Ascendix sat down with Alyona Tsutskova to discuss how the high level of customization and flexibility offered by AscendixRE CRM helped her support her retail leasing business.
Alyona’s path to commercial real estate wasn’t traditional—she’s a former professional tennis player who broke into a male-dominated industry with confidence and grit.
“I wasn’t intimidated coming into a male-led field. In fact, I think women in retail leasing often have a strategic edge. Since women drive around 70% of retail spending decisions, we can more easily relate to the consumer mindset and visualize a shopping center through the customer’s eyes.” — Alyona Tsutskova
At METRO Commercial, Alyona specializes in landlord representation and leasing lifestyle shopping centers. Her strategic, data-forward approach has earned her a leadership role — and AscendixRE CRM is one of the critical tools she relies on.
From ACT! to AscendixRE: A Tech-Driven Shift
Alyona began her CRM journey with ACT!, pouring in over 600 hours of customization to make it work for retail leasing. But over time, the limitations became clear:
“ACT! became too outdated—it didn’t sync with phones, and reporting became clunky. That’s when I began exploring platforms built on Salesforce, and AscendixRE stood out for its flexibility and commercial real estate focus.” — Alyona Tsutskova
Thanks in part to the slower pace during COVID, Alyona had the time to tailor AscendixRE CRM to her exact needs.
