In the following interview, Randy Thompson, CEO/broker of CENTURY 21 Full Realty Services in Murrieta, Calif., discusses the advantages of the brand, his 10-year growth plan, and more.
Region Served: San Diego County and the Inland Empire Valley
Years in Real Estate: 18
Number of Offices: 1
Number of Agents: 65
What’s your secret for remaining relevant in today’s ever-changing real estate landscape?
Training. We’re huge on training, especially scripted training meetings. We conduct these twice a week and have an additional 12 hours of training available to all our agents each week. This ensures that our agents are up-to-date on the latest industry trends, market information and new technology offerings.
How do you stay in touch with your clients?
We currently use our CRM, but as we merge with Century 21, we’ll now have access to so much more. For starters, we’ll be able to use their dashboard, allowing our agents to schedule meetings, training and day-to-day activities more effectively. Also, we’re very active in our community, creating multiple facetime opportunities with current and potential clients. We support or sponsor several local events and charities throughout the year. One of our most successful efforts is handing out free water bottles with our branding on the labels at events in the community.
What is the most significant trend impacting your business today?
Today’s buyers and sellers are looking for their real estate agent to offer more than just help with the sale. We’re proud to be a full-service realty that provides everything in-house for them, from serving as dual agents (the first in the Century 21 System to offer this) to managing home loans on-site. The merger with Century 21 Real Estate has allowed us to up our game and present a robust menu of real estate services, which creates a seamless and streamlined real estate process.
How do you attract some of the top agents in your area?
By joining Century 21, we’re teaming up with a brand that boasts a 96 percent recognition rate globally. That means you can go anywhere in the world and 96 percent of the people there have heard of Century 21 Real Estate. Century 21 recently launched a new brand identity and mission: to defy mediocrity and deliver extraordinary experiences. Our team weaves this philosophy into everything we do, not just for our clients, but for new and potential agents, as well. The power behind Century 21—plus the new office we just moved into—is helping us stand out in the market and allowing us to recruit the best agents around.
What strategies do you employ when assisting people who are relocating to your area?
When those folks come in, we first get them pre-qualified, then we give them a tour of our area. We do this because we want to be sure we’re not taking people with a beer budget to a champagne neighborhood. But culture is everything for us. We’re a very high-energy office, and 70 percent of our business is recurring. Once you’re one of our clients, you become family.
Where do you see your business in five years?
Right now, our goal is to have four offices in the next five years. That being said, I have a set 10-year plan. I’m 50 now, and by the time I turn 60, I want to have 10 offices across the region.
For more information, please visit www.century21.com.Â
Jameson Doris is RISMedia’s blog and social media editor. Email him your real estate blog ideas at jdoris@rismedia.com. Â
