Home > Blogs > Matt Thomson > Denver Metro Blog
bookmark_border

My take-away from Keller Williams

By
Real Estate Broker/Owner with Fathom Realty Colorado
I just returned from a week at the Keller Williams national convention. Yes, the training was great. Yes, I'm excited about the possibilities eEdge hold for us all. Yes, I'm miffed and confused at all the bellyaching going on about eEdge (amazing how many perfect people there are in the world with no tolerance for anything less than immediate perfection). But my biggest take-away had very little to do with real estate. I used to get caught up in the KW vs ReMax wars on ActiveRain. We used to blog spar about which company was the best. One of the beauties of blogging...when you put it out there it's there to stay. I wish I could go back 3 years and shut myself up. I still believe Keller Williams is the greatest real estate company there is, but it has nothing to do with us vs. ReMax or any others. I believe we are great because of who we are, not because of who anyone else is. Is ReMax great? I don't know, I've never been associated with them. Is Windermere great? Maybe. It doesn't matter. I think I finally realized that KW isn't the greatest company in the real estate world because we're better than anybody else, but because we are who we are. The culture of our company was made apparent to me again (which is why it is so troubling to hear the bellyaching about eEdge...it clearly demonstrates that some simply don't get our culture). For a great example of who we are, take a look at this video.

Comments (7)
Subscribe to CommentsComment

Submit
Show All Comments
Kathy Denworth
BHHS Keys Real Estate - Islamorada, FL
Realtor in the Florida Keys, Islamorada, Key Largo

I wish we had a strong Keller Williams presence here in the Keys, but the local franchisee if a former C21 Company that did not have a very good reputation. Unfortunately, that stigma now reflects on Keller Williams. I wonder if they are paying the KW franchise fees?

Feb 25, 2011 10:22 AM
Judith Parker
ProStead Realty - Charlotte, NC
CRS, GRI, CMRS, Charlotte, NC

Hi Matt, I totally agree with you.  The Keller William's culture is incredible and like no other.  Great post!

Feb 25, 2011 10:27 AM
Matt Thomson
Fathom Realty Colorado - Littleton, CO
Helping you find success through real estate

Kathy, that's too bad to hear.  One of the issues with being as large as we are is that it's nearly impossible to monitor all the offices.  I would imagine they are paying the fees if they have a franchise.  I'd guess that if they're not in our culture, only a matter of time until they are removed.

I hate to hear stories like that. 

Feb 25, 2011 10:43 AM
Karin Lundeen
Keller Williams Realty - Denver Southlands - Centennial, CO
Realtor Centennial Homes For Sale

Matt, I was at KWFR and Mo's inspirational brunch was a tear jerker!  We are part of a great company because "we are who we are". KW Cares is a tangible way we can help each other out...awesome!

Feb 25, 2011 01:02 PM
Anna Matsunaga
Team Momentum Keller Williams Realty Tacoma - Lakewood, WA
Seller specialist, Certified Negotiation Expert

I love being with KW too, nice to know there are people who will help me and who have my back.  I love the family atmosphere @ our office and I love that the whole company is founded on things I can get behind.  Good fit for me.  I am excited and scared for E edge, I know I will with some help figure it all out and later wonder how in the WORLD I ever lived with out it.

Feb 27, 2011 03:35 AM
Anonymous
Val

I am sorry, I don't understand what is so great about eedge........... I looked through the eegde web site, and honesly I think there is nothing so incredible that it's worth my extra $15 per month.  I am very computer literate, so it's not like I am affraid of some new technology. I stay in touch with my leads through emails, send all necessary files to my clients via email, and I send them listings through my local MLS system. The MLS system is not cheap, of course, and we all have to pay for it anyway, so why don't use what we paid for already?  Does eedge actually generate leads??? I didn''t get a single one since they lounched the web site.

Also,  99% of buyers go to the Realtor.com and some other websites, such as Trulia.com, etc. Who actually goes to eedge to search for homes?

I honestly dont see the benefit of the eedge and I think it's unnecessary tool that was inforsed onto KW agents at their own expence. somebody got a big check and still getting it every month from all of us.

any opinion?

Jul 29, 2011 05:50 AM
#6
Anonymous
Matt Thomson

Hi Val--

Can't say I agree with your thoughts at all.  I'll try to address them point by point.  

I too stay in touch with my clients via email, but with the number of folks that are in my database now, I simply can't stay in contact with them all as frequently as I should.  With eEdge, I can automate my contacts and either have the actual touches sent automatically, or at the very least have automatic reminders of who and when to contact.

eEdge does not generate leads, Market Leader, which we get as a part of eEdge, does.  I have had 23 leads to date since I activated in February, 2 have closed.  Most have gone nowhere. Nobody goes to eEdge to search for homes as it's not a home search site.  When people go to Trulia, Homes.com, etc, and click for more info on your listings, their info feeds directly into your eEdge database and they're automatically set up on a touch system.  

None of this even touches on the MyTransactions aspect of eEdge.  I just took my first 2 listings and wrote my first offer using the paperless esignature element and it is fantastic.  One client in South Korea, one in Rancho Cucamonga, CA, and one local but just wanted to do the paperless.  Amazing how quickly and easily I could get the signatures from a family in Korea!  That function alone is usually $39/mo, making eEdge more than doubly cost effective in my opinion.

I hope that as you explore it more, you'll find more of the value for what it can do for your business. 

Jul 29, 2011 10:44 AM
#7
Back to Top

What's the reason you're reporting this blog entry?

Are you sure you want to report this blog entry as spam?