RE/MAX is making big changes to its regional support structure and breaking down its franchises into four stages of development to better tailor resources to each brokerage’s development. Part of the change includes reimagining the regional development and training education teams for its U.S.-owned franchises and going from 10 regions to four.
Amy Somerville, RE/MAX Senior Vice President | Credit: RE/MAX
“We say here that we are a business that builds businesses and what it takes to build thriving businesses is really unique to each brokerage and where they are in their journey as a company,” Amy Somerville, the senior vice president overseeing the development and engagement team at RE/MAX said.
Somerville told Inman that this new initiative was spurred by conversations at broker events, emails and letters from RE/MAX broker owners. The new roadmap isn’t just about growth, it’s about strategic growth, Somerville added.
“The strategy behind what we’re doing here is really focused on the needs-based approach,” Somerville said. “The needs of a new franchise owner who has just purchased a franchise and has been through our 101 training, is very different than a brokerage that has been in the business for 30 years with 10 offices and 800 agents.”
Brokerages will be broken down into four different stages, as part of the new plan: base, grow, thrive and summit. The designations are based on future needs and not current or past success.
Josh Bolgren | Credit: RE/MAX
“Base” brokerages, according to Josh Bolgren, senior vice president overseeing the business growth team, are new franchisees that are building from the ground up. “Grow” brokerages have systems in place and a firm foundation. “Thrive” brokerages have staffing in place in addition to the systems and are looking at expansion and even possibly mergers or acquisitions. “Summit” brokerages have multiple offices and are truly looking at large scale acquisitions and mergers.
Going to this new development model will help RE/MAX brokerages recruit and retain more talent, according to Bolgren.
“Whether you’re our competitors our whether you’re RE/MAX, we’re all after those top producing agents,” Bolgren said.
RE/MAX will now have just four regions, as opposed to 10, which will streamline communication and help brokerages work better together. Each region will have a growth and development team dedicated to helping those brokerages grow their business.
The business growth team, led by Bolgren, will help guide brokerages through their journey, including problem solving, expansion and contract negotiations. The development and engagement team, led by Somerville, will create professional development and education training, as well as technology training which will become even more important as RE/MAX continues to roll out its proprietary technology platform this year.
“2019 is going to be phenomenal for RE/MAX’s tech platform,” Somerville said. “We have all kinds of tools and products that are going to be rolling out in the middle part to end part of this year, so we’ve got a technology team that is focused on introducing those products both old and new and increasing engagement and adoption of those tools.”
