Building a Unique Franchise Model

By Mark D. Hinkins, SperryCGA President, CCIM, FRICS

People and culture are the lifeblood of companies making it critically important to bring in the right talent to ensure continued growth. The leaders of Irvine, California-based Sperry Commercial Global Affiliates LLC (SperryCGA) take that approach to heart as they focus on building a unique franchise model via collaborative growth with affiliate partners.

Smaller independent firms, individual brokers or even larger established offices, stand to gain an advantage over competitors by affiliating with SperryCGA. Benefits include being a part of a larger network with national name recognition, tapping into deeper resources and tools and, perhaps most important, regular networking with like-minded professionals who can collaborate and strategize on new business opportunities. Yet, each independently owned and operated affiliate can still retain its identity.

Momentum builds for franchisees when they become a part of a high-profile brand like SperryCGA. Affiliates can consult with others and from that collaborative approach, we see tremendous synergies emerge.

SperryCGA offers a value-based model created for the smaller and regional brokerage houses and teams allowing the franchisee affiliate to maintain national brand presence and collaborate with a network of other franchisee affiliates in order to compete with other national brands. Unique to SperryCGA are a system of tools for franchisee affiliates that include a comprehensive real estate intranet and transaction management platform named SperryCENTRAL and a custom designed marketing support software system called SperryLINK, among other immediate industry advantages.

An attraction to the SperryCGA franchise model is our fee structure and costs. SperryCGA offers affiliates the industry’s most value-based franchise platform. The main consideration and value under the SperryCGA approach is affiliates get to retain more money.

Another factor to consider when being part of the SperryCGA platform are the other services and capabilities available to members. Affiliates gain access to an affiliated capital markets resource, Sperry RE Capital. This allows them to facilitate deals and meet client needs whether for new investments, repositioning properties or renovating assets.

Affiliates have a number of reasons they want to be a part of a larger network like SperryCGA, too. Those could include gaining insights into the financial side of the business, growing their business or adding to their team. The culture of our organization is different, and it fosters a sense of collaboration. Members are able to reach other experts and build trusted relationships that can help develop a broader strategy for current assignments or to create new opportunities to work together in other markets.

Being part of a national and now global network brings opportunities to strengthen an affiliate and build on its knowledge base. We have witnessed affiliates expand beyond their region or local market into larger, national business assignments. They have accomplished that through the networking SperryCGA provides, but also by applying best practices, developing a better recruiting platform to grow their business via new talent or organic growth. Since SperryCGA has a national presence, large brand and iconic history, it can serve to help a franchise grow by elevating them to the next level.

SperryCGA’s franchise model has emerged as a viable alternative to big commercial real estate firms. Affiliates find there is less corporate structure, restrictions or internal politics with the SperryCGA platform, so they are able to efficiently execute deals on behalf of their clients. The SperryCGA franchise model offers affiliates the opportunity to build a business and create an independent entity. The platform provides a chance to break from the confines of a corporate world and establish their own business, which is appealing to many entrepreneurial-minded professionals.