KW Technology Community Update

Friday, September 11, 2015

Adopt a back-to-school mindset

Happy Friday, Ambassadors! What better time than the back-to-school season to return to a learning-based mindset?

PREPARE AND DELIVER A GREAT TRAINING CLASS
On today's Ambassador webinar, we'll go back to school and share our top tips for preparing and delivering a great training class. Here are a few of them:

For even more tips, watch
"10 Steps to Train Tomorrow"
by searching on KWConnect.kw.com

Build and follow a lesson plan
Investing time up front to plan out your class before you teach it is paramount. A lesson plan not only outlines the specific topics, activities and timing for each, it helps you clearly see the “big picture” of what the class is trying to achieve and ensures you don’t miss anything important. It helps you conduct your class in an organized fashion, and on schedule. Plus, it will give you confidence that you’ve thought through potential problems ahead of time.

Make a great first impression with your introduction
It's important to start strong! Arrive well ahead of time and make sure you are prepared. First impressions are everything! The best way to start is by formally introducing yourself (name, affiliation, credentials and why you're passionate about the topic). This establishes who you are, and sets the tone for the class.

Use the 3-step formula for facilitating class exercises

Introduce the activity by making the objective of the exercise clear. Give specific, detailed and clear instructions and allow time for questions before beginning the exercise.
Conduct the activity:

Keep your eye on your students and listen to their comments, but refuse the urge to do their work for them. Let them work it out.
Remain in the room - it’s not break time.
Announce time-marks or role-play changes, and be flexible; if an activity is moving quickly, it’s OK to wrap it up, or if they need more time, extend the time limit.

Clear the activity. This is where the real learning takes place. Spend about as much time on the “debrief” as you do on the exercise itself. This can be as simple as asking for “aha’s” or allowing students to share how they completed the exercise.

Use humor and enjoy yourself
Chances are, if you're having fun, your students will, too. According to Bob Orben, former Director of the White House Speech Writing Department, "Business executives and political leaders have embraced humor because humor works. Humor has gone from being an admirable part of a leader's character to a mandatory one."

Using humor in public speaking helps arouse interest and connect with the audience. It disarms hostility and shows that you don't take yourself too seriously. Finally, it will make a positive impression.

Join today's Ambassador webinar for more tips!

UPCOMING WEBINARS

Here's our KW Technology webinar and event calendar, and a list of next week's events. All events are shown in Central Time.

To view the entire calendar, log into your KW Technology Community where you can connect with your fellow techies in other KW Market Centers across North America, stay updated on KW Technology news and events, and access resources to help you in your role as a technology trainer. See this blog post for instructions on joining the community.
All associates can register for upcoming webinars on the myKW home page, in the Scheduled Events section.

STAY CONNECTED TO US!
Be sure to follow us on Google+ so you’ll be updated when we post to this blog.

We deeply appreciate all that you do in helping KW associates drive productivity through KW Technology!

Make it a great day,
Brenda Harralson and W. Cavin Weber

Contact us at ambassadors@kw.com

Friday, September 4, 2015

Help shape the future of KW Technology products

Happy Friday, Ambassadors, and welcome to September! Here is your weekly update:

HELP SHAPE THE FUTURE OF KW TECHNOLOGY PRODUCTS

Mike Silkett
Product Portfolio Manager
Communication, Collaboration
and Communities

We've always said that Keller Williams is a company built by agents for agents, and we apply this same philosophy to the technology tools we offer our associates. To ensure that you always have a voice in the development of our technology, we've launched Product Advisory Groups. If you're passionate about technology and want to help create solutions that will enable agents to do more in our industry, we encourage you to apply to join our new Product Advisory Group program.

Join us for today's Ambassador webinar which will feature special guest Mike Silkett, Product Portfolio Manager for Communication, Collaboration and Communities. Mike will provide a through explanation of the objectives, scope, requirements, and logistics of the Product Advisory Group program, and he'll answer your questions.

MARKET LEADER ANNOUNCEMENT FAQs

Yesterday afternoon, an email was sent to all KW associates announcing that Market Leader is to be purchased by Constellation Software, a leading provider of software and services. KW CEO Chris Heller and President John Davis have talked with Market Leader's new owners and are excited about their vision. Rest assured that the Market Leader transition to new leadership will not impact your ability to leverage eEdge in running your business.

For answers to questions that you or associates in your Market Center may have about this news, please visit this page on your myKW intranet.

KW WEBSITES EARLY ADOPTERS

Early next year responsive and modern WordPress websites will be available to KW agents and Market Centers in the U.S. and Canada. If you're interested in being an early adopter of the new website, sign up at the bottom of this page where you can learn more about this exciting new tool.

Due to the great interest, the first early adopter group is full and those selected will be notified in late September. You may sign up for the next group which launches in December. Please note that not everyone on the early adopter request list will be included in the early adopter group. You will receive an email if you are selected.

UPCOMING WEBINARS

Here's our KW Technology webinar and event calendar, and a list of next week's events. All events are shown in Central Time.

To view the entire calendar, log into your KW Technology Community where you can connect with your fellow techies in other KW Market Centers across North America, stay updated on KW Technology news and events, and access resources to help you in your role as a technology trainer. See this blog post for instructions on joining the community.
All associates can register for upcoming webinars on the myKW home page, in the Scheduled Events section.

Friday, August 28, 2015

Mega Camp highlights for Technology Ambassadors

Happy Friday, Ambassadors! We hope you're having a great week and are fully recovered from your Mega Camp travels. If you were not able to attend Mega Camp, be sure to join our Ambassador webinar today for the highlights. You can also catch up by reading the KW blog.

MEGA CAMP MC TECH/AMBASSADOR SESSION RECAP

At Mega Camp last week, we had the biggest turnout ever for our semi-annual MC Tech/Ambassador Special Session. A huge thank you to all who could attend and made it an engaging and rich learning session.

We kicked it off with an update from our training team, which included a look into the successes our KW Worldwide Technology trainers have had with an approach to training that empowers learners vs. always telling them the answers. We talked about how we can apply the same approach with our U.S. and Canadian agents, and concluded with a lively mastermind to share strategies that guide learners to self-discover their answers so that they're not forever dependent on the "all-knowing" trainer. It's not easy to step back and allow learners to fumble and make mistakes as they figure things out on their own, but as you'll see, it's far more effective in making learning stick. Download the notes from the mastermind.

The second half of the session included presentations from each of our Product Managers on what's new and what's next with their respective KW Technology products. Here are just a few of the features you can look forward to in the coming months:

eEdge:

Anniversary, birthday, and mobile app campaigns
Mail merge feature in email

KWLS:

Sync multiple times a day
RETS Standard Feed

KW Mobile App:

More frequent refresh by MLS
Push notifications
HomeKeepr app integration

KW Google Apps for Business:

Google Wallet
Google Groups

KW Websites:

WordPress platform available early 2016
Request to be an early adopter now

Download the slides from this presentation and join today's webinar for more details.

PRODUCT ADVISORY GROUPS

We are excited to share with you a new advisory structure to fuel innovation and improve the products and services we offer associates - KW Product Advisory Groups. We are seeking participants who are passionate about technology and want to help create solutions that will enable them to do more in their industry.

Help shape our technology products
Innovate with KWRI Product Managers
Preview product plans
Share and gain knowledge and experience among other members

Learn more about Product Advisory Groups and how to apply to join a group. The product manager for your group of interest will reach out to you with additional questions pertaining to the product of your interest.

MOBILE APP WORKSHOP CONTEST WINNERS

As you may know, we recently threw out a challenge to our Ambassadors – teach the “Master Your KW Mobile App” workshop in your Market Center and capture at least three testimonials from participants on video. We secured three Share Your App t-shirts signed by Gary Keller and our KWRI Executive Leadership team to award to the winners. So, we randomly selected three videos from all that were submitted and we're happy to announce our winners:

Mary Kay Mooney, Market Center #429, Brentwood, CA
Jeff Siperstein, Market Center #535, Boynton Beach, FL
Cydne Seymour, Market Center #293, #294 and #974 (all in Florida-North Region)

Congratulations to our winners, and most of all, to the agents who participated in the workshops and are actively and confidently sharing their apps, meaning they're raising their brand awareness. Here's a compilation of the testimonials from the winning videos.

UPCOMING WEBINARS

Here's our KW Technology webinar and event calendar, and a list of next week's events. All events are shown in Central Time.

To view the entire calendar, log into your KW Technology Community where you can connect with your fellow techies in other KW Market Centers across North America, stay updated on KW Technology news and events, and access resources to help you in your role as a technology trainer. See this blog post for instructions on joining the community.
All associates can register for upcoming webinars on the myKW home page, in the Scheduled Events section.

Friday, August 14, 2015

More than 1 million people are using the KW mobile app! Do they have yours?

Greetings, KW Technology Ambassadors!

Happy Friday, Ambassadors! We hope you've had a great week so far. Here's your weekly Ambassador update:

MORE THAN 1 MILLION PEOPLE ARE USING THE KW MOBILE APP!

Congratulations, YOU did it! Earlier this month, we surpassed 1 million downloads of the Keller Williams Realty Real Estate Search app. That means that more than 1 million buyers and sellers are looking to KW as part of their home search. Your clients will love the app's clean design, nearest property feature, and the ability to directly connect with their agent. It’s rated 4.5 in the app stores and is the only real estate search app that’s agent-branded. So, make sure you’re promoting and sharing your branded app by following these 3 easy steps.

And make sure all of the agents in your Market Center learn all they can about their app - the powerful business tool that's already right in their hands. When agents share their app and can confidently explain the benefits of it, they increase their opportunities to win and keep clients—and get referrals! Teach the Master Your KW Mobile App workshop in your Market Center. Everything you need to deliver this workshop is ready to download right now.

Finally, we're giving away an exclusive "Share Your App" t-shirt signed by Gary Keller and the KWRI executives. We also have a limited number of unsigned t-shirts to give away. Here's how you can win:

Download the Master Your KW Mobile App Workshop materials.
Schedule and deliver the workshop .
Send us proof that you’ve scheduled and/or taught the workshop:

Copy of training calendar, promotional email/flyer, photo of workshop in progress, etc. and you could win a Share Your App t-shirt.
Create a brief video including testimonials from at least 3 workshop participants and you could win a signed t-shirt

Share the video with us at ambassadors@kw.com. Videos must be received no later than 11:59 pm (ET) on Friday, August 14. That's tonight!
We will randomly select a winner from all of the entries submitted and announce the winner at the MC Tech/Ambassador Special Session at Mega Camp (August 19, 9:00-11:00 AM).

NOTES:

The winner does not need to be present to win.
If you deliver the workshop more than once during the contest period, you may submit a video for each workshop for multiple chances to win.

Questions? Join today's Ambassador webinar to get answers.

NEW FEATURES IN eEDGE THIS WEEK

As of August 12, these four features are now available in eEdge:

Opt-in confirmation email: You now have the ability to send one opt-in confirmation email to contacts who are currently blacklisted in your system.
Add contacts more easily in eEdge On the Go: If you receive an email at your kwrealty@kw.com address from someone not already in your database, you can now quickly add them to myContacts using eEdge on the Go.
New "Pending" status for contacts: Change a status to “Pending” for a buyer who's made an offer, or for a seller whose listing is under contract. This status helps keep track of those contacts who are not quite active, but not quite sold.
Bulk delete your reminders: Do you have a backlog of reminders that need to be cleaned up? Now you can delete multiple reminders at once, including system reminders.

Join today's Ambassador webinar to learn more!

TRACK YOUR TRAINING TO BUILD A WALL OF VALUE IN YOUR MARKET CENTER

It’s time for us to submit our application for the Training Magazine Top 125 training companies awards. We earned the #1 spot for 2015 and are aiming to retain our position for 2016.

We need your help! If you aren’t already, work with your MCA and leadership now to start tracking all technology training using the Training Tracking (T2) system. This helps you communicate the value of your Market Center’s training, which in turn helps you with your recruiting and retention activities. Join today's Ambassador webinar to learn more about how to use the T2 system to communicate the value of technology training.

UPCOMING WEBINARS AND EVENTS

Here's our KW Technology webinar and event calendar, and a list of next week's events.

To view the entire calendar, log into your KW Technology Community where you can connect with your fellow techies in other KW Market Centers across North America, stay updated on KW Technology news and events, and access resources to help you in your role as a technology trainer. See this blog post for instructions on joining the community.

All associates can register for upcoming webinars on the myKW home page, in the Scheduled Events section.

STAY CONNECTED TO US!
Be sure to follow us on Google+ so you’ll be updated when we post to this blog.

We deeply appreciate all that you do in helping KW associates drive productivity through KW Technology!

Make it a great day,
Brenda Harralson and W. Cavin Weber

Contact us at ambassadors@kw.com

Friday, August 7, 2015

More chances to win a "Share Your App" t-shirt

Greetings, KW Technology Ambassadors!

Happy Friday, Ambassadors! We hope you've had a great week so far. Here's your weekly Ambassador update:

MORE CHANCES TO WIN A "SHARE YOUR APP" T-SHIRT

As you may know, we're giving away an exclusive "Share Your App" t-shirt signed by Gary Keller and the KWRI executives. We also have a limited number of unsigned t-shirts to give away. Here's how you can win:

Download the Master Your KW Mobile App Workshop materials from KWU.kw.com.
Schedule and deliver the workshop in your Market Center.
Send us proof that you’ve scheduled or taught the workshop:

Copy of training calendar, promotional email/flyer, photo of workshop in progress, etc. and you could win a Share Your App t-shirt.
Create a brief video including testimonials from at least 3 workshop participants and you could win a signed t-shirt

Share the video with us at ambassadors@kw.com. Videos must be received no later than 11:59 pm (ET) on Friday, August 14.
We will randomly select a winner from all of the entries submitted and announce the winner at the MC Tech/Ambassador Special Session at Mega Camp (August 19, 9:00-11:00 AM).

NOTES:

The winner does not need to be present to win.
If you deliver the workshop more than once during the contest period, you may submit a video for each workshop for multiple chances to win.

John Murdock

Questions? Join today's Ambassador webinar to get answers. You'll also get to hear from John Murdock, an Ambassador and MC Tech for two Market Centers in the Florida-South region.

After delivering the Master Your KW Mobile App workshop, John said, "I've had a lot of agents say they know the app so much better now and can explain and 'sell' it to their contacts." John will share his workshop experience on today's webinar - don't miss it!

MEGA TECH SCHEDULE CHANGE

If you've registered for Mega Technology Camp, please note that the time has changed slightly. It's now scheduled from 2:00 to 6:00 PM on August 19, in Halls 3 and 4 at the Austin Convention Center. View the full Mega Camp schedule.

Mega Technology Camp arms you with proven strategies that produce concrete results by digitally transforming your business. Led by Cary Sylvester, this half-day power seminar features the best in the business sharing their secrets. From driving leads to streamlining the transaction, you’ll learn what works, where to spend your time, and how to accelerate your growth through technology!

Note that the Special Session for MC Techs and Ambassadors is still scheduled for 9:00 - 11:00 AM on August 19. We hope to see you there!

LISTHUB EXCEPTIONS REPORT REMINDER

One of our Support team's biggest issues continues to be around the fact that listings seem to be missing in KWLS, even in Market Centers that are using the ListHub-enabled KW Connector.

Please ensure your MC Tech Coordinator and/or leadership team is familiar with the ListHub Exceptions Report, available on myKW.kw.com > Reports > Web Statistics. In today's webinar, we'll share a quick reference guide to using this report that you can share with the appropriate staff in your office.

CHANGE TO EMAIL ADDRESS NO LONGER AVAILABLE

Effective immediately, @kw.com email addresses cannot be changed once they're created. Because many technologies use your email address as an account identifier, the address must remain constant so that we can best apply industry standards and allow future updates to happen more smoothly and quickly.

Most email change requests can be handled using an alias, which is an alternate name that you can use for your email account. You will be able to set up your account so that email can be viewed and replied to the alias as if it were the main account name.

Instructions on how to create an alias can be found on answers.kw.com.

UPCOMING WEBINARS AND EVENTS

Here's our KW Technology webinar and event calendar, and a list of next week's events.

To view the entire calendar, log into your KW Technology Community where you can connect with your fellow techies in other KW Market Centers across North America, stay updated on KW Technology news and events, and access resources to help you in your role as a technology trainer. See this blog post for instructions on joining the community.

All associates can register for upcoming webinars on the myKW home page, in the Scheduled Events section.

Make it a great day,
Brenda Harralson and W. Cavin Weber

Contact us at ambassadors@kw.com

Friday, July 31, 2015

"Master Your KW Mobile App" Video Contest

Greetings, KW Technology Ambassadors!

Happy Friday, and we hope you're having a fun and exciting summer and are making the most of the weather no matter where you are. Here is your weekly Ambassador update:

"MASTER YOUR KW MOBILE APP" CONTEST PARTICIPANTS TAKE IT TO THE NEXT LEVEL!

At KW, we are constantly raising the bar and when it comes to the "KW Mobile App Contest" our Technology Ambassadors are certainly no exception.

One of our long time Ambassadors Mary Kay Mooney not only submitted their video, she took it a step further:

"For the month of July in our office we ran the "Summer Film Festival". These were classes all based around a video or movie. This included the Mobile App Mastery class, as well as KW Connect Video. We had ALC agents showing a few KW Connect videos for classes as well. We totally played off the movie theme with having a popcorn machine and a feature presentation lineup."

Here is a reminder of how you can submit your workshop video:

You could win a "Share Your App" T-shirt signed by Gary Keller and KWRI executives! Want to win? Here's how:

Download the workshop materials from the KWU website.
Schedule and deliver the workshop in your Market Center.
After the workshop, create a brief video that includes testimonials or “takeaways” from at least three workshop participants.
Share the video with us at ambassadors@kw.com. Videos must be received no later than 11:59 pm (ET) on Friday, August 14.
We will randomly select a winner from all of the videos submitted and announce the winner at the MC Tech/Ambassador Special Session at Mega Camp (August 19, 9:00-11:00 AM).

NOTES:

The winner does not need to be present to win.
If you deliver the workshop more than once during the contest period, you may submit a video for each workshop for multiple chances to win.

PILOT OF WORKSHOPS

W. Cavin Weber, KWRI staff member and KWU Approved Trainer took the "myKW Profile" and "Master Your KW Mobile App" workshop on the road. During his visit to Bonita Springs, Florida. Cavin piloted the workshop to a room of about 30 attendees. Here are some of the lessons learned from the workshops:

Participants LOVE the idea that they leave the workshop with tasks completed.
Participant appreciate understanding how the task they are completing will help them improve their business.
Maximum of 15 to 20 participants is preferable for the workshops.
Participants did not complete any of the pre-work prior to class and thus slowed down the workshop portion of the course. Instructor needs to ensure pre-work is completed prior to class.

LISTHUB EXCEPTIONS REPORT REMINDER

One of our Support team's biggest issues continues to be around the fact that listings seem to be missing in KWLS, even in Market Centers that are using the ListHub-enabled KW Connector.

Please ensure your MC Tech Coordinator and/or leadership team is familiar with the ListHub Exceptions Report, available on myKW.kw.com > Reports > Web Statistics. In today's webinar, we'll share a quick reference guide to using this report that you can share with the appropriate staff in your office.

CHANGE TO EMAIL ADDRESS NO LONGER AVAILABLE

As of this Thursday July 30th your @kw.com email address can no longer be changed. Keller Williams Realty is always looking for new and advanced technology to help your business run at the highest level. For many technologies your email address is used as an account identifier. In order to best apply industry standards and allow future updates and integration's to happen smoother and faster the email address must remain constant moving forward.

Most email change requests can be handled using an alias, which is an alternate name that you can use for your email account. You will be able to setup your account so that email can be viewed and replied to the alias as if it were the main account name.

Instructions on how to create an alias can be found on: http://answers.kw.com/knowledgemanager/questions.php?questionid=2098. Join today's Ambassador webinar to learn more.

UPCOMING WEBINARS

Here's our KW Technology webinar and event calendar, and a list of next week's events.

To view the entire calendar, log into your KW Technology Community where you can connect with your fellow techies in other KW Market Centers across North America, stay updated on KW Technology news and events, and access resources to help you in your role as a technology trainer. See this blog post for instructions on joining the community.

All associates can register for upcoming webinars on the myKW home page, in the Scheduled Events section.

Make it a great day,
Brenda Harralson and W. Cavin Weber

Contact us at ambassadors@kw.com

Friday, July 24, 2015

KWRI's response to pending Zillow Group/dotloop merger

Greetings, KW Technology Ambassadors!

Happy Friday, and we hope you're having a productive summer, yet are able to take some time to relax and have some fun in the sun. Here is your weekly Ambassador update:

KWRI RESPONSE TO PENDING ZILLOW GROUP/DOTLOOP MERGER

As you may have heard, Zillow Group has announced its intention to enter into an agreement to acquire dotloop.We have heard your voice through calls, emails and social media and share many of your concerns. We will work to ensure that the security of your confidential consumer information remains paramount.

Keller Williams will always do whatever is necessary to safeguard YOUR transactions.

You can expect no immediate changes to myTransactions. You can also expect our team to keep you informed on future developments. At Mega Camp, we will also devote time to addressing pending concerns.

Our commitment to you is that the business principles that form the bedrock of the Keller Williams model will always remain in place. Continue to focus your energy on lead generation, lead conversion and providing an extraordinary customer experience to build your business. Remember that the market doesn’t dictate whether or not we succeed, it only tells us HOW we’re going to succeed. YOU are the biggest determiner of your success.

LISTHUB EXCEPTIONS REPORT REMINDER

One of our Support team's biggest issues continues to be around the fact that listings seem to be missing in KWLS, even in Market Centers that are using the ListHub-enabled KW Connector.
Please ensure your MC Tech Coordinator and/or leadership team is familiar with the ListHub Exceptions Report, available on myKW.kw.com > Reports > Web Statistics. In today's webinar, we'll share a quick reference guide to using this report that you can share with the appropriate staff in your office.

HTML EMAIL NOW AVAILABLE IN eEDGE

HTML optimized email designs are now available in eEdge, allowing your email marketing to be even more effective because:

Consumers don’t need to have images enabled to see the content of the email.
You’ll experience increased deliverability for all emails to consumers’ inboxes.
Designs will look great in most smartphones and devices. The HTML adjusts the design based on device size/type.

Additionally, the footer of each email design will automatically include a call to action with a link to your unique mobile app download page embedded.

Join today's Ambassador webinar to learn more.

UPCOMING WEBINARS

Here's our KW Technology webinar and event calendar, and a list of next week's events.

To view the entire calendar, log into your KW Technology Community where you can connect with your fellow techies in other KW Market Centers across North America, stay updated on KW Technology news and events, and access resources to help you in your role as a technology trainer. See this blog post for instructions on joining the community.

All associates can register for upcoming webinars on the myKW home page, in the Scheduled Events section.

Make it a great day,
Brenda Harralson and W. Cavin Weber

Contact us at ambassadors@kw.com