Should Ray White Or RE/MAX Consider Having A Sex Change?

3 minute read

I believe that in 2010, there is a great opportunity that exists within the real estate market for a franchise group or some forward thinking agencies to capitalise on a huge segment of the market that is just sitting there waiting for the right company or group of agents to come along & grab it with both hands.

You only have to read a little bit of the research done by Tom Peters or
Marti Barletta, who co-authored the book Trends, to identify that there is a massive niche within the real estate industry that is currently be ignored by most of the major franchise groups.

Now, in no way am I suggesting that Ray White should become Raylene White or that RE/MAX should become RE/MAXINE, all I’m suggesting is that women have an enormous influence in the buying decisions within most households & over the past few years there’s been an enormous growth in companies marketing women’s only services.

And, a lot of it is to do with The Role of Gender in Source Credibility & the feeling that “both men and women perceived that they would have more credibility with persons of the same sex than with persons of the opposite sex”.

Many companies outside of real estate, that have moved to a ‘Women – Only’ based business model have found it to be an extremely lucrative niche & have enjoyed the rewards from embracing their targeted point of difference.

For example, there are hugely successful women-only companies like White Lady Funerals, plus women-only gymnasiums like Fernwood & Contours who all seem to have taken huge segments of their marketplace by storm by using their “Women-Only Business Model”.

Billicorp Property Services Takes On The Big Boys
Currently, within the Commercial/Industrial sector of the real estate industry, (normally a male dominated segment of the industry), there’s been an emerging women – only company called Billicorp Property Solutions, founded in 2003 by a dynamic young agent, Kirsten Marsh, who successfully entered the market & built a women-only team to take on some of the biggest firms within the real estate industry.

For a small team within a single agency structure, they appear to be doing extremely well, considering the tough market place they are in & the impact the GFC has had on that segment of the market.

In recent times, Billicorp has also expanded its service into the residential market place, which will be interesting to see how this transition works for them.

Now, because most women are intuitive, extremely good at networking, more likely to be trusted & are often very well organised, you’ll find that there are already many women working within real estate sales & property management amongst the franchise groups/networks who are currently using their skills to achieve huge success in real estate.

Plus, like a lot of experienced agents would understand, they tend to appreciate that during a listing presentation, if the woman of the house doesn’t like & trust you then chances are that you won’t get the listing, no matter how good you got along with the male partner.

Whilst I don’t profess to be an expert on branding a company & nor am I taking sides about male v’s female agents, I simply see that an opportunity exists & think maybe a ‘Women’s – Only” brand within an existing brand could be a way forward for one of the franchise groups who may want to tackle this huge, untapped niche in the market.

Interested to hear your thoughts?

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7 Comments

  • Brett Clements
    Posted January 15, 2010 at 10:14 pm 0Likes

    Great post Greg. 80% of property purchases are influenced/made/driven by women. I think, in my humble opinion – you’re smack, bang, dead on. I think there’s a huge opportunity for great brands like these, and all the others, to create fresh, young spin-offs. To appeal to all sectors. Women. Youth. Pink. Etc. McDonalds faced the same challenges. Backed by a great history of service, they re-created themselves; in a pretty tough market.
    And I’d bet there are a few amongst us who though Maccas couldn’t do it. Wouldn’t make it. But they did. And they did, not by re-inventing the product; but by adding to it. I was having this same discussion with a pretty forward-looking young Agent in Brisbane just a few weeks ago. Who is actually introducing some elements of what you are talking about, to one of the brands you’ve mentioned.

  • Rose
    Posted January 24, 2010 at 10:49 am 0Likes

    Yep.. Good idea.. Let’s drive those gender difference wedges in even further.. Brilliant.. NOT!!!

    This kind of thinking might create another lame niche, but in the process weaken the true meaning of equality while we’re at it. Do business on your own merits, not some rubbish and potentially harmful gimmick. We’ve had enough of fighting these Gender clubs BOYS CLUBS and GIRLS CLUBS. Seriously.. Grow up already.

    How about helping to break down barriers, not create stupid new ones.

  • Greg Vincent
    Posted January 29, 2010 at 10:43 am 0Likes

    Rose, I have already spoken with one of the franchise groups about adopting this concept.

    “Let

  • Betty
    Posted June 7, 2010 at 7:09 am 0Likes

    Hi Greg,

    If you had looked into the RE/MAX franchise, you will find that this unique model does in fact cater for women in real estate extremely well and is the best in the industry and has been communicated about. They have been creating documents about this since the 70’s.

    I am an successful agent with RE/MAX and I can highly recommend it to all women.

  • Greg Vincent
    Posted June 7, 2010 at 10:35 pm 0Likes

    Thanks Betty, I’m pleased to hear it. Would it be possible for you to share a few of those RE/MAX documents with the rest of the readers here at B2?

  • Betty
    Posted June 7, 2010 at 11:11 pm 0Likes

    Hi Greg

    Here are some quick links that showcase RE/MAX and why it is the ultimate network to be affiliated with, especially for women.

    http://www.facebook.com/REMAX.AUS
    http://www.youtube.com/REMAXAustralia (Hear direct from other agents like me)

  • David Willis
    Posted December 16, 2011 at 6:38 pm 0Likes

    Where does that leave us “mere males” Greg??? Lol

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