Century 21 powers up free CRM platform

Century 21 Real Estate LLC has launched a free customer relationship management (CRM) platform that enables the franchisor's U.S.-based agents to design, create, and manage marketing campaigns, engage contacts and clients, and cultivate leads through closing.

Powered by Market Leader Inc., the Century 21 Business Builder CRM platform is being provided free to all of the franchisor's 60,000 U.S.-based agents under the terms of a two-year contract worth at least $2.55 million announced in March.

Brokers get an integrated office dashboard that provides insight into key performance metrics, allowing them to monitor how effectively agents are using the tool.

Kirkland, Wash.-based Market Leader expects to generate additional revenue by selling advanced tools to Century 21 agents who require premium capabilities.

"We are extremely excited to bring this state-of-the-art marketing capability to every Century 21 agent and broker throughout the United States," said Bev Thorne, Century 21's chief marketing officer, in a statement. "This powerful tool will help our entire network increase productivity and improve directed marketing programs."

Market Leader has a similar partnership with another Realogy Holdings Corp. subsidiary, Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate, to provide integrated components for agent collaboration, customer relationship management websites, and other tools for its 7,000 agents and 200 offices.

Other deals with Realogy subsidiaries may be in the works. Market Leader signed a master agreement with Realogy's franchise wing in February that will govern the terms of any agreements with the company's franchise brands.

Market Leader also has a five-year agreement to provide lead management, contact management and marketing design components of Keller Williams Realty International's eEdge platform, which became available to 80,000 agents affiliated with the franchise during second-quarter of 2011.

Market Leader expects that deal to generate a minimum of $10 million in revenue, with the potential to earn additional income by "upselling" premium software and services to Keller Williams agents.

Founded in 1999 as a business based on the lead generation site HouseValues.com, Market Leader rebranded in 2008 as a provider of marketing, lead management and other tools for real estate franchisors, brokerages and agents.

Market Leader acquired Denver-based SharperAgent and its 30,000-strong customer base in August, 2011, for $1.75 million, saying the acquisition would help it develop an integrated lead generation, CRM and marketing platform. Market Leader then acquired RealEstate.com and its network of more than 250 real estate broker customers from two subsidiaries of Tree.com for $8.25 million.

In August, Market Leader announced that RealEstate.com -- a real estate search site that generates revenue by charging agents to brand cities and towns -- was publishing 1.6 million Internet Data Exchange (IDX) listings obtained through agreements with 150 multiple listing services.