ELITE AGENT Issue 13 Oct Nov 2016

PUBLISH AUSTRALIA 2016 BUSINESS MAGAZINE OF THE YEAR

LEARN FROM THE BEST #13 OCT/NOV 2016

SPECIAL REPORT EXTRACT

BIG DATA AND THE FUTURE OF PROSPECTING

THE ANNUAL TECHNOLOGY ISSUE

TOM PANOS PLAYING THE LONG GAME

SMART SMS // CONTENT MARKETING 101 // CHOOSING THE RIGHT CRM VIDEO WITHOUT PAIN // INDUSTRY CASE STUDIES + MORE

s n a g o l s m o Fr , a i d e m l a i c to so y l u f a n e v e or publishedzine maga

Issue 13 Oct | Nov 2016

eliteagent.com.au | eliteagent.tv SAMANTHA MCLEAN Managing Editor samantha@eliteagent.com.au MARK EDWARDS Publisher | Commercial Partnerships mark@eliteagent.com.au MOIRA DANIELS Deputy Editor moira@eliteagent.com.au JILL BONIFACE Sub-Editor jill@eliteagent.com.au TOM SULLIVAN Commercial Partnerships | Digital tom@eliteagent.com.au SHANTELLE ISAAKS – Marketing Assistant | Newsroom shantelle@eliteagent.com.au FEATURE WRITERS Samantha McLean, Iolanthe Gabrie CHORUS DESIGN – Art Direction/Design thegoodpeople@chorusdesign.com COVER STORY PHOTOGRAPHY

Carla Martin - Top Snap Photography

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YOUR DAY THE RIGHT WAY Our daily EDM, #thebrief gives you news, real estate and interesting topics for the day first thing in the morning.

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Contents Regulars 008 EDITOR’S LETTER 010 READER PROFILE Kaitlyn Hoppe 012 UPFRONT News from the Community 014 PROPERTY MARKET UPDATE Nila Sweeney 028 ASK THE COACH Claudio Encina 030 MINDSET CORNER Jet Xavier 032 DATA INSIGHTS Eddie Cetin

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034 BUSINESS DEPOT John Knight 036 PEOPLE PARTNER Alison McGavin 037 WELLNESS Tom Sullivan 056 THE HOME STRAIGHT Mark McLeod

First Person 020 DRIVING CHANGE Josh Phegan 022 T ECHNOLOGY: WHAT MAKES THE INVESTMENT WORTH IT? Charles Tarbey 024 PLAY TO YOUR STRENGTHS Julie Davis & Neil Williams 026 YOU ARE YOUR NICHE Susanne King

Cover Story 038 PLAYING THE LONG GAME Tom Panos

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Elite Agent 016 TEXT FOR SUCCESS WITH AGENTSMS Iolanthe Gabrie 018 VIDEO – WITHOUT THE PAIN OF VIDEO Helen Mitchell 042 N EVER COLD CALL AGAIN An extract from our 2016 report Big Data and the Future of Prospecting 046 TECH Q&A Lynette Malcolm, Jason Ballo & Gia Le 048 FROM SURVIVING TO THRIVING IN FOUR SIMPLE STEPS Tanja M Jones 050 PREPARE FOR THE OBSTACLES Chris Helder 052 C ONTENT MARKETING: HOW TO BECOME THE LOCAL EXPERT Nathan Krisanski 054 OPEN HOUSE: A QUESTION OF SECURITY Bruce de Graaf

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EDDIE CETIN AGENTBOX How to choose the right CRM

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Where are you from originally and where do you call home?

I was born in Glebe, Sydney and moved to the western suburbs when I was five. I’m now living in Woolloomooloo in the centre of Sydney.

What is the most important project you are working on right now?

The real estate CRM industry is at a point now where the public is expecting a higher level of service from agents. Our project is to continually improve Agentbox CRM to make the lives of sales agents, directors and admin staff far easier with innovation that surpasses all other platforms.

Trend to watch in the industry?

Integrations between online solutions to minimise double handling of data.

Secondly, expect to see far more innovative solutions for marketing your agency online such as augmented reality, virtual reality and new mobile services.

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CONTRIBUTORS NILA SWEENEY MANAGING EDITOR, PROPERTY MARKET INSIDER Property market update

50 CHRIS HELDER SALES PERFORMANCE SPEAKER AND AUTHOR Prepare for the obstacles Where are you from originally and where do you call home?

I was born in America, grew up in Colorado… then I moved to Melbourne.

What is the most important project you are working on right now?

Becoming an ambassador for SOS… Survivors of Suicide. We need to talk more about this cause. Suicide is the number one silent killer of good people!

Trend to watch in the industry?

Authenticity – drop your ego and bring your real self to the client and job.

Favourite quote or words to live by?

“Life is either a daring adventure or nothing at all” – Helen Keller.

Where are you from originally and where do you call home?

I came from a very small town in the Philippines. I left the country after uni and moved to Hong Kong where I lived for 18 years. Moved to Sydney 10 years ago and I now live on the Upper North Shore.

What is the most important project you are working on right now?

I’m excitedly working on an educational program for first home buyers. I aim to create a program that will teach aspiring buyers everything they need to break into the market confidently and safely.

Favourite quote or words to live by?

Find a way. There’s always a way.

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TANJA M JONES TMJ COACHING From surviving to thriving in four simple steps Where are you from originally and where do you call home?

I was born in Armadale NSW, but have lived in Melbourne all my life. We recently moved to the Mornington Peninsula.

Who or what inspires you at the moment?

I am most inspired by my clients right now; nothing lights me up more than seeing them smash their financial targets and produce breakthroughs in areas they were previously stuck.

I am equally amazed by my kids and their complete adaptability to new frontiers. Professionally, I am inspired by entrepreneur Lisa Messenger, for her radical disruption of the print industry and her unwavering belief in what’s possible.

What is the most important project you are working on right now?

I am currently working on a national initiative that enables agents to considerably transform their ability to build rapport and trust within the communities they serve.

Trend to watch in the industry?

The biggest trend I think we need to not watch or wait for but rather, create, is a return to good ol’ fashioned customer service. I think a lot of energy is spent on looking at what’s coming and what’s outside our direct circle of influence which takes our focus off our own backyard.

I believe it is a fundamental ‘return to basics’ that is required.

eliteagent.com.au 7

C EDITOR’S LETTER

CONFESSIONS: I’ve been thinking

about that word this month.

We’ve been filming a video series in partnership with software provider Console that has had a working title of the same name.

The premise is that ‘every real estate agent has a story’ and more than likely has learned something from it, so we decided to test this out on some wellknown people in the industry.

Filming was an extremely fun experience; we laughed at some of the hilarity, were in awe of some of the things people had to go through and there was even a moment or two (thanks, Hayley Mitchell and Jess Kindt) where I was close to shedding a tear or two. That’s real estate.

So, speaking of confessions I have a few of my own.

Confession Number 1: Every time I meet Tom Panos I get a little starstruck The October 2015 issue was themed ‘technology’ after visiting the Inman conference in San Francisco last year; then there was our 2020 round table report. The theme for October has stuck, and this year we wanted to go one better, with a real deep dive into the one thing that is constantly shaping and changing our industry. So it was

If they think we’ve got the best magazine, it stands to reason that the people we are writing about must be pretty damn good too.

8 ELITE AGENT • OCT-NOV 2016

necessary to choose a cover who is outstanding at technology; and I think no one does it better than Tom. Tom reaches a bigger audience in one Sunday night than some broadcast TV shows, and he does it using world-class tools, speaking from the heart and truly having passion for what he does.

When I interviewed Tom, I did get a few of the one-liners that we all know and love – but I also got a guy who is authentic, down to earth and, no matter what you perceive of the external persona or the odd f-bomb he happens to drop in a Facebook meme, genuinely wants what is best for his coaching clients and the industry. He has a wicked sense of humour and was a great sport at the photo shoot. And I had no idea that real estate has been his only line of work since the age of 18. Every answer was intense, thoughtful and considered. I hope you enjoy reading more about the man as well as learning what works for him with technology.

Confession Number 2: I hated cold calling, but there was no way around it I used to be in sales. I worked my way up till I was selling multi-million dollar deals to big companies, but it didn’t start there. I started on the phones back in the 90s, cold calling people who might want to buy a modem. And I hated it. I felt I was unnecessarily interrupting people from their busy days and, even though I had a great and relevant product to sell, I was never confident because I never knew what IT crisis might be on the other end of the line.

But what if you never had to cold call again? That is the premise of the round table we did this year with the team at CoreLogic, who have developed some amazing new services.

Combined with the right content marketing plus a few of Tom’s attraction agent strategies, it seriously might mean you never have to cold call again. I can hear collective sighs of relief for some people, but I can also sense a bit

of fear out there; I know it’s hard, but if you can understand it and use it to your advantage there is no need to be scared.

Confession Number 3: I was scared, but I’m glad I pushed on In the last couple of years I have had so many moments of fear. You know that moment in Masterchef where the contestants pretty much put their hearts on a plate waiting to see if the judges like their food?

The sweaty palms, the racing pulse, the downright anxiety we create for ourselves waiting for someone else’s approval (Tom did talk about how to get around this) – that’s how I feel every time we press the ‘Print’ button.

I remember back to Issue 1 when IPMG (our printer) delivered a sample box to my home. It was about 2pm and I stared at the box for three hours or so until my then 12-year-old daughter got home from school, and then I made her open it and pull a magazine out for me! I almost didn’t want to know what the magazine looked like, I was so scared.

It all sounds a bit silly now, especially after what happened a couple of weeks ago when our small but perfect team won ‘Business Magazine of the Year’ at the Publish/Mumbrella awards; something I would have never dreamt possible, at least not in only our second year. Our

fellow finalists, In the Black, Acuity and Australiasian Lawyer, are well-known and respected magazines published by big publishing houses – Bauer Media, Key Media and the Institute of Chartered Accountants themselves. Believe me, we were honoured and a bit scared to be in such distinguished company.

I couldn’t quite believe it when they read our name out: it was one of those moments that are pretty surreal. By the time they got to our category I had pretty much settled in for the night (another confession: I’d had a few wines and was happy just to be there – I didn’t expect to be getting up!).

I am so proud of our team and this magazine – and I truly believe this is a win for the real estate industry as much as anyone. If they think we’ve got the best magazine, it stands to reason that the people we are writing about must be pretty damn good too. So to our readers, advertisers, sponsors and contributors, this one is for you. Thank you; it is truly an honour to be of service to you all.

Oh and PS - I hope you enjoy our industry ‘confessions’ out late October 2016. Check eliteagent. com.au/confessions for details.

eliteagent.com.au 9

READER PROFILE

TECHNOLOGY TOOLKIT Kaitlyn Hoppe has a drive to succeed and passion for property that are in her DNA. With both parents in real estate, she started showing an interest in the field at a young age and still has high ambitions. From the Ray White Bulimba office on the Gold Coast, Kaitlyn’s creative and innovative approach to selling property, along with top communication skills and smart use of technology make her a future star to watch.

Kaitlyn, what motivated you to get into real estate?

My family motivated me as they have always been involved in the industry. My dad was involved in development and my mum is a real estate agent.

What or who inspires you?

The job is its own reward; you get the opportunity to take someone from A to B and take the pressure out of a transaction. That inspires me to be in the business.

In your briefcase right now is…

Listing documentations, newspaper, Kindle, makeup, purse, two contracts in negotiations, pens, sticky notes, highlighters and business cards.

What piece of technology or application couldn’t you live without?

My mobile phone – I like to be contactable 24/7!

What technology applications or tools do you currently use for open homes?

Homepass – I find this is a

10 ELITE AGENT • OCT-NOV 2016

fantastic tool for both myself and prospective buyers as it collects the data in real time and puts the contract straight onto my desktop. For the buyer, they receive an instant SMS notification with the link to the e-brochure and they can contact us via Messenger. Another great thing is that we can send documents to prospective buyers from this app.

How do these specifically help you follow up clients?

I have access to all their

I am always open to new technology that makes my client and customer experience quicker, more efficient and more informative. information and can contact them no matter where I am.

I can also access our server in an instant to get them any information they require

regarding properties I’m marketing.

What are the top five apps you are using right now?

• My Desktop Contacts app: You can send Ray White market reviews via this app.

• A Stamp Duty calculator app.

• A 90-day Ready Reckoner: To calculate days for agreement periods and commissions.

• Camscanner: I can scan and email documents on the run.

• Google Drive: Access to all contracts and documents from anywhere.

Any other general technology must-haves?

An iPad for listing presentations and showing buyers comparable homes and market trends.

Is there any new technology out there you would like to try, and if so why?

I am always open to new technology that makes my client and customer experience quicker, more efficient and more informative.

What are your goals for the next 12 months?

I would like to achieve premier agent in the Ray White Group within my first year.

UPFRONT

LEARN FROM THE BEST – VISIT ELITEAGENT.COM.AU

Direct mail automation, regardless of volume CRM software provider REX Software has announced a new partnership with tech company CRM2Print. This partnership will give users the ability to automate their direct mail needs, right from within REX. In three simple steps, users can send one or thousands of letters without the need to print, fold, stuff and mail themselves.

CTO Alex Babkov explains, “We’ve always recognised that every agency is different and that however hard we try, we can only streamline so many parts of our users’ lives ourselves. For this reason Rex has always positioned itself not only as a CRM, but also as a data platform that makes it easy for providers like CRM2Print to seamlessly integrate and provide added value products and services for our customers.

CRM2Print allows our customers to automate

the traditionally time-intensive and laborious processes involved in sending direct mail campaigns. We’re finding that many of our users still get great results from these campaigns and this integration means they no longer have to waste time and money on this essential process.”

CRM2Print also offers users the ability to upload an external .csv file and still access all the benefits of the system.

CRM2Print provides a portal to upload letter templates, and merge with CRMs or databases.

Once uploaded, the entire process is taken care of, from address validation and print to mailing and managing undeliverable returns.

Co-founder Carl Quested says, “Having run a mail house for almost six years, it has always been apparent that there needed to be an easier way for agents to transact their direct mail. Sending one letter was inherently hard to deal with from an outsource perspective, as there were no efficiency gains. We have created CRM2Print to be a platform that makes it easy in the front end, and cost-effective for the user regardless of the letter volume. Our aim is to have users sending one letter or thousands, without ever thinking about printing them in house.”

For more details visit www.rexsoftware.com or www.crm2print.com.

12 ELITE AGENT • OCT-NOV 2016

Century 21 expands network in four new locations Century 21, the largest real estate sales organisation in the world, is announcing recent office openings in four new locations in Queensland, South Australia, New Zealand and Tasmania, further expanding the group’s Australasian network.

Century 21 ‘Dynamic’ will service clients in Springwood, Queensland, led by directors Jimmy Pham, Edy Saputra and Jason McDonald, who have over 50 years of real estate experience as a collective trio across the sales, finance and business development fields.

Paul Dale, Carol Hartlett and Jeff Robinson will lead Century 21 ‘The Bay’ in Glenelg, South Australia, with the team possessing a broad skill-set in sales and property management and over 75 years’ combined experience in real estate.

Goldie and Seema Kadian of Century 21 ‘Team4U Real Estate’ have opened their new office in Ellerslie, New Zealand, bringing a wealth of knowledge to the network with a strong background in insurance and plans to adapt their insurance lead generation business to a real estate model.

Century 21 ‘Leslie and Banks’ is the

Infographics and reporting made easy HomePrezzo is launching a swag of new reports and features this spring, adding to the existing range of high quality, infographic video content powered by CoreLogic RP Data statistics.

With just a few clicks you can now generate a professionally designed suburb or postcode update report showcasing median price movements, recent sales and investor metrics, all branded to match your agency style guide.

Report PDFs are generated alongside HTML templates that you can import directly into your CRM or mass email service to send out easily to your clients.

network’s first office in Tasmania, led

by James Leslie and Adam Banks who have a strong real estate background and are leaders in their local market.

“I believe that over the coming months the role of expert agents will be more essential than ever as Australians navigate changing market conditions to make successful property transactions,” said Century 21 chairman and owner, Charles Tarbey.

“It is great to see our network consistently growing with franchisees whose values align to those of our organisation. They all possess a strong team culture, a high degree of professionalism and a desire to consistently strive for premium results.

“We welcome these new franchisees to our team and are looking forward to seeing the fantastic results they deliver for clients in their local markets.”

With over 3,000 offices, Century 21 is the largest real estate sales organisation in the Asia Pacific, a region vital to Australia’s continued economic success.

For more information visit thenew.century21.com.au.

HomePrezzo videos can now support voiceovers with male and female options, texture backgrounds and a wide range of new colours, fonts and background audio options.

Integrate the HomePrezzo widget into your website and your clients will be able to request videos on demand for any suburb in the country after providing their name, email and phone number. The lead is emailed directly to you and the video is also emailed to them to watch again later.

Sign up for a free account and be a local market expert in your area with one free video/report every month, including unlimited listing videos when you connect your CRM to HomePrezzo.

Use the promo code ELITETECH to get one month’s free access to a Lite Subscription with five videos/reports each month on homeprezzo.com.

The highs and lows of first home buyers St.George Bank recently weighed up the impact of buying their first home on various aspects of home hunters’ lives.

71.8% 54.8% 25.3%

of first home buyers become emotionally invested when buying a property

found that their sleep patterns suffered during the house hunting period

found that their productivity at work suffered while house hunting

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22.1% 45.9% 34.3%

found that their relationship with their partner suffered

missed out on catching up with friends

missed out on visiting family during the house hunting period

33.4% 49.3% 15.3% missed out on doing housework and chores

missed out on purchasing a property

found the house hunting process stressful but enjoyed the competitiveness

Source: St.George Bank

CoreLogic announces new MD CoreLogic has a new Managing Director in Lisa Claes, who has more than 20 years’ experience at an executive level in the banking and wealth management industries following an earlier career as a barrister and Group General Counsel.

In her previous role as Executive Director, Customer Delivery, ING Direct, Lisa was responsible for ING Direct’s profitability and customer experience arising from the retail banking and commercial property finance operations. In addition to her local executive responsibilities, Lisa represented Australia on ING Group’s Retail Council and chaired the Group’s Global Mortgages Forum.

Lisa is well-recognised in the Australian financial services industry for her thought

leadership on the key issues and trends shaping its future and regularly publishes and presents as a keynote speaker.

MYREALESTATECPD.COM.AU (02) 8231 6669 * CPD Points are approved by RTO 41529 BPG Pty Ltd

eliteagent.com.au 13

PROPERTY MARKET UPDATE

STATE OF AUSTRALIA’S PROPERTY MARKET RENEWED INTEREST FROM investors

pushed property values higher in most capital cities across Australia during August. However, worries about rising supply continue to cast a shadow on sentiment. Nila Sweeney, managing editor of Property Market Insider, explains.

After chalking up strong gains in the previous month, Australia’s property markets staged another solid showing in August according to the latest CoreLogic Home Value Index.

All capital cities recorded price increases except for Adelaide and Hobart, where median dwelling values lost ground.

Buyers sought out lower-price properties, lifting the median values in the lower quartile by 9.8 per cent over the past 12 months. This compares to just a 6.2 per cent gain in the higher-priced properties.

Interestingly, despite the higher price tag, houses continued to trump units’ performance. During August, house values rose by 1.3 per cent compared to just 0.3 per cent for units.

Despite a strong month-on-month performance, the rate of capital growth has slowed dramatically compared to its peak in 2015, when capital city dwelling values were rising at 11.1 per cent per annum, according to Tim Lawless, CoreLogic’s head of research.

However, Lawless points out that the rate of capital gains remains well above other benchmark measures such as inflation, income growth and rents, which are pushing already stretched affordability ratios to new record highs.

AUCTION ACTION RAMPS UP Buoyed by the August rate cut, buyers are storming back into the market and pushing the auction clearance rate to its highest level in a year, according to Andrew Wilson, chief economist with Domain.

“The auction market has been strengthening across the board, particularly in Sydney and Melbourne,” says Wilson. “The markets are clearly building momentum into spring, but the difference is that the auction numbers are well down on last year.”

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In Sydney, Wilson says the market is looking to track a 30 per cent reduction in auction numbers based on current levels compared to last year. Melbourne is set to see 10 per cent lower auction numbers moving into spring.

“This is not a reflection of underlying market dynamics,” explains Wilson. “It’s the nature of the easing of the cycle after a very strong period last year. The numbers we’ve been getting in Sydney and Melbourne in terms of auction activity were round about where they were two years ago.

“In a sense, this is a more normal market.

People don’t buy houses every year, so a lot of that demand has already been satisfied

“The whole market doesn’t tend to recover quickly from a downturn, but the limited selection of strong investment options does – so it’s critical to get into the right properties early to be part of the upswing when it comes.” during the heady boom we had last year in Sydney and Melbourne.”

Wilson points out that the other capital cities are similar to where they were over a year ago. “They’re stable in terms of auction volume because they didn’t have the boom that Sydney and Melbourne had last year where a lot of supply was brought forward.”

Sydney auction clearance rates surged over August to 76.7 per cent, up from 71.6 per cent

over July, according to the Domain statistics.

“This is the highest recorded in Sydney since July last year and reflects a market that has clearly regained its boom-time energy,” says Wilson.

In contrast, auction listings remain well below the levels recorded over the same period last year with the number of auctions falling by 24.1 per cent, according to Domain.

Melbourne, which is an established auction market, also reported a surge in auction clearance to 75.5 per cent over August. Just like Sydney, the number of auctions also fell sharply, down by 8.1 per cent compared to a year ago. Brisbane saw a similar trend with the auction clearance rate rising to 47.6 per cent, while Adelaide recorded an increase to 61.5 per cent.

LISTING PRICE LIFTS ACROSS THE BOARD A new index launched by Domain, the asking price index, is also showing a sharp increase across the board and, unsurprisingly, is led by Australia’s biggest cities – Sydney and Melbourne.

Aimed to gauge sellers’ sentiment, Wilson says the strong increase in asking price reflects the sellers’ as well as agents’ confidence in the market this spring.

Asking prices in Sydney jumped by 1.5 per cent over the August quarter to $1,009,994, the highest increase of all the mainland capitals. Melbourne followed closely with a 1.1 per cent rise to $681,429 over the quarter.

Over the past 12 months, asking prices in Sydney rose by 3.1 per cent, while Melbourne surged by a huge 11.1 per cent, the best annual result of all the capitals, according to Wilson.

Sellers in the Brisbane and Adelaide housing markets also showed growing confidence, with the median asking price climbing by 0.3 per cent to $516,175 and 0.2 per cent to $510,613 respectively.

Momentum continues in Hobart, where asking prices rose by 2.8 per cent in August to $347,247 – the highest increase of all the capitals, with local prices up by a strong 10.3 per cent over the year. In contrast, Perth continued to suffer from poor sentiment as reflected by a 3 per cent drop in asking price to $581,573 – the worst of all the capitals.

Wilson expects asking prices to continue to rise in most capitals over spring, signalled by surging auction clearance rates – particularly in Sydney and Melbourne – and a shortage of available properties for buyers.

“The prospect of lower interest rates will also keep the housing market activated, although the Perth and Darwin markets are likely to remain subdued, reflecting the constraints of local economic conditions,”

FOCUS ON PERTH: HAS THE MARKET REACHED THE BOTTOM? A growing number of investors are starting to look at Perth for buying opportunities. But is it too early to dive in?

It depends on who you ask. Experts are still relatively cold about Perth’s recovery prospects while local agents are more upbeat.

Wilson hesitates to call the market ‘turning’, and says it’s more likely flattening. “The market is probably starting to find its bottom but the numbers are still weak. I think it’s still speculative at the moment,” he says.

Angie Zigomanis, senior analyst with BIS Shrapnel, agrees and adds that spending is still poor and population is still falling.

“Perth would need population to grow strongly again and also need a strong employment stimulus to turn the market around. At the moment, the state government has no capacity to spend on infrastructure as it has already used its reserves during the good times,” says Zigomanis.

In contrast, the view from the ground is a bit brighter. Property Wizards director Trevor Dunkley says Perth’s market has probably reached the bottom of its current cycle,

although the recovery is likely to be gradual.

“The market has been going sideways for the past six to nine months, but positive signs are starting to emerge,” says Dunkley.

“As buyer’s agents we are constantly gauging the sentiment of the market. In past downturns we’ve seen a lot of anxiety about further losses, but the investors we have been dealing with recently have been overwhelmingly positive. There’s a sense that they are safe buying now, and they’re keen to take advantage of the low prices and increased bargaining power.

“Over the past month we’ve seen an upswing of enquiries, particularly from eastern states

investors who see Perth prices as favourable compared to Sydney or Melbourne.”

Dunkley believes the turnaround will take its course and will vary for different areas and property types.

“We expect that the recovery will take time – most likely it will hover at current levels for a while. There is a lot of stock available, particularly in the apartment market, which will take longer to recover than houses, units and townhouses.

However, we are already seeing more competition over the really good stock.

“The whole market doesn’t tend to recover quickly from a downturn, but the limited selection of strong investment options does – so it’s critical to get into the right properties early to be part of the upswing when it comes.”

Nila Sweeney is the Managing Editor of Property Market Insider. Formerly the Managing Editor of ‘Your Investment Property’ and ‘Your Mortgage’ magazines, Nila has more than 10 years’ experience writing about Australia’s property market. For more info visit propertymarketinsider.com.au.

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eliteagent.com.au 15

TECHNOLOGY PRODUCT REVIEW

TEXT FOR SUCCESS WITH AGENTSMS EVERY AGENT KNOWS the frustration of a Monday

morning’s-worth of buyer and vendor callbacks that result in many voicemail messages but few real conversations.

With property investors increasingly committed at work and at home, and consumers regularly choosing not to answer live phone calls from unknown numbers, it’s a challenge for agents to form meaningful relationships through daytime calls.

AgentSMS will see your daily productivity improve and your stress levels decrease.

No longer will you need to race through a call list to make sure all relevant parties are aware of a critical event during a property transaction. Do you have a ‘hot buyer’ list?

Consider putting these important clients into your AgentSMS app and texting them when appropriate with other relevant listings in their area, recent sales or buyers interested in their property off-market. AgentSMS-powered lead generation is so valuable, giving the client the attention they deserve in a context that helps to demonstrate your commitment to their interests and your local expertise.

To get the most out of prospecting with AgentSMS, best practice is to keep client groups within the app to 100 individuals or fewer. Divide them up in any number of ways: hot prospects, hot buyers, vendors or

“Using SMS makes sense when communicating important information in a timely fashion – I am assured all selected clients will receive my SMS and I can quickly qualify those who are interested in transacting.”

THAT’S WHERE industry-first texting app

AgentSMS can step in to help change up your prospecting, making your communications more effective, timely and personal. Whilst you can never be sure of a purchaser listening to your voicemail, AgentSMS virtually guarantees that your important message will reach its recipient. Texts feel personal, emotional and are harder to ignore than other forms of communication like email or phone calls.

A simple and quick way to connect with buyers post open for inspections, AgentSMS is also useful for time-sensitive announcements – such as properties selling prior to auction – in addition to open for inspection and auction reminders. Packed with easy-to-use templates, AgentSMS ensures your communications are professional and to the point every time.

Just because you’re using a ‘casual’ form of communication doesn’t mean you can risk the

16 ELITE AGENT • OCT-NOV 2016

unprofessionalism of typos and inaccuracy!

We spoke with real estate industry veteran Tony Grgic about the impact AgentSMS’s intuitive technology has had on his client relationships and database management.

“I’m able to quickly group and send a bulk SMS to my clients. All my important contacts are stored on my phone, so the app affords me the opportunity to broadcast messages when I need to. Using SMS makes sense when communicating important information in a timely fashion – I am assured all selected clients will receive my SMS and I can quickly qualify those who are interested in transacting.”

Has Tony enjoyed any memorable success courtesy of AgentSMS technology? “Yes – I had received an offer from a buyer. I quickly sent a bulk SMS to other interested purchasers using one of the templates in AgentSMS. I was able to secure an extra $20,000 for my owners by just sending one SMS using the app.”

landlords in a particular development, owners in a street – the prospecting possibilities are endless! Just remember: as with any form of communication, be thoughtful when SMS-ing clients. Is the message important?

Is it relevant? Should it feel ‘spammy’ or irrelevant, think again. Keep the power of SMS potent by using it when appropriate.

Worried about escalating technology costs? AgentSMS is super cost-effective – it’s free to use if you are on an unlimited SMS plan – but do bear in mind that you need to abide by your telco rules, which do have limits of fair use. Unlike many complex real estate software database systems, AgentSMS doesn’t require a highly technical set-up or personal logins. In fact, once you’ve downloaded the app to your iPhone or Android device you’re ready to go!

Learn more about AgentSMS by visiting agentsmsapps.com. AgentSMS is available now at the App Store for a flat fee of $24.95.

TECHNOLOGY HOW-TO WITH BUSIVID

VIDEO WITHOUT THE PAIN OF VIDEO

VIDEO MARKETING is one of the most powerful tools an

agent can use, but many shy away from the perceived expense and the time it can take. Helen Mitchell reveals the top ‘cheats’ to making engaging video content without the outlay.

“74 PER CENT of sellers would list with an

When it’s done right, including videos in your marketing regime can help win listings, increase VPA, improve both buyer and vendor satisfaction, improve all forms of social marketing and email click-through, increase retention on your website and property listings, and give you a whole new channel to promote yourself, your brand and your office.

The challenge is to balance the joy of having video with the pain of creating it.

There are automated video production systems that can grab an existing folder of property photos and instantly make a video that looks like you hired an expensive video company, for a fraction of the time and expense. Plus, there are a few tricks you can use to cut costs even further.

even notice that it isn’t true video. Making video from photos takes minutes, requires almost no technical skill and costs very little, and yet your vendor will be impressed.

This is not to say that you cannot choose to add specific sequences of real video to lift the overall presentation. However, you should think strategically about when to go the extra mile with real video, and when to rely on panned photos.

Post-production is becoming a thing of the past. Modern cloud-based video production systems, like Busivid.com, automatically add all the professional trimmings, including combining still images and real video, adding an animated version of your brand, professionally mixed music, text effects and watermarks. All you need to do is talk over the finished presentation at your desk using a headset, and in 10 minutes you have what can look like it was an expensive production.

USING PHOTOS TO CREATE VIDEOS Panning and zooming still photos to create the illusion of moving video is an old technique developed in the 1950s called the ‘Ken Burns Effect’. If nothing is moving in the room, panning and zooming a still photo looks identical to panning and zooming across the room with a video camera and a tripod, for a fraction of the effort.

If the panning and zooming is smooth, most people who look at the finished video won’t

PHOTOS AS VIDEOS CAN PRODUCE CLEARER RESULTS Still photos have another major advantage over true video. Photographs allow you to use High Dynamic Range, or HDR. You see, the human eye can look into a room with a bright window and a dim lighting, and see both the detail in room and the sunny view through the window. That is because your eye has a much better dynamic range than any camera.

Your eye has a dynamic range of 7 to 1. The

agent that offers video to market their property” – Josh Cobb, stepps.com.au

18 ELITE AGENT • OCT-NOV 2016

best cameras only have a dynamic range of 4 to 1. So if you adjust the camera to see detail inside the room, the window washes out to white. Adjust the camera to see the sunny view through the window, and the room goes to black.

HDR photography tells the camera to take three or more pictures at different exposures, and then combines the pictures to get something that approximates to what your eye normally sees. With HDR the window and the room look natural. You already have HDR built into the camera app on your iPhone or Galaxy phone, you just have to turn it on. However, this HDR doesn’t work very well. A better solution is to download an app like Pro HDR X by eyeapps. com, which does a much better job.

If you hire a professional photographer, their high-end camera will have really good HDR features. This is a big part of what you are paying for, and why their photos look so good.

The challenge is that HDR only works for still photographs. It relies on taking multiple pictures of the room at different exposures, and hence isn’t an option when you shoot video. You will struggle to get the lounge room, looking out onto the sunny deck, if you shoot with real video.

By adding yourself to the video, you make the viewer feel like they have met you before they even pick up the phone.

WHEN TO INVEST IN REAL VIDEO So, why not make all your videos with just panned photos? Well, there are times when adding a dash of real video can really spice things up. Combining just a bit of real video with your panned photos completes the illusion that the whole property was shot on video.

1. Location, location, location The first place to use real video is when you are talking about the local area. You should take the time to grab a few seconds of true video of the schools, transport, shopping centres and so on, in your local area. You only have to grab them once and then keep them handy. If necessary, pay a professional to shoot them for you. It won’t cost much, and you have the marketing material you will need for years to come.

Video is essential for the shots of the local amenities because there is a lot of movement in any public outdoor scene. Imagine inserting

a still image of a railway station or shopping centre? Frozen images of people and vehicles can look lifeless and out of place. It also destroys the illusion that the viewer is watching a real video.

2. Personalise with real video The second place to use real video is when you are personalising your presentations. There is no better way to promote yourself, your brand and your office than to start and finish your videos with a personal welcome and close. Ideally you would stand in front of the property and take the open and close directly to camera. You only need a few seconds of ‘welcome’ and ‘call me, I’d love to show you through’, along with your voice talking over the panned photos and area shots, to add great personal warmth to your presentations.

I suggest doing your open and close out the front of the property because you don’t need to do anything with the lighting. The only drawback is the weather and wind. Choose a sunny day and use a lapel microphone with a furry ‘wind muff’ to cover to suppress any wind noise on the day.

By adding yourself to the video, you make the viewer feel like they have met you before they even pick up the phone. You are adding

the art of personal sales back into what has become a cold online sales environment. Why not lower the barriers to picking up the phone by doing a great job of personalising your video presentations?

If getting to every property is too much work, consider taking a generic open and close at your office. This might be a good place to spend a few dollars with a videographer to ensure good audio. Capturing great audio is always harder than getting the actual video down. A good video operator can coach you through the process of presenting to camera.

It will only take you an hour. You only have to say one sentence for the open and one for the close. Even if you are camera shy, you only have to do it once… so stop worrying, it’s never as bad as you think it will be. You can then clip these opens and closes onto every property video you make.

If you do decide to make your open and close at your office, I suggest taking half a dozen slightly different versions. Then randomly use these different versions on your different property videos.

ADD SOME COMMENTARY Talking over the video adds a whole new dimension to selling. To add your voice put

on a headset, watch the video and talk at the same time. Typically a property video is only a few minutes long, so you don’t have to be Morgan Freeman. The trick is to tell the story behind the pictures. Tell them what they can’t see. This means you don’t have to match what you are saying to the pictures too closely. Use phrases like ‘what I really love about this property is…’

Voicing the property should take no more than 10 minutes. You can also duplicate the property presentation if you need a second version with a different voice track. If you have an interstate buyer, consider making a version that talks directly to them by name, and talks about their needs in relation to the property. If your area represents multiple languages, consider voicing the same presentation multiple times, using different languages and cultural nuances.

COMBINE THE ELEMENTS WITH AUTOMATED VIDEO SOFTWARE The trick to making high quality property videos quickly, efficiently and at low cost is to combine the right mix of panned still images, real video and your voice, so as to make your audience believe that the whole presentation is entirely made with real video, while keeping the production time and cost down.

Doing this with a fully automated video production system only takes a few minutes and requires very little technical skill. The end result looks like you spent a mint with a video production company, while the whole process was actually methodically handled by your office admin staff.

You should develop a workflow that allows you to offer video for every property you represent. Your admin staff already have the photos of the property and they can keep your personal open and close and the area shots on file. They can clip together a property video, ready for you to voice over, in about 15 minutes without leaving their desk.

The internet has provided many opportunities for you to reach an audience of buyers and sellers. By embracing voice and video in your sales communications, you can make these more meaningful and personal for your customers and prospects.

Co-founder of Busivid – a rapid video creation, distribution and management system – Helen Mitchell has coached agents in Australia and the USA to embrace technology and marketing strategies since 2006. For more information visit busivid. com or call 1 300 764 763.

eliteagent.com.au 19

FIRST PERSON

Josh Phegan

Driving change

JOSH PHEGAN EXPLAINS why you should view change as a

positive thing.

When things change it is a great opportunity for you to step up.

Leading change in difficult times will position you as a go-to person in the minds of your customers.

20 ELITE AGENT • OCT-NOV 2016

For many of us in real estate, change is the only constant.

People handle it in different ways and many see change in a negative light. They’re the ones recounting the glory days of old while resisting the new, usually with an ‘if it isn’t broke, don’t fix it’ world view.

So why is it that when the winds of change sweep through our industry, some build walls while others create windmills that power remarkable growth?

The key is getting clear about your goals and ambitions, being in a position to define what is important to you now and having a plan for the future – not just 12 months down the track but a longer-term view, and how will you get there, step by step.

You should look 25 years ahead. When you are that age, 25 years on, where do you want to be in your life?

It’s only once you envision this that you can start to build a framework to take you there.

It becomes less about what you want in life and more about what’s really important to you.

Having a clear purpose will help form a platform for you to stand on when the ground is shaky for others. It will ground you with solid values about important areas of your life, such as: Health: Your diet, exercise and sleep.

Relationships: A significant other, your family and friends.

Creativity and community: Your interests in music, art,

design and sport.

Spiritual: Your belief and connection.

Financial: The passive and active income goals you have.

Professional: Your career aspirations.

Adventure: Your plans to renew with fun and recreation.

Legacy: How you will be remembered.

Character: How you behave and are perceived.

Material: What you want to possess.

Once you refine your philosophy around these core areas, you will have a roadmap to guide you through the changing landscape to where you want to be in your life.

Change renews and refreshes.

It keeps you young and allows you to adapt to all the challenges you will face.

Often it’s the little things, such as dealing with new database software or a new process or procedure.

Sometimes it’s change outside of your control, such as elections, government policy changes or major moves on the international stage, such as Brexit in the UK. It’s important to remember that ultimately when things change it is a great opportunity for you to step up. Leading change in difficult times will position you as a go-to person in the minds of your customers.

Once you have a vision that captures the essence of what you really want to achieve in your lifetime, you will start to be guided by purpose and direction.

It is then that you can decide for yourself: Are you going to drive change or will change drive you?

Josh Phegan is a high performance real estate speaker, trainer and coach to some of the best agents and agencies around the world.

For more information visit joshphegan.com.au.

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leadagent.com.au

FIRST PERSON

Charles Tarbey

Technology – what makes the investment worth it?

THERE IS NO QUESTION that new technologies have changed

the world, along with the Australian real estate industry. Change is occurring at an exponential rate and, while new technology is exciting, an agent or office can be forgiven for being a little unsure which ones are worth investing in. Century 21 Australia owner and CEO Charles Tarbey discusses some of the technology and marketing ideas that have paid dividends.

A recent study by comScore suggested that US consumers now spend 60 per cent of their digital time on mobile, with only 40 per cent of their time spent on desktop usage.

Interestingly, the study also found that more time is spent on mobile apps (such as Facebook) than desktop usage or even surfing the web through mobile devices.

Virtual reality technology, such as Oculus (purchased by Facebook for US$2 billion in 2014), is no longer in the realm of fantasy or science fiction.

Developers and agents across the world have begun using virtual reality to showcase properties – probably in an attempt to reach new markets while creating a level of experience superior to that delivered by still 2D property images or floorplans.

While there is no ‘one size

22 ELITE AGENT • OCT-NOV 2016

fits all’ approach, Century 21’s focus has been on identifying technologies and systems that, above anything else, make an agent’s life easier. That doesn’t mean helping them create more free time; it means creating efficiencies in the way they operate, helping them generate sales and creating new and heightened levels of engagement with the consumer.

We don’t do technology for technology’s sake. As a business run by real estate people, we look to identify, analyse, test and use technology that we believe may make our franchise owners more successful in their marketplaces by making their lives – and the lives of their agents – as easy as possible.

Here are some of the technologies and systems that we have proven effective in our Australasian network, and may give you some ideas on

weren’t qualified, trackable and measurable, nor sent from corporate office to agents in the field.

We wondered whether we could fuse old and new technologies to create a system that delivered direct and qualified leads to our agents each day.

Many will have seen the luxury Sunshine Coast apartment giveaway that was launched in June by Century 21 and promoted by mainstream media, on social media, online and most recently, television commercials aired on Channel Seven (and affiliated networks) during their coverage of the 2016 Rio Olympics.

To enter the draw to win the $400,000 apartment, people register their interest in transacting property through Century 21 and provide their preferred contact details.

This creates a qualified lead that new Century 21 software automatically on-sends to the relevant Century 21 office, to be assigned to one of its sales

We wondered whether we could fuse old and new technologies to create a system that delivered direct and qualified leads to our agents each day. how better to use or develop technology to further your business interests.

LEAD GENERATION SYSTEM Last year we had a bit of a ‘light bulb’ moment at Century 21 Corporate Office. We realised that most large real estate brands were in all probability reinforcing the same type of message to agents and offices in the field; namely, our brand delivers you leads on a consistent basis.

While that is likely the case, most, if not all, leads were probably indirect leads. They

agents or property managers.

Corporate office also sees the lead and can tracks its progress.

The new technology has been an overwhelming success, with hundreds of qualified leads being sent to offices and agents across Australia and New Zealand in a short time.

This system would not have been possible without advancements in the online sphere and new technology – all coupled with a traditional ‘giveaway’.

The lead generation system aims to make life easier for our agents – and make our

offices more profitable. By automating the system through new technology, we were able to remove much of the human costs that would be required to run an advanced system like this.

GLOBAL WEBSITE Advancements in technology have also made the world smaller and more interconnected.

There has been a shift in consumer attitudes towards buying goods online and away from international markets.

Savvy agents have catered to this shift by becoming more global in their thinking and approach to real estate.

With over 6,900 offices in 78 countries, a number of years ago Century 21 invested large sums in better connecting this global network, launching century21global.com. This global platform allows users to search for property, agents and offices anywhere in the world, in over 16 different languages and using different currencies.

Properties that are listed through Century 21 in Australia are automatically promoted across the world through this unique platform and at no cost.

By thinking and acting globally, and utilising technologies that allow you to promote properties and attract buyers from different global markets, you are likely to impress vendors and cast the net as far and wide as possible to attract potential buyers and get a successful sales result.

CRM Every agent and office needs to be supported by a strong CRM system. A platform that has been built by real estate professionals for real estate professionals will make all levels of a real estate operation more efficient.

Century 21’s eSales reporting system allows franchisees access to a wide range of information, enabling them to measure the success of their

business. From true breakeven analysis to listing/sales ratios, franchisees are able to get realtime data on how their office is progressing.

Since 2004, the Seller Login component of the eSales system has been a simple and accessible way to keep vendors informed about the sales process, anywhere, at any time.

More recently we have seen many other groups realising the value of such systems and implementing their use in different forms.

Century 21 launched its own EDM offerings to franchisees in 2002 and the team has continuously refined and developed this in-house technology over the years.

This technology is free to use and saves offices paying thousands of dollars to external companies for the privilege of broadcasting EDMs. The introduction of Google Analytics allows agents to determine the success of EDM broadcasts, right down to the number of times a potential buyer or seller has viewed

The introduction of Google Analytics allows agents to determine the success of EDM broadcasts, right down to the number of times a potential buyer or seller has viewed property information.

property information. It also helps agents connect with consumers at the time they are in ‘real estate mode’.

The software is supported by a team of programmers and constantly revised to ensure it grows with our network and responds to new challenges and opportunities.

Outside of our brand, our CRM is the glue that connects our operations each day. I place enormous value in a strong CRM and would encourage all real estate operators to ensure that their system caters to their needs and is adaptable to change.

While one could talk at length about the benefits of utilising social media, online targeting

and other new technologies, I believe that every agent needs access and support from a realtime CRM, a global platform to promote listings internationally and attract buyers, and a state of the art lead generation system – whatever form that may take.

These technologies won’t guarantee success, but they will make an agent’s life easier and give them the best chance to reach their full potential. This in turn may power real estate offices to new heights.

While the benefits of technology are real and known, I would also like to emphasise that I am a strong believer in many traditional real estate practices and approaches. Shopfronts, human to human contact, community involvement and public relations – all are tried and true approaches that I believe are as relevant and valuable today as they were for agents 50 years ago.

The key is to achieve the right balance between investing time and resources into developing and using new technologies, and investing in proven traditional real estate practices.

What is the right balance?

That depends on you, but a good starting point might be to get in the habit of doing a cost benefit analysis on everything – you’ll very quickly get a picture of what initiatives are delivering the most cost-effective results and therefore what mix is right for you.

Charles Tarbey is the Owner and CEO of Century 21 Australasia.

eliteagent.com.au 23

FIRST PERSON

Julie Davis and Neil Williams

Play to your strengths

SINCE THE FIRST OFFER WAS made on the first ‘two-bedroom

cave with solid fuel cooking and views to die for’, there has been a perception that you have to be a particular type of person to be a successful real estate agent. But all salespeople are not the same and what works for one may not work for another. And that is OK, say Julie Davis and Neil Williams of Agent Dynamics – it’s simply a case of playing to your individual strengths.

The agent’s roles and functions are wide and various, comprising hot and cold prospecting, client nurture, marketing, follow up, negotiation and so on. We invest our hard-earned cash attending seminars to learn the ‘427 Simple Steps to Listing Success’; we listen to audio, watch videos and read books and magazines just like this one in an effort to upskill and get the edge.

WE’RE ALL INDIVIDUALS; WE’RE ALL DIFFERENT Don’t get me wrong – we always need to be developing our skills, and good training and selfimprovement is invaluable; but if we focus on the prospecting methods that we enjoy the most it stands to reason that we will be happier and more productive.

Let’s face it, not all agents enjoy doorknocking; in fact most hate it. At a recent seminar, in a room of 71 highly successful agents, only two said that they actually enjoyed it. Most said that they only did it when the boss sent them out to do it and they had experienced little or no success. However, the two agents who did doorknock said that it was a major part of their

24 ELITE AGENT • OCT-NOV 2016

prospecting and they were getting great results.

Ask some salespeople about cold calling and you get a similar response: ‘it doesn’t work for me’. Farming is the same. Why do some agents know their farm area backwards? They can quote you days on market, sale prices, market share, withdrawn sales and so on as though they’ve swallowed their iPad, while others don’t even bother with farming. And why is it that one agent can attend a networking function and get

At a recent seminar, in a room of 71 highly successful agents, only two said that they actually enjoyed doorknocking.

five appraisals while others will fall asleep after five minutes?

THE ALL-IMPORTANT ‘FLOW’ When we are in flow we are doing the tasks that we enjoy, and we are out of flow when doing those that we don’t. Early in our careers we are taught that we must master all the different prospecting methods to be successful. The result is that we often prospect using methods that will bring either very little or no success at all. This wastes time, effort and resources, and

will sometimes result in team members leaving for another agency more suited to their style.

We know that most of the agents who are meeting their expected level of success are all working in their flow. They are leveraging the prospecting elements that they enjoy the most and are obtaining further leverage by employing others to do the tasks that they don’t enjoy. How much sense does that make?

If we look at some of the top agents around the country, we see that they often stick to what they enjoy most and often utilise only one or two of the myriad prospecting methods available to them. Each of these top agents has different innate skills and through time and experience they have identified their natural strengths to maximise the return on their time and effort.

The real estate profession is famous for its high turnover of sales staff. So many potentially great agents have left the industry because principals and sales managers failed to identify where they should best channel their natural skill set. Those who identify and recognise where individual team members are best suited in order to channel their innate prospecting and listing skills will be well rewarded. They will develop a team of naturally talented individuals all working in flow and leveraging their strengths.

Who wouldn’t like a team who is more productive, more successful and a whole lot happier?

Julie Davis is recognised as being one of the country’s top female real estate coaches.

Qualified coach, trainer, licensed real estate agent and workplace assessor, Neil Williams is highly regarded for solution-orientated thinking, innovative sales strategies and his impressive leadership skills.

For more information visit agentdynamics.com.au.

FIRST PERSON

Susanne King

You are your niche HOW CAN YOU AS AN agent differentiate yourself from the

competition? Most marketing experts will recommend ‘niching’; they will talk about demographics, psychographics and knowing which end of town you want to be playing in. This is great advice, but it’s only the beginning. You need to visualise who your ideal client really is. Susanne King explains.

If you want to stand out from the crowd, you have to be your niche.

Let me explain. People are buying you. Yes, the agency you work with matters; the brand and who you are serving are all very important – but if people don’t know who you are they are not going to work with you.

People are smarter. Not only do they have more access to information regarding real estate, they have access to information about who you are.

It’s not uncommon for a person to search your name, stalk your social media profile and spend time watching what you do. A recent statistic I heard was it takes 18 months for someone to decide on the agent they are going to use.

SO HOW DO YOU KNOW IF YOU ARE WHAT THEY WANT? I see a lot of people investing in their business and doing a great job. They have action lists for the number of calls they will make and the areas they will doorknock, but when it comes to having a strategy around the brand of who they are it’s often a hope-and-pray kind of deal. If you want to stand out, you have to treat your personal brand as being as important as your day-to-day business operations.

26 ELITE AGENT • OCT-NOV 2016

START WITH YOU The first place you need to start is with you. Who are you and what do you stand for?

Recently my business partner and I ran a live stream on the power of mantra and values.

You need to know who you are so you can communicate that to the marketplace. Take a moment and think about the

Think of your favourite client and then be the best version of yourself that you know they would want. Look at how you can be so attractive to them (while being true to yourself) that it would make them want to not only do business with you, but rave about you too.

FINISH WITH THE HOW Now that you are clear on who you are, what you stand for and what your ideal client would want, it’s time to decide how you are going to showcase it.

Is your social media showing a full perspective on who you are and what you stand for?

Do you have a website that is about you and provides valueadding content?

Are you involved in the community in meaningful ways that stand out to your clients?

Are you connected with people who can promote you in a way that you are automatically trusted?

I see a lot of people investing in their business and doing a great job. They have action lists for the number of calls they will make and the areas they will doorknock, but when it comes to having a strategy around the brand of who they are it’s often a hopeand-pray kind of deal. following four questions: 1. What makes you irresistible?

Why would a person want to work with you personally?

2. What are you passionate about in life? Are you a beach surfer, an avid traveller or into design? Think about the things outside of what you do for a living that make you stand out, things that would be interesting for your clients and potential clients to engage with.

3. What do you stand for?

What are your values?

4. What is your mission? What positive impact do you want to make in this world through the

work that you do? Why does that inspire you?

START WITH THEM The second action is to think about who your ideal client is and what they want to know about. Far too often I see people communicate only about themselves without ever thinking about who they are talking to.

Your brand is what people say about you when you’re not in the room. You have to get good at communicating who you are and what you’re doing in a way that matters to the person seeing or listening to your brand.

When you Google yourself does it speak to your values and brand or does it say something else?

Take the time to show who you are, because at the end of the day people buy not just what you do – they buy you.

With over a decade of business consulting experience and working as a Master Peak Performance Coach for Anthony Robbins, Susanne King is passionate about seeing agents create attraction businesses but love the life they live. For more information visit facebook.com/ theagentrepublic.

FEELING UNAPPRECIATED IN REAL ESTATE?

WE GROW OUR AGENTS, TO GROW OUR BUSINESS. • Competitive pay and commission structures; • Lead generation system that develops, qualifies and sends leads to agents without them having to do any prospecting themselves; • Several training events each year providing access to Australia’s leading real estate trainers;

• Global real estate platform supported by a brand known throughout the world; • A selection of corporate uniforms designed by a leading Australian fashion house; • Television, print and digital advertising, public relations and creative campaigns supporting the brand and agents in the field; • Real time CRM system.

FIND OUT ABOUT THE NEW CENTURY 21 AT CENTURY21.COM.AU/AGENT

SMARTER. BOLDER. FASTER.

Q&A ASK THE COACH – Claudio Encina Real estate coach, keynote speaker and mentor Claudio Encina returns to answer your questions, this time in the areas of call-backs, buyer management and doorknocking.

Q.

How can I be more effective with my open home call-backs? Jim Nikolopoulos, Belle Property Newtown Many agents are experiencing strong numbers through open homes on weekends due to much lower stock levels than usual. This is the ideal time for you to stand out from the other agents in your marketplace by asking some high gain, high quality, high impact questions in your call-backs.

These questions are designed to get the prospect to stop and think. For example, instead of asking ‘Just getting some feedback for our vendor; did this property suit you?’ change it up to perhaps ‘What attracted you to this property?’

levels of the relationship; then you get permission to receive information on the prospect.

One other thing: call-backs on a Saturday afternoon are extremely effective, with many open home attendees available to take your call and more relaxed than on a Monday when they are at work.

Q.

What are some ideas around having a buyer management plan? Patrick Byron, Ray White Botany Green Square The top achievers in this industry work their buyers to generate leads. With all buyers in the marketplace, consider creating a buyer management plan. The plan should be about how I can give the buyers an

Call-backs on a Saturday afternoon are extremely effective, with many open home attendees available to take your call and more relaxed than on a Monday when they are at work.

Effective salespeople are able to ask some key questions which allow the prospect to stay on the phone longer. By engaging the customer, they take the relationship to a whole new level by developing the four key parts of any great relationship: 1. Build rapport 2. Find a connection 3. Earn their respect 4. Gain an element of trust Your goal is to stay connected on the phone for three to seven minutes to achieve the four

28 ELITE AGENT • OCT-NOV 2016

experience that ultimately they will never forget, because the buyer you service today will be a seller someday.

The most effective way to service the buyer is to come from a place of ‘Help’ rather than ‘Sell’. Look to add value more than any other agent using ‘value hooks’.

One idea could be providing a Comparative Market Analysis of the last six months of sales in the suburb where they are looking to buy – a Due Diligence

Report. You can create a Due Diligence Report through CoreLogic just like creating a comparative market analysis.

We generally focus on sales where they live, but if we change our focus and educate them on sales where they want to buy we can create a foundation that adds rapport, connection and trust.

Another value hook is to take a video on your smartphone of the property at the photoshoot,

showing the features and benefits that match your hot buyers’ criteria. Then email your hot buyer list personally with some commentary on your video to invite them as a VIP buyer to a preview; this is what we call high tech and high touch.

Q.

I’ve recently heard that doorknocking is getting good results lately as a form of prospecting. How should I approach it if I haven’t done it before? Jesse Wilton, Villager Property Newcastle Doorknocking is gaining traction in the marketplace as another way to generate leads and market appraisals. The best way to approach doorknocking is to ask yourself, ‘How will I get the prospect’s attention?’

First, understand what result or outcome you would like to achieve from a doorknocking session. Then work out your pitch, or ‘30-second impact message’ as I call it. This is a

brief message communicated in 30 seconds to three minutes; the aim is to grab the listener’s attention and give you the opportunity to build enough rapport to stay connected with the client, or obtain additional time in the future. Understand you are not closing a deal in 30 seconds. You are trying to introduce yourself in a classy and calm way that can add value to the prospect.

How do you close if you’re not closing the sale? You have to know what you’re closing for.

Sometimes you are closing for an introduction. Sometimes you are closing for an appointment time. It really depends on what your intention is. Remember, this message is not meant to replace your selling process; it’s designed to enhance your selling process.

Four points to consider: 1. Have a strong case: What’s your point? You have to have a case that is compelling enough to give your prospect cause to listen. You want them to stop and think!

2. Be creative: You want people to say, ‘Wow, that sounds interesting – can you give us an updated market appraisal based on the recent sale down the road?’

3. Master execution: Delivery has to be strong and uniquely you, so be as natural as possible.

4. Add value: Give them a list of all sales in their suburb with a monthly suburb report.

Finally, don’t be too serious; have fun and celebrate!

To have your question answered email askthecoach@eliteagent. com.au. To connect with Claudio visit claudioencina.com.

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You must only fly during the day and keep your RPA within visual line-of sight.

You must keep your RPA at least 30 metres away from other people.

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You can only fly one RPA at a time.

You must keep your RPA at least 5.5km away from controlled aerodromes.

You must not fly your RPA over any populous areas.

These can include: beaches, parks and sporting ovals.

You must not fly in a way that creates a hazard to other aircraft, people or property.

If you want to fly outside these conditions, you MUST use a licensed operator.

To see the full list of licensed operators in Australia and for other mandatory safety requirements, go to

c a s a . g o v. a u / r p a

Mindset Corner Jet Xavier

Life with more purpose Mark Twain famously said, “The two most important days in your life are the day you are born and the day you find out why.” Have you found out why? Are you on-purpose or just going through the motions in life and business? Top mindset coach Jet Xavier reveals how you can tap into what truly motivates you.

A

s I travel around the world and speak to agents I see a common factor in those with low performance and unfulfilled lives: lack of purpose.

Regardless of the brand they are in or the skills they might have, an agent without purpose never reaches the greatness they deserve.

Without purpose it is easy to become unmotivated and directionless. Without purpose you succumb to the fears and do not withstand the challenges and obstacles that are part of the day-to-day business of real estate. Without purpose you never really make a difference and spend your life striving but never arriving.

It is not until you find your purpose and start living it that you really start to exist and have an impact. And by purpose I don’t mean an ever-knowing ‘why I’m on the earth’ purpose; I mean a

day-to-day purpose attached to what you do and who you are.

“Effort and courage are not enough without purpose and direction” – John F. Kennedy It is very rare for somebody to know their life purpose. An artist or musician or doctor or politician or sportsperson might know, but for most of us ‘purpose’ is a moment-to-moment proposition that drives us to greatness in our lives and business.

My purpose at this moment in time is to wage war against average and be a catalyst for change in the lives of others, especially those in the real estate industry. This purpose drives me every day; it gets me out of bed

and pushes me to be a better human. It fires me up to make a difference, aligns with my values and passion and gives me a reason to do what I do.

What is your purpose? Why do you do what you do? What is the outcome and aim of your purpose and how engaged are you in it every day? Try this exercise, which I have adapted from Tina Su’s ‘Life on Purpose’. Sit down and answer the 10 following questions to connect with your purpose and see how on-purpose your life is.

• What were you passionate about as a child?

• What is on your bucket list?

• What are your key values?

It is not until you find your purpose and start living it that you really start to exist and have an impact.

• What makes you smile?

(Activities, people, events, hobbies, projects, and so on) • What were your favourite things to do in the past?

What about now?

• What activities make you lose track of time?

• What are you naturally good at?

(Skills, abilities, gifts and so on) • What would you regret not fully doing, being or having in your life?

30 ELITE AGENT • OCT-NOV 2016

• If you could get a message across to a group of people, who would those people be? What would your message be?

• Given your talents, passions and values, how could you use these resources to serve, to help, to contribute?

“The greatest thing in this world is not so much where we stand as in what direction we are moving” – Johann Wolfgang von Goethe So, are you living on-purpose?

When you are on-purpose your values and passion align.

You have a higher sense of contentment and fulfilment and you go about your life and business with enthusiasm and energy.

Being on-purpose also makes you a contributor to others.

I said to a principal the other day that they don’t run a real estate agency; they run a dream factory that helps people realise their dreams. Now that is a greater purpose than just managing an office.

Live through purpose, not process.

Jet Xavier is Australia’s leading Mindset Coach for real estate sales professionals. Jet is an accredited EDISC human behaviour consultant, NLP practitioner, Transformational Performance Coach and Motivational Speaker, and he is the creator of the ‘How top agents think and the rest don’t’ series. For more information visit jetxavier.com.

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Data Insights Eddie Cetin

How to choose the right CRM In previous columns we have covered topics including data quality, targeted email marketing, and how to maximise the results from your open homes and web enquiries.

Now it’s time to turn our attention to how to choose the right CRM for your business.

I

f you feel like your current CRM is holding you back on implementing any of the areas we have previously discussed, such as your data quality and email marketing, it would be worth taking a look around at what’s on the market.

Deciding to change CRM solutions is a significant undertaking involving migration of data from one system to another, as well as learning a whole new system. It can seem daunting at first, but well worth it after you see everyone humming with the one system.

The right fit CRM will allow you to be on the phone to more of the right people at the right time, plus fewer opportunities will fall through the cracks.

If you are starting your research I would like to offer you a framework to use in order to understand what you are after and how to compare the solutions that are out there.

The CRM you choose can make a dramatic difference in how your business operates and

the results you achieve. The small amount of time invested in choosing the right one at the start will far outweigh the disruption of having to change again in the future if you make the wrong choice.

To assist you it is best to start by understanding the three pillars of a real estate CRM: interface, data, and training & support.

All are equally as important as each other, but traditionally there is a focus on the interface.

This is a key element, of course; however, making a choice without considering the other critical pillars could be disastrous and expensive.

INTERFACE This is where the bulk of the focus is initially, to make sure the CRM can perform all the tasks that you need. Every office is different, but a checklist can ensure you don’t miss anything.

The number one aspect of the interface is how easy it is to use and how fast it can gain access to listing, contact info and reports.

Ensure that you can access all

The amount of time invested in choosing the right CRM at the start will far outweigh the disruption of having to change again in the future if you make the wrong choice.

32 ELITE AGENT • OCT-NOV 2016

Three pillars of a real estate CRM Interface • Functionality • Mobility • Ease of use

Data • Underlying data structure • Reports • Data migration and maintenance

contact, listing and appraisal information while you’re on the go, and are able to run your open for inspections. Being able to send your contracts and other listing documents on the move can really speed things up and makes you appear professional.

Tip: Work through your checklist with the CRM consultant and address the items important to you. Play with the trial system then run through any outstanding items with the consultant again to make sure everything is covered.

DATA This is one area that is commonly overlooked or misunderstood. A database with incomplete, duplicated or corrupt data is almost useless.

Make an effort to understand the difference in how your current system and the new system handle and structure data. What support would you receive in migrating the data from the old to the new system?

Ask to be stepped through a clear process to ensure that you minimise loss of data and make sure the end result will be a clean and accurate database.

Training and support • Online training • Onsite training • Technical support

Have a list of the reports you require and see how the new system can deliver them to you.

TRAINING & SUPPORT Most solutions out there have some form of online training and support included in the monthly fee. However, it is worth taking a closer look at the video libraries inside the interface as well as the user manual and any user guidance solution.

In order to train sales agents in a new CRM we have found on-site training to be the most effective. Explore any options that are available and devise a continual education plan after you go live with the new system.

The first three months are crucial to form new habits and encourage all staff to embrace the new way of doing things.

For support it is worthwhile talking to other agents already using the new system to gain some feedback.

Download the “How to Choose a CRM” checklist from eliteagent. com.au/crmchecklist.

Eddie Cetin is the Founder of Agentbox. For more information visit agentbox.com.au.

®

Business Depot John Knight

Planning for the best, protecting from the worst No one knows what’s around the corner with the Australian economy, but instead of planning for the worst and hoping for the best, Business Depot CEO John Knight suggests doing things a little differently.

T

he real estate agencies who are ahead of the game are already looking to the future and are scouring their business models to identify strategies they can use to reduce various risks, particularly the risks posed by the broader economy. They are still playing a positive game, just not being ridiculous with their investment in growth.

With that in mind, here’s what you can do to shore up your own future success.

IDEAS TO HELP YOU PLAN FOR THE BEST Perfect year: The profit potential Simply look at the last five or so years, pick the best bits of each one and merge them together into the ‘perfect’ year.

For example, your average rate of commission in 2014 may have been 50 per cent – the best it’s been for you – so apply that to your 2013 level of sale – your best level of gross sales commission. The end result is your profit potential if all the stars aligned for a perfect year.

The 1 percenters: Income formula Focusing on incremental profit allows you to continuously improve your bottom line by tweaking the different variables in your business. Work out your income formula and

34 ELITE AGENT • OCT-NOV 2016

NOW

WHERE

GAP

No. of salespeople

5

6

1

x Average no. sales per month

1.5

2.0

0.5

600,000

600,000

-

x Gross office comm rate

2.20%

2.30%

0.10%

Gross office comm per month

99,000

165,600

66,600

x Average sale price

Average rate of comm

50%

50%

0%

Gross profit per month

49,500

82,800

66,600

Gross profit per annum

594,000

993,600

399,600

consider ways to improve each component of it – even if only by one per cent.

In this example, with the recruitment of a more ‘average’ agent, by increasing production to two sales per month on average per person and lifting gross office commission by 0.1 of a per cent, the annual profit could increase by almost $400,000.

Your actions then should all be centred on each of these three changes to your formula.

IDEAS TO HELP PROTECT YOU FROM THE WORST Breakeven point: Cash and profit When you are unsure what’s around the corner, I always default to calculating your breakeven point. This is the amount of income you need to earn in a month to pay all of your fixed expenses and make $0 in profit – a traditional profit

breakeven calculation.

I also like to calculate the ‘cash breakeven’ of your business.

Your cash breakeven is the level of income you need to derive to make a $0 profit and have enough cash to meet your other commitments like loan repayments, tax bills and owner drawings for living expenses, school fees and whatever else you have committed to.

Boring (but useful) budgets You love doing a budget for your income, but how often do you actually do a budget for profit?

Boring, I know, but there is a reason why bean counters like us love budgets: they are still a great way to summarise and sanity-check your plans. The real value, however, comes from undertaking sensitivity analysis on the budget – the what-if scenarios.

Pick a major potential variable in your business and flex it by 10, 20 and 30 per cent to see

There’s a reason why bean counters like us love budgets: they are still a great way to summarise and sanity-check your plans. what impact it has. Summarise all the scenarios and consider which is the more likely result, without being too optimistic.

Then put strategies in place that protect you if that should occur; for example, lining up more working capital to get you through a tough patch or buying a rent roll to reduce exposure.

We all want to take a positive view, but experience shows enthusiasm is not enough – you also need to protect from the worst-case scenario.

John Knight is the Managing Director of businessDEPOT, a team of energetic accountants and advisors.

For more information visit businessdepot.com.au.

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People Partner Alison McGavin

Why they stay: Secrets from a recruiter Most of us are aware of the unfortunate and sometimes rapid turnover of staff in our industry. There are, of course, many motives that drive a team member to look for a new job, but if you want to keep employees you may need to focus instead on the reasons why people stay. Experienced recruiter Alison McGavin explains.

D

ay in, day out, I meet people who are leaving their current workplace and looking for something better.

The motives may vary, but my experience has taught me that their reasons can be categorised into five areas. Today, instead of focusing on the driving factors behind the decision to leave, let’s focus on why people stay.

BENEFITS People love perks. It shows that you care about them and value them as a part of your business.

The beauty of this is that it can be from something as small as providing a fruit basket and some breakfast options in the office to perhaps paying for a gym membership.

My advice with this is to make it non-work related.

This doesn’t mean that you won’t benefit from it. Studies show that people who go to the gym and exercise regularly have an increased blood flow to the brain, which can help sharpen awareness and improve focus. Exercise also boosts the immune system and, with an improved immunity, the chances of catching the flu or a cold drop dramatically, meaning fewer sick days!

TEAM CULTURE Let’s start by reminding ourselves of the true definition

36 ELITE AGENT •OCT-NOV 2016

of culture. The Oxford English Dictionary describes it as “the arts, customs and institutions of a nation, people or group”.

Changing the culture within an office is hard; a good place to start is to have clear company values and make sure all the team know what they are.

Our values here at Real+ are displayed on the wall; they are quality relationships, health, passion and results. Breed a culture where the team feels valued and are treated as equals, where ideas are not just

heard but welcomed, and where quality relationships within the team are nurtured with teambuilding events.

LEADERSHIP STYLE Don’t be a manager, be a leader.

The difference? A manager manages, but a leader inspires.

Don’t just tell people what to do; inspire them to be the best they can be. If they feel empowered by you, rather than scared of you, you will reap the benefits.

Tailor your approach individually. Some team

Breed a culture where the team feels valued and are treated as equals, where ideas are not just heard but welcomed. members will require more guidance than others; some will require more positive re-enforcement whilst others will require clear direction and deadlines. It’s not a case of treating others how you would like to be treated, but rather treating others how they would like to be treated.

CAREER PROGRESSION The receptionist may love their job, but he or she may not want to be the receptionist forever.

If someone has the desire to do something different, to grow

and progress within the industry, and they have the potential to be great, wouldn’t you prefer it to be with you than with the business across the road?

Speak with your team and understand their plans, dreams and desires. Tell your receptionist if there is an opportunity for them to move into a sales role, or whatever path it might be. If they don’t know, they could be researching sales roles on Seek right at this moment.

INNOVATION Don’t be left behind. Too often I hear things like, ‘Oh, they still do their routine inspections on paper’. Be innovative, be modern, and be relevant in today’s market. Make it easier to do the job well. The last company I worked for as a senior property manager, I was hand-writing my condition reports. It used to take me sometimes up to two or three hours. Needless to say, I am not there any more!

I hope that after reading this you will give thought to what your business is great at, and perhaps what your business could improve on. Together, let’s make your agency one of the offices that people hear about on the grapevine and add to their wishlist of places to work.

Alison McGavin is a Senior Recruitment Consultant with Real+. For more information visit realplus.com.au.

Wellness Tom Sullivan

The mind gym We all know that to have a healthy body there are a few things we need to do: exercise regularly, get enough rest and make sure we eat the right food in the right amounts.

But what about the mind? New wellness columnist Tom Sullivan explains how the simple art of stillness or meditation can significantly contribute to your success.

A

lthough an ancient practice dating back thousands of years, today we find it hard to go far without some of our most successful people in business, sports, politics and entertainment singing the praises of a daily meditation practice.

In fact, meditation has now been scientifically proven to improve many aspects in life, such as: • Boosting your immune system and decreasing pain and inflammation in the body • Increasing positive emotions while reducing stress and anxiety • Increasing your ability to connect socially and your emotional intelligence • Improving your ability to be introspective and control your thoughts and emotions • It even increases your grey matter!

If you are reading this and thinking you could do with some, or maybe even all, of the above, you may also be wondering: if sitting and doing nothing does this, why don’t we all just do it? The easy way to answer that is to try it for yourself; it’s actually a bit harder than it sounds.

In a world where everyone is ‘turned on’ through technology, especially in an industry such as ours, we

pride ourselves on always being contactable and the ‘24/7’ agent. With this in mind, our habits have begun to move us further away from a less cluttered, simple life to an email, text messaging, tweeting and ‘Facebooking’ culture. That’s why a lot of us can’t even wait for a coffee without being on our phone, let alone consciously sit and do nothing for 10 to 20 minutes (or more).

The good news is that, just like when you first hit the gym after a long winter break and struggle through the first few sessions, it does get easier. Through a regular meditation practice starting at just five minutes a day, you can begin to enjoy the benefits listed above. You might even begin to enjoy the space that a practice can bring. For myself, what I enjoy the most is having space from the constant barrage of thoughts that I experience from when I wake up to when I go back to sleep.

Here’s a starting point for your own practice: Sit comfortably with a straight spine and relaxed body. Your bed is not for meditating; you will just fall asleep. Find a place where you won’t be disturbed for the duration, and turn your phone off or on airplane mode.

After a few deep breaths, begin to follow your breathing

A lot of us can’t even wait for a coffee without being on our phone, let alone consciously sit and do nothing for 10 to 20 minutes. from the sensation outside your nose all the way to your lungs, and out again. Repeat this and count each round of breathing (in and out) as one.

Count to 10, then just start over again.

When you lose count and get lost in thought, don’t stress; just go back to one and start again.

Set a timer for five minutes the first week, then 10 the next and so on. Don’t go onto a longer length of time if you aren’t getting some level of relaxation.

Think of this like brushing your teeth. It’s something you just do automatically every morning and night – hopefully – so make your practice at the same time each day. The mind makes it easier when it knows

what it’s doing and when it’s doing it.

That’s a really quick idea of the practice. I would encourage you to try some group meditation at the beginning to get your enthusiasm up, but most of all, just sit! It won’t take long to start to enjoy the many benefits this practice can bring.

Alongside being Elite Agent’s latest digital partnerships manager, Tom Sullivan is also a mindfulness meditation teacher in Sydney. With nearly a decade of experience having learned from various masters across the globe, Tom now heads up his own meditation school, A Still Mind. For more information visit astillmind. com.au.

eliteagent.com.au 37

cover story

PLAY

38 ELITE AGENT • OCT-NOV 2016

ING THE LONG GAME AUCTIONEER. COACH. MEDIA EXPERT. Speaker. Author.

Social media celebrity... These terms have all been used to describe a man who in our industry really needs no introduction. Elite Agent Editor Samantha McLean went one-on-one with Tom Panos to talk technology, lead generation, and why it is essential to play the long game in today’s competitive environment where the consumer is in the driver’s seat.

HUMBLE BEGINNINGS Most people know Tom Panos as a coach, trainer and NewsCorp executive. But the truth is that’s not where it all began. “My first job,” says Panos, “was working as a real estate salesperson in Lakemba... while I was at university in 1988-89. This was followed by Padstow, and shortly after that I opened up my own office. I never worked in property management, so 21 years of age working as a salesperson and a business owner at 22. Real estate is the only job that I have ever really had.”

Panos says staying in real estate, rather than going on to do something “of a higher standing” with his degree, was mostly an accident. But even back then he says he cared less about what other people thought he should do, and rather than letting go of a job he loved he decided to stay in the industry.

“From the first day I was in the job, Sam, it felt effortless – I was good at it and I liked it. So I’ve always had a theory that if you

are good at something, if you are passionate about it… well, it’s like what I call a GPS unit, where GPS stands for good, passionate and makes you smile. Those three things I had in real estate.”

The first year in real estate is usually a challenge for anyone. Panos agrees. “The most important lesson from my first year was to embrace rejection; always remember that when someone rejects you, it’s not about you; it’s about them, because they don’t even know you.”

While Panos quickly fell in love with real estate, he still completed his studies and now has university degrees in organisational behaviour and peak performance, a Master’s in management, and a post grad in psychology, all of which have been useful to him in the industry.

“What I studied at uni has been great, because it allows me to work out whether something is fact or fiction. It also helps me to understand whether something is a fad or evidence-based.”

WALKING THE WALK Panos’ CV now includes coaching, training, speaking and running various multimilliondollar revenue divisions of News. He is Australia’s most searched real estate coach and holds the number one and/or the number two spot in Google for most of the things that he is known for.

On top of all of that, he still calls between seven and 12 auctions in Sydney’s Inner

“From the first day I was in the job, Sam, it felt effortless - I was good at it and I liked it.”

West every Saturday. I sense both humility and gratitude in his tone when he admits, “I don’t have an ‘auction company’ where I outsource other auctions; I’m limited to time. I’m booked out every Saturday and have been for years.”

His coaching career began during his tenure at Raine & Horne between 1998 and 2003, where the relationships he had with the franchisees and their sales teams morphed into coaching-type relationships. “They would bring up a problem. I would then work with them to

eliteagent.com.au 39

cover story Another topic that Panos regularly talks about is self esteem, and something, surprisingly he admits is still difficult, even for him. “It is still a work in progress for me. But I’m a lot higher now than I was.

“The issue is, Sam, when you get accolades don’t become attached to them. The benefit of that is that when you get people that slag you off, unsubscribe, say negative stuff, you are also not attached to that.

“You slowly need to detach from having your self-esteem dependent on the approval of others. This means that you are not going to feel high when everyone says ‘you are the best’, but at the same time you are not going to actually get into a slump personalising when someone says something negative.”

And then there is one last thing. “You have to accept that people are going to say negative things and the reason they do that is they mean it and they believe in it. But my experience with negativity is that they are negative because in you they see something they wished they were doing themselves.”

TOM’S TOP 5 TECH TOOLS

sort out the problem and before you know it I’d be getting voicemails on my mobile all the time asking questions. Then it got more formalised.”

The biggest barrier to success, he says, are the stories we tell ourselves.

“Everyone has a story. Think of the metaphor of the beach ball, with different coloured panels. When one person is looking at it from one side they see red. But the whole ball is not red. People see the world as they see it, not as it really is.”

It’s getting people over that that is the problem. “It’s getting people to deconstruct and change what someone may have felt was true for so long, but really wasn’t. It’s a problem when your view of the world is self-limiting; it really affects you in both your personal and business life.”

40 ELITE AGENT • OCT-NOV 2016

SUNDAY NIGHT ‘TV’ This idea of self-limiting beliefs was a topics in one of Panos’ recent and relatively famous ‘Sunday night rants’ using Facebook Live, which I too am a fan of watching.

I note to Tom that more people in the industry are probably watching him than 60 Minutes at 7.30pm on a Sunday night.

“Yeah.” [Smiles] “Well, you know, Sam, I am actually really pumped about that. And I’m not saying it’s because of me. It could be listening to someone else, but I think that it is more useful to listen to someone who is going to help you, rather than what 60 Minutes is talking about or even someone like Alan Jones, or anyone else for that matter, might be talking about. You have to think with all these shows… How useful is what they are saying to you in your personal and business life, you know?”

1. Facebook Live. “At this moment, live stream is massive and authenticity always wins out.

Facebook loves authenticity, so people should get out there and master live stream. I say ‘master’ because there are no safety nets and you have to be confident being able to present knowing that.”

2. Mevo Camera.

Mevo is one of the first cameras for livestreaming Facebook and you can edit while you film.

3. Zoom. “I’ve tried them all: Skype Business, GoToMeeting and Webinar, and was a long time subscriber. But Zoom for video conferencing; I love its simplicity,” says Panos.

4. Simple SMS. “The best piece of technology in 20 years is the text message! Think about the value that you derive out of a text message: it helps you have conversations that are short and to the point. Easily accessible.

Mobile. Never lets you down.”

5 .Things. “Things is an app: very simple, allows you to simply keep track of to-do’s, projects, emails, and more.

I use it on my Mac, iPad, iPhone; it keeps everything synced.”

THE POWER OF FACEBOOK

Panos is very successful on Facebook and passionate about the opportunity it presents for other agents. “Facebook is the letterbox drop of 2016. Savvy agents are getting high quality videos done for their listings. Then they segment their audience on Facebook and target their videos to them.

“If you list 50 properties per year and create videos that get viewed 5,000 times each, that’s 250,000 views of you becoming a trusted advisor in your area.”

As part of our chat Tom allowed me to sneak a look at his social media stats. Some weeks his live broadcasts will reach in excess of 200,000 followers through shares from his followers. “I’ve had posts on Facebook that have reached more than a Sunday newspaper in Australia. I once had one post reach 2,000,000 people. That is the power of it.”

“With Sky Business last week I had 25,000 views, 225 shares. The last one had 75,000 views. With auctions, it can be anything from six thousand to 18,000 views.”

NEW AGE LEAD GENERATION There are no Blind Dates in Real Estate is Panos’ latest book. It’s about the current wave of consumerism; how customers have more power than the corporation and how to grab the attention of the skimmers. Agent 3.0, he says, is having the ability to get them to pay attention. “Agent 3.0 faces a consumer that is text savvy, social media savvy, knows the price of everything but the value of nothing.

It’s also someone who is time poor. Agent 3.0 can solve problems. Agent 3.0 is the ‘Google’ of their marketplace. You don’t have to be the person who creates the information, but you need to be able to curate the information about your local area.

“I have tried to do this with my own business: to be the ‘Google’ of real estate training, where people look for information

And clearly this is an important lesson for everyone. “OK Sam, so what that means is lose the listing, lose the sale, but never lose your reputation. Because playing the long game means that you might win a deal and upset someone now which will give you a $20k commission. But that is so short-sighted, because you are putting probably half a million bucks on the line in forecasted income in the coming year.

“It’s having this ability to do the thing that’s right, not the thing that’s short and easy. Understand that it’s going to be hard before it’s easy.”

We also talk about the need for consistency, and at this point it’s hard not to laugh at Panos’ showering metaphor. “Yep. Consistency to me says this: you have a shower and expect to be clean and then you

“My experience with negativity is that people are negative because in you they see something they wished they were doing themselves.” on where to go for training on scripts, social media, how to get engagement, that sort of thing, anything to do with coaching.

“So my top lead generation technique for online is to create large volumes of content that solve the problems of your consumer; what keeps them up at night. Then let Google drive that and light that for you so people come to you for that information.

“Think like a consumer, but sell like a superstar.” We both agree there is no reason why other agents could not successfully replicate this model.

LONGEVITY IN REAL ESTATE While Panos is famous for giving advice to others, I am curious to know what is the best piece of advice someone has ever given to him.

Panos pauses and thinks on this one before he answers simply, “Play the long game”.

say OK, I’m done. But you’re only clean for 24 hours; you need to have a shower again the next day!” That is the same for all of your marketing and prospecting.

SETTING YOURSELF APART One thing Panos says the truly incredible people in the industry do is to provide such great service that their clients ‘do the prospecting for them’, instead of the commonly taught approach of cold-calling and door-knocking.

“Sam, the normal sales classroom approach to prospecting is that if you interrupt enough people who don’t want to talk to you, you will eventually strike someone who will!

“What I am saying is why wouldn’t you do such an incredible job that you have people who basically become your ‘sales creators’? ... because when the business comes to you,

“Agent 3.0 faces a consumer that is text savvy, social media savvy, knows the price of everything but the value of nothing.” rather than you going to them, the whole dynamic of the relationship changes.”

From his time as a coach, speaking at AREC, training and so on, people these days probably feel like they almost know Panos even if they have never met him. So I ask him, is there something that is not so obvious about you that you wish more people would get? Panos answers this one with a smile, and if you follow Tom on social media it’s likely you will understand his once again well-thought-out answer.

“I think a lot of people probably think that because I use straightforward, ‘blunt’ language [smiles] to explain things, that I either don’t know how to use other words, or that maybe [I am being] aggressive.

“I’m actually a nice person. I just don’t sugarcoat things, and I find that when you don’t do that and you tell people what they need to hear, well… I would say that a lot of people would find it surprising to know that I’m a very spiritual person. I actually believe that we came here with nothing. We are leaving here with nothing. The reality is that our role is more than to build the largest net-worth we can.”

Given your experience now, what would you now tell an 18-year-old Tom Panos just starting out in real estate?

“The advice I would give myself would be to take more risks, because we are all going to die anyway. The second one is to learn the concept of embracing temporary incompetence.

Too many people put off [doing] something amazing because it is difficult. What I am saying is everything is difficult at the start, so get comfortable being uncomfortable.

“I would say, Sam, that one of the stories I had in my head early in my career is that if it didn’t feel natural and it didn’t feel easy, don’t do it.

“I’ve learned subsequent to that that some of the most stimulating, most rewarding things in my life were, in fact, the things that took me out of my biggest comfort zones.

“The other thing would be to understand that everyone has two jobs. Job number one is to do the job that you get paid to do, and job number two is to find clients to do the job for. I wish I had learned earlier on that if you master client acquisition I would have had a faster, more successful commercial life.”

eliteagent.com.au 41

special report

NEVER COLD CALL AGAIN

PANELLISTS

FACILITATOR KYLIE DAVIS, CORELOGIC, HEAD OF PROPERTY MARKETING

WE LIVE in an age of ‘consumerism’

where potential clients have more information on us than ever. But it is also true that we can access a whole lot more information that enables us to be smarter at marketing to them. Together with CoreLogic Australia, Elite Agent gathered an expert panel to discuss and provide readers with insights into how new tools are re-inventing prospecting.

Following is an extract of our thought leadership for 2016, Big Data and the Future of Prospecting.

N

ever cold call again. Pardon the pun, but it does have a great ring to it, right? With tools now available, it is possible to predict a vast array of human life changes, well beyond the four ‘traditional Ds’ of real estate: death, divorce, debt and departure.

These life events might include having a baby, teenagers leaving the nest, a change in jobs, trends in spending patterns and much more.

In turn, this knowledge can lead to better communication with your current and prospective customers. Rather than calling people you don’t know out of the blue, it is possible to get close to predicting which house, in a street, in an area, is most likely to list next – and then use smart methods of content marketing to attract them to to you. It’s not science fiction; it’s here to stay, thanks to some clever data and analytics.

42 ELITE AGENT • OCT-NOV 2016

GEORGIE BROOK, SALES DIRECTOR, GREATER DATA Greater Data will soon be launching a series of projects for the real estate market, particularly around the ability for franchisors and branches to connect their data to one another.

The main goal is the identification of consumers who have an existing association with a brand and how to recognise and use that data better.

JOSH COBB, FOUNDER AND CEO, STEPPS Stepps is a digital marketing agency focusing only on the real estate space. It is one of the leading agencies using content marketing strategies to establish clients as thought leaders in their market to the right people in their community.

DOUGLAS DRISCOLL, CEO STARR PARTNERS Starr Partners is a 29-office network in and around Sydney which is already leveraging a number of real estate ‘big data’ products and services, such as CoreLogic’s SmartList and QSegments by Quantium.

ANNIE LIAO, SENIOR LEADERSHIP TEAM – ANALYTICS AND INSIGHTS, AND MITCHELL PREVETT, HEAD OF PRODUCT ANALYTICS, QUANTIUM Working in partnership with CoreLogic on two products, SmartList and Facebook QSegments, Quantium has successfully tied consumer data insights with CoreLogic’s property data to significantly improve the way real estate agents target prospective customers.

JOHN OWED, HEAD DATA SCIENTIST, DATA REPUBLIC Data Republic owns a data exchange platform which was launched two weeks ago, enabling access to big data sets that predict when people are likely to move house. This could be based on indicators such as what they are putting in their grocery baskets or how they are using their credit cards.

WHAT IS BIG DATA? Our panel started the discussion by agreeing that the term ‘big data’ is largely unknown and/or misunderstood. “Agents are not database administrators, so there is a learning gap on how to get the data maintained,” says Brook.

Says Privett, “Typically [we have been] given the big data definition which is all about the ‘fun stuff’ we can do with it. [My] definition is that it is data that’s too big to be handled in the traditional ways. You can’t use it on one server, one office, you can’t analyse it in the standard way that we’re used to. That usually means that it’s broad; it’s got multiple sources, multiple agents, and is disparate until you do the work to clean it and make it useful.”

WHERE IS THE REAL ESTATE KNOWLEDGE GAP? An area where Brook believes there is a wide gap in knowledge is to do with the advantages that could be gained if data was to flow seamlessly between franchise offices and head office, something that is being overlooked by many real estate brands. While some are successfully sharing data, he says, most businesses would be amazed at how much crossover there is right now between buyers, sellers, tenants and landlords. Three or four different franchisees might be speaking with the same person, which really no longer needs to happen. “We’ve just gone through the process of selling and buying, and I’m being contacted through three different offices

from the same franchise,” says Brook.

Greater Data is working with some of the larger franchises to bring their data together with more intelligence and cohesion.

TOP OF THE FUNNEL Despite the perceived franchisor/ franchisee gap, there is now a capability in overlaying consumer behaviour insights onto property data to allow smart targeting to consumers. Previously the industry has had access to property data via CoreLogic but little information about the person/ people in the property. Big data and analytics marries the two.

Around this table alone, there are three different ‘propensity to list’ models.

“These guys,” says Brook, referring to Quantium and Data Republic, “have a huge amount of behavioural information, and we’ve got the demographic and life stage information to be able to predict when someone is able to do something.

“Specifically our interest is in bridging that gap with answering the question of what your existing customers are doing.

How can you maintain that [association] and continue to segment your messaging to get the right message across to the right person at that time?” says Brook.

Says Driscoll, “There is now an ability to be able to ‘second guess’ people – just based on consumer behaviours, their everyday lives.

The reality of the situation is that we [the real estate industry] are all fighting at the ‘bottom of the funnel’ at the moment, and as a result it becomes a bloodbath. We undercut each other on fees… but if you can get further towards the top of the funnel you are far

eliteagent.com.au 43

special report more likely to have sensible conversations that should demonstrate value long before that person looks to list a property.”

PREDICTIVE MODELLING While Brook has already mentioned the work that Greater Data is doing with some of the franchises, Quantium has been working with CoreLogic on a product called SmartList, a product that some companies, like Starr Partners, are already using.

Says Liao, “[SmartList] essentially is taking all the information we have about householders plus the 9.8 million or so properties here in Australia (through CoreLogic’s data), tying that together with all of the market trend data analysis information and consumer insights data.

Then we try to predict who is more likely ready to sell through consumer behaviour and also whether the area has been good with recent sales.” The output of this is people who are more likely to sell, a warm list of prospects.

“With all predictive modelling there is no 100 percent certainty. It’s about highlighting and identifying the people who are more likely based on their behaviour.”

YOU HAVE THE INFORMATION; NOW HAVE THE RIGHT CONVERSATION Driscoll has been using the SmartList product for a couple of months and is one of the first in the industry to do so. He notes that the data is impressive but there are a couple of challenges that they need to come to terms with as a business to get the most out of the system.

“The numbers we are talking about is that one in 10 people will list their house in six months, and one in five within 12 months.

They are pretty impressive numbers.

“But it’s all about the approach. You’ve got a list of names and numbers, so you’ve got to figure out the approach for contacting these people. Is it a mailbox drop, is it an

BIG DATA ANALYSIS REQUIRES SIMPLE INFORMATION TO BE KEPT UP TO DATE Do you know how many calls or visits it takes to list a property? According to Prevett, this is one of the simple yet critical questions that big data needs to answer so that agents (and BDMs in other industries) can refine their marketing and communication plans

Property data Consumer behaviour data

Smart analytics

=

Target your marketing to a defined audience reducing waste and saving time

WHAT IS SMARTLIST? SmartList is a relatively new product by CoreLogic and Quantium that looks at the relationship between property data and consumer/demographic data, with the goal of identifying properties most likely to list in an area.

The output is a list of addresses that are indicative of a vendor listing for sale, ranking those addresses according to how likely they are to sell by region. Clients can then use this list to market more smartly to those addresses, with more personalised direct mail and focused doorknocking, phone calls, emails and other usual methods. Data is updated and a new list distributed monthly.

For more information visit corelogic.com.au/products/smartlist. intelligent letter, is it an email, is it a phone call? So that is where we are still trying to come to grips with it. But so far so good.”

Liao agrees; it is still going to come down to the conversations a real estate agent subsequently has with those prospects.

“You have to understand the behaviour behind the algorithms that identified them in the first place to increase your chances of converting the listing.”

Davis also acknowledges this. “You can’t have people ringing prospects and saying, ‘our data says you are about to sell’. So now we need to have a conversation about how to manage the slightly creepy side of big data and how do you ‘de-creep’ it.

“Under no circumstances can you have

with potential customers to save time and eliminate unnecessary waste. He says it’s really the basics that you need to get right first.

“I think something like two-thirds of data scientists’ time is spent on cleaning and repairing data; then building the algorithms and applying them.

“All the time we see different BDMs in different industries talking about their

4 4 ELITE AGENT • OCT-NOV 2016

+

data, but they don’t capture things like how many times they visit clients, how many times they call them; it’s really simple information like that that can make a huge difference when you’re going back to try to target them.”

The key, he says, is to get your data clean and then intelligence can be applied over the top. User applications and other smarts can grow from there.

a conversation that says, ‘I know all these things about you’. It’s more about providing the right information that ‘magically’ turns up at the right time or when you’re in the right headspace for it.”

PROSPECTING ON SOCIAL One of the main elements of feedback from clients, says Liao, is not being able to activate directly the insights that big data provides.

As a result, Quantium has partnered with Facebook, as a media activation channel, and created more than 150 segments (QSegments) across consumer-type behaviour, sociodemographics, property attributes and more. Says Liao, “This allows our customers to target specific types of people that they want to talk to on Facebook.”

Like any marketing, whether it’s advertising or content marketing – it then comes down to the creative and how appealing that happens to be. But you can be smarter at creating a message if you know where you want the message to land.

Says Brook, “If a real estate agent is advertising on Facebook with a message that just says, ‘List your house now’, it doesn’t really appeal to anyone. If you’ve got a picture of a lovely house in the ’burbs with a young family holding up two kids [and that happens to be your audience] the mind tells you, ‘That’s me, they’re talking to me. This resonates better with me [as a customer]. This is more relevant’.”

PRIVACY AND BIG DATA Data Republic is more of a big data enabler for other large organisations, such as professional services who can build products that solve problems for particular industries, including real estate.

Using the Data Republic platform are companies like banks, telcos and airlines, who contribute data without it being personally identifiable. But what it does allow is significant behaviour

analysis across all of these sectors to predict when someone is likely to move house. Says Owed, “Having a baby can be determined by what [someone] is putting in their grocery basket. But unless you have a way of linking data against data sets, that insight will fall through the cracks. And those are the real things that are predicting these big lifestyle changes.

“Allowing the banks and telcos to come on and contribute their data to one

Over the last few years, notes Cobb, it has been harder to reach people on Facebook, no matter what industry you are in, unless you now pay Facebook to promote your post. In fact Cobb has been working directly with his real estate clients with the CoreLogic and Quantium QSegments and says the results have been outstanding in both cost reductions and conversions.

“On the property-related ads that we’ve been running for a select group of clients [using QSegments] on Facebook, specifically promoting a property or development of some kind... we’ve been able to reduce that cost for the same result by up to sixty per cent,” says Cobb.

“When it comes to content, we spend a lot of time talking about the top of the funnel: attracting people to our business through helpful content, whether that be lifestyle or related articles, how-tos or establishing someone as the leading authority in their local market. We’ve seen up to a 70 per cent decrease in the cost per conversion because what we’re doing is essentially being more

place, and then allowing professional services companies to build those platforms [means that if], let’s say, we have a client who is interested in building a real estate product, we’ll go and find all the data sources that will be relevant to that frame together, and get those contributors of that data on board. [We] help them do so in a way that they feel their data is safe and secure and de-identified in the Data Republic platform.”

relevant to the people that matter only to our business.”

Says Cobb, “It has allowed our clients to determine, ‘Well, I’m spending four thousand dollars on DL cards or offline marketing, traditional things that real estate agents do… [or] I’m spending a thousand dollars over here on Facebook.’

The difference between the two is when it’s digital it’s far more measurable and you can determine, ‘Is my money better spent over here?’ We would never suggest ‘cancel this one for this one’. But you can make a much more educated decision on where you’re going to spend your money.”

WHAT’S NEXT? Many of our panelists expressed concerns during the conversation about the current state of the industry in both training on big data and also storage of existing data.

“If databases are still held in Excel at franchisee level, if we don’t have the ability to understand existing data, we can’t, with confidence, step into big data,” says Brook.

“To understand acquisition properly you really need to understand what existing customers look like.”

Driscoll believes this to be the result of a lack of the right type of training to equip the industry with the skills it needs to understand the opportunities and the potential. “One of the major issues is to do with upskilling.

We’re still rolling out the same kind of training as an industry that we were 20 years ago. This isn’t futuristic stuff; this is stuff people in other industries are doing now.”

The big data loop also does not stop with simply getting your data in order. It’s about having a continual feedback loop and learning more from your experiences to benefit the industry as a whole.

Says Owed, “If you’re using SmartList, which is derived from big data… when you

capture a response, it enables a whole new set of data to be collected. So what is the message that you delivered? What response did you get back? Then feed that back into the algorithm.

The amazing thing about big data is you are not just limited to one point in time; the data you collect has a network effect that you can keep building. It’s a continuous cycle and it’s really phenomenal.”

CONCLUSIONS: WHAT YOU NEED TO DO Here are recommendations from our experts on some of the things you can do to allow you to prospect more smartly.

1. Be curious about what others are doing around you; what is working, what’s not.

Learn how the technology works and consider how you can use it to save time and money.

2. Start with your own data and get that cleaned up and under control.

3. Measure and learn what you are testing and trialling. Use content marketing with messages that appeal to your target audience. Don’t get creepy or ‘stalkerish’ by telling people what you think you know about them!

4. Don’t write everything off if you have a hiccup or two; you need to be consistent.

Remember, it’s analytics and not a castiron guarantee. Don’t be afraid to engage the experts; that’s what they are there for.

5. Don’t be afraid of sharing data. The better the data that underpins the analytics, the better result it will be for everyone.

Words: Samantha McLean.

Our full report, including video, will be available at eliteagent.com.au/bigdata in late October. For more information about Quantium QSegments or SmartList, email us: support@eliteagent.com.au.

eliteagent.com.au 45

tech q&a

Leading the Change WE ALL AGREE THAT THE one thing that continually changes in

the real estate industry is technology. Elite Agent spoke with three agents who are taking full advantage of prospecting and brand building the online world in different and exciting ways.

Avalon – which just happens to be where I live! – and take a comedic look at the ins and outs of the residents. It could be applied to any suburb, but the way they have done it really makes you stop and think about how suburbs really do have their own little nuances. Thankfully I can laugh because much of this is very true and definitely happens in Avalon!

Lynette Malcolm, Chadwick Real Estate, Upper North Shore 1. What is the key way your brand differentiates itself using digital platforms?

We differentiate ourselves by blending the way technology works with our local audience, matching the communications we’re putting into the digital space to our target market.

We’ve developed a refined strategy to ensure that what we’re putting out there is relevant – we have in-house copywriters and digital media artists doing that. We’ve got a number of developments which are for over-55s, so understanding how this market uses social media and then

46 ELITE AGENT • OCT-NOV 2016

working out how we can get into that space is critical.

2. What is your favourite social platform for prospecting, and why? How do you use it?

I would say Facebook, because it’s so widely used. We have a CRM system which automatically links to a prospect’s social media accounts. I like Facebook because you can constantly update your profile, and the public can see what you’re doing.

3. Can you give me an example of a social media campaign from any category that has really stuck with you?

My favourite social media campaign would definitely be Domain’s ‘Avalon Now’ series.

They satirise the suburb of

4. Why do you think some real estate brands are so frightened of the digital world? What’s holding them back?

I think it’s the fear of transparency. For brands that are not doing what they should be, there is a fear of what that transparency might create.

Real estate is an industry that often resists change. Agents are scared to embrace technology because it might undermine their value in terms of what they bring to a client. Because we are a service industry, there is a fear factor around what technology might bring. In reality, as long as you are adding value to clients and you’re really engaged, you shouldn’t be fearful.

5. What are your top apps for productivity or enjoyment?

Facebook Pages App – For managing Facebook business pages.

Layout – For editing photos.

AgentboxGO – Our CRM app.

Homepass – Domain’s new app for enhanced OFIs. MeAgain – Tracks your recent calls and gives you prospecting reminders.

Jason Ballo, Raine & Horne Surry Hills 1. What is the key way your brand differentiates itself using digital platforms?

It comes down to authenticity.

We take a transparent approach, which is why we use Facebook Live, Snapchat and Instagram Stories. If I were to do an open home, I would promote a live open inspection to my online audience, and then do an ‘MTV Cribs’ style live feed where we’ll walk through the premises and show off the property. It’s really inviting to people who might not have the opportunity to physically visit the property. But it’s also an opportunity for people to see what we do and how we do it.

2. What is your favourite social platform for prospecting, and why? How do you use it?

I would say Facebook ads. The ad product is incredible – it’s very targeted. Facebook is really powerful for real estate specifically because of the age demographic that is using the platform right now.

Facebook started as a college thing and people thought that

40-year-olds would never be on it, but now they’re all users.

The context of how we use Facebook is important – it’s not a matter of posting listings.

Truthfully, people don’t care about that. Buyers are active or passive. They look on REA, they look on Domain and visit the properties they want to see. Facebook is more of a newsfeed, so we provide news and content, something new and interesting.

auction, people said ‘But what if it doesn’t sell?’ I was like ‘That’s great! They’ll be able to see what happens afterwards, they’ll see it’s not the end of the world’. The old guard are afraid of public failure, rather than the actual story being told about a property or a service.

5. What are your top apps for productivity or enjoyment?

Office365 – Outlook, OneNote.

To Do List – Task management

AGENTS ARE SCARED TO EMBRACE TECHNOLOGY BECAUSE IT MIGHT UNDERMINE THEIR VALUE IN TERMS OF WHAT THEY BRING TO A CLIENT. 3. Can you give me an example of a social media campaign from any category that has really stuck with you?

Pokémon Go is a huge phenomenon. How smaller businesses with limited resources use social media is really important. You can throw Pokémon Go ‘lures’ outside your place of business. People will literally gather from the street knowing there are lures. This worked really wonderfully for local businesses in our area.

4. Why do you think some real estate brands are so frightened of the digital world? What’s holding them back?

They’re scared of themselves.

The biggest challenge that our industry faces is the old guard being romantic about things that work. There is a massive cultural shift – not just in real estate, but in sales. We want to put power back in the consumer’s hands so they can see what takes place. When we came out with our first live

and delegation.

Toggl – Time tracking and timesheets.

Voxer – Audio note-taking on the go, ideal for transcription.

Airtasker – For getting small jobs done.

Gia Le, Acton Real Estate Dalkeith 1. What is the key way your brand differentiates itself using digital platforms?

My brand is ‘Perthspective’.

I’m all about creating stories; I want to become the leading authority for entrepreneurs in WA. My brand is elegant, aspirational and beautiful.

Instead of focusing on property, which can quickly get boring, I focus on people and their journey. I want to entertain, engage and educate.

2. What is your favourite social platform for prospecting, and why? How do you use it?

Facebook and Instagram. I direct all traffic back to my

website; it’s all linked to Google Analytics, so I can look at the way the audience interacts with my website. People think social media is prospecting, but it’s more brand building than anything else. The public gets to know your brand, so when they’re ready to sell I will often go in uncontested for a listing.

It’s not enough to be in real estate any more, especially for millennials who are educated, savvy and digital. People buy your why and not your what. When people see you engage with other high-calibre entrepreneurs, it’s social proof of your influence.

3. Can you give me an example of a social media campaign from any category that has really stuck with you?

I would say it’s generic – but Apple. Even to this day, the idea of ‘Think Different’ speaks to me. I draw a lot of inspiration from Seth Godin. I’ve always believed that people forget what you say and do, but they’ll

never forget the way you make them feel.

4. Why do you think some real estate brands are so frightened of the digital world? What’s holding them back?

I think they only see the personal deficits: ‘What if I disclose too much?’ They’re concerned about privacy. I’m a highly private person, but you can control what you put out on social media. I think they don’t understand it. Up until 18 months ago I didn’t have anything to do with social media, but when I transitioned into real estate I knew that was one platform I could quickly use to get access to an audience, rather than doing a letterbox drop.

5. What are your top apps for productivity or enjoyment?

LockedOn – Our CRM app.

LinkedIn – Business networking.

Facebook – Targeted social media networking.

Instagram – Visual social media.

eliteagent.com.au 47

productivity

From surviving to thriving in 4 simple steps

IF YOU HAVE entered the industry full of hopes and

ambitions and then find yourself struggling, you are not alone; this industry can be tough. Peak performance coach Tanja M Jones outlines four simple ways you can change your mindset and move from mere survival towards real estate success.

I

BELIEVE MOST agents enter the

real estate industry because it is relatively easy to get into, you can access your qualifications fairly swiftly and you can earn as much money as you are willing to work for.

It is an exciting industry that enables you to be your own boss, build your own business, create your own team and carve your own culture. You have access to a plethora of world-class coaches and mentors; there is an abundance of national and international training and development opportunities, as well as daily podcasts, webinars and live Facebook videos to learn and grow from.

Best of all, every day you get to change people’s lives by partnering in the sale of their greatest asset and reducing the stress of getting on with living the next chapter.

All of this can be deeply rewarding and highly fulfilling, because as you consistently

48 ELITE AGENT • OCT-NOV 2016

make a difference in other people’s lives you improve your own and that of your family. I truly believe that real estate can be a pathway to financial freedom for all involved and a beautiful way to build a community of friends forever.

putting yourself into a world of rejection.

Every day you will get knocked back, knocked down and told ‘no’. You’ll work for commission and, when you do get to make a sale, you have to wait anywhere up to three months to get paid.

If that’s not enough, the current perception of agents is unfavourable; they are ranked 28 out of 30 when looking at how trusted certain professions are in Australia, next to advertising staff (29) and car salespeople (30). Nurses, pharmacists and doctors ranked as the top three (Image of Trusted Professions – Roy Morgan Research 2016).

The reality of this environment is completely counterintuitive to our innate desire for certainty, security, validation

You can very easily fall into a pit of scarcity and chronic self-analysis, which is where agents become self-focused rather than service focused.

However, the reality can be challenging, to say the least. If you do not enter the industry with both eyes wide open and a firm understanding of the game at play, you may swiftly fall into the chasm of ‘survival’ that lies between your desired future and current reality.

The truth is that real estate is a highly competitive industry where you are actively

and instant gratification. You can very easily fall into a pit of scarcity and chronic self-analysis, which is where agents become self-focused rather than service focused.

The game then becomes about listing, selling and making commission rather than serving, supporting and making a difference. Whilst this way of being is not intentional, vendors and buyers can feel it

a mile off; it’s here they don’t feel safe and begin to look for alternatives.

As a peak performance coach, time and time again I see agents floundering in the emotional quicksand of survival, doing everything they believe they need to do to realise their full potential and achieve their desired results but often getting bogged down in worry or sinking in paralysing fear. They are stuck, suffering and going nowhere fast.

The journey to success can be an arduous one that can swiftly arouse your insecurities.

With million-dollar agent videos being posted every day, it’s easy to begin to compare your behind-the-scenes showreel with others’ award-winning blockbusters.

This will keep you small and stuck, with no way to keep going and growing.

The important thing here is to know what you’re dealing with and build a bridge from your current reality to your desired future. Here are four steps to shift from surviving to thriving as a real estate agent.

Serve, don’t sell. The most successful people begin with the end in mind.

They are clear about where they want to go from a financial standpoint and

1

reverse-engineer a strategy to get there.

This is vital in any business: you must know where you are going. However, don’t make it about the numbers; focus on delivering great service and the numbers will take care of themselves.

Have a client-centric why. Why is the new black; everyone is talking about ‘know your why’. Whilst I completely agree, I always invite my clients to create a ‘client-centric’ why. Why real estate? Why do you do what you do? Why you? Consider that people buy people, not products; they buy you. They are not going to buy into the lifestyle you want for yourself; they will buy into the value you are going to bring to their life. When you actively articulate this, magic happens.

I always encourage agents to take a moment to share their why at a listing consultation. As international leadership expert Simon Sinek says, “People buy why you do what you do, not what you do.”

Imagine saying something like ‘I believe that real estate is an opportunity to achieve financial freedom, and I love nothing more than negotiating the highest value for your home so you can get on with enjoying the next chapter in your life.’

2

3

Separate the facts from the feelings.

As human beings we are meaningmaking machines. Things happen all the time, but we pepper it with a whole lot of murky meaning that sets up negative belief systems which sabotage our success.

You must learn to separate ‘what happened’ from ‘what you make it mean’ and deal with the facts.

Elevate your state. You must have daily, weekly and monthly rituals to keep your physical, mental, emotional and spiritual state high. Listen to music that uplifts you, spend time in nature, create a clear vision board to keep you inspired to move forward, surround yourself with people that billow your dreams to life – and be careful what you say, because you are listening. Speak words of possibility and progress, rather than seeking perfection.

4

Tanja M Jones is a Leadership, Mindset and Peak Performance Specialist. Her clients are usually real estate COOs or GMs who want up to 40 per cent more time to grow their business. For more information visit tmjcoaching.com.au.

eliteagent.com.au 49

mindset

PREPARE FOR THE OBSTACLES WE’VE ALL SAID IT: ‘I’M GOING to start on Monday!’ This is the banner cry for people

who are momentarily inspired to make some big changes, only to run into difficulties when Monday arrives. But if you prepare in advance for the obstacles that you may find in your way, you will be more likely to succeed. Chris Helder explains.

W

hether it’s a new fitness plan, a diet or changing a negative habit, people frequently set these goal posts when they want to redefine some aspect of their lives. In real estate, this is often a goal that will inspire them to prospect for new business. They are excited and print out their database. Monday will change everything.

Then Monday comes. They made a crucial mistake. They forgot to think about all the obstacles and temptations that come up.

At 9am they planned to pick up the phone,

50 ELITE AGENT • OCT-NOV 2016

but they were overwhelmed with a deluge of advertising proofs, emails and Toxic Boy wanting to share a cafe latte.

THE LAND OF THE REAL ESTATE TRAINING NOTES It’s no different with real estate conferences. Agents go away to conferences and are inspired to change their fortunes. However, when they get back to the office they go right back to the same patterns of behaviour.

Their conference notes are never looked at again. Worse yet, they are filed in the saddest, loneliest place on earth: The Land of the Real Estate Training Notes.

Those poor training and conference notes,

At 9am they planned to pick up the phone, but they were overwhelmed with a deluge of advertising proofs, emails and Toxic Boy wanting to share a café latte. yellowing in the filing cabinet.

How can you make goals work and use the information you take from conferences to change your business? Simple: focus on the obstacles.

What do I mean? The studies show that goal setting only works when you have pre-planned for every obstacle. Imagine trying to lose weight. It’s easy to set a goal, but people get tripped up when they haven’t planned for the reality: that at 9:30pm they crave chocolate.

If they are unprepared and haven’t thought this possible obstacle through, they will eat the chocolate. However, if they know that at 9:30 this obstacle will appear, they can pre-plan for this.

IF-THEN PLANNING In their preparation for their goal of losing weight, they prepare an if-then plan. ‘If I feel like eating chocolate, then I’ll have a cup of tea instead.’

This is absolute gold when it comes to real estate. There are so many distractions and obstacles that stop agents from achieving what they want. Imagine that you have every intention of having a good prospecting day. All of a sudden one or more of these things come up: • You decide to go out for coffee with a group of average performers at the office.

• You decide to avoid prospecting and choose to read the paper instead.

• You decide to make the easy choice to avoid prospecting and do any number of nonincome-producing tasks, such as market research, respond to emails or proof ads.

Instead, successful people set a goal and prepare for the obstacles that will stop them from achieving that goal. How do you do this?

Simple. Write down a list of all the things that might stop you. Put down everything that will distract you from achieving that goal of prospecting. If that happens, what’s your plan?

The amazing thing is that when you are totally prepared for every scenario, there is no stress. You are prepared for every situation, so there is no reason to panic.

OBSTACLES TO LISTING It is no different with listing. Prepare for the obstacles. Imagine going into a listing situation and being totally prepared for everything that could be thrown your way.

Those obstacles may include: • Your knowledge about the most recent sales in the area • Market share for your office • Why you are more expensive than the competition • The competition believes they have the buyers in this demographic • Can you afford not to go with a ‘Super-agent’?

The key is total preparation and preplanning for the obstacles. When you are prepared for every possible scenario, there is nothing to be stressed about. Once again, you can use the if-then planning for

Their conference notes are never looked at again. Worse yet, they are filed in the saddest, loneliest place on earth: The Land of the Real Estate Training Notes. a listing. If the potential vendor brings this up then I will respond with this answer.

I meet a lot of agents who get excited about their brand new real estate career and I want to support them. The key to their success is that they plan every scenario.

Plan for the obstacles. If you are prepared, you are ready to win.

Chris Helder is one of Australia’s top sales speakers.

He is the author of the newly released book ‘Useful Belief: Because it’s better than positive thinking’ and the best-selling book ‘The Ultimate Book of Influence’.

For more information visit chrishelder.com.

Having goals is great, realising them is something else!

I had a vision of where I wanted to go, what I wanted to achieve but I couldn’t easily see how to get there. A one off strategy session with Julie and Neil set me on a path to my biggest year to date and seven figures in personal sales income. They now play a permanent role in my goal and strategy planning and I couldn’t be happier.

It’s the smartest move I have made in a long time.” Greg Vincent, One Agency

Want a custom built strategy that gets results?

Call the team today and realise your profitability and business goals.

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eliteagent.com.au 51

marketing

CONTENT MARKETING How to become the local expert CONTENT MARKETING IS the current buzzword

bouncing off the walls of conference rooms and being discussed by business coaches around the country. However, most agents are still confused and overwhelmed about what they need to do to make a start in this fast-paced digital world of marketing. Data expert Nathan Krisanski explains.

T

he phrase ‘content marketing’ gets used to describe strategies for everything from blogs, vlogs and podcasts to Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Snapchat, messenger bots and other forms of content delivery.

Yes, there are a lot of ways to share your content, but this isn’t content marketing.

Content marketing is the idea of providing real value to your potential client before they have a requirement for your service, so when the time comes they already know you and your brand and may not even consider other options.

Content marketing in real estate is about being the local market expert for your area by sharing truly valuable information with your clients so they

52 ELITE AGENT • OCT-NOV 2016

trust you to provide them with the right advice.

If you don’t believe me that being the local market expert in the digital space will grow your business, then just stop reading now.

I have nothing more to say to you.

Good, you’re still here. Let me share with you my tips for being effective in this space without being bogged down in arguments about Pinterest vs Instagram.

REAL ESTATE CONTENT MARKETING 101

1

WRITE A LITTLE

If you don’t have a full-time content writer, like most of us, then you will be the one writing content. But make life easy for yourself and use the tools and content already available to you.

Your property data subscription will

include tools for building suburb reports or suburb statistics. You don’t need to be an economist; just pick a suburb each week, find a statistic and write a paragraph explaining it. Attach the full report or video to the post and you’re done.

Did you just get a new testimonial from your last sale? That is a piece of content worth sharing. Include a link to the ‘sold’ page on your website.

2

CONTENT FOR CHANNEL

The different channels you use determine the type of content you want to share and the tone of the content.

Facebook is great for photos and videos.

PDF reports and text-based content don’t work as well here. Clients will see your posts between photos of babies and their friends doing fun things, so make your

Content marketing in real estate is about being the local market expert for your area by sharing truly valuable information with your clients.

posts fun and light-hearted.

If you have video content, post it to YouTube as well. YouTube is the second most-used search portal in the world and Australians now watch over three hours of video content each day. Hint: if you’re not creating video content, start.

Your website is where your clients go when they want more detailed information, so longer posts and PDF reports can work well here.

3

CRM

Your CRM needs to be the central place for all your contacts. Ensure all of your external touch points (open homes, direct emails, social media conversations) end up here.

Set a rule with yourself or your office to link every contact with a property, either owned or rented, or a suburb. Having this basic information will allow you to customise your content to make it more relevant, and therefore more valuable to the client.

TERMS TO KNOW: Content or post – anything you write or share. Includes text, photos, videos, reports.

Channel – where you put your content.

Examples include social media pages (Facebook, YouTube, Pinterest, Instagram), your website, emailing your database.

CRM (Customer relationship management) – the single place where you keep all your contacts, past, present and future, so you can communicate efficiently with them.

4

may make you feel good, but they are difficult to relate directly to business growth.

Measure your success by: Database growth – the number of people in your CRM with a contact phone number and email address, and linked to a property (owned or rented) or suburb.

This indicates you are reaching new potential customers who will become real customers in time.

Email open rate or click rate – the percentage of clients who open emails from you and click on links to download a report, watch a video or contact you directly.

This indicates whether the content you are sending out is being seen as valuable by your clients.

MEASURE!

Keep in mind your goal is to be the local market expert. I recommend the metrics below as they have a direct correlation to the ROI for your content marketing efforts. Avoid ‘vanity’ metrics like Facebook post likes or YouTube views. These

Set a rule with yourself or your office to link every contact with a property or a suburb.

Nathan Krisanski is the CEO and Founder of HomePrezzo, a digital marketing company for real estate. He has over eight years’ experience in real estate technology, working with companies including CoreLogic RP Data, Ray White and AgentBox. Nathan is a consultant, trainer and presenter specialising in data visualisation, data strategy, data-driven marketing, market share and growth.

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eliteagent.com.au 53

best practice

Break, enter and steal events are more likely to occur during the settlement period, prior to the key handover and also after your new owners have moved in.

OPEN HOUSE

A question of security HOLDING AN OPEN HOUSE exposes every square inch of a

home to anyone who crosses the threshold. Most times it will be people you want to be there – potential buyers or tenants. But what if some of the ‘sticky-beaks’ simply want to see what’s there? Bruce de Graaf has researched the break-and-enter statistics and has some advice on helping your clients maintain their security.

U

nfortunately, not everyone who comes to view the home is a prospective buyer.

There is a group of people you do not want turning up at the open house. You don’t necessarily know who they are, but they may make their presence felt at any time. These are the ones who breeze into your client’s open house to see what the home contains and note the weakest points, best areas of concealment and the easiest way to break in.

In light of this, you need to work with your client to create as many attractors as possible to make ‘real’ buyers your audience.

On the flip side, however, you also need to

54 ELITE AGENT • OCT-NOV 2016

create as many detractors as possible to ensure that the home is considered too hard for those who attend the open house with a view to break, enter and steal.

MOTIVATION AND OPPORTUNITY The impetus to commit a crime is made up of two elements: motivation and opportunity. For most residential break, enter and steal events, both elements must be in place in order for the crime to occur.

I’ve researched BOCSAR (Bureau of Crime Statistics and Research) 2013 for statistics on residential break, enter and steal incidents to find what attracts an intruder to a residential property and what, conversely, detracts them.

The motivations of residential break and enter offenders in NSW appear to have changed little in the last 15 years.

Consistent with BOCSAR’s 1998 study, drugs continue to be a primary motivator for offenders. Intruders have seen their earnings rise and are now estimating windfall of around $2,000 per week compared to $1,680 in 1998.

A presentation at the Applied Research in Crime and Justice Conference 2013 highlighted the results of a collaborative study between the NSW Attorney General’s office and NSW Corrective Services. Andrew Webber and Emma Worthington presented the results of their comprehensive Residential Break and Enter Offender Study. They interviewed 229 offenders at 17 correctional centres, with a 66 per cent response rate.

WHAT ATTRACTS INTRUDERS TO A RESIDENTIAL PROPERTY? The study confirmed that the elements most likely to draw offenders were cues that indicate the home is wealthy, such as its location in an affluent suburb, or those that make it accessible and also easy to get away from – for example, a nearby laneway or easy access to the back door.

Tall fences, privacy screens and hedges or other trees that allow intruders to stay out of sight were also attractive to burglars.

‘It looked like no one was home’ was the reason for over 27 per cent of offenders, closely followed by knowledge of the goods inside (25.4 per cent of offenders).

What is clear is that knowing what they’re going to get is important for burglars; awareness of the goods inside, finding places that looked wealthy or even knowing the people who live there (and the goods they own) make places targets. For others, opportunity is important; an open door or window, or a home that looked easy to enter, were primary motivations behind their most recent break-ins.

An open house may be one way for a burglar to be anonymous and survey the property in its entirety. Every nook, cranny, cupboard and wardrobe can be opened if there is not proper supervision. Home features can be

laid bare. These people could now potentially know what is there; they have the floorplan and have identified the weakest points.

Break, enter and steal events are more likely to occur during the settlement period, prior to the key handover and also after your new owners have moved in.

HAPPY OPEN HOUSE Your advice to your client is invaluable, particularly during the process of setting up and going through the open house and the period following. Work with them to ensure that the home gives the overt appearance of being too much risk for the reward.

It is no accident that burglars often target

Command (LAC) are up to date and aware of all crime in your area; they are also there to reduce crime, they are a free resource and they are not trying to sell anything.

The Crime Prevention Officer in each command has had special training in Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design (CPTED). They are keen to engage.

SO WHAT DISCOURAGES AN OFFENDER? Motivation may be there, but it is possible to reduce or eliminate the opportunity.

According to the BOCSAR study, the detractors were indications that the home was occupied, such as noise, CCTV, alarms, dogs and cars in the driveway; other deterrents were features that made it difficult to gain entry, such as bars on windows and doors or apartments on upper floors.

Most offenders appeared extremely hesitant to break into any home that might be occupied.

Several offenders specifically mentioned that people being present in the home was important because it could lead to an aggravated break and enter charge, which carries a lengthier sentence.

Burglars don’t want to invest time and energy in crime if the risks of being caught are high and the returns are low.

Tall fences, privacy screens and hedges or other trees that allow intruders to stay out of sight were also attractive to burglars. certain houses, which is why it is important to have this discussion with your seller and your eventual buyer; it shows that you care.

Advise and guide your clients to keep security subtle but visible. The siren box on the eaves highlights there is an alarm and legitimate security stickers on the exterior also made it look ‘too hard’. Evidence of CCTV cameras is also a deterrent, but with stickers less is more.

Strategic placement of signage is sometimes better than splashing it everywhere depending on the home and the area.

Your local police are also ready to help if needed. Officers in your Local Area

The name of the game is to increase the detractors and decrease the attractors.

You’ll find that this will help to keep the break, enter and steal statisticians from adding your clients to their list.

Happy open house.

Bruce de Graaf is the Director of Sales and Marketing at Cage Security Alarms. He is a 25year veteran of the Electronic Security Industry. In addition, he is a heavily engaged Rotarian, and Past President of the Rotary Club of Crows Nest.

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eliteagent.com.au 55

The Home Straight Mark McLeod

When does customer service start?

So much is written and discussed about customer service in our industry, says Mark McLeod, but the question is: when does someone start being our customer, and where – if ever – does it finish?

W

ith a team from Ray White, I recently attended the Inman conference in San Francisco and this very topic was a major discussion point.

I can’t help but think that at times our customer-centric view is reasonably myopic. By and large, I believe that we give reasonable service to the category of people that we call

vendors and maybe, to a lesser degree, to our buyers.

As real estate professionals, we should view someone as our customer when they first interact with us, whether that is through digital channels or physical ones. However, research has shown that as an industry we are performing poorly in the digital space. Let’s look at some of the facts.

Upon initial contact with an agent online, 78 per cent of consumers expect a response within 30 minutes, and 94 per

cent within an hour.

“But if I’m showing a property, or I’m at a presentation, I can’t call back that quickly,” I hear you cry.

Today’s customer has different expectations. Don’t you expect the same when you go online?

And don’t forget, as they make that digital enquiry, this person is now your customer.

Another fact: 40 per cent of all digital leads are only contacted once. You should be attempting to contact them six times.

“Wow,” I hear you say. “How

receive. I bet 21 per cent of all that is an enticing number.

Many of the new players in our world such as the lead generation houses (you know who they are) understand this.

They have seen – and used – our lack of understanding and willingness to change as the edge they need to make further inroads into our industry.

Let me tell you something.

Whinging and whining on social media will do little to repel the growth of these groups.

Understanding the modern

Upon initial contact with an agent online, 78 per cent of consumers expect a response within 30 minutes, and 94 per cent within an hour. do I do that?”

Technology can do so much; surely it can help with this problem. I believe the solution for this begins with an understanding that this person is now your customer.

The barrier to improved action and thinking in this space may stem from the fact that 79 per cent of all of these online enquiries actually lead to no commercial return. When you flip that on its head, that means that 21 per cent do. Think of the amount of digital traffic you

56 ELITE AGENT • OCT-NOV 2016

customer, and adjusting to suit them, will.

In finishing, let me say this: a customer will reveal themselves digitally long before they do physically.

Are you prepared to make the change?

Mark McLeod is the Ray White Group’s Chief Executive of Growth. He works alongside both agents and businesses across Australia, helping them reach their ultimate potential to achieve success.

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