How I Climbed: The Keys to Reaching a Higher Level

Brett Lueken
RE/MAX Lafayette Group
Lafayette, Ind.
2011: Chairman’s Club
2010: Platinum Club

Brett Lueken attributes much of his 2011 success to becoming more familiar with RE/MAX systems, growing his referral base and implementing a few helpful strategies.

Leaning on LeadStreet
Lueken devoted more resources toward advertising, particularly online. In addition to creating more elaborate campaigns, he used LeadStreet to better manage and control the leads he generates through his online advertising and social media presence.

With each new online lead, Lueken enters the contact into LeadStreet so he can keep in touch with the prospective clients using Lead- Street’s automated drip campaigns. When these people inquire about a property on remax.com, they’re already connected to Lueken as existing contacts.

Focusing on quality
Lueken actually sold fewer houses in 2011 compared to 2010. But by concentrating on quality service, he took his achievement level from great to even-better-than-great.

“My main focus in 2011 was to continue to build the area’s best full-service real estate team,” he says. “My success was derived from my team’s passion to provide the highest quality service in our marketplace.”

Being more visible
A relatively new kid on the block, Lueken significantly increased his local presence by getting more involved in the community and its civic organizations. Through various groups, Lueken has connected with and worked alongside influential, active people.

Lueken’s extra effort has cemented his reputation and generated referrals from sources he wasn’t accessing before.

Zeena Taghvai
RE/MAX Real Estate (Mountain View)
Calgary, Alberta
2011: Platinum Club
2010: 100 Percent Club

In 2009, Zeena Taghvai endured her slowest year in two decades of real estate. So she joined RE/MAX, determined to turn her business around. And she hasn’t looked back. Her 2011 climb was built upon several smart moves.

Keeping in touch
Taghvai estimates that 40 percent of her 2011 business involved past clients and referrals. She places a high priority on reaching out to past clients, whether through phone calls or friendly 15-minute meetings over coffee.

“I want people to know I’m available, and that I appreciate their business and referrals,” she says.

Farming smarter
Distributing fliers, notepads and calendars to her farm area had long been an effective strategy for Taghvai. But she’s taken it even further. She now works with “strategic allies” – past clients, acquaintances, business contacts – who provide constructive feedback on her efforts. For instance, they let her know if and when they receive her materials, and how useful they seem. They also offer competitive intelligence; last year, one of them noted that no one was sending calendars to the neighborhood anymore.

“Because of that information, I put together and distributed some very nice calendars, which I’m sure are hanging in quite a few homes now,” Taghvai says. “Little things can mean a lot in this business.”

Jumping onto Facebook
Taghvai created a Facebook fan page, where she posts market news and updates. She devotes just a few minutes every other day to the site, with remarkable results. In her first four months, she generated three new clients simply by engaging in conversations with them.

“I had more than 500 ‘likes’ just a couple of weeks after I started the fan page,” she says. “And I know only a fraction of those people personally.”

RE/MAX Production Clubs

(Annual commissions earned)

Diamond Award ($1 million+)
Chairman’s ($500,000 to $999,999)
Platinum ($250,000 to $499,999)
100 Percent ($100,000 to $249,999)
Executive ($50,000 to $99,999)