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podcast 1: Trying This Thing Out

The Countdown to Family Reunion 2013 IS ON! 

Family Reunion is our industry’s most powerful training event. Gather with thousands of top associates for a week to network, re energize  and take your business to the next level. Have you registered yet? Secure your spot NOW!

Featured Speakers

Dave Ramsay

Are you making the right decisions today to secure your financial future? Don’t miss keynote Dave Ramsey, a personal management expert and national radio personality who is America’s trusted voice on money and business. His four New York Times best-selling books: Financial Peace, More Than Enough, The Total Money Makeover and EntreLeadership have sold more than 7 million copies combined. Discover the secrets to proper money management and transform your career and your life! Ramsey offers his life-changing message as host of a nationally syndicated radio program, “The Dave Ramsey Show,” which is heard by 5 million listeners each week on more than 500 radio stations throughout the US. 

 

J.R Martinez

Motivational speaker, actor, war veteran, and New York Times best-selling author, J.R Martinez is the epitome of overcoming adversity. Burned on over 40 percent of his body during deployment in Iraq, J.R. found triumph after his tragedy and says he couldn’t be happier with the way his life has turned out. Don’t miss hearing this very Special Speaker as he takes the stage on Sunday to share his amazing story! Find out what it takes to overcome difficult challenges both in life and business.

"I discovered it is what is inside a person that matters most and I wouldn't change anything ... absolutely anything!" states J.R. "I do believe everything happens for a reason, and I'm extremely grateful for that day because it led me into this life!" 

Visit kw.com to register! 

Culture Corner

Don Sutherland

In an office full of multi-talented people, Don shines.  He's always smiling, and has a great sense of humor.  He lives by always doing the right thing, and will step up quietly anytime he's asked.  Recently, one of our agents needed help with a move, and Don not only hauled boxes, he also organized others to help out.  In the office, he is always ready to graciously answer questions from new agents.  With his experience in sales over the years and his knowledge of people, he's a great source of information and he's always willing to share it.

He's an asset to Keller Williams, and we're lucky to have him.  Don moved here from a small, quiet brokerage, and I'm sure the transfer to our noisier one was a shock, but he adapted beautifully, and is a real pleasure to have around.  Thank you, Don, for being wonderful!

Vita Li Vigni

Vita has been nominated as this month’s culture keeper for our St. Clair office. Her fun loving ‘social butterfly’ personality keeps the St. Clair office alive and even on the quietest days, Vita’s spark energizes the office. You can always count on Vita to provide a good laugh. She always has a story or two on queue that are sure to make you smile. Vita is also a great listener and extremely caring individual. She always finds time to chat with fellow agents and staff about business or what’s been happening in their lives. She truly values her friends and family, and would without a doubt help anyone in need!

Vita is also known to put together a fantastic office pot luck and is always suggesting ways to bring agents together both in and out of the office.  Her hard work to foster togetherness and family in our KW Referred offices make her a great Culture Keeper!

Tell Me Something Good!

We love acronyms at KW because they constantly remind us about the bigger picture and longer words. KW is full of acronyms; our beliefs (WI4C2TS), in our coaching programs under MAPS (Millionaire Agent Productivity Systems), in courses such as BOLD (Build Our Life by Design) and the in our ALC (Agents Leadership Council). Here’s a new acronym for our Market Centre. It’s called TLC.

TLC in this context means Team Leader Comment. Whenever you see TLC on the newsletter, intranet or on a printed piece it will be a comment that should be read and thought about. TLC means tender loving care because we really care about your business, your career and your life. As an agent driven company, if we can help each other improve, we all are better as a whole.

If Gary Keller could coach us individually, he would ask us “what are your numbers?” …

As part of our commitment to you this year, we are going to help you first to know your numbers, secondly to adjust your business to maintain those numbers and finally we will show you ways to increase those numbers. It all starts with a Business Plan held accountable by a 411 (now there’s another acronym). At our Agent Masterminds we will be mastering these Business Plans and the 411.

A prudent captain always plans a route when making an ocean passage and so a prudent realtor makes a similar plan when planning their upcoming year. Let’s have fun, work hard and play hard because together we can achieve more, with tender loving care of course.

Make it a great day!

Your Team Leaders,

Jamie Purvis & Rob Roland 

Matthew Shulman, Salesperson

Sales have always come naturally to Matthew Shulman, but real wasn't where he got his start. He grew up in the GTA and attended York University, where he studied business and philosophy. “I can talk about what Plato would have to say about the purchase and sale of a home!”  In university, he was hired to own a College Pro Painter franchise, which showed him what a career in business was about. “That was an MBA, that was real life, and it propelled me forward into my business life.”

After graduating, Matthew was handed a plane ticket and told he was going to work in Europe.  “So I jumped on a plane, moved to Europe and lived there for four years, and then an opportunity became available in Asia.” He was in Asia for a year before moving back to Canada, where he got into what he calls the pre-cursor to real estate:  door-to-door sales for high end home theatre audio.  “I was literally knocking on celebrities doors, people who had disposable incomes who could afford five-hundred-thousand, a million on home audio.”  He did this successfully for a year, but soon found that he and the owner were too much alike, and decided business together wasn't the best idea. After leaving that job, Matthew asked, “what should I do with my life?”  His friend told him he should get into real estate, that he’d be great at it, so he decided to give it a try. “My initials are MLS; I was kind of destined to be in real estate,” he laughs. He’s now been in the business close to eight years. 

Matt began his real estate career with Re/Max, where he worked for three and a half years. While he was there, someone opening a Keller Williams franchise began recruiting Matt. “He was just pitching me and pitching me. I  had no absolutely no interest in leaving Re/Max. I was quite confident that the reason I was doing well or not well was because of the balloon.” Finally, as a recruiting effort, he sent Matthew to Mega Camp. “What really sold me was one night we went out to dinner, got to the steak house, and the maitre d’ greeted us and said ‘hey, are you guys from Keller Williams? How many people do you have in your down line?’ He started talking all of the Keller Williams lingo.”  Matthew was sold. He came back from Mega Camp, resigned from his old company and has been with Keller Williams ever since.

The best thing about Keller Williams for Matthew is the culture. “Happy people produce. At my old company, although it was an amazing company, [there was] a kind of prison mentality where you’re covering your food, looking over your shoulder to see who’s going to eat it. When I came to KW I thought I was on Punk’d. The whole idea that agents will actually help other agents for the greater good of the company – I didn’t really understand all of that prior to joining and I thought some of it was kind of hokey. Now I truly live it. My office is kind of a testament to an open door policy. People come in asking for help and I offer it with a smile.”

The biggest challenge in Matthew’s business is managing himself and his time. “When you first start in real estate you have to wear all the hats. As you grow your business there are a whole lot more tasks on any given day that you can defer to other people. But being a control freak of sorts, I like to try to keep everything close,  juggle all the balls, but it’s almost impossible. I’d say my biggest obstacle is me being able to let go and realize the people I’m surrounding myself with are very capable.”

While Matthew is a hard-working agent, he’s been struggling to figure out what his big “Why” is and what it is that keeps him motivated.  After many conversations with Glenn, he’s beginning to figure it out. “Glenn’s really been helping me try and find my Why.  I’m realizing that I can make money doing anything, I can provide for my family doing pretty much anything, and I can be happy doing almost anything.” He is beginning to discover that his big Why is giving back to the people around him. “I had a situation when I lived in Asia where a little boy pretty much changed my life. Since then I've always been trying to figure out a way I can give back to people who have changed my life, or how can I change someone else’s life.” Matthew has opened up a charity account and started putting money away. “When it hits a certain level I’m just going to write a cheque and just try to change someone’s life. That is what’s having me wake up before my alarm right now. That’s what’s getting me excited: knowing that because of this real estate vehicle, being in the whole Keller Williams system, I can give back and actually be a good person. I don’t just need to buy and sell houses and drive nice cars; I can actually make a difference in the world. I know it sounds hokey, but that’s really what gets me excited right now.”

Prior to getting into real estate and having a family, Matthew was a travel fanatic. “ I've been to over 40 countries. I’m a travel buff.” He also loves golf, billiards and all types of sports. “Since I've been in real estate, and since I now have a family, most of my time is now spent in front of the television watching The Wiggles, telling jokes to my four-year old, who repeats the same joke back to me. I don’t have much time for traveling anymore. Right now it’s more about the family – that’s where the bulk of my time is spent when I’m not working.  My perfect day would involve sleeping in until eight o’clock,  speaking to literally no one, and getting to play PlayStation in my basement, watching two or three movies, then watching PVR TV shows…that would be absolute perfection!” 

Written by: Crystal Burney