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Follow the KW Blog for all the announcements, excitements and happenings here in New Orleans at Family Reunion 2019! We'll be updating throughout the day, so check back frequently and see what's new. Also, be sure to follow us on Instagram for live stories and even more fun!
5:55 PM CT
That does it for Day 3 of Family Reunion! It's time to rest up for Inspirational Morning tomorrow but I think it's safe to say that this was not only the biggest #KWFR ever, it was also the best. Thank you for joining us – whether you were here with us in New Orleans, reading along through the live blog or watching the livestream – and we'll see you at Mega Camp and at Family Reunion 2020 in Dallas!
5:52 PM CT
A few common questions around the new consumer app:
Q: Do my clients have to download the new app?
A: They do not. They will receive a notification that will prompt them to update their existing app.
Q: Will my current clients still be branded to me?
A: Yes. If they are branded to you in the current app, they will be branded to you in the new app.
Q: Where is the listing data coming from?
A: Listing data is coming directly from the MLS, no IDX feeds.
Q: Will my insights appear in the app?
A: Yes.
Q: Can I see my client activity?
A: Yes. You will see everything in Command.
5:48 PM CT
When your client purchases a home, their "My Home" tab on the app is activated. This is where they can track the approximate value of their home as well as how in-demand their home is. My Home is also where they can request a CMA and start the process of listing their home whenever they choose to.
My Home also contains a list of your preferred vendors that you curate so that you can continue to provide value long after the transaction closes. This kind of value creates stickiness that makes it painful to ever switch agents. Everything they need is in your app – and they're never going anywhere else.
5:36 PM CT
For those clients that own their home and are curious about its value, they are able to search for their address and get an estimate. Immediately below that is a button that they can tap to request a CMA from you. You'll then get a notification in Command that this particular client would like a CMA and you can then reach out to them directly. This is a powerful lead magnet!
At the foundation of your new app is an AI that underpins a truly comprehensive search. HomeDNA is how you gain a detailed profile of exactly what your clients want in their next home. So whether your client is looking for hardwood floors, picture windows, midcentury architecture or a country kitchen, HomeDNA gives you the complete picture of what features are important to each of your clients. "This is how you become Netflix," says Bobby.
"HomeDNA allows you to find a deep match between your client, their preferences and a home," explains Neil. "This is so much more than a filter-based search."
And, all the data generated from HomeDNA will be provided to you within Command.
5:26 PM CT
Through the app, your clients will also have the ability to add collaborators. So, if your client wants to add their friend, husband, wife or partner to the home search process, you can easily get everyone on the same page in one place – your app.
Your new consumer app will also have specific neighborhood profiles that are powered through agent insights and other data partners. Your clients will be able to quickly see the personality of a neighborhood at a tap – whether it's family friendly, quiet, lively – along with commute times.
Another aspect of the consumer app that will drive unprecedented value to your business is the timeline guide feature. This is a full step-by-step checklist for either the buying or selling process that you can customize and send to your client to help them along.
"How many of you have first-time home buyers or sellers send you text messages late at night asking about what happens next?" asks Bobby. "This guide is where your client goes to tell them what's coming. How much sleep are you going to get?"
"All these features, plus you, creates a unique app," says Neil. "That will keep them coming back."
5:12 PM CT
The consumer app is going to be another touch point along your customer's journey. And, it's branded to you so their experience with the app will begin with an invitation by you to download your personal app.
Also, when the new app rolls out, it will update to the existing KW app so that the clients that already have your app will automatically get the new one.
One of the most exciting features of the new app is that you have direct control over creating collections of homes and recommendations to send to your clients so you can break free from MLS portals. "You are able to deeply collaborate with your client as they're searching," explains Kaelin.
And, you can have one-to-one conversations with your clients about specific homes within Command. That means your client is looking at homes and asking you questions through the consumer app and you are able to see and respond quickly through Command.
5:06 PM CT
Our last breakout session of the day is a preview of your new KW consumer app with Kaelin Hooper, Neil Dholakia and Bobby Moats.
In the last 15 years, home search has been defined by three elements: a map, a filter, and a list of homes. The state of online real estate really hasn't changed other than increasing the size and quality of pictures. Yet, other dot-coms seem to have the lion's share of consumer eyeballs. Now, the game has changed so that you can compete.
Here's why we think you are going to win: First, Command. Command is your engagement hub that allows you to manage your relationships with consumers on a one-to-one, personalized basis. Command empowers you to be a part of every stage of your customer's journey.
4:19 PM CT
Opportunities is another application in Command that is designed to be custom-fit to how you do business. "We wanted to make this as highly customized as possible," explains Bobby. And, Opportunities was designed to house all of the information you need around a particular transaction.
"We're using sticky notes, manila folders and spreadsheets," Bobby adds. "We're a tech company so it's time to move to [Command]."
Another element that makes Opportunities your one-stop shop for every transaction is that it's integrated into the MLS. "How many of you have CRMs that integrate with the MLS?" asks Bobby. No one in the breakout raises their hand. That means you can seamlessly attach a listing directly to an opportunity into Command. No double data-entry.
Opportunities also allows you to input offer information, compare offers, attach all relevant documents (like buyer letters) and email them to your clients. What a game changer!
"This is a super simple system that is taking the complexity out of your life," concludes Bobby. And, it's all for no additional cost.
3:47 PM CT
How much time do you spend figuring out who you need to call every day during lead generation time? One of the most exciting parts of Command is the ability to create a SmartView.
For example, you can create a filter that organizes your contacts by those who you haven't contacted in the past 90 days. You can then set this as your default smart view so that every time you launch Command, you immediately see who you need to contact.
"This is the power of integrated systems," explains David. "When you integrate Gmail and other systems, you see that history that goes back forever, not just when you started using Command." That way you know exactly who you contacted and when so you know when you need to reach out.
3:32 PM CT
Our next breakout session covers how to become a tech-enabled agent with Command with Bobby Moats and David Voorhees. We've seen a ton of interest in Command since it was released into general availability on Saturday, and many agents are wondering what it's going to do for their business.
This session is going to help us dive a little deeper on what it means to be a tech-enabled agent and how Command can help you get there.
The goal of all our technology is to make things simple, make you and your clients smarter and to have more conversations – all at no additional cost to you. One of the first tools that we released to help accomplish this goal was Kelle.
"Think of Kelle like your mobile version of Command," explains David. "We want you to be able to do everything you can do in Command right from your phone."
And, now, Kelle is also inside of Command. There is a chat box in the lower right-hand corner of Command where you can ask Kelle questions directly. This is all possible because all KW technology is built on top of the Keller Cloud. Everything talks to each other. That means that when you enter a contact into Kelle, it syncs automatically with Command and vice-versa.
2:28 PM CT
When should you begin using Command?
"Right now, Command is the worst it's ever going to be," says Bobby. "And, it's available to you at no additional cost." And, if you dive into today and learn the system, when you use it next year when its capabilities have doubled, you are going to be ahead of the curve.
"Begin using it today and grow with it," summarizes Bobby.
2:23 PM CT
For those wondering about whether or not moving to Command will break your current system, our panel has some advice.
Because so many systems integrate with Command, it may be possible for you to use both systems as you transition. Others may feel the need to go back and forth for a time. And, still others may want to simply dive in right away.
"Changing tools like this creates business," says Brian. So diving in will create an opportunity to dig into your database and uncover new opportunities.
And, if you're worried about learning a whole new system, Christina has some advice.
"If you're not time blocking to learn things that will help your business, you need to add that immediately," she suggests. "If it takes getting up earlier, then get up earlier. Work on the fundamentals and foundation now. Learn it, time block it and it won't be so overwhelming."
"You have to be willing to understand this at a basic level," says Aaron. "You have to show up." That means digging into some of the live and on-demand training that's offered through Connect.
2:12 PM CT
"What are some best practices in getting hyperlocal with your market and why is that important to you?" asks Bobby.
"Gary says we have to become the neighborhood expert," says Christina. "And, working your sphere at a very high level is what is going to get you through a shifting market." To make this easier, Command allows you to easily create one-to-one marketing materials to the very specific communities that you serve. Then, you can use the Lead Accelerator application within Command to push those materials out into those communities.
That's when people are coming to you for your expertise. "These tools are all leverage for you and your team to get your time back," adds Brian.
1:56 PM CT
As you're working through your contacts and cleaning them up, start to categorize the strength of any leads. "Categorize them in a manner that you're most comfortable with," explains Brian. "Hot, nurture, watch or A, B, or C. Know your active sales pipeline so you know what you're working with. This will help you understand what your most important leads are and attack them systematically."
And, neighborhood marketing ties in perfectly to working your active sales pipeline. When you send out a custom landing page with information that they are looking for, you are able to see when they visit the page and track their interaction with it.
This allows you to time a follow-up call to optimize conversion because you can catch them at a time they are most engaged.
1:44 PM CT
If you're wondering where to start with Command, we have a few ideas drawing from Brian, Aaron and Christina's best business practices.
"Once your contacts get into the system, customize the way that you categorize them," says Aaron. "The first time you use Command, I'd encourage you to figure out who the most important people in your database are and organize them using custom fields and tags."
Start thinking through the different segments in your database and determine what those categories are and how you want to organize them. Then, make sure you have the information you need to put into the contact record.
"A lot of us rush to put information into the contact record for the sake of having it there," says Brian. "This is actually a lead generation opportunity. Pick up the phone and make a phone call. When you're assembling your contacts to get into Command, as you recognize you're missing certain fields of data, use the phone."
What should you say when you're calling every contact? Just say you're updating their contact record – address, birthday and more – for your holiday card list.
"Just make sure you actually send them a Christmas card," says Christina.
1:35 PM CT
We've hopped into a breakout session that tackles best practices in Command. Bobby Moats, Brian Gubernick, Aaron Armstrong, and Christina Griffin talk about their involvement in Labs, what they've learned by working with Command and how you can adopt their strategies in your business.
Let's do this!
Christina knows firsthand the power of Labs. At one point, she raised her hand and advocated for a comprehensive CMA program in Command. The whole session pivoted and that's how the Listing Experience application was born.
Brian initially had a "wait and see" mindset when it came to Labs. That quickly changed when he sat in on a lab. He was impressed with how hands-on Gary Keller, Josh Team and the Labs team were. He initially assumed Gary and Josh would pop in periodically, and was excited to see Josh and Gary actively participating throughout the entire lab.
"This is a product built by agents," says Brian. "Every other tool is, 'Here's the technology' and then let's see how this fits into the agent's world." That's not the case with Command or any other KW technology.
11:04 AM CT
And that wraps up the State of Your Company. It's time to go make 2019 the best year ever! Onward!
We'll be back after lunch for more coverage of breakouts and more aha's and insights.
10:53 AM CT
This past year has also been a breakout year for Keller Mortgage and KW MAPS Coaching!
Keller Mortgage has already helped consumers save $50M in closing costs and life-of-loan rate savings.Those in BOLD (9.5 percent of the company) represented 19 percent of all listings taken in KW and 18 percent of all contracts written.Those in Mastery (1.5 percent of the company) represented 15 percent of all listings taken in KW and 11 percent of all contracts written.
10:43 AM CT
Mo Anderson takes the stage to speak about culture – the glue that holds all of our growth and innovation together.
"Culture is defined as the predetermined way that we treat each other," explains Mo. "I am so proud of this company and I am so proud of this culture."
Keller Williams' four pillars of culture include:
WI4C2TS
Win-Win...Or no deal Integrity...Do the right thing Customers...Always come first Commitment...In all things Communication...Seek first to understand Creativity...Ideas before results Teamwork...Together everyone achieves more Trust...Starts with honesty Success...Results through people
MVVBP
Mission Vision Values Beliefs Perspective
What Is Culture?
52 action items, such as:
Give seven hugs a day
Be nice
Six Personal Perspectives
Commit to Self-Mastery Commit to the 80/20 Principle Move from E to P Be Learning Based Remove Limiting Beliefs Be Accountable
"Every day, together, we are demonstrating that the higher purpose of business is giving, sharing and caring," concludes Mo. "Relationships matter. Who you are in business with matters. No transaction is worth our reputation. God and family first, then business. It really matters because all of this is culture."
10:33 AM CT
Wondering about production? These stats are just as mind-blowing. 🤯
Transactions
1M+ U.S. & Canada
27,031 Global Sales Volume
$332B U.S. & Canada
$4.5B KWW Profit Share
$1.2B lifetime $170.5M in 2018
KW Worldwide has also experienced a year of monumental growth.
35 Regions
195 Market Centers
2,500+ AgentsTransaction Units
+ 43 percent
Gross Commission Income + 50 percentGrowth Share $2M
10:21 AM CT
Switching gears, we're looking at all of the incredible accomplishments YOU achieved in the past year. It's been a year of innovation, full of exciting changes and new technology releases that you designed and delivered through the Labs process.
Referrals Stats:
10,136,006 lifetime network requests
55,693 lifetime referrals sent
$16.9B lifetime sales volumeKelle Stats:
147,269 lifetime downloads 8,791,078 lifetime interactions27,000+ lifetime Labs participants Representing $5.8B in GCI
And, here are just a few more highlights from 2018:
#1 in Units, Volume and Agent Count in the U.S.Inducted into the Training Top 10 Hall of Fame by Training magazineComprised 33 percent of REAL Trends 500 and Power Broker 1000Ranked #1 company by Indeed for work/life balanceComprised 30.4 percent of Swanepoel Mega 1000Kelle wins the Inman Innovator Award for most Innovative Real Estate TechnologyNamed one of America’s Best Employers for Women by ForbesWinner of NAR HackathonNamed number one Top-Rated Workplace for Best Culture by Indeed
And we're just getting started!
"Keller Williams is not the company you knew, it's morphing into the company you need," says Gary. "You are changing the world. You are impacting the world in a way I'm not sure you can imagine."
10:14 AM CT
A few reactions from our agents on this morning's tech segment:
"Command is built to support how we do business now. We don’t have to change the way we do business to use Command. It's entirely customizable!" - Anna Kilinski
"The new Command platform is going to allow us to create our own curated pages for our clients. We’ll be able to provide those pages at no extra cost to our bottom line. And these pages will definitely allow us to go sell something! To say I’m excited about the use of Command in my business and for my clients is an understatement!" - Marty Miller
"Very excited about the opportunity Command and the consumer app present for us to develop a deeper customized value-add relationship with our clients. The game changer is that that customization creates a moat around the customer relationship and makes our going out and getting customers on our personalized app more important than ever since no longer will customers easily move from one platform to another. Who are you going to be the real estate resource for life for?" - Bo Menkiti
"I love the five steps we all can do when we get home [with Command]. Starts by adding contacts and getting addresses. Then deliver value by sending customized, personalized neighborhood reports." - Sarita Dua
"I love all of the developments with tech and how quickly our agents are implementing. Yesterday morning only 8 percent of our agents had addresses in their database, we now have 14 percent! The adoption and engagement are amazing!" - Tiffanie Coon
10:08 AM CT
So, what are your action items for building a valuable real estate database?
Identify your SOITag your VIPsSet your SmartViewStart making calls and deliver neighborhood insightsTrack your numbers
10:04 AM CT
Then next part of creating and managing a profitable database is knowing your numbers. From leads, appointments, conversion rates, closings and profit, understanding these metrics are mission critical for running a business worth owning.
"It's a two-way process. Knowing my numbers allows me to make the right decisions and make those decisions right," says Cody. "It's our scoreboard. Are we getting better or are we not getting better?"
"You can completely track your activity, pipeline and dollars in one place in Command," says Josh. "And what you're not seeing here is Excel." So, say bye-bye to all those spreadsheets and hello to Command!
9:55 AM CT
From there, it's critical to deliver unique value to these groups of contacts. That's where neighborhood marketing comes into play.
"If you don't have unique value, it's hard to keep them in your environment," adds Josh.
"That's the game we're playing now."
"For the first time ever, we're able to deliver messages that [our clients] actually care about," adds Cody. "We're no longer forcing messaging on them."
9:49 AM CT
Another important group to identify in your database is your VIPs. VIPs can be defined by any criteria you'd like – whether these are your greatest referral sources, investors or anyone else – so that you can quickly identify, find and contact the most important people to your business.
With just a few clicks, you can create a SmartView of your database that displays those contacts that are in your SOI, are VIPs and who you haven't contacted in the last 90 days. "This becomes your call list for the day," says Josh.
9:39 AM CT
When organizing your database, it's important to differentiate your sphere of influence (SOI) from everyone else.
"The world is moving toward permission-based marketing and service," explains Gary. That is why SOI is so important. These are the people in your database who you have an existing relationship with and who you don't have to seek permission to reach out to.
So, let's get tactical about separating your SOI in your database. In Command, you have the ability to add custom fields so that you can sort and manage your contacts into groups that you control. You can add an SOI custom field – or whatever you'd like to call this group – to make sure you differentiate this important segment from everyone else. And, the best part is that you aren't managing an abundance of tags, different spellings and other elements.
9:31 AM CT
Josh and Gary take the stage along with Brian Gubernick and Cody Gibson. They are going to talk us through database best practices this morning.
Most CRMs are about pushing out information and forcing contact with as many people as possible. "The database of yesterday cannot be the database of tomorrow," says Cody. "The database of tomorrow is about attracting. We can't hang on to what used to work because it won't work tomorrow."
That's why Command was built to attract clients to you – the local expert – and why it's so important to take advantage of this tool as soon as you can. And, many of you already are.
As of today, nine new contacts are being added to Command every second. That's up from just three yesterday! And now, 14 percent of contacts now have an address associates with them and yesterday that number was just 8 percent. That's an increase of 75 percent in just 24 hours!
9:24 AM CT
We're just a few minutes away from Gary and Josh taking the stage for the State of Your Company! This presentation will start with a 30-minute tech segment and then walk us through some of the major milestones from the past year. And, we think there are going to be some fun surprises on stage, so be sure to tune into the livestream!
8:52 AM CT
We're with Gary. How about you?
8:12 AM CT
Command. Consumer. Kelle. There's a lot of technology news coming out of Family Reunion to keep track of! That's why we compiled a series of stories on Outfront that walk you through everything product by product. These articles are great resources for you to get up-to-speed and share with the world.
7:23 AM CT
Good morning, Keller Williams! Grab your coffee and get ready for another information-packed day at Family Reunion 2019! Did you miss anything over the last couple of days? Check out our live coverage from Day 1 and Day 2. Then, today, be sure to tune into the State of Your Company which begins at 9:30 AM CT from the main stage. If you're not joining us in New Orleans, you can tune in through the livestream!