Kate Lewis

More than 20,000 agents representing Keller Williams Realty’s 800 worldwide outposts gathered earlier this month in Las Vegas for the company’s Family Reunion, an annual event designed to unite the global franchise for a week of education, connection and growth.

For the world’s largest firm by agent count, it’s a time to roll out new developments and feel the tangible wave of excitement ripple through a crowd of thousands of agents clamoring to enhance their business with the latest and greatest. Yet for agents with less technological know-how, that wave of excitement often crashes into dread in anticipation of another steep learning curve to get around, another system to wrap their heads around.

So there’s the rub: how does an industry stay competitive and satisfy the tech-savvy set with the best gadgets in the game, without alienating those who need more guidance and education to maximize those top-of-the-line resources?

This year’s biggest news was the unveiling of the Keller Cloud, an integrated system designed to unify technological solutions. With database management, filing and e-signature services, accounting software, and even social media all on one platform, agents will be able to run their businesses from a single dashboard. Immediately, the real estate community began buzzing: already the top coaching and training company in the world, KW is positioning itself to become a major leader in technology.

A focus on technology is hardly a shiny distraction – it’s a major advantage. Agents can leverage their resources to save themselves precious time and energy by outsourcing their work to a plug-and-play, set-it-and-forget-it system. More time is then available for productive, business-building activities. Clients and contacts benefit, too: a unified system means their interactions with agents are streamlined and studied thoughtfully. Offers and applications are completed quickly and conveniently on an online system – a key in the fast-paced real estate game.

Plus, for KW on the whole, staying ahead of the tech game makes the company stand out against its competitors. Leveraging technology can only help the company to close more volume with more efficiency, and will surely catapult the company to global success.

Yet that success won’t be possible unless these innovations are useful to all agents – and that can’t happen unless industry-wide education finds a common ground between the camps of those with strong technological know-how and those without.

A Teaching Moment

This issue came to a head in an integrated breakout session at Family Reunion. The seminar, attended by agents of all ages, backgrounds and experience levels, focused on using SEO on blog posts to rank higher on search engines. The mood in the room became tense and the presentation derailed as some agents asked basic, occasionally off-topic questions. Others in the room were left frustrated as time ran out without the chance to delve deeper into the topic and further their existing skills.

It turned into a lose-lose situation, both for the less-experienced agents who weren’t prepared with the background knowledge they needed to understand what was going on, and for the agents who came in with that knowledge hoping to build on it to an even higher level. On both sides, there was a lack of growth and learning in that particular session.

I left the room wondering what can we do to get everyone on roughly the same playing field, so those with the knack for technology can get ahead and those without it can stay afloat.

Millennials have an opportunity to step up as leaders and educators in their business communities, while their elders have the opportunity to give them the credence and support necessary to fill those roles. Recognizing the power – and the responsibility – that comes with possessing strength where those around you are weak gives a major boost not just to one’s own success, but to the success of the company. When I offer to teach and explain how something works to a colleague, not only do I add to my personal value as a team member, I contribute to the growth of the team on the whole.

As agents and colleagues, we are called to share our keys to success with those around us, to support and care for others, and to come from contribution whenever we can. It’s these values that have made Keller Williams a pioneer in the industry – and not just in the tech arena. Together – by asking for help where we falter, and offering it where we succeed – we can build growth in a 21st-century market.

Kate Lewis is a born-and-raised Bostonian, unrepentant #millennial and proud member of the Keller Williams family. She may be reached at katelewis@kw.com.