It’s not just industry-leading technology like eEdge – the all-in-one lead-to-close agent business solution – that’s setting Keller Williams Realty apart. Innovative at its core, the company has embarked on a new mission: moving away from its old Webmail system to a highly collaborative and incredibly flexible communication and productivity platform.
Creating innovative products and solutions for 93,000 associates scattered across four continents doesn’t happen easily. Which is why Keller Williams enlisted the help of Google’s Enterprise solutions.
Nathan Rader, Keller Williams Realty’s Southwest Google Apps sales manager, has been with Google for almost six years. He’s had his hands in more than 20 migrations, moving organizations of all shapes and sizes – including a real estate investment and property group with 3,000 employees – over to Google’s cloud-based enterprise infrastructure.
The KW Blog Editorial Team spoke with Rader recently to find out what it took to move Keller Williams associates over to Google Apps for Business and how agents can get up and running on their core Gmail, Calendar, Drive and Talk Apps.
What made Keller Williams Realty’s migration unique?
Rader: I’ve never seen an organization so focused on using technology and innovation as a competitive advantage for numerous people distributed over disperse geographic locations.
How many Google team members worked on the KW migration?
Rader: Six team members from Google have been involved in this project. As you might expect with a project of this scale, the team hailed from all over the country, including Fort Worth and Austin, Texas as well as Mountainview, Calif.
You attended Mega Camp 2013. What was your impression of our second largest event?
Rader: Mega Camp was an absolutely incredible experience. I was fortunate to have the opportunity to speak to over 10,000 agents. The excitement and passion for their business was infectious. I could smell in the air the love for KW and building a legacy in their local real estate market.
Nathan Rader speaking at Keller Williams Realty’s Mega Camp in September 2013
What were the most popular questions you received at the KW Technology booth?
Rader: The most prevalent question was, “How soon can I get this?” I also had a lot of people interested in how all the contacts will be synced to their smart phones.
And how can they?
Rader: It’s actually pretty simple. And while I won’t go into exact details here, agents can find directions on the myKW Intranet or by visiting the recommended Google Labs.
What’s your favorite KW Google Apps for Business feature?
Rader: I am still amazed by the speed and relevance of the search function across the products. I have totally changed the way I work and no longer use folders to organize anything. I love being messy in my email and just lazily leaning on Google to help me find anything I need, fast.
What tips do you have for our associates during the first 30 days?
Rader: Don’t be afraid to try new things. Take 15 minutes a week to play around with all the features, labs and tools. I promise your agents they will find at least two things that they can’t live without.
Just like KW, we understand culture is a big part of Google. What’s your favorite thing about the Google culture?
Rader: I love the openness and transparency of our culture. We are provided an incredible amount of insight and knowledge about all the good and the bad. I love being able to see what is going on behind the scenes of such a fascinating company.
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How Four Little Words Changed My Career
We have all experienced challenging times in the midst of our real estate journey. Mine came in August 1974 as I began my real estate career. My year’s hard work had produced no closings and my real estate future looked dismal. I turned to God in deep discouragement and asked for a positive sign–just 3 valid transactions during the month of August. At the same time I enrolled in graduate school, preparing to return to the field of education.
The month slowly passed day by day. Then August 27 and 28 brought great hope with the sale of my only listing plus a first-time-buyer. My prayers were being answered–I was now two transactions down, had one to go and a full three days remaining! Perhaps real estate was the career for me.
August 29 and 30 came and went without any activity and I became angry. How could I fall just one transaction short of my goal? I needed more faith and more patience. At 10:00 a.m. a phone call changed everything-it was a buyer. I showed them two homes and truly felt as if there was magic in the air. My third transaction was about to materialize. After all these months, I felt as if real estate success was within my grasp.
My joy quickly disappeared when the client told me they could not buy from me because they had been previously working with Lillie Mae Tillman, another local agent. She had shown them numerous homes and bought them lunches and dinners. And ultimately they felt their loyalty had to remain with her. I knew these buyers had reached the most ethical decision, but I was heartbroken. I had been so close to, what I felt was success. It was the lowest moment in my real estate career.
At 7:30 that evening the clients called me with the news that during a conversation with Lillie Mae, she had told them to “Do the right thing and buy the house from Mo Anderson.” I could hardly believe what I was hearing! Lillie Mae Tillman, an elderly, quiet, reserved Century 21 agent had changed my life with four little words – “Do the right thing”. That was when my real estate ball began to roll. The next six months brought 35 transactions; I went on to build my own company and then Keller Williams Realty entered my life. Through it all I have never forgotten precious, wonderful Lillie Mae Tillman and the impact her integrity had and continues to have on my life. She taught me that when we ‘do the right thing’ it is possible to literally change the course of someone’s life.
As we enter a new decade, let’s renew our commitment to ‘do the right thing’ in all aspects of our lives. And, just as our integrity is able to impact and change the course of the lives of those around us, it has the power to change our world!
Congratulations Keller Williams Realty: We are #1!
With a net gain of 12,000 associates in the past year, Keller Williams Realty is now the largest real estate franchise in North America. The announcement, based on publicly available agent count data as of September 9, 2013, was made during Keller Williams Realty’s Midyear State of the Company presentation. Keller Williams is now home to more than 90,000 associates around the world.
“We are not a company of complacency,” CEO Mark Willis said. “We have the best business model in the industry and it’s leading to increased productivity, profitability and profit sharing that are at all-time highs for our company and unrivaled in our industry.”
In recent months, Keller Williams Realty has shattered its monthly records for listings taken, contracts written, commissions earned, owner profit and profit share:
- Year over year, units are up 8 percent, closed volume is up 17 percent and gross commission income is up 18 percent.
- Ninety-five percent of the company’s offices are profitable year to date – a figure that far outpaces the standard for franchise businesses.
- In the past 12 months, the company has distributed $58 million in profit share to associates, a 33 percent increase over the previous year.
The strong growth, productivity and profitability gains follow a year of milestones for the company:
- The release of the Keller Williams mobile app – personally branded for each of the company’s 90,000 associates. In the past 30 days, more than 58,000 consumers have downloaded the app to their Apple and Android devices.
- Publication of co-founder Gary Keller’s new book, The ONE Thing, which has appeared on 117 bestseller lists, including The New York Times, where it has been on the business bestseller list for 5 months, and The Wall Street Journal, where it earned the #1 spot.
Willis used concepts from The ONE Thing to illustrate his presentation, which took place at Mega Camp, the real estate industry’s premier educational and networking event for top producers. “Keller Williams leaders, what you’re doing is lining up a perfect domino run,” he said. “Being #1 in agent count in the United States was our first domino. We’re on our way to knocking over bigger and bigger dominos until we’re #1 in agent count, transactions and volume all across the world.”
Keller Williams Worldwide President Chris Heller also announced the company’s expansion into the United Kingdom. In recent years, the company’s global division has announced franchise agreements in Austria, Germany, Indonesia, Southern Africa, Switzerland, Turkey and Vietnam. Heller touted the achievements of the company’s regions outside of North America and welcomed more than 100 international guests from countries including Brazil, China, Colombia, Ghana, Israel, Italy, Mexico, Poland and Russia.
“Around the globe, entrepreneurs, brokers and agents are looking for and asking for what we offer,” Heller said. “They crave our models, systems, training and technology. And because Keller Williams can offer all of those at a level they have never seen before, we are attracting tremendous talent and gaining momentum.”
“Success leaves clues,” Keller Williams President Mary Tennant said during her State of the Culture update. “And your unprecedented achievements this year all flow from the culture of success, caring and opportunity you created and are enhancing every day.”