Comments on: C21, Pru, Exit, CB, ReMax, EXIT…hmmm?

By: Cora L Johnson

Cora L Johnson — Thu, 17 Jan 2008 03:11:13 +0000

The real estate brand alone is not the bottom line. It is simply the tool that each independent contractor has elected to attach with or use to jumpstart their business In making that decision we each claim to understand that we must do all we can to assure that if the brand causes John and Susan to give us a look; we will do our best to serve their interest and enhance our opportunity to recieve more business from them. As such whether the brand gave us the chance to shine,or we just made the brand look better, the result is a win-win-win

By: Everett King

Everett King — Wed, 02 Jan 2008 18:55:25 +0000

The conversation between John and Susan is probably correct in a market without a strong community oriented brand presence. What is missing here is that a brand alliance is not a silver bullet that brings untold business and consumer loyalty. A brand gives you the opportunity to look and sound different than your competitor. But without implementation of the products, services and training the brand provides you are just another company looking for an easy payday. For consumer loyalty you separate yourself from the pack by implementing the above and then becoming an important part of the communities you serve.

By: Staten Island Real Estate

Staten Island Real Estate — Thu, 13 Dec 2007 16:42:08 +0000

Real estate is and will be about the people. Even the above story illustrates that when an agent moves from one company to the other the clients are willing to follow that agent, and not necessarily the previous company that person was affiliated with.
In our local market, we have just had one major company severe their affiliation with Coldwell Banker, two brokerages cut their ties with C21, and one major company switched their signs from Prudential to GMAC. The point is that they wouldn’t do that if they believed that their franchise brands were what their customers cared about.

By: Flat Fee Realty Louisville

Flat Fee Realty Louisville — Fri, 07 Sep 2007 20:34:03 +0000

Awesome post. I found what jkimmons said to be quite intriguing. I too would be interested in seeing if the franchises can provide the franchisee a cheaper alternative.

By: Derrick Whittle

Derrick Whittle — Mon, 02 Apr 2007 02:48:11 +0000

I worked with a large corporate company once that had nothing to do with real estate and they stated often that take care of your employees first and the employees will take care of the customers. The company that you keep is the one you will thrive with. This could be any major company that is only based on ownership and management. Give a customer a agent with great management and great room to use creativity and the customer will become a client.

By: jkimmons

jkimmons — Mon, 19 Mar 2007 15:45:16 +0000

Great post. It provoked some thought on my part. I’m not sure that the franchises in our business always provide higher quality service, considering the independent nature of agents and low barriers to entry. Many a consumer brand in the past has learned that just saying you’re the greatest won’t keep you in business if you’re not.

With technology changing service delivery mechanisms, the savvy independent can deliver high caliber services to rival any franchise. The question might come to be whether the franchises can provide the technology and training to the franchisee in a more cost effective way than the do-it-themselves approach.

By: Mike Carraway

Mike Carraway — Mon, 12 Feb 2007 23:22:38 +0000

While you make a good point, there ARE differences in the service quality that these different Brands provide the consumer – just as in the product quality of BMW vs. Ford.

Consumers come to know the difference. Some franchisees have purhcased the so called brand in order to provide service quality to the consumer – not just to hook up with a brand.

Branding, in and of itself, is a much weaker economic benefit to an owner. The service quality provided to the consumer is always where the focus should be. If there are some brands that provide this, then those are the brands that will prevail in the market.

Broker/Owners seeking to affiliate with a BRAND, should never look at the brand for the BRAND’s sake. Instead they should look at the consumer services and benefits provided by the brand.