
I’m sooo glad I took the Buyer Mastery class on Wednesday because I had potential clients come in on Thursday and I was able to apply what I learned very quickly. Needless to say, after they left the office I had a signed Buyer Agency contract for a six month period. The best part is they know I don’t intend on showing them 30+ homes. I told them that they need to narrow the list down to 8-10 and drive by them before we go out. Surprisingly they seemed relieved with the way I NOW do business. I also told them to expect to make 2-3 offers at the same time. They liked that idea too. For once I feel in control of my business!
Thank you for offering this wonderful class!

Liz Wellman

Tell Me Something Good Moment #101

Tell Me Something Good - Moment #101
Every day someone in my office comes to tell me something good that has happened. I love hearing their stories and see the sparkle in their eye and spring in their step. Yesterday I purchased a new toy called "The Flip". It is a tiny little video camera that I can keep with me at all times. So now when an agent comes to "Tell Me Something Good" I can share the moment with you.So here is Moment #101 with Michael Martino and Bill Haas at the ALC Social Dinner Party on February 7th. (Turn off the music from the Playlist to the right of this post)

Just the Stats Ma'am

Thank you Jeri for helping us better understand the value that our Quarterly Market Statistics provide to both the agents in this community and our clients.

“Just the Stats Ma’am” – Jeri Moran, General Manager, Keller Williams Realty

Knowing your numbers has taken on a whole new meaning in the last year. Though it was always crucial to know the market and where you stand, now more than ever does could it mean the difference of 30 days on the market or over 100 days. It could mean the difference of 96% of list price or 83% of list price. It could mean your reputation.

Knowing the key numbers could also mean the difference of just getting to the table in the first place. And in our current market where buyers are more challenging to come by, this is very important. So what are some key talking points to look at? And, by the way, we are 5 of only 10 offices in Atlanta that have access to this compiled data and charts! Thank you Chuck Carr (chartmasterchuck@aol.com) So, take a look at some key areas please.

1. Average days on market for listings that require a price reduction vs. those that don’t. We are looking at a difference of 2-3 (sometimes 4) times longer on the market depending on area and price point.

2. Another important number is the % of closed transaction from the same period year prior. If you look at the entire metro Atlanta detached we are down about 22%. Intown areas are down 11.7% and condos a whopping 29%.

3. The % of failed (overpriced) listings has increased to over 70% in all categories.

4. Finally, the decline in the median price point. Prices have not been this low since 2003!

So the good news is we have the information. The information really isn’t good or bad, it is just the facts, the market that we have. It is what we do with this information NOW that will determine if it is a positive or negative in our business. With over 33,000 properties sold in the Atlanta Metro Area this year and looking at the 80/20 (really 90/10) principle in our business, there is plenty to go around and you can get YOUR unfair share. The other piece of good news is we know what the challenge in this market is: PRICE! Yes, PRICE! Inventory has stabilized somewhat and now our greatest marketing strategy is price.

Now what? Get aggressive! Create a worry price that will force buyers to make offers. Make reverse offers and create bidding wars! View properties that are under contract and be the best priced, best looking home on the market. Give incentives on your listings; hoa fees, buy down the mortgage. Remind buyers that they can always turn down an offer but let’s make sure we get one.

This information arms you with data for this wartime market. Get in the game because if you don’t you are just a spectator! You CAN do it!

I hope you will continue to join us at the next quarterly presentation of these statistics. If you would like more information about this event send me an email at ConnieCarlson@kw.com.

Making It Stick in 2009

Welcome to the New Year! We’ve made it through the month of January. If you are like me, January started out with good intentions. Resolutions and goals abounded. How am I doing so far? How are you doing so far? You are now a month into the year and have you been able to stay on track?

Some of you may say “yes”. My guess is that many of you say “not quite”. Many of you may have made a resolution to lose weight or get in better shape. In fact, the health clubs are full of well-wishers the first part of the year. My husband, Dan, and I used to be regulars at the West Cobb YMCA. Come January we would crack jokes about the New Year’s Resolution-ers. One year we watched a woman on the sit-up bench doing crunches while candy fell out of her sweatshirt’s pocket. Needless to say, she made it to the gym for a week or two and we never saw her again.

Everyone has good intentions. But did you ever wonder why people have such a hard time keeping up with the changes they commit to make in a new year? We promise to make change but after the first few weeks of January or early February the resolutions go away, we struggle with the goals, and we go backwards.

Why is it so hard for people to make lasting change in their lives? One reason is that the change we make is too radical. We fear that we can’t maintain the change so we don’t even commit to the resolution. Or, perhaps we fear that there are too many unresolved issues in our past to change or overcome. We may have convinced ourselves that it is too late to change. We are already set in our ways or we are not willing to put in the work or sacrifice to make the change. Maybe we are looking for a quick fix.


So how do you make real change in your life that will last? How do you make it stick?


#1. Focus on decisions that could really add value to your life. The first step to making goals that last is to focus on change that adds real value to your life. So often we try to change things that don’t add real value to our lives. Strive for something earnest. Focus on things that outlast your life. Material things are all good and well but will not bring true happiness to your life. Your focus should be on “love”. Love for your body, for your family, for your friends, and for your spiritual life. For instance, rather than focusing on fitting into those skinny jeans, focus on how much better you will physically feel, how it will improve your self esteem, and how it will prolong your life to share with those you love.

#2. Get tough on the things that cause setbacks. You can’t keep valuable goals if these things go unchecked in your life. There will always be opposition. Our own weakness and sometimes your friends, family, etc will try to pull us backwards. All of us have things we struggle with. We need to ask ourselves what is in our life right now that is causing us to constantly have a setback. Sometimes the opposition may be rooted in Pride. It is important to us to have a clear perception of what is holding us back, recognize it and have a plan to overcome it. Get honest with the problems in our lives in 2009 so that in 2010 we are not dealing with the same issues.


3. We have to decide in advance that we are not going to quit. This is a lifelong process. It is progression – not perfection. You will have some victories and failures along the way. You can never give up trying to perfect yourself and you cannot be afraid to fail once in awhile. Our lives need to be in a constant state of change. The key is to NOT quit. Refuse to give up.

4. Tackle change in two degree shifts. One of the problems with our goals is that we set ourselves up for failure because we bite off more than we can handle. We try to do a one-eighty. Very few people can do that. If you really want to make lasting change in your life you need to tackle change in two degree shifts. For instance, what if you could make a two degree shift to begin lead generation? Maybe you start with just 2 phone calls a day and build it to 3 hours a day. This could be the tipping point to success in your business. The little decisions we make on a day to day basis have immense results over time. Focused intensity over time leads to results.


5. Find someone to help you along the way. No one succeeds alone. Find a buddy to help you along the way. Whether that is your life partner, spouse, friend, coach, or work colleague find someone to hold you accountable and to encourage you along the way.

6. Write down your goals and keep them in front of you at all times. Most people never take the time to write out what they want to achieve. They will say that it is all “up here”. The problem with this kind of thinking is that we are constantly revising and changing what we focus on. And thus, the real things that matter fall to the way side. Write it down. It is rewarding and empowering to cross your achieved goals off the list.


As a Market Center we have some Great Goals for 2009. The 2009 Agent Leadership Council and your Leadership team is leading the charge to not only make Keller Williams Atlanta Perimeter the #1 real estate office in Dunwoody, but the #1 market center in the Southeast Region – and beyond. We have established specific, measurable, attainable, realistic, and time specific goals to make this happen. Our goal is to add 50 new faces, add 50 happy cappers, and
have 50% productivity by the end of 2009. 50-50-50.

Our vision statement is simple –

“We are here for you. Wherever you are.”