The Oak Park & Chicago SHIFT

What does it take to have success in the fourth quarter?   I ask my self this question every year; and I ask this question to hundreds of agents every year, and here is what I have come up with:

It takes planning.   Business planning to be exact, a personal growth plan, a physical fitness plan, a spiritual plan, and an organizational plan.  

Physical fitness and spiritual plans speak for themselves and will be different for every person out there.   The organizational plan is simply putting  everything  in order and making  everything click in sync.   That leaves the  Personal Growth Plan and the Business Plan.

The  Personal Growth Plan is very simple:   What education  am I going to take this year to better myself?   It may be to better myself personally or professionally, spiritually or physically.   The point is this:   Education.   What  do  I need and when  am I going to take it?    

This leaves the Business Plan.   The  Business Plan is perhaps the most important one of these and probably the most overlooked by most people in the real estate business.    I am a firm believer of “failing to plan is planning to fail.”   The saddest thing I see in the real estate business is that most agents simply do not plan out their business.   I meet with at least 10 agents each week, and  the vast majority of them have  no plan whatsoever to achieve their goals —  some do not even have goals.   I help people write simple business plans  every day and yet I  watch them leave my office and never implement the plans.   I watch some of  them fail out of the business, or I watch them jump from company to  company, thinking that the broker is going to carry them, when in reality, the broker does not even have a business plan!

It is probably one of the  biggest injustices  in this business that I  see, and I see it  daily.   My question is this:   What is it that an agent needs to see and understand to finally get it?   Anyway, I hope this  helps you understand exactly what you need to  do to have a successful fourth quarter.   If you are interested in writing a business plan, please feel free to join us  on  Thursday, December 9th from 1:00 – 4:00 pm in our office at 6547 W. North Ave., Oak Park, IL   60302.

We would love to have you come in and learn how to do a successful business plan so you NEVER have to go through another year without a plan again.  

Event Registration Online for BOLD – Business Objective: A Life by Design

We would like to welcome Jovany Mendoza and Vicky Eaton to our team here at Keller Williams Realty in Oak Park, IL.   We are glad to be in business with both agents.   Jovany, a resident of Berwyn, follows his cousin, Carlos Cubas here to the office to take advantage of some of our training programs to help him succeed in real estate.

Vicky, a resident of Forest Park, another neighboring community, transfers in from a small independent company and is looking forward to a little more training and support than in the past.  

Both are experienced agents and bring value to our team and we are glad to have them.   Looking forward to a GREAT rest of the year here in Oak Park!

Thanks,

John Youker

Everyone knows a GPS is a Global Positioning System, or a device that helps you navigate from point A to point B.   They can be very helpful in driving, hiking, or many other applications.   Do you know what  a GPS for your business is?

Well, it is the same thing.   A tool that can help you navigate from point A to point B.   Do you have a GPS for your business?   IN business this acronym stands for Goals, Priorities, and Strategies.   First off, you must define your GOAL.   One goal, that is it.   Maybe it is an income goal, or a # of listings goal.   Once you have clearly established your goal, then you need 3 priorities for that goal.   What 3 things must I focus on to make that goal happen?   Once you have established those three things, it is time for implementation or ACTION.   Next you would take each priority and write 5 simple action steps that will turn those priorities into realities, thus helping you achieve your goal.

At Keller Williams Realty Professionals, this is exactly what we do.   I schedule an individual consultation with every agent who joins our office and we write, together, a GPS plan for their success.   Then we help them implement what they need to make that happen by custom designing a training schedule for them to engage in so they can reach their goals and become the agent they want to be.

If you are interested in writing a GPS for you to help you navigate the troubled waters of a shifted market, please call me at (718)725-9050 or email me at TL@kw418.com and we will make it happen.   All we need is 2 hours of your time to make it happen!   The desire to succeed must outweigh the fear of a new challenge!

I hope to hear from you soon

John Youker
Team Leader / CEO
Keller Williams Realty Professionals
Chicago – Oak Park

Well, this is  a question I am faced with on a daily basis.   And, I am proud to say, YES, it does, however, it is totally dependent on the implementation of the agent.   When agents join Keller Williams Realty, at my office, the first thing I teach them is the six personal perspectives to help them get on the path to mastery.   Here they are:

1.   Commit to self-mastery

2.   Focus on the 20% that matters most

3.   Breaktrhrough the ceiling of Achievement

4.   Become a learning-based individual

5.   Remove your limiting beliefs

6.   Become accountable

Now, not all agents participate, but the agents who understand these principles and engage in the business using these six simple rules typically have an increase in production.   Take Loria Hamilton, who joined Keller Williams Realty Professionals in October ’09.   Her production since joing KW has increased by 174%.   Yes, you read that right, 174%!   Now, imagine for a minute what you could do with almost DOUBLE your income?  

All of our training in the office  is free and is readily available for any agent who is interested in taking their business to the next level.   We have just begun a series of classes titled Lead Generation 36:12:3, which helps the agent close 36 transactions over the next 12 months by focusing 3 hours per day on the 20% that matters most – Lead Generation.   If you are interested in this class or any other training, please feel free to call me at  (708) 725-9050 or email me at TL@kw418.com, we would love to have you join in our learning experience.   For a copy of our current calendar of events, please click on Training Calendar above.

You have heard the old saying. “You can lead a horse to water, but you can’t make him drink!”   Well, it is time for you to start drinking up!   Learn what it takes to be successful in this market, come to a class, join us for some incredible learning experiences, all taught by a Keller Williams University certified instructor.

For more information, please contact John Youker at (708) 725-9050 or email at TL@kw418.com.

Thanks,

John Youker
Team Leader / CEO
Keller Williams Realty Professionals
Chicago – Oak Park

We have several FREE agent classes available in July that we are teaching here in the MC for FREE!   A couple just to tell you about are as follows:  

July 7th, Wednesday, 5:30 – 7:00 pm – How To Increase Your Profit Sharing Dollars – mastermind style roundtable discussion

- Led by:   John Youker, Team Leader, Keller Williams Realty Professionals

July 13th, Tuesday, 1:30 – 3:30 – Contract to Close – holding it all together through closing

- Led by Tom Brandt, Mega Agent who has closed over $9.5 Million in the past 12 months

July 20th, Tuesday (and the next 11 Tuesdays following this)   Lead Generation – 36:12:3 –  A 24 hour series of classes (12 two hour sessions taught weelly.  designe to help the agent increase production up to 36 transactions closed in the next 12 months, by focusing on 3 hours per day of LEAD GENERATION.

- Taught by John Youker, Team Leader, Keller Williams Realty Professionals

For our COMPLETE Monthly Training calendar, please click HERE.

- July 20th is the introduction and the POWER OF ONE

- July 27th is Session one, Building Validity and Positioning

 If you are an agent who is struggling to find deals, or struggling to close deals in this market, please consider coming to any of these classes – especially the entire 12 week series of 36:12:3 – there is no cost for the class and your materials will be provided for you, free of charge as well.

Our goal at Keller Williams Realty Professionals is to reach out to you and help you do better in real estate through education, training, and coaching.   Don’t be shy, contact me and ask me about the classes; what do you have to lose?

Thanks,

 John Youker

We have several FREE agent classes available in July that we are teaching here in the MC for FREE!   A couple just to tell you about are as follows:  

July 7th, Wednesday, 5:30 – 7:00 pm – How To Increase Your Profit Sharing Dollars – mastermind style roundtable discussion

- Led by:   John Youker, Team Leader, Keller Williams Realty Professionals

July 13th, Tuesday, 1:30 – 3:30 – Contract to Close – holding it all together through closing

- Led by Tom Brandt, Mega Agent who has closed over $9.5 Million in the past 12 months

July 20th, Tuesday (and the next 11 Tuesdays following this)   Lead Generation – 36:12:3 –  A 24 hour series of classes (12 two hour sessions taught weelly.  designe to help the agent increase production up to 36 transactions closed in the next 12 months, by focusing on 3 hours per day of LEAD GENERATION.

- Taught by John Youker, Team Leader, Keller Williams Realty Professionals

For our COMPLETE Monthly Training calendar, please click HERE.

- July 20th is the introduction and the POWER OF ONE

- July 27th is Session one, Building Validity and Positioning

 If you are an agent who is struggling to find deals, or struggling to close deals in this market, please consider coming to any of these classes – especially the entire 12 week series of 36:12:3 – there is no cost for the class and your materials will be provided for you, free of charge as well.

Our goal at Keller Williams Realty Professionals is to reach out to you and help you do better in real estate through education, training, and coaching.   Don’t be shy, contact me and ask me about the classes; what do you have to lose?

Thanks,

 John Youker

Keller Williams Realty Professionals, in Oak Park, IL, has just moved to the #2 position for agent count in the entire Oak Park Board.   After increasing the size of the office by 63% since January 1st of this year, Keller Williams Realty Professionals is now on track to take over the #1 position by mid-summer.

The growth has been phenomenal!   I came up here at the end of ’08 to see what  I could do with this office; can we turn this into a high producing Keller Williams office was the question and my focus was on growing the business of the agents inside the office, create a true culture of productivity, and then attract good agents – not only from Oak Park, but from Chicago and the surrounding areas as well.   Our goal has always been growth, however a lot needed to happen on the inside before we could truly deliver the KW value proposition to the agents who joined us.    I knew  I had my  work  cut out for me, so I just put my head down, listened to my business coach, and worked at it – everyday – making things happen, one by one.

Being a Keller Williams Realty  owner of  a highly successful office in Dayton, OH, I knew exactly what we needed to do each step of the way to get to the top.   I started with the inside – building a training program and creating a productive environment for the agents to work in.     Next came our ALC, or Agent Leadership Committee – a committee of agents selected from the top 20% of the producers from the office to help run the office, making each Keller Williams office truly run by the agents.   We have a committed group of agents on the ALC in our office, constantly making it a better place to work.

After that, we moved the office, purchasing a building on North Ave. to strategically position us on the border of Oak Park and Chicago to be able to pull in agents from both boards, and that is exactly what we have done.   Moving here in October of ’09, creating a system and setting the agents up for success, we started the recruiting push in November, and by  Christmas the agents started coming on board.   We have brought in 20 high producing individuals in the last 5 months, and will see at least 80 more join by the end of the year.   Our goal, by Christmas is to be at 100 producing agents in the office.   Most agents join us for our training and coaching programs that we have here in the office.   Being a certified KWU instructor, I have been teaching a lot and inviting agents from all over the area to come in and take in our training.   From there, most agents simply ask us how to be a part of our office stating that their brokers are simply not providing the necessary information to succeed at the highest level in this shifted market.

June is a HUGE training month for our office, bringing in three nationally known trainers from around the country to help our agents with the fundamental element of our business – Lead Generation.   If you are an agent looking to succeed at the highest level, I welcome you to come in and check out our taining programs, which are offered for free, and see the difference for yourself.   I can be reached at JYouker@kw.com or by calling me in the office at 708-725-9055.

To see a copy of our June Calendar, please click here:   JUNE TRAINING CALENDAR

 Today, more than 77,000 agents nationwide, banned together to “Give Where You Live” and give back the the communities that support them throughout the year.   Chicago was no different – In the Oak Park area, just west of the city, our office of just under 50 people decided to do a food drive to support the Oak Park Food Pantry which support over 20 local communities in Chicago and the surrounding areas.   We passed out fliers throughout the community and had several homeowners call us for pick-ups, other Real Estate Companies participated as well – with Weichert Realty really pitching in and donating a HUGE box of food for us to bring along with ours.   This was not a day of competition between firms, it was a day of working together, hand in hand with our peers to support those in need throughout our area.   We delivered the food at the end of the day and brought several boxes and carloads of food to the Pantry.

This was one of the best days we have had in the office this year.   Coming from contribution to help those in need is one of the best feelings that anyone could ever have – it sure made me feel good, and I am glad I did it!

We will be doing more community service projects like this in the future, for sure!

This Friday, we are hosting our First Annual KW Cares Bowl-A-Thon.

We are inviting all the area agents to come and witness, first hand, the KW Culture in action.   Charity, fundraising, and fun times are to be had for sure!

If you are interested in participating in the event, a minimal donation of $25 will bring you all you can eat, beverages, and bowling for the night!

Please contact Heather Eggerding for more details, she is the event organizer.