The Oak Park & Chicago SHIFT

Our office has grown by 30% in the last 30 days - not a statistic that many can boast in this market!  While many of our competitors are closing their doors, or losing agents, we are growing, gaining momentum, and taking market share that we will never lose!

If you are in real estate and have thought about making a move, please call or email me and set up a confidential meeting and find out how you can earn 100% commissions, with no monthly fees, and receive a portion of the owners profits back to supplement your income.

Wishing everyone a prosperous & successful 2010!

If you are serious about your real estate career and want to learn more about why Keller Williams has been voted #1 in the Franchise 500 list by Entrepreneur Magazine, and the winner of the JD Power and Associates award for customer service, please contact John Youker, CEO of the Chicago - Oak Park Keller Williams Realty office.

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Keller Williams Realty Ranked as Top Real Estate Franchise by Industry Leader and Entrepreneur Magazine

AUSTIN, TEXAS (December 21, 2009) — Keller Williams Realty joined the ranks of the top franchises in the world last week, when the company was ranked as the No. 1 real estate franchise on the 31^st Annual Franchise 500 list by Entrepreneur magazine. During the same week, the company was also voted the Most Recognizable Brand of Real Estate Franchises for 2009 in an industry-wide survey for the Swanepoel TRENDS Report.

 “The Swanepoel TRENDS Report is a respected source for the real estate industry and beyond, as is Entrepreneur magazine, and we are excited to see our agents honored in this way for all of their hard work,” said Mark Willis, CEO, Keller Williams Realty. “We certainly wouldn’t have been included on either list without the dedication and resolve of our agents.”  

According to the ranking in Entrepreneur magazine, the most important criteria to determine the top franchises included financial strength and stability, as well as growth rate and size of the franchise system. The magazine also looked at the number of years the company has been in business and the length of time it’s been franchising, in addition to start-up costs and financial data. Additionally, Keller Williams Realty made an impressive showing on the overall list, placing higher than any other real estate franchise.

The Swanepoel TRENDS Reportis published by Stefan Swanepoel, a real estate industry speaker and insider. The survey was crafted to determine the Most Recognizable Brand for Real Estate Franchises for his report out in February 2010. The survey included votes cast by 11,000 plus real estate agents, who cast 390,000 votes to select the top 10.

Earlier in the year,Keller Williams Realty also received the highest overall satisfaction ratings from home buyers among the largest full-service real estate firms from J.D. Power and Associates for the second year in a row.

“We are extremely proud that our associates and company are being recognized for our strength and stability during this time in our industry,” said Mary Tennant, president and COO, Keller Williams Realty. “We attribute our success to being in business with phenomenal people and to our core business models, which have allowed our franchises to thrive during any market.”

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About Keller Williams Realty Inc.:

Founded in 1983, Keller Williams Realty Inc. is the third-largest real estate franchise operation in the United States, with 679 offices and 73,000 associates in the United States and Canada. The company, which began franchising in 1990, has an agent-centric culture that emphasizes access to leading-edge education and promotes an economic model that rewards associates as stakeholders and partners. For more information, visit Keller Williams Realty online at (www.kw.com).

We are building a commercial division within our Chicago / Oak Park based Keller Williams office that will have better training and support, better commission splits (100%) available, and better back-end systems than ANY other commercial brokerage in the area.  You have to ask yourself “Why did the president of the CCIM join Keller Williams Commercial?”  Because he saw the value in the system, support, model, training, and everything else that goes along with Keller Williams Realty.  Here is what our commercial division will have:

• Better compensation plan (100% available)
• Better business model from which to start building your business
• Separate branding from the residential side
• Training that is comparable to the CCIM curriculum
• A company culutre that is raising the bar everyday
• A wealth building, passive income stream, that will help you plan for your future - after real estate

At KW Commercial, we believe that you are only as good as the people you are in business with. That’s why we make it a priority to be in business with the best.

As a company, Keller Williams Realty and KW Commercial are committed to delivering the most competitive compensation model in the industry along with the very best education, training and technology.

From office properties to land brokerage, if you are looking to enhance your career in the commercial realm, KW Commercial can take your career to new heights.

Also, we are building a new MEGA COMMERCIAL TEAM at Keller Williams Realty Professionals in Oak Park.  We are putting together a Lackman Commercial Group in our office.  We are looking for commercial agents in Chicagoland with or without commercial sales/leasing experience. We offer:

• Intensive, interactive training and support
• Referrals and marketing programs.
• Back end support including former lawyers, accountants, architects, engineers and business leaders interested in building on those skills to become top commercial agents.

Click here to watch a video about the Lackman Commercial Group

If you have an interest in finding out more about our Commercial Division or joining the Lackman Commercial Group to help take your business to the next level, please contact us here.

I want to wish everyone a Happy and Safe Thanksgiving Holiday.

I am thankful to be a part of such a wonderful company, a company that gives back, lifts up, supports, cares, and is full of culture - the right kind of culture that helps each and every one of us become better people.

I am thankful to be in business with GREAT PEOPLE at Keller Williams Realty Professionals in Oak Park, IL and at Keller Williams Realty throughout the country.

I am thankful for my family, for sticking with me through some very rough times and seeing that there is a path to greatness and that life is a journey and simply enjoying the ride.

Most of all, I am thankful for God.  For He gives me health, strength, and happiness and so many joys and pleasures every day, putting me in contact with such great people throughout the country.

I hope you all have a GREAT day tomorrow and many more to come.

Please, feel free to write what you are thankful for on here, it’s time we all put some positive energy in the world!

Thank you.

 Keller Williams Realty Professionals in Oak Park is proud to announce the addition of another great agent to our team!

Loria Hamilton-Field

Loria was with Keller Williams before and left to be a part of a large independent firm in Oak Park.  When asked why KW and why did you want to come back, here was her response:

“I came back to KW for a couple of reasons. After being with a company for over a year that treated me like just another number, I missed the atmosphere. I never felt like I was just another salesperson with KW. Everyone always took a genuine interest in helping me with my business. This really felt more like coming back home. I also came back because of the training and support. I’ve attended tons of trainings and seminars over the past year and KW is in a league of their own. I missed the accessibility of training on any and all subjects crucial to my business. Finally, in this economic climate I truly appreciate a company that wants me to get ahead financially. The commission splits are fair and give me an attainable incentive.”

Welcome back Loria, we are glad you decided to join us and take your business to the next level! 

Your peers and competitors will be at Mega Camp

Can you afford not to be?

	Nick Vujicic, president of international non-profit organization Life Without Limbs, was born without arms or legs but by the age of 19, Vujicic started to fulfill his dream of bringing hope to others through telling his story to audiences across the world.
	Liz Murray, the daughter of two loving but drug-addicted parents in the Bronx in New York City, was raised in neglect and squalor. Homeless at age 15, she graduated from high school while living on the streets and overcame incredible odds to win a full scholarship to Harvard University.
	Tommy Emmanuel began playing by ear at the age of four without any formal instruction. Now a household name in his native Australia, he has garnered hundreds of thousands of loyal fans worldwide. Emmanuel’s unique “finger style” is similar to the way a pianist plays piano, using all 10 fingers.

 We have a few open seats available for an all expenses paid trip to Austin, TX to attend Mega Camp, one of the biggest and best educational events of the year.  The even is August 26th - 29th and we would love for you to join us.  Inquire with John Youker, our CEO and Team Leader to find out how you can be eligible to attend this year’s event for free!

What is more important to your business than Lead Generation? Nothing!!  I just got back from Masterminds with Gary Keller, Mo Anderson, top agents and leadership from around the country and NOBODY seems to want to know about it!  I am here everyday at 8:45AM to teach Power Hour for lead generation.

If you don’t have enough business to achieve your goals then you don’t have enough leads.  If you want to learn how to lead generate in an efficient and effective manner, I can teach you.  Why aren’t you here???  There is nothing more important to your business than lead generation!

YOUR ENTIRE JOB IS TO FIND ONE LEAD A DAY!!!

1 LEAD A DAY, 5 DAYS A WEEK, 40 WEEKS A YEAR

CONVERT 50% INTO APPOINTMENTS

100 APPOINTMENTS

CONVERT 50% INTO CLOSED TRANSACTIONS

50 CLOSED TRANSACTIONS

AVERAGE COMMISSION $6,000

$300,000 GCI

33% EXPENSES=HIRE STAFF!!!

$200,000 NET INCOME!!

Gary Keller says our one job is lead generation until then, nothing else matters.  If you find that one lead by 9am your are in great shape, if it takes you until 9pm, then get out there until you find that one lead!!!  Your business is lead generation, are you in business or not?

If you are in business come into the office.  I have over 10 years of real estate sales and lead generation experience, I am a master at scripts and dialogues, I have taught strategies of the SHIFT book to 1000’s of agents. I am fun, high energy, fearless, passionate and accessible to YOU - FOR FREE!!

We have a lead generation class coming up this month on May 20th from 3-5 pm in the office.  The next day, Thursday, May 21st, we have a Scripts & Dialogues Clinic being held.  I will be there to help you with whatever you need help with!!  I want you to succeed, PLEASE COME IN TO THE OFFICE!!

Let’s be in business together!  I miss you!

One of my favorite author’s, John Maxwell, has written several books on leadership, and the best one I have found to date is the Maxwell Daily Reader, a compilation of several different excerpts from several different books he has written.  Every morning, I read one of the passages and try to find some way to relate that to what I am doing or what we are doing here at the office.  On Friday, May 1st,  one that I thought was important enough to share with each of you, so here it is:

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Friday, May 1st

MOVING INTO ACTION

German poet and novelist Johann Wolfgang von Goethe once said, “Thinking is easy, acting is difficult, and to put one’s thoughts into action is the most difficult thing in the world.”  Maybe that’s why so few people follow through and act on their goals.  According to Gregg Harris, two-thirds of people surveyed (sixty-seven of one hundred) set goals for themselves.  Out of those sixty-seven, only ten have made realistic plans to reach their goals.  And out of those ten, only two follow through and actually make them happen.The trick to acting on your goals is getting started.  President Franklin D. Roosevelt remarked, “It is common sense to take a method and try it.  If it fails, admit it frankly and try another.  But above all, try something.”  That’s good advice.  You don’t have to be perfect; you only need to make progress.  Or as the Chinese proverb asserts, “Be not afraid of going slowly; be only afraid of standing still.”

— From Maxwell’s Your Road Map For Success 

TAKE A CONCRETE STEP TOWARD AN IMPORTANT GOAL TODAY

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With that being said, I hope that each person who reads this will take a concrete step towards completing a goal today.  If you have not set any goals, please schedule a meeting with me and we can talk about your future in real estate, set some goals, develop a plan, and put it in motion.  Don’t forget, it is easier to learn from those who have been down the road before—I am offering my knowledge, my insight, and my help to you, so take advantage of that and schedule a meeting; I look forward to meeting with you individually.

I hope that each of you see as much into this passage as I do, and I hope that each of you can see a bit of opportunity in the market.  No matter what your niche is, it can be mastered in this market, and I can help you achieve your goals.  Let me know what you want and what you need and we will make it happen!   

I found this article today on RIS Media and felt if valuable to share with everyone; many of us have heard all this before, but this message is so profound, that all agents NEED to read it and then take stock in where they are and realize what specifically is it that their broker’s or their company’s are doing to help them succeed in this market. 

My position, in my company is to help our office grow, so I do a LOT of consulting with agents outside of our office to help them realize what is happening around them in this shifted market.  Many of them, through my process of teaching, coaching, and consulting, realize that they are not bad agents, they are just in the wrong place.  The office they joined a few years back has been hit by this shifted market as well and they simply do not know what to do to help their agents.  Many offices are closing as a result.  We are seeing agents come to our company, realizing that Keller Williams is positioned to take this market over and comeout as number one on the other side.  That is why we have successfully passed Re/Max - in the first year of this market downturn!

What I and most of the agents who truly understand sound business models are seeing is that our training is right on, our fundamentals are right there, and our backbone is strong enough to weather this storm - ZERO DEBT as compared to Realogy with over $6 Billion is debt, just to name one.  The fact of the matter is, Keller Williams was born in a market downturn like this, quickly grew to become a major player in the market place, and now, with the experience and talent we have on board and the research arm we have at Baylor University, and the wonderful folks at Keller Williams University and our consulting arm at MAPS, we are not only surviving, but taking over and thriving.  I have interviewed agents that have made the wise choice and joined us - they are doing well.  I have interviewed other agents that did not join, and to be honest, one of them served me and one of my agents cocktails the other night at a local pub.  I appreciate this agent doing what he has to do to make it in the world today, but the agents that joined us are working our systems and models and doing well.

The article below talks about PEOPLE being the deciding factor in the market, and they are exactly right.  This is, after all, a people based business!  It is a contact sport - he who makes the most contacts, and delivers the best and most accurate information, wins, hands-down, every time.  That is what Keller Williams is teaching us - how to win!  With so many agents out there cutting this and cutting that, they are playing the game right now to not lose.  They have forgotten all about what it takes to WIN!  If you play to “not lose” you are going to get exactly what you focus on - a loss, at the end of the day.  However, if you can focus on and play the game to WIN, you will come out a winner, every time.

Please read the article below, and if you are not convinced at the end that your broker is not going doing what it takes to help you, schedule one hour with me and let’s have a conversation.  I will not ask you to join my company, but I will give you something that you are not getting now that will help you in your business - guaranteed.

Please feel free to comment, I would be interested to hear what others have to say about this.

Also find more posts about Keller Williams, market statistics, and short sales on our Active Rain BLOG.  To see this post, please visit: 

http://activerain.com/blogsview/1024844/What-Will-It-Take-for-The-Market-To-Rebound-In-2009

The original article can be viewed in it’s entirety below, or at this link:

http://rismedia.com/2009-04-07/what-will-it-take-for-the-market-to-rebound-in-2009/

What Will it Take for the Market to Rebound in 2009?

Commentary by Cabot L. Jaffee

RISMEDIA, April 8, 2009-If “rebound” means getting back to the sales levels and home values experienced just a few years ago, then the answer to the question: What will it take for the market to rebound in 2009? is “nothing,” which is not necessarily bad. If the definition of rebound implies simply returning to sales volumes and prices more in line with historical norms and growth patterns (normalcy), the situation is not nearly as bleak as daily headlines lead many to believe. For a rebound to occur, growth in existing home sales will need to occur. The National Association of Realtors (NAR) projected a 1.4% growth in existing home sales in 2008 (5.18 million). In addition, NAR has previously estimated 2009 existing home sales at 5.91, which will represent a sizeable growth over 2008.

And if Florida, California and a few other culprits that contributed to the speculation frenzy were deleted from current statistics, the picture of the overall market changes dramatically. A rebound is coming, but who will rebound quicker, stronger and more profitably depends on one major attribute-people.

Therefore, the better question is not “What will it take?” but rather “for whom” will a rebound occur? The rebound will not be an all-or-none phenomenon-not every brokerage will rebound. This challenging real estate market will continue to lead to consolidation, where only the stronger brokers and agents will survive.

Therefore, it is ever-increasingly important to make sure you have the right people-those who can produce, sell and perform. And it will be similarly important to have the right tools and technologies to support and differentiate your brokerage. But I caution you-it is not better to have “anybody vs. nobody.”

Those firms that identify the agents that have an aptitude to sell will be positioned for growth. And don’t ignore the Gen Y folks-you don’t only need experienced agents-you just need the right agents.

Brokers should target career-minded prospects rather than simply hire as many as possible; differentiate your value proposition to prospects; and use professional hiring tools to better assess prospects. Brokers should provide training and mentoring to enhance effectiveness versus simply acquiring meaningless designations. Brokers should also focus attention on performers; non-producers can’t be allowed to remain because “they don’t cost anything.”

If you want to rebound, you’ll have to make it happen; you can’t just wait for it to happen on its own. The time is right; the market is poised to rebound with first-time buyers and previous renters as home prices settle at more affordable levels and historically low interest rates. Remember, people are the lever that will allow you to rebound.

Cabot L. Jaffee is president and CEO of AlignMark, Inc. For more information visit www.alignmark.com.

RISMedia welcomes your questions and comments. Send your e-mail to: realestatemagazinefeedback@rismedia.com.

How many agents have multiple short sale listings?  How many agents have ever tried to do the exact same thing to each and every short sale listing?  How many brokers have agents in their offices that are listing short sales but have never had an “formal” training on the matter?  When our real estate attorney began to ask me these questions, over a year ago, we decided that we would come up with a short sale packet that would forever answer these questions.

No agent in our office could participate in a short sale unless they had been through the training and used the packet.  That way, all of our listings for short sales were handled professionally and in a consistent manner, so there was no risk of any problems arising from different treatment of people for one reason or another.

What we found is that the agents who embraced the program began listing more and more short sale homes, and, as a result, began closing more and more short sale homes.  This was a GOOD THING.  We decided to take the packet and test it in several markets throughout the country where short sales played a major part of the economy, and we have had GREAT success thus far.

Now, the packet is available nationwide through our efforts of partnering with the right people to help us get the information out there.  As a thank you to all who purchase the short sale packet from ShortSalePacket.com and all who join the ShortSalePacket.org national referral network, we will be donating 10% of all revenue - not profit, but REVENUE, from each packet sold and each referral received, directly to KW Cares, a non-profit organization ran by Keller Williams Realty that assists agents when they are in need.

We feel so strongly about this product, we are even giving up our portion of the profit over the next few days to get this into the hands of agents.  If you are interested in purchasing the product, please go to http://www.ShortSalePacket.com to learn more about it and click on ORDER NOW to purchase the packet.  I know you will not disappointed in your decision to purchase.  Please enter the Coupon Code:  KW-5802-CY in order to take $20.00 off of the original price.

As a BONUS right now, we are also giving you a short section on BPO’s and a list of 96 BPO websites to register your information.  It is that simple, purchase the packet today with the coupon code provided below, and receive the entire packet and BPO list for $179.00.  Also, know that $17.90 of your purchase will go to KW Cares to help agents in need.  Lastly, know that the coupon code is only good for one week, until April 4th, 2009.  After that, the price goes back to $199.00

While you are on the site, please feel free to register your information with us, and as we receive referrals for short sales in your area from our sister site:  www.ShortSalePacket.org, we will send them your way.  The only requirement is that you use the packet you purchased from us and that you pay a referral fee of 25% of the listing side of the transaction.

We hope you are as concerned about the risk management of short sales as we are, and we hope that you have already taken steps to avoid any future problems.  If you have or have not, this packet will help you do so.  Written by real estate attorneys, the packet has proven successful in several situations throughout the country - with the agent and the seller, the bank and the seller, even the seller, buyer, and buyer’s agent.

Please feel free to join our Short Sale Success Group on LinkedIn and our Keller Williams Short Sale Expertsgroup on Facebook.  You do not have to be a member of Keller Williams to join either group.

I know you will find some value in this information.  Please check back later for more on short sales, and the use of our packet for success.

Thanks,

John Youker