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I just passed my exam and am trying to decide on a brokerage to join. Looking for some objectivity here. I have worked in sales before, know how to prospect, not afraid of picking up the phone and can handle objections. I'm looking to build up a Relocation network, specializing in people moving here from other places. I know I'm going to have to invest in a website and soon... right??
ReMax - felt an instant connect with the trainer/recruiter there, I would enjoy working with her and learning from her. The office is about 25 min from my home, but I won't have to go there often, so I'm told.
KW - huge office... lots of agents... I've been watching videos online and felt like some of them were kind of used-car-salesman-ish, about how to handle an objection, etc. Also feel pressured to join KW from a friend who is an agent there, and I would be "under her" etc., and she would get a teeny tiny percentage of what I produce... feels kind of icky to me.
Local Agency - smaller group, about 20 agents per branch office. Not as much "hands on training" available from what I can see, but they do have a niche because they are strictly local to Central Va. They also get leads - people call in or online, and they are shared among the agents.
Thoughts and comments would be welcome. AND YES I HAVE READ OTHER THREADS on the topic of Remax vs. KW. However, they were a few years old. I am interested in what everyone thinks TODAY.
I own a small "boutique" agency and it is difficult to find the time to train a brand new agent and supervise them.
I would say go with a bigger company. If you feel a connection with Remax go with them.
Why go to a place that feels "icky" to you?
With many of those big firms it is all about the numbers but with Real estate it does come down to the personal connections that you make with people. It is actually more about the people than the houses.
I say start off where you are comfortable and where you will have support and where you will have room to grow.
Read The Millionaire Real Estate Agent by Gary Keller. You don't know what you don't know.
Not helpful.
I've read ALL kinds of How to be Successful in Sales books.... *note I've been in sales before, just not real estate* There are always how to blah blah blah books, please drink this kool aid NOW and you will be successful, etc., videos on You Tube.
I'm looking for opinions please, a few sentences about the Keller Williams model vs. ReMAX (and others, even, ERA, CB, Cent.21) vs. local small agencies. From those who have experienced and seen results or non results.
@Cape Cod Todd, the "ick" I felt at the KW career night was when they started talking about adding agents and then YOU get a % of their business, etc. Hahahaha called profit sharing. It reminded me of an Amway presentation I went to many years ago. I could be wrong about KW, I don't know. Hence, my reason for the post.
I've read ALL kinds of How to be Successful in Sales books.... *note I've been in sales before, just not real estate* There are always how to blah blah blah books, please drink this kool aid NOW and you will be successful, etc., videos on You Tube.
I'm looking for opinions please, a few sentences about the Keller Williams model vs. ReMAX (and others, even, ERA, CB, Cent.21) vs. local small agencies. From those who have experienced and seen results or non results.
@Cape Cod Todd, the "ick" I felt at the KW career night was when they started talking about adding agents and then YOU get a % of their business, etc. Hahahaha called profit sharing. It reminded me of an Amway presentation I went to many years ago. I could be wrong about KW, I don't know. Hence, my reason for the post.
Thank you!
KW is not Amway. Profit Share is for real.
But, idiots at KW use Profit Share as a primary recruiting lever. I would rather focus on being a good agent.
Go somewhere that makes you think they will help you become the best agent you can be.
If you have plenty of sales experience, you should know the kind of person you want to be in business, and authenticity will always bring you business.
I've been a KW agent for more than 2 years. In a prior career I spent 5+ years heading up my corporate division's training and development department. First, I've never felt pressured to put a lot of energy into profit sharing aka agent recruiting. Some agents do, some do it better than others.
As for training, ignore the videos you've seen. Training Magazine has consistently voted KW as the top training organization (in all professions) for several years in a row. Not sure if it is still number one this year.
I love KW because of the training and the support I get from other agents. We are truly win-win. There are multiple sources that list questions you should ask brokers. One is from the Book "Real Estate Agents For Dummies by Dirk Ziller. Don't laugh, it's a great book and it has very good questions. Also, your real estate school should have a similar list of questions.
Be aware that the office culture can vary from office to office within a brokerage. In KW, we call them "Market Centers" and the person or person responsible for the leadership are "Team Leaders." They set the tone, so a bad interview in one market center can be offset by a great one in another.
Finally, if you go into RE and you don't read Gary Keller's book mentioned earlier, you will be at a competitive disadvantage because you will be in the tiny minority of agents who won't read it. And even agents in other brokerages such as RE/MAX recommend it. Don't be THAT guy.
Does KW still push expensive training courses on new agents or have they moved away from the coaching revenue model?
Yoiks!
That is a pretty brutal article... Definitely far from entirely wrong, but pretty slanted.
People find inspiration where they find it, and for some people that is BOLD, KW Family Reunion, and various other functions and paid addons.
But, one can be a successful agent at KW without spending those moneys. None of them are mandatory.
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Also feel pressured to join KW from a friend who is an agent there, and I would be "under her" etc., and she would get a teeny tiny percentage of what I produce... feels kind of icky to me. 
