RISMEDIA, April 17, 2010—Working closely with his clients and finding out what they need at every step of the way helps Gene Frederick deliver the appropriate training to his agents to ensure they stay ahead in today’s market. Here, Frederick, Regional Director, Keller Williams in Austin, Texas discusses how being an agent-centric company puts him ahead of the competition.
Gene Frederick
Regional Director
Keller Williams
Austin, Texas
Region served: Austin
Years in real estate: 25
Number of offices: 5
Number of agents: 1,510
Average listing price: $243,000
Average time on market: 77 days
Best tip for running a successful meeting: Keep it upbeat.
Best recruiting technique: Persistence. You can’t talk an agent into coming to work for you. Instead, you need to show them your value and what you can offer them as a company and constantly follow up.
Advice for real estate rookies: You have to learn the scripts. If you learn the scripts for today’s market, they will be good forever.
What is your company doing to be cost conscious in today’s market?
One of the ways that we are staying cost conscious is by changing the layout and dynamic of our offices. For instance, we recently moved into a space that is comprised of less square footage than a typical office. This has enabled us to provide our agents with more open areas and wi-fi cafes. This new layout gives our agents the opportunity to interact with others as well as be a part of the environment.
What tools and resources are most critical to staying successful?
In order to stay successful, we make sure our agents are aware of the importance of knowing their scripts, because without them, they won’t be able to list homes at the correct price or inform sellers they might be listing too high. The Keller Williams website (kw.com) is a great tool to keep our agents up-to-date with the latest information and techniques.
How are you staying one step ahead of your competition?
We are continually working with all of our agents on the basics: training, coaching and consulting. We launched a new program a year ago called BOLD. Through it, we meet with our agents once a week for seven straight weeks and focus on nothing but lead generation. It is crucial in today’s market to concentrate on the basics and get back to lead generation on a high level.
What makes your company unique in today’s market?
The fact that we are an agent-centric company and we care about helping our agents build their businesses. Since we are a bottoms-up company, we work with our agents to find out what they need and then deliver the appropriate training so that they are always in the right frame of mind.
