Managing Director Michael Davoren opened the 2018 RE/MAX Australia Rally anticipating an exciting year to coincide with the master franchise’s 21st birthday, and reflecting on what had been a busy 2017.
“Today and tonight we celebrate the achievements of our network, our offices and our individuals; but digging deeper, we celebrate what is at the very core of RE/MAX: the fact that this is truly the franchise for independently-minded agents,” he said.
An excited audience responded to Director Joel Davoren’s address on the RE/MAX digital transformation being rolled out this year including a technology platform that would cater to different local markets while delivering a strong sense of brand, and Precinct, powered by Microsoft, the online evolution of the RE/MAX philosophy of building communities.
Uniqueness is RE/MAX’s greatest creative edge, and something consumers will be sure to experience in 2018.
Michael Davoren recapped on 2017, which included hosting the RE/MAX Asia Pacific Convention, restructuring and rebranding of the finance arm to Pivotal Financial, an international brand refresh, commencing the total restructure of RE/MAX Australia and RE/MAX New Zealand technology platforms, and introducing a business growth management structure and project management teams within the corporate layer.
He also personally visited more than 110 RE/MAX offices in Australia and New Zealand.
“Personal relationships are the most powerful of all, and must continue to be the force in the future,” he said. “Every agent must see that their success lies in their uniqueness and ability to better the customer’s experience; and time invested in agent-client relationships is never time wasted.”
More than 250 attended the very successful day of speakers, special guests and panel sessions at the Royal International Convention Centre, Brisbane.
Keynote speaker, and one of Australia’s most successful entrepreneurs, Pauline Nguyen, was first up on the program.
Change is the only constant, she said. You must embrace, expect and create change.
Building on a notion often attributed to Charles Darwin – that it is not the strongest species that survive, nor the most intelligent, but the ones most responsive to change – Ms Nguyen placed the ‘survival of the most fitting’ over the ‘survival of the fittest’.
“We are in a ‘relationship economy’,” she said, “where the customer experience is based on a positive perception of human interaction; and the art of storytelling is the most underrated skill in sales and business.
Ms Nguyen’s own story is certainly one of survival, of responsiveness and of change. Both her personal story and the way she delivers it to an audience are extraordinary.
Facilitator and coach Cindy Tate chaired a panel of RE/MAX high achievers: David Cotterill, RE/MAX United Vision; Jerri Harrison-Taylor, RE/MAX Executives; Adam Kratzmann, RE/MAX Partners; and Dave Neilson, RE/MAX Bayside Properties.
From Mr Cotterill’s great insight into project marketing to Mr Neilson’s straightforward advice on integrating social media, the four had much to share. “High touch beats high tech,” said Ms Harrison Tayler of her business style. “Auction is a campaign not a man with a hammer,” said passionate auction advocate Mr Kratzmann.
For RE/MAX property managers, the Rally presented a chance to learn from the remarkable Lauren Kirk, a women with a vast amount of experience in many aspects of real estate.
Brennon Dowrick, one of Australia’s most successful male gymnasts, closed the RE/MAX Rally with an unforgettable gold medal performance.
Now an international motivational speaker who is in constant demand, Mr Dowrick wasn’t alone on stage. His pommel horse accompanied him, and his inspirational words were punctuated by amazing performances on the vault.
He won a scholarship to the Australian Institute of Sport at 12, was Australia’s first ever gymnastics Commonwealth Games Gold Medalist in 1990 (and won gold again in 1994), and was also Australia’s first Olympic Games finalist.
His message to RE/MAX was to look for success from strong foundations, self-belief and team work.
Mr Dowrick was just 18 when he won his first gold. Now 46, he is a man who has never wavered from achieving his dream of success.
RE/MAX Australia’s highest achievers – members of Platinum Plus – enjoyed an invitation-only cocktail party as a warm-up to the Thursday evening main event, the annual awards gala, which rose to a crowd of more than 550, celebrating RE/MAX successes for 2017.
Media contact:
Lyn Cox,
RE/MAX Australia
Public Relations,
E. lcox@remax.com.au,
M. 0418 793 096
About RE/MAX:
RE/MAX is the No.1 real estate agency business in the world based on volume of sales and many other criteria. It is more than 100 countries and territories, and has more than 7000 offices and 115,000 people worldwide.