This year, Keller Williams was named a top employer for women in the United States, and for good reason: 55.1% of franchisee operational leaders in offices across the U.S. are women, and women across all levels of the company are empowered to build bigger lives and businesses. With a global reach of 50 regions, it’s only natural for this trend to extend to an international scale. Nowhere is this better illustrated than in KW Italy, where the female leaders have blended their creativity and leadership to pave the way for all.
Among three market centers housed in some of the country’s most internationally appealing cities (Rome, Milan, and Florence), women make up three quarters of office leadership – and 50% of the franchise’s agents are women.
“In Italy, the world of entrepreneurship has radically changed and is giving more and more space to women at the top of companies,” says Florence-based market center administrator Giada Bisignano. “It’s a beautiful thing, because as a woman I can say that I have a lot to give, innovate, and ensure that businesses adapt quickly to the constant changes taking place in the market.”
Bisignano herself is part of a major innovative initiative amplified in response to this year’s global pandemic. Led by regional communications manager Silvia Rossi, the region established a digital team composed of Bisignano, regional tech trainer Gloria Mazzotti and several other women with marketing and communications expertise. Their goal – To strategically utilize social media and showcase the opportunities that exist at Keller Williams for current and prospective agents; opportunities that have changed each of their lives.
“When I first heard about KW, I was fascinated by a company that invested so much in technology. They are very giving with their tools and helping their associates thrive during this difficult period,” Rossi says. “The development of the digital team project has been realized thanks to KW’s training, network and tools. When I talked about my vision for a digital team to some of my previous colleagues, they usually laughed. But when I joined KW, I met people who not only understood – but could give me the advanced tools to make this project happen.”
The result? A YTD agent growth of 172% in Italy’s three locations.
Video as a Catalyst
It all started with a quarantine video mashup: a diverse array of agents under lockdown confidently telling the camera “I decided to be happy.” On Facebook, followers were encouraged to tag a friend. Although the team had just started KW Italy’s Facebook presence, the video got more than 100 shares and 10,000 views. The team has since produced an entire suite of videos highlighting KW culture: from the technology and training, to the diverse and empowering work environment.
Beyond videos, the team keeps agents engaged through a series of virtual social media trainings, inspired by our very own Outfront story on TikTok for real estate agents. The training aims to improve current associates’ skillset on five platforms – Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, LinkedIn, and YouTube.
They’ve also been experimenting with live social broadcasts; now a weekly Friday treat following the initial success of their first Facebook Live open house. On-air, the team showcased a magnificent lake villa near Rome which featured three guesthouses and an indoor and outdoor swimming pool. Thanks to KW’s international network, more than 4,000 people from across the globe tuned into the tour.
Since starting the KW Italia Facebook page in January, Rossi and her team have built a faithful audience nearing 2,000 members. By peppering KW culture into the content of their page – from social media trainings, to their highlight videos and open houses – the team has brought a breath of fresh air to their relationship-building strategy during a time when connection might seem like a more difficult feat than ever. And, in bringing value and joy to others, they’ve been able to further their own career trajectories.
Mazzotti, who serves as the MCA of the Rome market center in addition to being an RTT, says “I never thought I’d be able to teach something to someone, but KW gave me the opportunity to approach the real estate world and become a teacher by allowing me to teach our associates courses on Command and technology. They give me a lot of tools to improve myself as a person and as a working woman,” she says.
Do you know a real estate leader with a flair for building big lives and businesses? Help them propel their path forward.
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Hello KW I’m a Jewlery designer and I have designed a collection for KW.
I’m at the same time a member of your family, Is there any way I can share my collection to you?
Hi Sara,
Thank you for commenting! We generally keep it strictly business on Outfront, but would love to see some of your designs. Shoot us an email at outfront @ kw . com