ACN vs CBS vs M+: The Industrial Blueprint for Malaysia’s Next-Generation Agencies

The "Hero Agent" model—where one negotiator attempts to manage the entire transaction lifecycle—is fundamentally unsustainable. The proven alternative, refined over the last decade in China, is the Industrial Model: a specialised, role-based architecture that breaks the real estate transaction into clear functions with clear accountability.

This is not a theory. It is industrial fact—demonstrated at massive scale by three of China’s largest brokerage organisations:

Why These Models Matter

Beike (贝壳) — ACN System

Beike, through KE Holdings Inc. (NYSE: BEKE), has been valued at over USD 20 billion and processes trillions of RMB annually. It is the global benchmark for industrialised brokerage operations. ACN is the most rigorously proven role-based model on earth, powered by code-enforced transparency and workflow automation.

5i5j (我爱我家) — CBS System

Operating more than 3,500 storefronts and generating over USD 1 billion per year in commission income, 5i5j proves that institutional consistency can be achieved at massive scale by centralising administrative, legal, and operational functions—allowing agents to focus purely on sales.

Maitian (麦田) — M+ System

Maitian is deeply respected for its disciplined culture and high-trust managerial model. It shows that a relationship-driven, flexible cooperation system can still rival more automated giants when culture and governance are strong.

The Big Conclusion (Strengthened)

Together, these systems demonstrate one truth:

The industrial, role-based model is the proven architecture for achieving market dominance in modern markets.

The Core Logic: From “One Agent Does All” to “Roles Do Best”

Today’s property transaction involves:

marketing
qualification
viewing coordination
negotiation
loan workflows
compliance
documentation
closing

One person cannot execute all functions with repeatable quality, scale, and risk management. The solution:

Break the workflow into specialised roles—each with its own proof of work and defined reward.

To standardise comparison, we use this fixed scenario:

Property: Suburban house
Price: RM 500,000
Commission (3%): RM 15,000
Listing Agent: A
Buyer’s Agent: B

Comprehensive Comparison: Architecture, Roles & RM15,000 Distribution

Feature / Metric	1. Beike ACN (贝壳)	2. 5i5j CBS (我爱我家)	3. Maitian M+ (麦田)
Core Philosophy	Maximum Granularity / Assembly Line. The deal is broken into 10 specialised functions for high efficiency and transparency.	Centralised Operations / Corporate Efficiency. Star agents are supported by strong internal departments.	Partnership & High-Trust Culture. Collaboration is voluntary, manager-guided, and loyalty-reinforcing.
Commission Mechanism	Algorithmically Enforced. Splits are based on system rules and digital proof (key scans, photos, logs).	Agent-Centric. Frontline agents take the largest share; support costs absorbed by central margin.	Managerially Guided & Negotiated. Splits are flexible and based on contribution assessment.
System Control	High. System/code governs behaviour; audit logs resolve conflicts.	High. HQ departments enforce QA, compliance, and workflow consistency.	Medium. Managers and culture mediate disputes; the system is a contribution tracker.
Total Commission Pool	RM 15,000	RM 15,000	RM 15,000
1. Listing Mandate (Agent A)	RM 2,250 (15%) — fixed role fee.	RM 4,500 (30%) — high share for acquisition.	RM 3,500 (23.3%) — negotiated allocation.
2. Internal Support Fees	RM 3,000 (20%) — verification, media, key-holding roles.	RM 0 — absorbed by central overhead.	RM 1,200 (8%) — collaboration fees to teammates.
3. Negotiation / Admin	RM 4,500 (30%) — negotiation and transaction specialists.	RM 0 — absorbed by HQ departments.	RM 2,000 (13.3%) — shared based on contribution.
4. Buyer Agent (Agent B)	RM 4,500 (30%) — fixed buyer role fee.	RM 6,000 (40%) — large share for securing the buyer.	RM 6,800 (45.4%) — high payout for closing agent.
5. Company Profit / Overhead	RM 750 (5%) — platform margin.	RM 4,500 (30%) — funds media, admin, legal, compliance.	RM 1,500 (10%) — management and cultural infrastructure.
TOTAL PAID OUT	RM 15,000 (100%)	RM 15,000 (100%)	RM 15,000 (100%)

Designing Your ACN: Key Lessons for Malaysian Agencies

Model	Best For	Key Characteristics	ListingMine Application
Beike ACN	Agencies prioritising transparency & scalability	- Digital proof for every role - Conflicts resolved by logs, not opinions - Fairness activates middle 80–90% of agents	- Ticketing system - Role tagging & proof-based workflow - Automated commission calculation
5i5j CBS	Agencies seeking institutional consistency with strong HQ	- HQ retains ~30% to fund media/admin/QA - Agents focus purely on selling - Highly standardised processes	- Departmental workflows - Case routing to HQ teams - Multi-department ERP coordination
Maitian M+	Agencies with strong managers & trust-driven teams	- Flexible, negotiated splits - Managers guide fairness - Culture becomes quality mechanism	- Contribution logs - Manager overrides - Culture-driven collaboration with transparency

Conclusion

The “Hero Agent” model is collapsing under growing transaction complexity, compliance requirements, and customer expectations.

China’s three dominant systems—Beike’s ACN, 5i5j’s CBS, and Maitian’s M+—prove that industrial, role-based architecture is the only model that:

scales across branches and cities
reduces conflicts and leakage
activates more agents—not just top performers
protects company margin
increases team loyalty
delivers consistent client experience
builds durable, high-value organisations

With ListingMine’s ACN engine and ERP backbone—already being deployed by forward-thinking agencies in Malaysia—you now have the opportunity to leapfrog directly into this next-generation operating model without billion-dollar engineering costs or heavy restructuring.

Malaysia’s next era of market leaders will be defined not by who recruits the most agents, but by who builds the best machine.

Disclaimer

The concepts, models, comparisons, and commission structures described in this article are for educational and informational purposes only. They are not intended to be used as legal, financial, operational, or compliance advice.

Real estate agencies should not design or implement their commission schemes, business systems, compensation structures, or organisational models solely based on the information presented here.

Every agency operates under different regulations, financial conditions, internal policies, and risk profiles. Before making any structural, financial, or contractual changes, you should consult a qualified professional, such as: