10 Tips to Maximize Your Keller Williams Family Reunion 2020 Experience

While I am no longer licensed at Keller Williams Realty, or for that matter no longer have an active license now that my focus is 100% on coaching up real estate agents and small businesses, I did spend a significant amount of my professional career with Keller Williams Realty. Seeing all my Keller Williams friends and former colleagues posting about KW Family Reunion 2020 in Dallas, Texas starting this Friday, Saturday, February 14th, I thought that sharing how to maximize this event from the perspective of a coach would be of value to those attending this year.

By the way, for those not attending KW Family Reunion, or not affiliated with Keller Williams, these tips will create for you opportunities when attending any large conference or event affiliated with your Brokerage, local MLS, and State and National Conventions.

What is KW Family Reunion?

The name of the event reflects exactly the purpose of the event; it is truly a family reunion. From estimates I've gathered through social media, it looks like attendance will be in the ballpark of 20,000 agents from around the world descending upon the Dallas, Texas Convention Center. During the event, which will be Saturday, February 15th - Tuesday, February 18th, agents in attendance will have the opportunity to attend general sessions and select from an expansive choice of 197 breakouts. Some of the top vendors in the industry will also be available onsite to discuss their products and answer your questions.

How to Maximize your KW Family Reunion 2020 Experience

1. Get there early. If you can get there the day before, even better. Get the lay of the land. Go directly to registration and pick up tags, etc. to participate in the event. If you wait until the last minute, you will be guaranteed to miss something waiting in long lines.
2. Know who you want to meet before you arrive. I know that when I attended in years past, I would line up meetings with specific individuals that I respected in the industry. Sometimes this was an early morning coffee, meeting up with someone to workout, grabbing a meal, meeting in the vendor area, or finding some time at the end of the day to grab a drink (BTW - don't overdo this one to get the most out of your experience). While attending the general and breakout sessions, write down who you would like to meet or have a discussion with following Family Reunion. I found it best to walk up following a breakout session to meet the individual specifically so that at a later point, that person now can put a face with a name. My experience is that everyone is approachable, so don't bolt out of the room as soon as an event is over.
3. Plan your breakout sessions in advance, and get to the session early. When you deal with a massive amount of people in any convention center, certain rooms can hold certain numbers of people. You will probably get familiar with the Fire Marshal patrolling the convention center. Popular sessions will fill quickly. Don't go into your day without planning it out...just like running a business.
4. Don't sit with your crew. The #1 purpose of going to an event like this is to meet people. This is a great opportunity to build and develop a referral network with people from all around the world. While it is important for you to take cards, it is even more important for you to collect other agents' contact information. These contacts will go into your database, and you will be able to market back to them throughout the year, and purposely create relationships that will benefit you in business and life. NOTE: Don't be the "DumbDumb" that walks around the convention center handing out cards to anyone and everyone. Be purposeful. Have a conversation, and then exchange cards. (Super-Bonus Tip: Carry with you a Sharpie-Mini. When you walk away from that individual, write down one thing unique you learned about that person. Later that evening, use that unique thing about that person in your email. The email will look something like this: "Hey it's Jeremy. Great meeting you today at ______________. I found it really interesting that _________________. I look forward to following you in your business, and if I can be a resource for you, don't hesitate to connect. Enjoy your time here at KW Family Reunion.")
5. Takes notes. Review the notes, and circle the ONE thing you took from that session or breakout. As far as implementation when you return back home, implement The ONE Thing at a time. Having gone through the KW Family Reunion experience several times, I found agents getting overwhelmed with the information gathered, and once in a state of being overwhelmed implemented absolutely nothing. With the narrowed down notes, send your top takeaways as a follow up email to all the people you met during family reunion, and also with the reminder that you would like to be their referral partner for your city (of course this needs to be reciprocal).
6. Don't stay out too late. I always found nothing great happened after 10 or 11 pm. This is not to say don't have a good time. What I am saying is that the 6:30 am, 7:30 am, or 8:00 am breakout will show up sooner than you think. Don't set yourself up to hit the snooze. I found some of the best breakouts with some of the most awesome agents happened bright and early. These early morning breakouts were generally lightly attended providing the opportunity to connect with the presenting agent during and following the breakout.
7. Don't do anything that you will regret. I will leave that to your interpretation. You never know who is watching. Doors will open and close in a hurry in this industry based on the choices you make. 
8. Carry a small backpack. I made the mistake of not doing this the first couple of times. You will want to carry with you water, snacks, Advil, and other things that you might not have time to go back to the room during the day. You will also pickup information from vendors, and you will need something to carry all that stuff around throughout the day.
9. Vendors. When you are in the vendor area, have a plan. More importantly have a budget. More importantly don't feel like you have to purchase right then. A great vendor will often offer the "event discount" following the event until a certain date. You've got to ask. Give yourself time to think about if what they are providing will actually impact your business. Beware of the shiny object.  
10. Have fun. Enjoy getting to hangout with some great people. It is an opportunity to build some great, lifelong relationships. 

Don't Miss This, You Will Regret Not Attending

What's the Next Step after KW Family Reunion

What is the next step after attending KW Family Reunion? Who is challenging and helping you implement your newly found knowledge to take your business to the next level? Having been to several KW Family Reunions over the years, the pattern I saw was agents coming back home with excitement and new information, but ultimately not implementing a single concept. What does hiring a coach do for you and your business? Hiring a coach like me will help you eliminate the distractions, see the things that exist in your blind spots, and help you get hyper-focused on the things most important to drive your business to the next level. Together as a partner in your business, we can interrogate reality, what you would like to implement to drive results, and customize a plan that will set you up for success. 

What makes me as a coach, my company Red Hawk Coaching, different from other coaching services out there? First, I've coached real estate agents now for 10 years at all levels booking over 10,000 hours. 7 of those were with Keller Williams so I am familiar with the lingo, models, and systems. While my focus is on building your business, as a coach my interest is to coach you up on living out a great life. The first thing on your calendar should not be lead generation. I customize the coaching experience to each client. I realize that there is not a one size fits all approach. You are human first. 

I've helped 100's of real estate agents at all levels since 2010. I know I can help you too. Results and experience matter in the coach you select to partner with your business. If this is what you're looking for as a next step to KW Family Reunion, call  me today at 281-387-7689 or email [email protected] to schedule a free strategy call. This call provides me an opportunity to get to know you and your business, and it allows you to get to know me as a coach. Don't let this opportunity I am providing pass you by. If you look at those highly successful in the industry, you will notice a common thread...they all have a coach. Let's connect today!

Visit Red Hawk Coaching today to learn more about me and the coaching services I provide real estate agents and small businesses.

Bonus Material for Those Attending KW Family Reunion 2020 in Dallas, Texas

My coach, Chad Hyams, will be hosting an off-the-books mastermind event on Monday, February 17th at the KW Family Reunion in the Dallas Convention Center (Rooms D162/164). Pack you some snacks, or bring a lunch, and participate in a mastermind on various topics of the day. Chad is also holding his cards close, and he will have a special guest in attendance. If you're attending KWFR, this is something you want to add to your agenda. Tell Chad, Jeremy sent me.

Change Your Business and Life by Hiring Jeremy Williams as a Coach Today

Are you needing to get clarity in your business? Do you feel like you're all over the place and lack focus and direction? This is exactly why you should consider hiring a business coach to provide you direction and different perspectives on your approach to building a successful business. Learn more about the one-on-one coaching opportunity offered to small businesses at Red Hawk Coaching.

Author: Jeremy Williams is the Owner/CEO of Red Hawk Coaching, and #1 Amazon Best-Selling Author.  For more information about coaching opportunities with Red Hawk Coaching, visit www.RedHawkCoaching.com.