Editor’s Note: This is the cover story in the August 2021 issue of RISMedia’s Real Estate magazine. Subscribe today.
The CENTURY 21® Brand: 50 Years of Elevating the Customer Experience
Above: The CENTURY 21® brand goes for the gold, holding steadfast to its mission to continue to raise the bar.
When President and Chief Executive Officer Michael Miedler assumed the role as leader of Century 21 Real Estate in 2019, after 21 years of working his way up within the company, he made his “why” very clear: “Everything that we do should help our customers grow their business and marketshare.”
And since that day, that focus has translated into a growing momentum, with consumers and industry professionals alike, as Miedler’s relentless mindset and positive attitude inspire the C21® Network. His mission has laid the groundwork for the CENTURY 21® brand to elevate the real estate journey from one of transactions to personalized moments and experiences that further build the global franchisor’s brand reach and influence on the market. As one of the industry’s most recognized and respected brands marks its milestone 50th anniversary this year, Miedler and his leadership team know that this is just the beginning. They have set their sights on owning the next 50 years and beyond by continuing to push the envelope, challenge the tried-and-true methods of real estate, surpass consumer expectations, and drive to make the home-buying and -selling process the exciting, once-in-a-lifetime experience it truly is.
“We’re proud of everything that our brand has accomplished along its 50-year journey to becoming the first choice for real estate consumers and industry professionals, which began when trailblazers Art Bartlett and Marsh Fisher launched the first-ever real estate franchise model,” says Miedler (see sidebar). “We have an exciting future ahead as we reconfirm our commitment to growth and lead the way in driving the rapid transformation of real estate into a more customer-centric, experiences-driven, digitally-enabled industry.”
Non-Stop Innovation
From being first-to-market with third-party ratings that push its sales professionals to deliver excellence, to introducing the Relentless Agent Awards—a program that goes beyond sales and celebrates the C21® go-getters and midnight-oil burners delivering a 121% experience for their clients—to developing innovative products and tools agents need to better exceed the needs of clients and customers, the C21 brand is focused on elevating every aspect of the real estate business for its System members.
The team delivered on this promise earlier this year with the unveiling of the CENTURY 21 TrackerTM, an AI-enabled mobile app designed to streamline communication between real estate agents and their home-buying and -selling clients, and bring unique clarity and visibility to what is often a complex process by ensuring that consumers are kept up to date on every step, ensuring that they are as informed and prepared as possible throughout the real estate journey.
“What we found is that people still desire human engagement complemented by innovative technology that makes their lives simpler and more convenient, and the Tracker serves as that connection during the complex real estate process,” says CENTURY 21 Chief Marketing Officer Cara Whitley. “We want homebuyers, sellers and investors of all segments who choose to partner with a CENTURY 21 sales professional to do so every time they, or anyone in their sphere, have a real estate need. At the end of the day, they’re not going to remember every step of the process, but they will remember what their agent did to make that journey seamless and stress free.”
Expanding Homeownership and Business Opportunities
To remain thought leaders and innovators over five decades takes a commitment to adaptability, and while CENTURY 21 leads as a tech and communications innovator, the brand has also earned a reputation for delivering homeownership and entrepreneurial opportunities to people of all cultures and backgrounds. In particular, the brand’s impact on the Hispanic community is unequalled in the industry. From its decades-long sponsorship of the National Association of Hispanic Real Estate Professionals (NAHREP) and its L’ATTITUDE convention, Spanish-language marketing and communications support, newly onboarded bilingual brokers and affiliated agents, to its breakthrough Empowering Latinas scholarship program that will open a path for more Hispanic women to earn their real estate license, the industry is taking notice. This year, C21 had 27 of their affiliated “relentless” sales professionals recognized on the NAHREP 2021 “Top 250 Latino Agents” list—that’s 11% of all honorees. The hard work and dedication of CENTURY 21 affiliated brokers and agents is helping drive sustainable homeownership and business ownership opportunities to the fastest growing segment in the United States today.
“During a year unlike any other in our industry, the high-performing affiliated agents, brokers and teams recognized on this year’s NAHREP list persevered and adapted to not only achieve their business goals, but also exceed all expectations while delivering excellence for their home-buying and -selling clients,” says Miedler. “At the CENTURY 21 brand, we understand the importance of having a team of professionals who represent the same level of diversity as the communities they serve every day. We are proud to continue supporting Hispanic entrepreneurs and providing them with the opportunities and resources they need to drive growth in their business as they continue to elevate the real estate experience for all.”
Looking ahead to help grow tomorrow’s leaders and reinforce the brand’s commitment to advancing diversity and representation within the real estate industry, Century 21 Real Estate recently unveiled an alliance with Project Destined, a national social-impact platform providing diverse high school and college students, as well as military veterans, with critical business and real estate fundamentals as they pursue careers in real estate. Focused on education, mentorship and career guidance, the three-year sponsorship provides students access to the industry-leading knowledge and expertise of CENTURY 21 affiliated real estate professionals, creating a pathway to success and ownership within the sector.
The CENTURY 21 tracker is an AI-enabled mobile app designed to streamline communication between real estate agents and their clients.
Kicking off in June 2021, CENTURY 21 intern team members represented diverse students from colleges and universities throughout Chicago, including the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, the University of Illinois at Chicago, DePaul University, Purdue University and Amherst College, who participated in a paid, virtual internship program alongside CENTURY 21 employee mentors.
Facilitating a Collaborative Culture
Leaders within the CENTURY 21 Network, whether that be long-time brand advocates or newly affiliated brokerages, are thriving in its open and collaborative culture. Many rely on and leverage the knowledge and experiences of hundreds of others “like” them for advice and support on critical business challenges—at no cost with zero consulting fees—priceless wisdom from the brand known for its family-oriented culture.
“We have been able to rapidly grow and expand our footprint across multiple states because of the support that exists within the C21 Network. It is an invaluable tool for us as company leaders, and for our agents who have been instrumental in helping us become the No. 1 CENTURY 21 franchise,” says CENTURY 21 Affiliated CEO Thomas Bretz, referring to the growth of his company from one office to 100-plus offices across Florida, Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota and Wisconsin, home to 2,300 sales professionals. “While the ability to leverage the strength of the CENTURY 21 brand has certainly helped grow our company, CENTURY 21 Affiliated owes much of its success to the vast institutional knowledge that accompanies such a powerful network of experienced, dedicated professionals.”
This collaborative and competitive drive to always elevate and give 121% is directly impacting the company’s franchise sales and renewal efforts. The franchise sales team is currently ahead of 2020 and is on pace to have a record-breaking year in 2021, while renewals stand at 115% of goal, with 46 companies signing agreements, including the brand’s fourth-largest franchise, CENTURY 21 Award in southern California.
“When looking at all of the successful companies that have renewed with our brand over the past year, it’s reaffirming to know that entrepreneurs and California real estate legends like Philip and David Romero and their CENTURY 21 Award team choose to remain affiliated with our organization despite having almost every option to go elsewhere,” says CENTURY 21 Chief Operating Officer Greg Sexton. “We couldn’t be more excited to build on our collaboration and help market-leading companies such as theirs attain their aggressive growth goals.”
The Power of Brand
For the CENTURY 21 Network, success is measured in system-wide collaboration, consumer relevance and top-of-mind awareness, with the franchisor building momentum faster than ever. In fact, Entrepreneur magazine recently named the CENTURY 21 brand the No. 1 Fastest Growing Franchise worldwide, across all categories. Plus, it earned the No. 7 ranking as a Top Global Franchise, behind giants like McDonald’s, Dunkin’ Donuts and Taco Bell. And Century 21 Real Estate continues its leadership position as the most recognized and most respected brand in real estate—and, for 22 years running, the leader in brand awareness.
“The CENTURY 21 brand fosters this collaboration of sharing resources and experiences,” says Eli Tene, CENTURY 21 Peak and CENTURY 21 Peak Commercial in Los Angeles. “As owners, we build on this culture by encouraging open discussion of success stories as well as challenges that help us in helping our agents find a fast track to success.”
The brand’s success and achievements can be seen in markets around the world. CENTURY 21 UK, for example, was ranked No. 18 in the 2021 Franchise Direct ranking, jumping 33 places from 2020 and achieving the top property company spot. With the top three brands being McDonald’s, Autosmart and Domino’s, CENTURY 21 UK is the only property and estate agency franchise to fall within the top 80. In addition, Stephen Yeager, CEO of CENTURY 21 Mexico, was recognized as the top real estate professional of 2021 by the International Association of Top Professionals, with his picture and announcement proudly displayed on Wall Street.
“It’s almost like a fraternity in that no matter where you go, once you meet a colleague, you’ve got a connection regardless of where you’re from,” explains Craig Beggins, broker/owner of CENTURY 21 Beggins Enterprises in Apollo Beach, Florida. “I went to China last year and spoke at their national convention of nearly 4,500 people. I’ve never been kissed and hugged so much by people in gold jackets.”
Project Destined participants worked alongside CENTURY 21® leaders as part of the brand’s inaugural mentorship program this summer.
Rethinking Home
The brand’s global footprint has influenced how Century 21 Real Estate is marking its 50th anniversary year. As the pandemic impacted people around the world, it also brought a significant shift to how we all think about home. To truly understand what this means for both the future of the real estate industry and consumers’ lives, the C21 team commissioned a global research study to better understand this concept through the eyes of consumers, affiliated brokers/agents and industry experts in key markets across the globe. The results of this research will culminate in the brand’s first-ever documentary in collaboration with National Geographic titled “Rediscovering Home,” airing on the network this September.
CENTURY 21 affiliates bring that same commitment and relentless effort to supporting the communities where they live and work, especially during the most challenging times. This is evident in the thousands of service hours and dollars raised to assist people and families in need. From stepping up to support local first responders and families impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic to raising over $129M over the past 42 years for the brand’s philanthropic partner, Easterseals, which supports persons with disabilities, their families and caregivers, the CENTURY 21 brand holds strong together and lives by its brand culture of giving back to those in need.
In a myriad of ways, CENTURY 21 companies of all sizes and from markets both large and small are executing on transforming this industry from transactional to experiential. From one agent taking a two-hour drive at 5:00 a.m. to notarize documents his clients needed to close to another touring houses with first-time buyers just days before giving birth to her third child, there isn’t much that a CENTURY 21 affiliated agent can’t or won’t do to deliver those extraordinary experiences for their clients. This passion and determination are what the brand was founded on. It’s what differentiates the CENTURY 21 Network today—and will continue to do so in the future.
As he closes out every meeting he moderates or brand event he attends, Miedler challenges everyone in the room to “dream big” and always ask, “what if?” This is what drives the CENTURY 21 headquarters team to help affiliates grow their business and marketshare, and what has real estate consumers and the brand’s approximately 155,000 relentless sales professionals in 14,250 offices across 86 countries and territories proudly waving the CENTURY 21 flag.
For more information, please visit www.century21.com.
Paige Tepping is RISMedia’s managing editor. Email her your real estate news ideas to paige@rismedia.com.
