Chief People Officer; Nicole Aloe-Goetzke

This article highlights a conversation Michigan Realty had with Good Company Realty’s Chief People Officer.

Recently, Good Company Realty had announced some amazing real estate performance metrics. From Downtown Detroit all the way up Woodward Ave. to 14 Mile rd. Good Company Realty has outperformed every single Michigan real estate brokerage along the way.

This article could highlight the many realtors that help put up those numbers. This article could also highlight the Administrative rockstars in this office that keeps everyone on top of their game. All of that is true, and I can’t stress enough how that can’t be overlooked.

Yet there is only one Chief People Officer, and a heartbeat of this organization.

The Chief People Officer, Nicole Aloe-Goetzke. You don’t get that title for nothing.

Michigan Realty decided to learn more about who Nicole is and why she loves real estate. At the end of this article, Nicole reveals the secret of how Good Company became a top performing brokerage.

Where is the Chief People Officer from?

Nicole is a Dearborn Heights & Livonia native turned Royal Oak resident. Like most people who don’t move too far from where they grew up, when visiting the old stomping grounds, it still feels like home. Afterall, her family owned a house in Livonia for 40+ years, and her sister still lives there. Although, when pressed about it, Nicole says that Royal Oak is definitely her home now.

Livonia is where she learned to dominate on the hockey rink, hit dingers on the softball field, and became a world-class golfer. (And yes, I’m hyping up her golf game.) Basically, everything Nicole still loves to do is rooted from that first place she identified as “Home”.

Who is Nicole?

Nicole asked that she clarify something near the end of our conversation together.

“I actually think that I’m a better Hockey player than I am golfer.” Of course, I had to ask why she thinks so.

“Golf is very much an individual sport. Hockey is a team sport. I think that’s why I thrive. I love to be a playmaker. Do I like to score goals? Yeah sure, but I love to be a playmaker. I like to pass the puck and I like to assist people.”

Whether she realized she was providing a metaphor for who she is intentionally or not, she couldn’t have said it more perfectly.

The desire to help leads to Real Estate

The year was 1999, and in one more year the internet was going to stop working, and the world was going to end. So, Nicole thought it was the perfect time to jump into the real estate industry.

Initially, Nicole wanted to be a nurse, but when she found out there would be blood involved, she said, and I quote, “eh, no”. So, that was off the table. What Nicole always knew was that she wanted to help others and be around people. After a conversation with a mortgage broker, Nicole decided she was going to take her Michigan Real Estate license test.

January of 2000, Nicole went armageddon on her full-time job, quitting and jumped straight into real estate. With a focus on the “triple F”; family, friends and first-time homebuyers. Nicole expressed how much of a thrill it was to help them. This rush she got from knowing that people appreciated her effort fueled greater desire in her to succeed in real estate.

“Serving people is why I do it.” – Nicole

Nicole’s Two Realtor Strategies that will ALWAYS work.

Entering into real estate at a time when the internet was still in its infancy, there was a different culture around real estate marketing than today. For one, Realtors couldn’t just GPS an address and have a robot tell them how to get to someone’s house. So, the understanding of a real estate market was much more localized.

Nicole explained that the industry is much more efficient because of technology, but it’s also starting to lack more genuine human connection. So of course, I had to ask how she marketed herself during the stone age.

Nicole laid out two timeless real estate strategies that you can implement into your real estate marketing.

“I LOVE comedy and magic. So, I’d created these really funny postcards. If I could get my dad to laugh, I knew they would work. I’d do 200 a month, and they’d also tell people a little bit about who I am.”

Fun fact: Today’s Internet Memes are rumored to be inspired by Nicole’s real estate postcards. Although, there is no way to fact check that, so for the sake of transparency in journalism, we’re going to roll with it anyway.

That method of a funny postcard still works today. Most people aren’t doing that anymore, opening the door for a marketing opportunity.

“I would also create magnets with the sporting schedules of the Detroit Lions and people would slap those on their fridge. My information was on them too, and if I did the Detroit Tigers, that’s on the fridge for 9 months out of the year.”

The idea of being a glass of milk away from a phone call, is still a brilliant method that you can use today.

Becoming the Chief People Officer

“I would go to the office every day. I would listen to activity happening in “the bullpen”, and eventually, people would ask if I wanted to hold homes open.” This theme of always showing up, always being available to help, and always helping, eventually starts to build Nicole’s career and reputation around the office.

With that reputation, Nicole was asked to open up the Royal Oak Keller Williams office, as a team leader.

For 15 years, the spirit of selflessness continued to make Nicole a valuable team member. Yet despite the success, “It just become too corporate for me.”

This wasn’t the only grievance, and certainly it wasn’t only Nicole who felt this way. Other Realtors like Jim Shaffer worked at the same office, and it was only a matter of time before he out-grew the nest and wanted something more himself.

The call to change it all.

For context, Jim is one of the highest performing realtors in the state of Michigan, and the founder of Good Company Realty. As Nicole puts it, Jim came up to her and said “I can’t afford you right now, but once I can you’re going to come and help me.” 2 months later, Covid hit.

At this point Nicole had moved away from KW to help one of the top mortgage brokers, David Hall. While Jim was at a standstill because of the uncertainty of Covid, Nicole was building Realtor programs at Hall Financial. Finally at the beginning of 2022, Jim came calling.

Jim’s message was simple, “I want you to come back to a real estate brokerage, make people feel good and bring some fun.” This message encompasses the idea of the Chief People Officer. Nicole explained, “I don’t ever want to see someone struggle or fail, you spent money on a real estate license. So, I want to try and help, but I also want them to enjoy this process because it’s fun.”

What makes a high performing workplace?

So now you know a bit about Nicole, and Good Company Realty, and considering their recent success, what better person to answer this question than Nicole?

“It has to be inviting, this idea of corporate makes my skin crawl. At the same time, it has to be safe, diverse, and inclusive to everyone.” and without missing a beat, in the spirit of Good Company Realty, “It also needs to be a place where someone walks in, and they say to themselves that they feel good here.”

That type of environment is one that allows for people at different stages of their career to feel open enough to learn from one another. To share with one another. To have fun with one another.

“When I help someone succeed, if I give even the smallest piece of advice, or if I just listen to somebody. You’re getting married, you’re having a bad day, you just sold your biggest listing, whatever it is, I’m just here for the people. If someone walks away from a conversation that we have feeling better than what they did, that is so rewarding to me and that’s what makes a high performing workplace.”

Meet Nicole

You’ll be able to meet Nicole most every day at Good Company Realty in downtown Royal Oak. There is a high probability that she’ll be one of the first people to greet you at the door too. So come down to 130 5th st. and say hello. Right away you’ll understand what makes Nicole Aloe-Goetzke a Chief People Officer.

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