Interview: Ken Brand - Exceptional Leadership Through RE Blogging

I'd like to introduce a long time friend and MLPodcast client, Ken Brand of Prudential Gary Greene Realtors in The Woodlands, Texas. I am proud to share this interview with the RE.Net because I believe Ken is one of the brightest minds and most effective leaders in the business. Ken's blogging efforts are different than most RE blogs.

The title of Ken's blog is Ken's 411 - Greener Grass. It's the only blog I've found in the space that is used as a management tool. Ken has used the platform of blogging to communicate, motivate, educate, entertain and more! Ken's 411 primary focus is on his team of agents, but also shares information with consumers in a very transparent manner.

Question: How long have you been blogging?

Answer: January is my two year anniversary. I’ve posted 646 times, generating 28,421 page views.

Question: What is the primary goal of your blog?

Answer: Authoring a blog is powerful. A blog empowers you to create a living web expression, reflecting the personality, interests, creativity, values, beliefs and quirks of the owner…all on display.

I have a fun, never a dull moment leadership role. I’m a Sales Manager for 80+ elite-performing, make it happen now, Realtors. In today’s swirling go-go fast, band on the run, hyper-tasking, independent contractor, pay for performance Realtor world, keeping big fat, crystal clear lines of communication/Information flowing seamlessly is a ginormous challenge. A blog provides the perfect simple and elegant medium equal to the challenge.

With my blog I make announcements, share stories, teach, lead, persuade, compliment, recommend, train, entertain and educate.

Last but not least, I enjoy infusing my personality into what might otherwise be oatmeal dull subjects.

Question: Do you think blogging will become a mainstream business tool for Realtors?

Answer: Like most bright ideas that require commitment…winners will, most won’t. The investment of time, energy and attention will prevent the normal people from blogging. For Sales Managers, making the commitment will actually save time in the long run and provide bonus benefits for their sales team.

As for mass adoption by the real estate agent community, I’m not certain that everyone should have a blog. Because of the time required to service clients, develop relationships and nurture new leads, carving out a block of time to maintain a worthwhile blog might not be realistic for the masses. If I were in sales, I would eliminate my static web site and create a hybrid agent web site. It would be a marriage of the traditional – a resource linked, listing search engine and a wicked useful blog with fresh, salient content. For a smart, bright idead, achiever, an interesting blog would provide many benefits and a remarkable competitive advantage.

Question: What blogs do you recommend to your agents?

Answer: Including Mike's Corner, I have a twenty seven bloggers in my blogroll. The majority of my recommend blogs are centered on authors who share bright ideas, creative approach, communication arts, marketing savvy, service focus and remarkability.

Today, if I had to choose three, they would be:
Seth Godin @ http://sethgodin.typepad.com/seths_blog/
Scott Ginsberg @ http://www.hellomynameisscott.blogspot.com/
Tom Peters @ http://www.tompeters.com/index.php


Question: Your blog has become a central point of communication to your agents from posting calendars to sharing documents. Have your agents embraced it as such?

Answer: Yes. A blog is a beautiful, super-simple and practical tool for keeping our team members in tune with fresh opportunities, coming attractions, newly minted marketing strategies and campaigns. Also, they have Download-Print-Go access to our Market Studies/Trends & Statistics, Presentations, Team Calendar, Book Recommendations and a purse full of other stuff.

Question: How many blogs are in your feed reader right now?

Anwer: Yikes…probably too many. I’d say I spend about thirty to forty five minutes a day skimming for interesting stuff. I skim while the boob tube broadcasts. I just clicked on my NewsGator Feeds tab….do I really have 96 feeds? I guess I do.

Question: You've read dozens of books on marketing and Internet related topics. What are your top 3 recommendations for agents?

Answer: I love to read. Oddly, there aren’t many books that specifically talk about the internet. The books I most recommend are by authors who are uber-tech savvy. Their books aren’t aimed point blank at the internet per se…rather they are pointed at creating “personal remakability”…it so happens that using the web to amp up a persons “remakability factor” is shared common DNA. The books I most often recommend – anything from Tom Peters, Roy A. Williams, Seth Godin and Scott Ginsberg’s book – How To Be That Guy. I have Book Recommendations as a “Category” on my blog sidebar. Right now there are twenty eight recommendations.