The KW Joining Portal Workflow (New Associate Entry)

Once you invite a recruit to the MC, they will receive an email from "no-reply@system.kw.com (subject: KW Invitation!)" with a link to the KW Joining Portal. From there, they'll be guided through a simple account setup process to create their KW profile, set up their login information, learn more about KW culture, name a sponsor, enter profit share direct deposit information, add beneficiaries, and more. As soon as they complete the process, they will be able to immediately login to Command (agent.kw.com), and will get access to mykw.kw.com after 30 minutes or so.

If this recruit has previously been with KW, but are not currently active in our system, there is a special link for them to use in step 2. The system will automatically catch this based on the date of birth and social security number entered on that page. If this recruit is currently active in another Market Center, there is a separate workflow to add them as the second Market Center. The Joining Portal link will expire after 7 days. Throughout that timeframe, the recruit has the ability to save their progress and return to the Joining Portal through link in the email that is sent. If the link expires after 7 days, you will then see an option to resend to invitation, on their recruit card. There is no way for a Market Center to customize the email template or Joining Portal workflow, including the "Reach Out To Us" (see below) link for the recruit to ask the Market Center questions about the process.  The creation of the KW Email is not a part of the Joining Portal process. Once the recruit completes the joining process, they will get immediate access to MyKW/Command, and will be able to create their KW Email through the normal process. The Joining Portal process should be completed on a Desktop/Laptop, not a tablet. Once the Joining Portal is completed and submitted, the $25 New Associate Fee will be assessed to the Market Center via the KWRI Invoice created during transmittal.

Before diving in to the Joining Portal, it is recommended that the recruit has the following information and assets ready to enter into the portal:

1. Social Security Number or National ID
2. Public Facing Agent Profile Picture (Not Required) 
   • Maximum photo size is 2MB.
3. A Professional Biography (Not Required - this will be public facing, 100 words or less is recommended)
4. Real Estate License Number (Not Required)
5. Social Media Profile Links - Website Address, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, YouTube, LinkedIn (Not Required)
6. DBA Incorporation Business Name, Address, and EIN Number (Not Required)
7. KW Sponsor's Name
8. Profit/Growth Share Direct Deposit Financial Institution Information 
9. Profit/Growth Share Beneficiary's Name and National ID (Social Security Number, etc.)

Below is a rundown of the KW Joining Portal and it's nuances:

 

Access and Create Account

1. In the email from "no-reply@system.kw.com (subject: KW Invitation!)", click Get Started.

• If you have questions here, there a link in the email, automatically tied to your MC, for them to reach out to your Market Center's klrwxxx@kw.com email address.

2. Enter basic account information, then click Create Account.

• Country - this is not editable and is based on the location of the Market Center that sent the invitation.
• Legal First and Last Name - there is a field for preferred names later in the workflow.
• Date of Birth - mm/dd/yyyy format.
• Social Security Number.
• A checkbox to read/accept the KW Terms of Service and Privacy Policy.

If you have previously been with KW, but are not currently active in our system, click Reactivate Account at the bottom of the page. The system will automatically let you know if it recognizes a Birthdate/Social Security Number combination duplicate. Click here to review the reactivation workflow.

3. Click Continue.

4. A pop-up will appear giving the opportunity to add your profile picture, and enter a separate Preferred First Name and Preferred Last Name. If applicable enter that here, then click Continue.

 

Personal Information

1. At the top of the Personal Information page, enter your Phone Number, Email Address, and Mailing Address.

2. In the Emergency Contact section, enter your emergency contact's First Name, Last Name, Phone Number, and select your Relationship with them.

3. In the Demographic Information section, use the drop-downs to select your Ethnicity, Race, Gender, and Marital Status.

• Demographic Information - Keller Williams Realty, Inc. respects every individual's right to keep their personal information private. Any information provided to Keller Williams Realty, Inc. will be solely used for the important purposes of improving our service offerings and support resources and will not be sold, traded, or transferred to any third party or entity. If you have any questions or concerns regarding the information you provide in this survey, please contact us at legal@kw.com.
• Marital Status - Marital status is required because some states require spousal consent when designating a non-spouse beneficiary in the Keller Williams profit/growth share program.

4. Click Continue.

 

Professional Information
1. In the About You section, enter information that you want the public to know about you:

• Use the drop-downs to select one Preferred Language, and then add any Other Language(s) you speak. 
• Enter your professional Biography (4000 character limit).
• Select any number of real estate Specialties that apply to your business (residential, commercial, land, etc.).
• Enter any official specialty real estate Designations you have credentials for (CBR, CIPS, CRE, etc.).
• In the Service Areas drop-down, search by city, neighborhood, address, school district, or zip/postal code to highlight the areas you serve.

2. In the Personal Contact Information section, enter your public-facing Mobile Phone number, Office Phone if applicable, and Email Address.

3. If you have a Real Estate License, enter the License Number, Expiration Date, and State/Province of your license.

• If you have multiple licenses, click + Add Another License and enter the information for that one.
• This is optional. If you don't have a license number yet, your leadership will be able to add it later when they activate you as an agent in the Market Center.

4. Enter links to your website, if you have one, and any social profiles you have. These will make it easy for people to find your profiles in the future.

• When entering links, ensure you include the full address, including "https://".
• This section is optional. You will be able to add these to your profile at any time, once you get access to KW systems.

5. Click Continue when ready.

Profit/Growth Share

1. First, watch the Profit/Growth Share Overview video, then click Continue. You must watch the entire video (less than 3 minutes long) before the system will let you proceed. You can see the video below:

2. A pop-up will appear making sure you are ready to choose a sponsor. If you are ready, click Yes, Select Sponsor.

• This is a big decision that can only be changed, within 90 days of making the selection, because of clerical errors or if you choose a temporary sponsor who hasn't joined, but will within 90 days.
• If you are not ready yet, you can click No, Go Back, and reach out to your MC leadership to talk through this. There is also a Contact Your Market Center link you can use to contact your MC leadership, if you are unsure of who to contact.

3. Read the entirety of the Legally Binding Sponsorship Agreement and page instructions, which change depending on the selection you make. At the bottom of the page, in the Formal Designation of Sponsor section, select one of the options, then read and follow the instructions on the page:

My Sponsor is a Keller Williams Associate - use this selection if your sponsor is currently a KW Associate. 

• There are many people of the same name, in the KW system. Ensure you select the correct associate here, keeping an eye on their location, role, and Market Center name.

 

My Sponsor Intends to Join Keller Williams Within 90 Days of My Start Date - use this option if the person you want to name as your sponsor is not yet a KW Associate, but will be within 90 days. You are essentially going to name a temporary sponsor, and then must follow the process of submitting a Sponsorship Change Request within 90 days of your start date, once your permanent sponsor joins. If you don't properly submit a Sponsorship Change Request within 90 days of your start date, your temporary sponsor will become your permanent sponsor.

• There are many people of the same name, in the KW system. Ensure you select the correct associate as your temporary sponsor, keeping an eye on their location, role, and Market Center name.

4. Once you make your selection and submit your signature, you will have the ability to Download the Binding Sponsorship Agreement, which is a legal document. Click Continue when ready.

5. A confirmation pop-up will appear, click Confirm Sponsor Selection.

6. On the Direct Deposit page, enter the bank account information for the account you want profit/growth share money to be distributed to. 

This is separate from the bank account information for receiving commission earnings. You will continue to use your Market Center's normal process for distributing agent commissions.

7. Next, a pop-up will appear asking if you want to Designate a Beneficiary for profit/growth share earnings. If you are ready to do this, click the corresponding button.

• You can enter this information at any time, after being added to the Market Center. If you are not ready to designate a profit/growth share beneficiary, click Skip for Now and skip to the next section of the article.
• If you skip this, there are no automatic reminders to let you know to circle back to this later.

8. If you chose to enter a beneficiary, the fields in the Basic Information section will change depending on if you enter a person or entity as the beneficiary. In the Type field, select either Person or Entity, then complete the rest of the fields in this section: 

• Person - enter their Legal Name, select your Relationship, Country, Social Security Number, and Date of Birth.
• Entity - enter the Entity Name, Country, and EIN Number.

9. In the Contact Information section, enter the Phone Number, Email Address, and Address of the person or entity you are designating as your beneficiary.

10. Next, some areas require a Consent of Spouse form to be completed and signed before a Notary Public. If this situation applies to you, click Download to download the form. You can then complete and sign the form, and store the completed form in accordance with your current Market Center policy.

11. Type in your name in the Signature field, which is the same as signing the document, then click Submit.

12. Once you submit your signature, you will have the ability to Download the Formal Designation of Beneficiary, which is a legal document. Click Continue when ready.

Create KW Login Credentials

1. Finally, you need to create the login credentials you will use to log in to all KW systems. Enter the Username, Password, Confirm the Password, then add a Password Recovery Email. Click Continue.

• There is no standard format for the username, just ensure it is something you will remember. The only requirement is that it is unique from any other username in the KW system.
• The password needs to contain 12-20 characters, 1 lowercase letter, 1 uppercase letter, and 1 number.
• Neither the associate nor the Market Center will receive an email with these login credentials, as happened in the old process. KWRI is moving into cybersecurity compliance by not sharing login credentials.

 

Review Profile and Submit

1. Here you will be able to review all of the info you added here. Each section has an Edit button, which allows you to make last minute changes to any of the information. Click Submit when ready.

2. Your KW account has now been created and you can immediately login to Command (agent.kw.com), and will get access to mykw.kw.com after 30 minutes or so. From here, you can click to Exit for Now, or to Continue to Keller Cloud to log in to Command.