ELITE AGENT Issue 16 Apr May 2017

TRANSFORM 2017 PAGE 18

PURPLEBRICKS AND PURPLE COWS PAGE 32

THE ECOSYSTEM OF EXPERIENCES PAGE 56

LEARN FROM THE BEST #16 APR-MAY 2017

MARKETING CUSTOMER SERVICE

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Featuring the all-new Gold AREA – highlighting the ‘best in class’ in Innovation, Community, and Service Marketing and Excellence.

Submissions are open between 10th April and 30th June 2017.

For details, visit theareas.com.au

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Issue 16 Apr | May 2017

eliteagent.com.au | eliteagent.online SAMANTHA MCLEAN Managing Editor samantha@eliteagent.com.au MARK EDWARDS Publisher | Commercial Partnerships mark@eliteagent.com.au

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8 ELITE AGENT • APR - MAY 2017

Contents Regulars 012 EDITOR’S LETTER 014 READER PROFILE Mike McColl 016 WATERCOOLER Catch up on what you may have missed 022 ASK THE COACH Claudio Encina 030 MINDSET CORNER Jet Xavier 032 BUSINESS DEPOT John Knight 033 PEOPLE PARTNER Alison McGavin

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034 DATA INSIGHTS Eddie Cetin 046 AGENT PROFILE Namir Mikha and Jessica Chea 048 CHAMPIONS RE/MAX Australia 056 THE HOME STRAIGHT Mark McLeod

Everyone’s talking about 018 TRANSFORM 2017 Who will win the title?

First Person 024 RIDING THE WAVE Josh Phegan 026 DON’T GAMBLE WITH YOUR BUSINESS Michael Davoren 028 WINNING THE COIN TOSS Julie Davis & Neil Williams

36

Cover Story 036 PAYING IT FORWARD Melita Bell

Elite Agent 040 NIGEL DALTON: TIME, TRUST AND TRANSPARENCY Samantha McLean 042 CHRIS HANLEY: GOOD DOES WORK Sarah Bell 044 THE ART OF RETARGETING ONLINE Samantha McLean 050 3 STEPS TO SUCCESS Tanja M Jones 052 WHAT MARKETING SKILLS ARE CRITICAL FOR 2017? Mark Cairns 054 RESPONSE TIMES: THE KEY TO CREATING TRUST Kylie Davis

54 eliteagent.com.au 9

This issue we highlight some of our Transform 2017 coaches and contributors. To watch highlights of Transform coaching online visit eliteagent.com.au/transform. To watch extended coaching sessions visit eliteagent.online.

PETER MOCHRIE ACTOR, COACH, PRESENTER AND AUCTIONEER Where are you from originally and where do you call home now?

I grew up in Lindfield on Sydney’s North Shore before moving to Bondi, where I lived for 20 years. My family and I now reside in Sydney’s Eastern Suburbs.

Who or what inspires you at the moment?

People who go above and beyond in their work ethic and dare to live their dream.

Making it in business these days is much harder than ever before and the tenacity, knowledge and spirit that it takes are a constant source of inspiration to me.

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

Inspiring people in my classes, one-on-ones or my online

2017 JED CARLSON CEO, ADWERX course to bring out their best, either presenting in front of the camera or to an audience.

Trend to watch in the industry?

Creating online content that is cutting edge, ground-breaking and bold never ceases to bring a smile to my face. Innovation will never go out of style.

Favourite quote or words to live by?

‘Be generous and kind.’ We’re only here for a short time, so why not share your talents and help people be the best they can possibly be?

ISSUE 16 CONTRIBUTORS AND COACHES

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

I’m originally from Orono, Minnesota, one of the coldest places in America. Now home is Durham, North Carolina. The movie Bull Durham put our small city on the cinematic map.

Who or what inspires you at the moment?

I’m inspired by people who are motivated to get involved in civics, who move from complaint to actually becoming an advocate.

Doers inspire me.

Favourite quote or words to live by?

“Be the change you wish to see in the world” (Ghandi). This goes back to what inspires me now and how I’m raising my girls. I want them to take action for what they believe in.

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

My three daughters are the most important project for me. I wish I could say it was the one I spent most of my time on, but it’s not.

Trend to watch in the industry or in business?

Automation is the trend to watch.

LAURA MONROE VP INDUSTRY & STRATEGIC DEVELOPMENT, REALSATISFIED

Sacramento, but I usually say, ‘I’m tucked between Napa Valley and Lake Tahoe’. That sounds more romantic!

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

I was born and raised in Arizona, but have called California my home for over 24 years. I’m in a lovely suburb outside

Who or what inspires you at the moment?

My tribe of wonderful people I call friends. When life gets tough or is exceptionally beautiful, sharing it with the ones close to me inspires me

10 ELITE AGENT • APR - MAY 2017

I believe every agent makes a promise to properly market the home of their client. We are working to automate one portion of this promise, which creates great economy of scale. In other words, it’s advertising that works while everyone sleeps.

to see the perspectives I trust the most. It’s a wonderful thing.

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

My daughter. She’s off to university soon, so I am balancing a growing professional life and getting her ready for the world.

KYLIE DAVIS HEAD OF MARKETING & REAL ESTATE SOLUTIONS, CORELOGIC RP DATA Where are you from originally and where do you call home now?

I grew up in Glen Waverley, Melbourne, and moved to Sydney 27 years ago. We now live in Russell Lea – it’s 6 km from the heart of the CBD but hardly anyone knows about it. It’s one of those secret spots.

Who or what inspires you at the moment?

My hubby inspires me at the moment. He’s just decided to leave full-time employment and write his second book.

His first novel, Amplify, is doing well; we both thought ‘you’re a long time dead’ and felt he should follow his dream and get novels two and three written.

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

I’m excited to be working on the Real eState of Leadership survey with Tanja M Jones from TMJ Coaching. We want to understand the level of leadership skills agents currently have, what they’ll need to succeed in the future

Professionally, I have a new position within Placester, our parent company, that I am happily digging my teeth into.

Trend to watch in the industry?

Watch for more and more smart home technology, bots and AI (Artificial Intelligence) in our communications in business; these are rapidly changing advances with great

and what kind of training we should be developing as an industry.

Trend to watch in the industry?

Bots! They’re going to transform the industry and our lives in such a great way because they’ll do the drudge work we all hate.

I’ve got my own CoreLogic Journobot which we’re launching soon. He writes and lays out reports and only occasionally stutters.

Want an ‘all access’ pass to extended Transform 2017 coaching?

Here’s one for you… and some for your friends too.

Favourite quote or words to live by?

Einstein said, “The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result”.

It’s possible some of my behaviour is insane, especially around excuses for not going to the gym.

promise to investors to go mainstream.

Favourite quote or words to live by?

‘Always look forward, never back.’ Life is full of choices and opportunities, and the good thing is we can choose to learn and move on from almost anything. Look back when it can make you smile.

Extended coaching episodes from Transform 2017 are now available in an immersive 3D environment* like you have never seen before.

eliteagent.online * viewable on your desktop browser

eliteagent.com.au 11

I

EDITOR’S LETTER IN JANUARY, AS we were running

around one of the most exciting cities in the world (New York), to say that we were looking forward to getting home and getting into this year’s Transform #supersix was a bit of an understatement. We’ve had lots of other cool things planned for quite some time now which we were also looking forward to unleashing, and of course we couldn’t wait to meet our new #supersix – whoever they happened to be. January seems so long ago; with AREC right around the corner, life feels once again like a roller coaster ride of growing and learning for everyone, including us.

It was tough going picking our supersix this year as we had so many more applications, either because people saw how much the supersix ‘grew’ last year from the program or because of the additions to the prize list.

This year they include driving a current model Mercedes-Benz C 350e for six months, and ten premium listing upgrades from realestate.com.au, both of which are pretty awesome prizes. So I guess that is cool thing number one. It’s going to be an amazing feeling handing those keys over at AREC 2017 and I hope, with the fantastic speaker lineup that has been announced, that many

These six agents from all around Australia are incredibly special people who have shown themselves to be great ambassadors for the industry.

12 ELITE AGENT • APR - MAY 2017

of you will be there.

Cool thing number two.

Mindful of something we learned last year, we wanted to make sure that each member of this year’s Transform supersix had someone to help them and guide them along the way, so this year we enlisted not one but three head coaches: Tanja M Jones, Claudio Encina (back for another round) and of course the incomparable Tom Panos. It seemed only fair that we let our new ‘head coaches’ watch the application videos and give them a say in who the final supersix would be, like when the judges in ‘The Voice’ turn a chair. Each of our finalists had to have at least three chairs turn, so to get down to just six and have everyone agree was definitely a challenge.

But I do think the judges/ mentors got it right (turn to page 17 for more of a rundown on this year’s supersix). These six agents from all around Australia are incredibly special people who are working exceptionally hard and, importantly, have shown themselves to be great ambassadors for the industry which seems to be constantly defending itself. For us it is awesome to see agents like the supersix, who could be any of you, shine and get brighter. (Don’t forget you have a say in who the ultimate winner is – again, see page 17 for details.)

Cool thing number three is about transforming our own online presence. While we were overseas this year we met up with these

pretty smart people in Silicon Valley who run online events. You might be thinking online events sounds ‘meh’, but no, not like this, we promise you! Since last year we had been looking for a solution to deliver more of the coaching sessions of Transform to our wider readership, but we didn’t want it to be just another video on YouTube; we wanted it to be more of an interactive, immersive learning experience where people could meet, network and discuss the learning experience as well – more than a video, more than a forum or Facebook group – and even use it for CPD purposes. So when we met these guys we thought to ourselves, ‘This is it, this is so cool’. And so eliteagent.online was created.

What does it do? Well, you can be sitting in your office and from your desktop browser choose an avatar, choose an outfit, enter a virtual expo hall with exhibitors, chat to your friends who might also be in the room and of course drop by the virtual auditorium to see what’s cooking in there – making learning about new ideas

and topics in the industry almost as fun as playing a video game.

So from April 1 we will have extended Transform coaching lessons in the virtual auditorium, plus you’ll be able to read back issues of the magazine in the lounge, get exclusive access to other Elite Agent content, sponsor offers and more. And of course it will give you a flavour of virtual reality, which is something we should all be getting to know more about as it won’t be going anywhere any time soon. (Note: the only thing we can’t do is serve you coffee, but you never know … in the future!)

This issue of the magazine is all about transformation.

Not just about the supersix, but also different types of transformation that happen all around us. I immensely enjoyed interviewing Nigel Dalton, realestate.com.au’s Chief Inventor, who is all about change; there was too much to fit in this magazine and there will be an extended version of the interview online.

Melita Bell, another AREC speaker, is also all about transformation. When the chips

were really down for Melita she had the strength and tenacity to turn it around. And she is not one of these agents who sells a couple of properties a month; she is a million-dollar GCI agent with an average sale price of around $300k. I particularly loved Melita’s down to earth, humorous comment about success and why she works so hard,“I always think, in real estate, you can be a rooster one day and a feather duster the next!”

And, last but not least, we feature two agents who weren’t born here in Australia. Namir Mikha and Jessica Chea literally had to transform their whole lives to get where they are today, and when you think about how challenging that must have been, it does pull the day to day into perspective.

Don’t forget to use our special AREC discount code for Elite Agent readers, ELITE17, to receive your ticket for $700 and hopefully we will see you there.

eliteagent.com.au 13

READER PROFILE

INSIGHTS AND EXPERIENCE Mike McColl started out selling premium motor vehicles, where he received a valuable grounding in sales, marketing and customer service.

Having made the switch to real estate, he lives and works as a premium property sales specialist for Sotheby’s in beautiful Auckland, NZ. How many years have you been in real estate?

I have been in real estate for just over 10 years, working for three different franchises based in Auckland. All are market leaders where I learnt a considerable amount of the basics, mainly focusing on property law which is very important. I also learnt how different agencies can be in their systems and culture.

What motivated you to get into real estate?

Previously I had worked in the motor trade and was very

fortunate to manage dealerships that sold the world’s premium brands: Ferrari, Porsche, Audi, Mercedes-Benz and BMW. The trend 10 to 12 years ago was for large successful dealerships to be purchased by overseas interests, and as a result of my good business acumen I was moved slightly into more of an accountancy role. That didn’t suit me, as I loved being hands-on with the motivation and training of sales staff.

What is the market like in your area right now?

The market in New Zealand is extremely buoyant, especially where I live in Auckland which is the country’s business capital.

It’s a beautiful city with many properties having amazing harbour and sea views, which of course adds to the popularity.

There is a supply and demand problem with many ex pats coming home, plus immigration which constantly drives rising sale prices.

Who or what inspires you?

I’m inspired by people with amazingly positive attitudes who keep smiling, never complaining about a bad day; their energy for their work never wavers. As to an inspirational motivator, it would be Tom Panos. I love the guy’s attitude, from going through a very difficult time in his life to being a top auctioneer and real estate coach. His no nonsense, ‘call a spade a spade’ approach is fantastic; after listening to him, I jump.

Any insight from your experience selling premium car brands that is relevant to real estate?

The years I spent in the motor trade were the best grounding

In your ‘briefcase’ right now is…

My laptop bag, with my laptop, diary, listing form, plus a sales and purchase agreement. The quote attributed to Roman philosopher Seneca; ‘Luck is what happens when preparation meets opportunity’, which to me means we generate our own good fortune and it’s not luck at all. So in being prepared I have on my laptop a PowerPoint presentation which is highly visual, including my brand, profile, testimonials and high res photos of properties I have sold, with case studies; very powerful and it works well.

Something (or someone) you couldn’t live without?

I couldn’t live without my mobile phone. I was invited to view a potential listing one day, and was being given the house tour by the very proud owners, and when we returned to the kitchen/dining area their delightful four-year-old daughter had put my iPhone in the fish tank. I was mortified, but we had to laugh!

I’m inspired by people with amazingly positive attitudes who keep smiling, never complaining about a bad day. and training to enter real estate.

In the beginning, I learnt from some excellent trainers about processes that would lead to a sale. I learnt valuable lessons on marketing from top advertising agencies and that to be on a higher level than everyone else was to continually improve on customer services, customer experience and satisfaction.

What would you like to see more of in New Zealand for the real estate industry?

Great question! A more professional approach by agents to use the very best property marketing photography available, plus video which increases property views

14 ELITE AGENT • APR - MAY 2017

tremendously. Also, more indepth training for new agents on property law, it’s so important.

What do you enjoy most about Elite Agent Magazine?

Elite Agent Magazine is one of the few magazines where I read every page; it’s well produced, edited and presented. The most interesting contents for me are the agent profiles and case studies; very informative indeed.

Plus it’s great to have a copy on the office coffee table for clients and customers to see and read – it shows that you are a professional agent.

Any words to live by?

Words I live by are ‘Know the difference between right and wrong, and good from bad’, and ‘I would rather be someone’s shot of whisky than everyone’s cup of tea’!

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THE WATER COOLER D

Our daily newsletter #THEBRIEF brings you the latest real estate news, tech and marketing tips straight up every day. In case you’ve missed anything, here are some of this months trending stories. Subscribe to #THEBRIEF eliteagent.com.au/subscribe.

CAMPAIGNXPRESS NOW INTEGRATING WITH DOCUSIGN Businesses that subscribe to CAMPAIGNxpress can now finalise vendor-paid marketing budgets by requesting digital signatures on the spot from vendors. Cloud-based campaign management software CAMPAIGNxpress’s integration with DocuSign has eliminated the need for paper alongside the hassle of contract signing reminders when additional campaign funds are required.

Mark Cairns, Business Development Manager at CAMPAIGNxpress, shares, “With several thousand dollars at stake, it’s important to mitigate risk and gain signed authority in advance of each marketing expense.

Harnessing smart technologies from third-party companies like DocuSign to remove manual processes not only frees up agents and their staff but ensures the entire experience is seamless for the vendor.”

DON’T PANIC:

The Marketing Muse has got your back If you’re tired of advertising deadlines giving you headaches and having to learn new technology to get your advertising campaigns in on time and looking sharp, then consider outsourcing direct to an expert.

The Marketing Muse has been in real estate marketing for 19 years and has strong relationships across media channels, both digital and mainstream – meaning nohype marketing support direct from the experts.

The Marketing Muse has done all the hard work so you can outsource your marketing and focus on your dollar-productive activities, not the panic of getting the marketing campaign right.

With packages starting from just $260 per month, temporary, ongoing and even with after-hours support, it seems this marketing expert really does have you covered for an affordable price. Yes, they’ll even support you after hours with last-minute changes you can show your clients on your laptop so you can get approval there and then.

No more paperwork or shortlists from recruitment agencies to choose some help for your marketing team – just go direct to the expert in the first place and discuss what you and your team need to get your marketing working for you and to your timeframe.

Visit themarketingmuse.com.au for more information.

16 ELITE AGENT • APR - MAY 2017

NEW BOSS FOR CENTURY 21 HOME LOANS Century 21 Australia has appointed former banker Ben Braysich as its new national manager for Century 21 Home Loans. Braysich brings a wealth of financial services experience, having spent three years at Macquarie Bank and seven years with the Commonwealth Bank Group, which saw him winning the 2016 NSW Private Banker of the Year Award.

GETTING GREAT DRONE PHOTOS “There’s nothing worse than watching jerky video feed that looks like it was filmed by a chimpanzee with caffeine withdrawal on a rollercoaster,” writes drone enthusiast Chris Schneider.

With the popularity of hobby drones on the rise, more and more enthusiasts are experimenting with aerial photography. Places that were once off-limits or extremely hard for photographers to reach are now easier to access. Chris has some tips for buying the right drone and getting the most out of it.

3 ways robots can rock the world of real estate If real estate is all about relationships, empathy and connecting with people, is there any room in the industry for robots?

The evidence right now is suggesting yes, but we’re not talking bots that look like Rosie from the Jetsons or the Robot from Lost in Space to replace the end-to-end experience of being served by an agent. It seems counterintuitive that bots can improve the level of human service, especially when we think of how much technology fatigue is out there, but that’s not the case if you get the mix of human intervention right.

Ric Serrao dominates Raine & Horne NSW awards

Congratulations to Ric Serrao, who was named Raine & Horne’s Top Salesperson (Principal) – Number of Sales, and Top Salesperson (Principal) – Dollar Value for 2016. In the number of sales category, Mr Serrao beat newcomer Zeb Alaia, Principal of Raine & Horne Goulburn.

The Double Bay ace was named the Group’s leading agent for auction listings, and Raine & Horne Double Bay scored the Metropolitan Auction Shield.

Ric Serrao will be speaking at AREC 2017; for more info and to book tickets visit arecconference.com and use code ‘ELITE17’.

VISIT ELITEAGENT.COM.AU/CATCHUP FOR FULL VERSIONS OF THESE WATERCOOLER STORIES

BELLE PROPERTY OPENS IN INDIA

Australian-owned boutique agency Belle Property International (BPI) has opened an office in Mumbai, in order to capitalise on the growing number of Indian investors interested in purchasing residential and commercial properties across Australia. Based in India’s financial capital, the expansion forms part of the company’s strategic plan to expand into Asia throughout the year.

Goldman Brothers support Kids Giving Back The Sydney-based Goldman Brothers team from Sotheby’s International are organising their first-ever adventure run event in Jervis Bay National Park from 5 to 7 May. The race charity challenge is expected to attract 30 participants who would be raising a total of $75,000 for Kids Giving Back, a local charity organisation dedicated to encouraging children to give back to the community. The event, held over two days, is a 50km trail run that will see Heather Hawkins, an ovarian cancer survivor and ultra-marathon runner champion, as the event ambassador. For more information on the run and how to take part in the event, log on to adventure-run.com.au.

Cost savings realised for Aussie homeowner with Telsa power battery Last month we reported how one Australian homeowner has saved $2,110.46 in annual electricity bills, paying a total of just $178.71 in the past twelve months with the use of Tesla’s Powerwall home batteries. The Pfitzner family were Australia’s first owners of the Tesla power battery and say they have managed to reduce their total electricity bill by 92.2 per cent since their system was installed by Natural Solar in their Sydney’s Hills District home in January last year – proof that there’s definitely an advantage to exploring green energy options.

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EVERYONE'S TALKING ABOUT…

WHAT’S HAPPENING IN TRANSFORM 2017?

AT THE BEGINNING of February, we made the call once

again to find six agents who wanted to ‘Transform’ their careers by being coached by the best for 12 weeks, finishing at AREC 2017. But in a surprise twist this year we provided each of the six a top coach (Claudio Encina, Tom Panos and Tanja M Jones) to help them the whole way through. In case you’ve missed anything, here’s a rundown on the Transform program so far.

MEET THE SUPERSIX TEAM CLAUDIO ENCINA #TEAMENCINA

DARIN BUTCHER WISEBERRY REAL ESTATE, GOROKAN, NSW eliteagent.com.au/agentdarin FAST FACTS Agent Profile: Star Strength: Negotiation Wants to achieve: Learning profiling systems, get better at marketing and social media Darin has been in the real estate industry for 25 years and enjoys the diversity it brings to his daily life. “I love the variety every day; the different people, the different properties that you sell.” He says

18 ELITE AGENT • APR - MAY 2017

REA’s Nigel Dalton’s session about the evolution of technology has been a notably eye-opening one. “We’re in a time where people will upload photos of their meals for social interaction and we need to be the property that people stop scrolling for.

Technology is brilliant because it gives us a chance to give people a better experience and real estate is changing to adapt.”

Sam says: “Darin is from a family business and his 17-year-old son has just joined him.

Claudio and I talked at length about this; he has such a strong ‘why’ that will drive him through this program, even when the going gets tough.”

A tip from Darin: “People are craving two things: a trusted advisor to create an experience, and to save time – the one commodity there’s no more of. But we must remember that a person will appease the process a computer never could and never will – the human element.”

BEN SALM BRAD BELL REAL ESTATE, BRISBANE, QLD eliteagent.com.au/agentben FAST FACTS Agent Profile: Supporter Strength: Helping others; solving people’s problems Wants to achieve: better prospecting and client services, using his time efficiently Before entering the industry, Ben served as a member of the Australian Defence Force. He has now been in real estate for 18 months. “The things I love most are similar

to what I was doing in the Army, and that’s helping people and [having] the ability to solve people’s problems.” His favourite coaching session so far has been with his own coach, Claudio Encina. “In the short time we’ve been a part of Transform, I’ve got a lot out of each and every session. One of the things that resonated most with me was when Claudio said ‘If you want your business to flow with constant leads, have systems and structures and give it nine months to bear fruit’.”

Sam says: “Ben’s charisma and his presentation on camera made Claudio sit up and he immediately ‘turned his chair’ for Ben’s ‘X-factor’. “He reminds me of one of my other favourite ex-Army clients, Kirsten Mueller. I want him on my team!”

A tip from Ben: “Have a look at your structures and have a plan for everything.

Because that way you have a direction and you free up space to grow and bring on more business. If your back-end and your planning isn’t done and isn’t set in stone, you’re always going to be chasing your tail.”

TEAM TANJA M JONES #TEAMTANJ

MICHAEL CARTER RAINE & HORNE PENRITH & MID MOUNTAINS, NSW eliteagent.com.au/agentmichael FAST FACTS Agent Profile: Creator Strength: Local market knowledge, interacting with different types of people Wants to achieve: taking his business to the next level, becoming a million-dollar agent Michael has been in real estate for just over two years. He works in Penrith, Western Sydney, where he was also born and raised. “I really love being able to connect with a lot of people – and the possibilities

are endless in how much I can achieve in this business.” His favourite coaching session so far has been with Ray White’s number one agent, Gavin Rubinstein, where he and Gavin role-played as the vendor and agent in a ‘challenge practice’ listing presentation. “What I took out of Gavin’s session was to take control at the listing presentation, bring high energy, be confident and also be accountable with your time.”

Sam says: ”Michael appears to be a born marketer and we could see leadership qualities based on the creative initiatives he brought to his business and the office in general. If we are right about leadership tendencies, Tanja will be sure to bring them out!”

A tip from Michael: “A quote that [John] McGrath gave which has affected me a lot is, ‘What got you here won’t get you there.’

So you might be somewhere right now, and it might be working for you now. But you always need to keep improving and developing.”

model for others; we pretty much decided on the spot that we would do everything we could to help her achieve her dream of being number one in Mackay. And, knowing there would be good days and bad days, we felt that Tanja would be patient and empathetic and bring more of that light inside Leanne out to shine even brighter.”

A tip from Leanne: “When you’re choosing a drink like ‘green tea’, are you choosing to give a home-brand label to your customer, or are you going to give them the premium label? We really always need to be striving to give that premium label in our open for inspections and our listing presentation.”

TEAM TOM PANOS #TOMSQUAD

LEANNE DRUERY GARDIAN REAL ESTATE MACKAY, QLD eliteagent.com.au/agentleanne FAST FACTS Agent Profile: Deal Maker Strength: Making connections Wants to achieve: Being the number one agent in Mackay (while being the best mum), triumphing over adversity Leanne started her real estate career in 2013 as a PA, and has since worked in project management and sales. But just when Leanne’s real estate career was progressing well, tragedy struck when her husband of 17 years was diagnosed with an aggressive form of pancreatic cancer and passed away at the end of 2016. Now Leanne wants to get back into the role she loved so much and be an example to her two children.

Leanne’s favourite session so far has been Tanja M Jones’ tips on building rapport to open more doors. “When I knock on that door, make a phone call or see one of my buyers or sellers in the streets of Mackay, the response I want is not ‘Who’s there?’

Rather, ‘Leanne, it’s great to see you.

Come on in.’”

Sam says: “Leanne’s application video made us all cry, literally. But she shone such a light we felt that even in just applying she had the drive to be a great example and role

NIKKI HORNER WILLOW TREE REALTY, BALDIVIS, WA eliteagent.com.au/agentnikki FAST FACTS Agent Profile: Deal Maker Strength: Making clients comfortable; gaining their trust Wants to achieve: Growth as an agent by learning from others’ experiences Nikki is just entering her second year of real estate, based in Baldivis, WA; it’s a tough market where there are more sellers than buyers, but she still loves being in the industry. “What I love about real estate is that you’re part of something that’s bigger than you. You’re helping people in important moments of their life.” So far, Nikki’s favourite session has been Tanja M Jones’s on building rapport. “Tanja’s advice on being a change agent and learning to ‘park your funk’ is something that I keep in mind before every single meeting. I now take a mental moment on the drive to appointments to refocus my energy on how I can be of service and not just

[oversee] a transaction.”

Sam says: “Nikki is this cool mix of energy, raw talent, hustle and humour – it’s hard to pick which thing we loved about her most!

And very real to boot; she’s also ex-Army, has kids and all the challenges that go with balancing work and family. We thought pairing her up with Tom as her coach would help give her the confidence to start having the tough conversations she needs to have in the market she’s in – plus it gave me a kind of ‘fairy godmother’ moment in doing that. Definitely one to watch.”

A tip from Nikki: “I’ve stopped worrying about the outcome I want for myself and am now focusing on the people and what they need at a particular point in time.”

LUKAS PEDDER ELDERS REAL ESTATE MILDURA, VIC eliteagent.com.au/agentlukas FAST FACTS Agent Profile: Star Strength: Listing presentations, dealing with buyers/sellers at open homes Wants to achieve: taking his business and himself to the next level, improve prospecting Lukas has been in real estate since June 2016, making him the newest of the group to the industry. He currently works in Mildura, Victoria. “In Mildura, it’s a very unique place that we’ve got – just over 19,000 homes there and in the last 12 months 1,183 properties have been sold.

My favourite Transform session so far has been with John McGrath, because of the importance he places on being the best in your field. Be the best in your farm area, best opens, best presentation, best listings and so on. Because if you’re not first, you’re last.”

Sam says: “Lukas has moved from the city to the country and kind of cracked us all up in his video. Then we got onto his social media and all of his videos were equally as down-to-earth and charismatic. How could we deny Agent 3.0 a date with Tom?” A tip from Lukas: “Going off John McGrath and Tom Panos, it’s all about that ‘wow’ factor. As soon as they both walked in, they just commanded the space. For example, in an open home, command the space, make it yours and wow anybody that comes there, whether it’s one [person] there, two there, or 30 there. Each of them needs to be wowed.”

eliteagent.com.au 19

EVERYONE'S TALKING ABOUT…

STARS, CREATORS AND DEAL MAKERS Going into the challenge this year, Julie Davis and Neil Williams from Agent Dynamics ‘profiled’ each of our supersix to identify insights about their personal working styles, what areas of their work in real estate made them happiest, and where their strengths and weaknesses might be. Already the 2017 #supersix and their coaches are using these profiles to close skill gaps in their existing teams. Here is a summary.

From left: Michael Carter, Lukas Pedder, Nikki Horner, Ben Salm, Samantha McLean, Leanne Druery, Darin Butcher, Julie Davis and Neil Williams.

SUPPORTER – BEN SALM Neil says, “Ben is a Supporter Profile whose strength is focusing on relationships and building networks. Supporters are great team players who put emphasis on loyalty and trust and are very committed to getting the right result for their sellers.

Establishing rapport with clients will come naturally to Ben and his relaxed conversational style will work well in his favour. He will find it relatively easy to tune into his clients’ wants and needs, and to meet their expectations.

As his strength is relating to people he may well struggle with rejection, with a tendency to take things personally. Ben is best when picking up the phone rather than picking up the pen, so he won’t be a fan of the process and systems side of the business.

We’re tipping that paperwork and data won’t be his number one priority!”

20 ELITE AGENT • APR - MAY 2017

DEAL MAKERS – LEANNE DRUERY AND NIKKI HORNER Julie says, “Being Deal Makers our two girls, Nikki and Leanne, love to build and nurture relationships.

Their level of thinking is naturally based around connecting people and having high levels of customer service. They are both outgoing and somewhat mischievous, which is often a trait of a Deal Maker. At a listing presentation, sellers find comfort in their confidence to be able to get the best result, and they tend to be very patient in negotiations.

They will probably struggle with cold calling and door-knocking, as they prefer to focus on existing relationships rather than starting new ones. Referral business is their strength and if they communicate with their networks they will really thrive.

Nicki and Leanne will both need to be mindful of being too quick to please and not being distracted.”

CREATOR – MICHAEL CARTER Neil says, “Michael is a Creator Profile, whose innate talent is getting things started and being a big-picture thinker.

Creators tend to rely more on intuition rather than market research and need to temper their over-optimism.

When presenting to potential vendors, Michael’s ability to inspire and a knack for problemsolving will be his strengths.

Creators need to be very mindful of client nurture as they can often disconnect from the ‘now’ and head off over the hill looking for new projects and challenges. Just as they are the best at getting things started, they can be the worst at getting things completed.

Michael’s talent for quick thinking and creating ways out of chaos are a valuable asset in the fast-paced, pressure-cooker world of real estate.”

STAR – DARIN BUTCHER AND LUKAS PEDDER Julie says, “Darin and Lukas are both Star Profiles and are at their best when shining the light on others or on a product. They are particularly strong at thinking on their feet and improvising, which when combined with their natural talent for promoting new projects makes for a born salesperson. Stars love the challenge of the listing presentation where they are on the stage and, if successful, get to savour the buzz of success. They can tend to operate by force of personality, however, they need to be conscious of not moving too fast or putting too much value on image rather than execution. They thrive when they have a team to support them and are quite happy being the centre of attention.”

THE PROGRAM SO FAR Visit eliteagent.com.au/transform for highlights of the Transform coaching program so far. Extended episodes of most coaching sessions will be available at eliteagent.online in April.

DATE

COACH

TOPIC

10 March

John McGrath

What got you here won’t get you there

17 March

Claudio Encina

Knowing your why, local market monitor

21 March

Peter Mochrie

Presenting to camera

24 March

Kylie Davis, CoreLogic

Buyer perceptions

28 March

Laura Monroe, RealSatisfied

Gaining valuable client feedback

31 March

Tanja M Jones, TMJ Coaching

It’s rapport that opens more doors

4 April

Gavin Rubinstein, Ray White

What to do in a listing presentation

7 April

Nigel Dalton, realestate.com.au

Online marketing – the next frontier

11 April

Nathan Krisanski, HomePrezzo

Content marketing for agents

COMING UP IN APRIL/MAY

AND THE WINNER IS: Our Transform 2017 winner will be announced at AREC on 28 and 29 May on the Gold Coast.

THE WINNER WILL RECEIVE • The cover story in Elite Agent Magazine’s AREC 2017 Edition • Six months driving a Mercedes-Benz C350e, courtesy of Mercedes-Benz Australia FOR THE OFFICE • 10 Premium Listing upgrades from realestate.com.au • A BIBO Watercooler/Heater for the office.

THIS YEAR YOU HAVE A SAY HOW THE WINNER IS DETERMINED Our winner will be decided by aggregating scores from each supersix member along the 12-week journey: • Video tip ‘likes’ from readers and fans online • Use of Tom Panos’ ‘My Prospector’ to track calls • Listing Presentation Challenge Scores (week 10) • Use of RealSatisfied tool to measure testimonials and customer satisfaction • Feedback from coaches.

Remember to get online and vote for your favourite to win at eliteagent.com.au/transform.

Mark these dates in your diary for Transform 2017 highlights.

DATE

COACH

TOPIC

13 April

Claudio Encina and Jamie Van Le

Profit Zone

18 April

Jed Carlson, Adwerx

The art of remarketing

21 April

Steve Carroll, realestate.com.au

Digital trends

28 April

Tom Panos

Mindset + Scripts

5 May

Colin Anstie, Raging Digital

Social media for agents

9 May

Trish Varker-Miles, Trish Nicol PR

Agent PR

12 May

Alan Stevens

Reading faces to build rapport

16 May

Peter Mochrie

Presentation skills

18 May

Challenge/Makeover Week + Fiona Blayney Sales + PM working together

19 May

Gavin Croft

Marketing Campaigns

23 May

Josh Cobb/CoreLogic

Big Data

26 May

Mark McLeod, Ray White

The home straight

DARIN

BEN

MICHAEL

LEANNE

NIKKI

LUKAS

Transform 2017 is brought to you by

eliteagent.com.au 21

Q&A ASK THE COACH – Claudio Encina Top real estate coach Claudio Encina is back to answer more questions, this time from the Transform 2017 #supersix challengers. This issue he covers expired listings, agent standards and morning rituals.

Q.

How do you find expired listings and how exactly should you approach an expired listing to engage them in a conversation with you? - Lukas Pedder, Elders Mildura Firstly find expired listings by monitoring every listing in your area and keeping an eye on the days on market by using a market monitor spreadsheet. Then think about your approach; think, ‘What is my strategy when making a call or door knock?’ Take the time to think about the exact outcome you want rather than hoping you may get a result. This is where your 30-second impact message comes into play.

A ’30-second impact message’ is a brief message communicated in 30 seconds 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, calm and elegant way that can add value to the prospect. You need to intrigue the prospect, for example, “Did you know there are four reasons that homes are not selling in Smithville today?” Hopefully this will intrigue the prospect enough to ask why. That is the job of the 30-second impact message: to get your expired prospect to stop and think.

5. 6:30am - Emails 6. 7:00am - Personal selfdevelopment podcasts.

Why is this called a ‘Set in motion’ state? Because they are the things that bring ‘progress’ to your life. Start creating a few ‘set in motion moments’ in your day, including for prospecting.

Q.

Make sure your delivery is strong and as natural as possible, but really the key is to be prepared and have a case compelling enough to make them stop, listen and think.

Take the time before each phone call and door knock to plan what you are going to say for maximum impact.

Q.

What are your thoughts on meditation and what is your morning ritual during the week? Michael Carter, Raine & Horne Penrith Meditation is being present and in the now with a high level of spiritual awareness. Every day there is lots of junk that gets

A ’30-second impact message’ is a brief message to grab the listener’s attention.

22 ELITE AGENT • APR - MAY 2017

piled into our brains. Meditation clears the many different forms of clutter, such as negative thoughts, emotion and energy.

By meditating you clean out the junk in your system and bring calmness back into your life.

Mediation gives you clarity on your thoughts and inner desires and brings increased selfawareness.

We’ve all heard that routine will set you free. I start each day with ‘set in motion moments’. This sets me up to get into the right state of flow from the beginning of the day. A ‘set in motion moment’ consists of three to six things that you plan to be resultfocused on. For example: 1. Wake Up 4:00am - Lemon, ginger and hot water to get the digestive system working 2. 4:30am - Gym (high intensity cardio) 3. 5:30am - Stretch and Meditation 4. 6:00am - Breakfast

What are the standards that successful agents set in order to achieve results?

Ben Salm, Brad Bell Qld Million-dollar agents tend to have a set of disciplines and beliefs which they follow through with, no matter what is happening in the marketplace.

Successful people always raise their principles and standards to become someone that they have never been before by creating an identity to match their goals.

The high-performers in our industry are very self-aware and conscious of their actions, feelings and attitude, and are playing on a much higher level than most of us. The standards they set are generally around business, health, family, personal, wealth, lifestyle and relationships. In business, they have mastered the fundamentals of real estate.

In the last issue of Elite Agent Magazine, I discussed mastering the fundamentals; it’s a little bit like martial arts, where you master just eight simple moves. Imagine for a moment if you could master your best eight moves in your real estate business! Before long you would be tapping into your full potential, ability and greatness.

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

REWRITING THE RULES ON COMMISSIONS.

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FIRST PERSON

Josh Phegan

Riding the Wave

IF YOU WANT TO be successful at surfing the biggest waves

in the world, you need to be able to read the signals. Likewise, learning to read signals from your prospective clients will help you to successfully deliver more sales and avoid a wipeout. Coach Josh Phegan explains.

These questions are so simple, but they allow you to find out how potential clients really want you to follow up with them. Once you’ve done this you can take a slightly firmer approach and begin setting expectations.

It’s called permission-based marketing. Ask: • Would it be OK if I sent you a little monthly video that covers what’s happening in the local market?

• What I’ve done for others like yourself is give them a quick call when we have a significant listing or sale in the area. Can I do that with you?

4 EVEN THE WORLD’S best

surfers fear Hawaii’s deadly Banzai Pipeline. The surf reef break off Ehukai Beach Park is notorious for huge waves and even bigger wipeouts.

What’s all this got to do with real estate? To successfully ‘hang ten,’ you’ve got to be prepared, know which breaks to catch and where to jump on board the wave.

It’s the same when working your metaphoric sales pipeline.

To be a great agent you need to read the play and know which people are going to enter the market next and when.

That sounds daunting, doesn’t it? Let’s break it down.

1

VISUALISE Agents who can see what’s coming up take action and work towards those goals. Every time you meet someone who is a potential seller, write their details on a sticky note

24 ELITE AGENT • APR - MAY 2017

and pop it on a whiteboard or office wall under the month they are coming to market.

2

STOP, COLLABORATE AND LISTEN Who would have thought Vanilla Ice would have excellent sales advice? Not me. But this is the perfect approach to planning ahead and laying your pipeline with solid foundations. No cracks to be seen. Every Monday hold a ‘Pipeline Review Meeting’ where you assess your upcoming buyers on the whiteboard and how you can progress them through the sales process.

3

IRON FIST, VELVET GLOVE Have you ever noticed how potential vendors shut down when you bombard them with marketing? You call with market updates and they can’t get off the phone quick enough; offers of free appraisals are

To successfully ‘hang ten,’ you’ve got to be prepared, know which breaks to catch and where to jump on board the wave. denied and your pamphlets end up in the recycling. What happens is agents become too forceful and say ‘I’ll ring you in six months’ time’. Instead, turn things around and give a little control back to the client by asking smarter questions that lead them to think they’ve come up with the idea.

Key questions to ask could be: • What could I do to help you from here?

• What might the next step be?

DON’T LET TIME LAPSE What happens when the client does nominate a timeline that’s months away, you ask? You gently reel them back in. If the client says, ‘we won’t be coming to market until July’, you ask: • Great, so what are you hoping is going to change between now and then?

• If we had a buyer for your property today and they wanted a longer settlement, what would you want us to do?

5

FIND THE ‘WHY?’ Too many agents focus on how and when a client will come to the market, when what they really need to zero in on is why the client is coming to the market – or not. It’s only once you learn to hit potential vendors over the head with a feather rather than a sledgehammer that you’ll understand how to ask better questions, allowing you to tap into your client’s mindset and overcome their objections.

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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FIRST PERSON

Michael Davoren

Don’t gamble with your business

SPECIALISATION IS ON the rise in the real estate industry, and

it is a future born of necessity. RE/MAX Australia and New Zealand Managing Director Michael Davoren explains.

A scientific research study conducted by Innermetrix Incorporated last year concluded that agent performance and success had more to do with the degree of specialisation than any other single variable considered.

After looking at 197,000 people over a seven-year period, research showed that best performers are anything but all things to all people, suggesting that the more specialised the tasks and responsibilities, the greater their results.

WHY SPECIALISE? Having information is one thing, but being the expert in sifting, sorting and sharing it, transforming data into valuable intelligence for unique customers, that is the role of the agent now and in the future.

Agents must be pre-emptive, knowing their clients’ needs before the client does.

A specialist in their own right, an agent must be the one to find solutions, which involves a gamut of further specialists and a total integration of services to make the buying and selling experience as comfortable and positive as possible. Agents must be immensely valuable and profitable for the customer. I believe that the prerequisites for future business success are specialisation, customer relationships and giving value. Lose value and the agent becomes obsolete.

26 ELITE AGENT • APR - MAY 2017

HOW CAN YOU SPECIALISE? Rentals, leasing and property management are part of our industry, as is business broking.

The commercial sector is wellcovered. We are already familiar with geographical specialisation being favoured by independents and franchise groups that enforce physical boundaries on their agents and talk about ‘farms’, ‘patches’ or ‘focus marketing areas’.

We are familiar too with agencies that specialise in city apartments, top-end homes, waterfront properties or lifestyle choices, for example; but I am not referring to specialisation in the above-mentioned areas or in property types alone.

Move your thinking away from price and commission and consider instead the total concept of ownership, which extends to finance, insurance, moving, property presentation, customer education and the numerous other contributing services that may be delivered as part of the sales transaction or purchase. Your business isn’t selling; it is connecting with customers in a meaningful and specific manner that is relevant to their situation, helping them understand the risks they may face while positioning yourself as the risk-free alternative.

Some of the following specialisation examples exist, but many are yet to trend: • Finance any matters relating

Move your thinking away from price and commission and consider instead the total concept of ownership.

to purchasing and covering cost of home-ownership, such as Loans, Conveyancing, Insurance, Leasing and Financial Planning • Investment portfolios this goes much further than rent rolls and involves sourcing opportunities for investment in property and other assets, and ongoing management • International property markets to specialise seriously, this entails having personal contacts and networks of on-the-ground specialists, because you can’t just ‘mess’ in the international field • Project development and

marketing delivering exceptional customer service in relation to projects ranging from new apartments, townhouses, land and housing to master-planned estates and subdivisions.

• Property maintenance this is not just for rentals. Consider services to property owners such as landscaping, lawn care, cleaning, property makeovers, air-conditioning, safety and security, and property preservation using a network of painters, carpenters, plumbers and other repair people.

• Logistics moving house.

• Consumers working solely with a particular demographic.

• Technology with streamlined CRM systems, personalised databases in your virtual communities and, most importantly, communicating with those communities, because you can’t get pointof-difference from an app that every other agent is using or a portal available on every real estate ‘shelf’. Uniqueness can only come from the agent and the real estate business itself.

At the crux of specialisation is the imperative of an extraordinary customer experience. An agent cannot be a ‘jack of all trades’, treating all customers the same by ignoring specific needs and budgets.

The real estate market and our industry are much less of a mystery than they once were.

Customers today can access largely the same information as agents, but it is what form you get your information in, how you are able to interpret it and how relevant it is to you that is the deal breaker.

Regardless of what area you are in, your business in the future will rely on relationships – which must be cultivated and managed in a more refined, effective way than in the past – and specialisation.

Michael Davoren is the coowner and Managing Director of RE/MAX Australia and RE/MAX New Zealand.

FIRST PERSON

Julie Davis and Neil Williams

Winning the coin toss

WE HAVE ALL EXPERIENCED at some time in our careers those

dreaded words from a prospective seller: ‘It was a toss of the coin whom we would select and this time you lost; we went with ABC Real Estate’. Although you might think you are the unluckiest agent in town at times, there may be a deeper reason.

At one time or another, most of us have asked ourselves, ‘Why am I getting so close to winning only to be pipped at the post’ or to lose at listing at ‘the toss of a coin’?

One thing we do know is that most sellers don’t actually toss a coin. There can be a plethora of reasons why we lost out; we won’t run through them all now, but let’s try and decipher what sellers mean when they say ‘a toss of the coin’.

We liken it more to them relying on their sixth sense. We have all experienced it; it is very hard to define and it can often avert a disaster in other areas of our lives.

When researching, we speak with a lot of vendors who have recently been through the

Know who you are and be comfortable being you. entire sales process. We ask the reason why they chose one agent over the other, specifically when the race was neck and neck, and the ‘toss of the coin’ response often comes out. However, when we really start to dig and define what they mean by that they will often say there was just something about the second choice that did not seem natural

28 ELITE AGENT • APR - MAY 2017

or authentic. Something that gave them a flicker of doubt, that hedged the odds in favour of the competing agent.

It can often be that the winning agent was simply presenting in their innate flow.

When our listing presentation follows our flow, it tends to run smoothly and, most importantly, it is delivered in a totally natural and authentic

style. We are confident without being arrogant; we feel comfortable discussing and explaining why we are the agent that needs to be selected for the task. Our clients have a sense of connection and listen more intently.

When we talk about being ‘in flow’ we mean doing what comes naturally and innately, following a course of least

resistance. Picture a leaf floating down a stream, rarely hitting the rocks in its way but seamlessly moving past them and onward. If the leaf hits a rock it gets out of the flow; its progress stops and it spins in circles in the confused water before getting back into the flow and moving forward again.

Getting out of your comfort zone is a term often heard in business, particularly in sales. We think it is best used, however, in tasks such as lead generating and marketing.

Sitting at a potential seller’s dining room table late on a Sunday night is probably not the best arena to deliberately elevate your anxiety levels and practise new dialogue. You need to be as comfortable with your professionalism as possible.

Mould your skill and commitment to suit your natural style. If you are a ‘people person’, focus your energy on connecting and not on presenting page after page of data and statistics.

Conversely, if you are naturally more systems-and dataorientated then concentrate on your CMA and the processes you will follow to obtain a successful sale.

Deliver your listing presentation to best support your natural style; don’t try and be who you are not. Know who you are and be comfortable being you.

Your potential clients will have a sense of your authenticity and you may find that the inevitable coin toss starts to land in your favour.

Julie Davis is one of the country’s top female real estate coaches. Neil Williams is a qualified coach, trainer, licensed real estate agent and workplace assessor. Together they use their skills to assist individuals and teams to create their optimal business development pathway. For more information visit agentdynamics.com.au.

Mindset Corner Jet Xavier

Who is the agent of the future?

With the threat of online portals, ever-lowering fee structures and the potential that in 10-plus years up to 80 per cent of agents possibly won’t have a job, it is critical now that the agent of the future understands the key areas to focus on for greater success. Who do you really need to be?

T

he new age of real estate has begun.

It’s not about how property is listed and sold, but about how the high-performance agent of the future has to operate to ensure not only survival but success.

In this article I want to share with you what I believe are the five key areas that will create the high-performance agent of the future.

1

BUILT ON HAPPINESS Most agents experience negative thinking and moods daily. In cognitive behaviour therapy (CBT) it is called ‘automatic negative thinking’, like catastrophe thinking, mind-reading, fortune-telling or over

What we are left with is under performing businesses and lives.

When we start, though, with a fundamental happiness to our lives that wires us for optimism and a positive outlook, we will actually perform at far higher levels than we normally would, as Shawn Achor shows in his book The Happiness Advantage.

“In fact our brain performs 30 per cent better at positive than it does at neutral or negative.

It turns out that our brains are literally hard wired to perform at their best, not when they are negative or even neutral, but when they are positive.”

When you have a deep happiness then the world is a better place and you stop striving and never arriving.

You and your business become sustainable in the face of any challenges.

In my experience after over 3,000 coaching sessions, it is the person’s mind that is the problem. generalising based on assumptive thoughts that bind us to a slanted perspective and world view. This wires us to see the problem or difficulty first, rather than the solution or positive outcome. All this creates a void whereby our happiness and optimism are sucked out of us and lost.

30 ELITE AGENT • APR - MAY 2017

2

EMPOWERED BY MINDFULNESS The high-performance agent of the future will focus on the present. They will not dwell on the past or be lost in the future; they will be centred, have clarity and supreme focus along with inner harmony, balance and control of their

current state and experience.

They will have an ability to let go, not be attached to outcomes and results, transcending the ego, living without negative stress and contributing at a much higher level to the self and those they come in contact with.

Mindfulness is important as it assists in the process of slowing down your thoughts, having less stress, gaining more clarity, being focused, increasing relaxation, having proactive emotional management and improving memory. It also helps solve problems, improves your immunity, makes you happier and, more importantly, gives you the ability to manage your thinking and not let it manage you.

One of the key principal performance aspects of mindfulness is the ability to manage your mind. In my experience after over 3,000 coaching sessions, it is the person’s mind that is the problem. As the Buddhist teachers put it, the mind is like a crazy monkey running around in your head all the time. Embarking on a life of mindfulness enables you to manage your monkey for higher performance.

Meditation also assists this process. Jon Kabat-Zinn, author of Wherever You Go, There You Are, said, “Meditation is the only intentional, systematic human activity which at bottom is about not trying to improve yourself or

get anywhere else, but simply to realise where you already are.”

When you practise being in the present moment through meditation your ability to manage your mind for high performance strengthens.

Meditation allows you to clear the mind, be in the present and let go. It is in the letting go that you allow yourself to perform at a higher level. It also allows you to take your ego out of the picture and connects you with your true, authentic self. This creates a superior flow in your life that enables you to go above and beyond.

3

DEFINED BY EMOTIONAL AND SOCIAL INTELLIGENCE The Center of Creative Leadership found that 75 per cent of careers are derailed for reasons related to emotional competencies, including inability to handle interpersonal problems, unsatisfactory team leadership during times of difficulty or conflict, and inability to adapt to change or elicit trust.

In real estate, if you can’t roll with the punches emotionally when it comes to things not going the right way, it becomes a constant tussle on the roller coaster of ups and downs until it’s too much to deal with. This creates inconsistent results, and lack of traction and momentum.

Emotional intelligence is a key determinant in how we connect and engage with others, how

we come across and influence those around us and how reactive or proactive we are to the setbacks, challenges, roadblocks, stress and day-today difficulties that come at us.

People with emotional intelligence control the emotional landscape and empower, persuade and influence others.

How you handle your emotional game is directly connected to the success you have and quality of life you live.

4

FUELLED BY ENERGY MANAGEMENT Ever since Loehr and Schwartz made the distinction between time management and energy management, the corporate world has embraced

new paradigms in efficiency and effectiveness for high performance.

As Jim Loehr says, “A dynamic relationship exists between physical, emotional, mental and spiritual energy. Changes in any one dimension of energy affect all dimensions.”

5

CRITICAL ALIGNMENT OF ALL OF THESE ENERGY LEVELS Many agents, though, are unhealthy, over-worked, stressed, lifeless, dull and slothful, with no presence, vitality or purpose, no passion or spiritual compass. The ‘work till you drop’ ethos, stipulating grinding your body, mind and soul into the ground whilst

trying to do everything at once, still prevails. Most agents eat the wrong foods, don’t exercise, put unrealistic demands on their body, make it hard to have clarity and balance, and then go home to a family – the most important thing to them – absolutely exhausted and have nothing left to give.

In its pure essence, energy management is about your vitality, enthusiasm, physiological presence, mental clarity, focus and impact. It is based upon wellness, wellbeing, life balance and spiritual principles that allow the agent to be far more efficient, effective, sustainable, purposeful, persuasive and influential. Each energy impacts the other.

The high-performance agent of the future will understand and apply recovery and renewal practices to outperform others and experience a more holistic, balanced and optimal personal and business life.

If you are interested in how to grow in these areas, don’t miss REVIVE 2017, at the Sheraton Mirage, QLD 30-31 July 2017.

For more information visit revive2017.com.au.

Jet Xavier is one of Australia’s leading mindset coaches for real estate sales professionals.

Jet is an accredited EDISC human behaviour consultant, NLP practitioner, and motivational speaker. For more information visit jetxavier.com.

Knowing your team is great!!

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Trent Shorland, Harcourts Want a winning team culture that get’s results?

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Contact Julie on 0412 752 366 or julie@agentdynamics.com.au or learn more at agentdynamics.com.au

eliteagent.com.au 31

Business Depot John Knight

Purplebricks and Purple Cows Are you getting noticed? John Knight looks at the importance of standing out from the crowd to make sure your business is top of mind for the right reasons.

A

lmost anyone who has heard me talk at events over the years will know my favourite business book of all time is Purple Cow by Seth Godin. Yes, an accountant whose favourite book is marketing-related.

Although written way back in 2003, Seth Godin’s insights and theories remain relevant today. The basic theme of the book is be remarkable and be remembered, in the way that a purple cow would stand out in a field of brown cows.

In practical terms, if you have something about your business that makes you stand out from the crowd then you no longer need to spend your hard-earned cash on traditional marketing initiatives – your business has a high talkability factor, and talkability costs you nothing!

Remarkably, Godin wrote this book before we had Facebook, Twitter and Snapchat.

And that is exactly what the new entrant to the Australian real estate market has been able to achieve. Whether you think Purplebricks deserves to be the poster child for disruption in the industry or not, they are being talked about.

It’s not like Purplebricks is the first brand threatening to disrupt the industry. There are many before them – Go Gecko, OpenAgent, Ratemyagent, Buymyplace; you can even go further back, to when RE/MAX entered the market with their high-commission split structure.

32 ELITE AGENT • APR - MAY 2017

What Purplebricks is presenting to the market is something different – something that grabs attention, something that, like Seth Godin describes, is a purple cow.

How is this relevant to your business? It emphasises the absolute importance of having

in your business. For example, with Purplebricks’ low-cost, fixed-fee structure they needed to invest in software and technology to be able to deliver on their brand promise. They also needed a flexible workforce and knew they simply could not afford bricks-and-mortar offices.

Be remarkable and be remembered, in the way that a purple cow would stand out in a field of brown cows. a clear value proposition and the need for it to be at the core of your business model, not just an afterthought that you come up with as part of your marketing plan. This is something Purplebricks appears to have done extremely well.

With clarity on your value proposition you can use this to drive the other critical decisions

In and of itself, being a purple cow doesn’t guarantee you business success. You could launch a full service, nocommission agency, for example – the talkability factor would be huge, but the likelihood of your success would be low. Or would it? That probably depends on whether real estate sales is actually your core business or not.

Do you have a purple cow?

Do you have a competitive advantage? Do you even know what you do that customers put value on and is it different to the rest of your competitors?

Knowing why people do business with you is one of the most important steps in business strategy. If you don’t know what it is, then now is the time for some soul-searching.

Start by putting yourself in the shoes of your customer and rating what part of your service you actually place value on. You can then consider how this compares to your competitors before testing it against your own internal motivations. You can download a copy of a worksheet to help at businessdepot.com.au/ purplecows.

Side note: For what it’s worth, in my opinion there is a place for Purplebricks in the marketplace.

I don’t think they will replace those agencies whose value proposition is built on strong, trusted relationships with an individual agent or agency motivated to get sellers the best possible price for their property.

There is room for everyone.

But if you are currently competing on price then watch out, because Purplebricks has the business model behind it to make it extremely competitive.

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

For more information visit businessdepot.com.au.

People Partner Alison McGavin

When an employee leaves Regardless of the reason someone leaves your business, how you communicate the situation with your clients and the remaining team can have a huge impact.

T

he procedure around a departing team member can essentially be broken down into three main processes – how you communicate the news to staff, how you communicate the news to clients and the recruitment process.

1

COMMUNICATION TO THE TEAM It’s important at this point to be as inclusive as possible.

A departing team member can more often than not dent staff morale. By being transparent with the remaining team, you are reminding them that you are in it together. This is the time to build up camaraderie and, at the same time, not allow any gossip to spread through the office.

Be as open with the other team members as possible, whilst respecting the departing staff member’s privacy. It’s a really great idea to include the departing team member in this meeting. Sometimes circumstances do not allow this – say if someone has been let go or has been walked – but the team’s morale will be least affected if you and the departing member of staff both appear to be happy and supportive with no ill blood.

Remember, the entire team is affected when someone leaves.

It generally means that you will be calling on the team to pull together, which will include taking on additional duties

and potentially increasing their workload. It’s important to manage this process carefully.

A good idea would be to include the team in deciding how they would like to move forward.

Using a property management example, perhaps one person loves maintenance and someone else loves routine inspections, meaning they will be more willing to help in these areas. You will get a much better reception if the team is included in the decision on how to share responsibilities.

Collaborate and ask – don’t tell.

Your next step is to consider when the person is leaving. Put a time frame in place to help the remaining team re-prioritise and reschedule their workload to accommodate the new tasks. A farewell is a great idea as a thanks to the departing employee, but more so as a team exercise for the remaining staff to thank them in advance for the hard work they will be putting in until the new recruit starts. It’s really important throughout this process to keep any personal feelings aside.

2

COMMUNICATION TO CLIENTELE If your leaving team member is in any form of account management or client-facing role, such as sales, property manager or BDM, it’s important to ensure you communicate directly with your key clients. It’s a tricky exercise that needs to be handled diplomatically and with sensitivity. The most important thing you must

It’s important to be honest without giving too much information about why the person didn’t work out, or where they are going. always do when informing a client is to be positive. In most cases, the departing employee has built a relationship with the client so you never want to say anything negative about the team member. It’s important to be honest without giving away too much information about why the person didn’t work out, or where they are going. Clients will push for more information but it’s important to not give in to this pressure.

It might also be important to remind the client why they signed with your business in the first place. This is an opportunity to reiterate the reasons why they are your client and what you have done for them. It’s also a great opportunity to ask how you could be servicing them better.

Take this moment to explain how the transition is going to

be managed and who will be managing the process. This is where you can introduce the new contact and explain what is happening moving forward.

3

THE RECRUITMENT PROCESS When someone leaves, take this as a great opportunity to have a good look at your business and see how it’s operating. Do you require someone with the same skill set? Could the role be changed?

It’s important to reflect and see how improvements can be made. Once you have decided what position you need to fill, start the hiring process immediately.

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

eliteagent.com.au 33

Data Insights Eddie Cetin

The Need for Speed There’s one resource an agent can never have enough of, and that’s time. Listings can be won or lost based on an agent’s speed – usually interpreted by their clients as competence and enthusiasm.

I

n my last article, I addressed the fundamental power habits every agent needs to develop a valuable database.

Once you’ve got those success routines down pat, you’re ready to maximise the minutes and hours of your day.

Listings can be won or lost based on an agent’s speed – which is often interpreted by their clients as competence and enthusiasm for the job. So the time it takes you to return a call from a prospective vendor or a hot buyer, the rush to deliver your jaw-dropping pre-list kit, can make all the difference.

Agents who leverage their time – eliminating barriers to their ability to nurture more relationships – are invariably those who succeed, no matter the market conditions.

Inefficient, clumsy databases can actively damage your potency, relentlessly eroding your bottom line as an agent or a principal.

Not sure if you’re being slowed down by your CRM? Here are five sure-fire ways to identify whether your technology is diminishing your ability to be the leading agent in your community.

DEALING WITH DUPLICATES Are you battling with multiple entries for clients due to misspellings and incorrect details? A basic but systematic problem across outdated CRMs, duplicates lead to staff creating prospect notes haphazardly across multiple entries, making communications inaccurate and even embarrassing. When

34 ELITE AGENT • APR - MAY 2017

your prospect receives their umpteenth email or letter about the same listing, they’re likely to unsubscribe from your database – and they will have a poor opinion of your business at the very least.

MULTIPLE SYSTEMS There’s nothing quite like using a mixture of an old database, a new database, three Excel spreadsheets and an accounting package to destroy your business accuracy and chew up your time.

within your business – and of precious client data routinely slipping through the cracks.

GOING ROUND IN CIRCLES Are you being caught in a ‘fury circle’ of pop-up screens? Other than making you frustrated, a database with an inefficient interface costs you money.

The focus of your CRM should be helping you nurture relationships with vendors, purchasers and past clients in a

your hourly rate and how much money you’re pouring down the drain by burning time navigating multiple databases.

STRUGGLING FOR INFORMATION Are you stymied by ‘past listings’ disappearing from your database, making it very difficult to access client notes from prior agency transactions? Perhaps there are artificial barriers between you and relevant information which

We may all have the same amount of hours in our day as Beyoncé, but that counts for little if your database is slowing you down, preventing you from being the market-leading agent you could be. timely fashion, using a variety of approaches from phone calls to SMS, emails and letters.

If you’re being barred from appropriately accessing clients because of database complexity, you’re being slowed down.

Yet agencies across Australia are still caught up in the trap of using multiple systems – a relic of the bad old days of real estate.

Your database should allow you to perform all your most critical functions within one coherent system. Think prospecting, pushing listings to portals, producing financial reports, team activity reports and accounting.

Using multiple systems is a symptom of fragmentation

MULTIPLE TABS Look at the top of your screen.

Do you have endless tabs open?

You’re being disadvantaged by using multiple systems which aren’t in conversation with one another. Your database should allow you to quickly access data about existing clients, prospective clients and past clients without sending you to other information sources, or making you disappear into a vortex of tabs. Think about

prohibit you from winning a listing, or coming up with useful data quickly enough. If the struggle is real, the speed is down.

We may all have the same amount of hours in our day as Beyoncé, but that counts for little if your database is slowing you down, preventing you from being the marketleading agent you could be. Rich, relationship-building time can be unlocked by replacing inefficient systems with a marketing machine to enhance growth and performance.

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

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36 ELITE AGENT • APR - MAY 2017

Paying it Forward IMAGINE HOLDING 40 TO 50 LISTINGS a month and

operating at a level where if you’ve sold only 12 listings two weeks in, it’s a trigger for you to ‘pick up your game’.

Now imagine you do this without using a database and with the juggle of being a mum. Welcome to the world of Melita Bell from RE/MAX Success Toowoomba.

M

ELITA BELL has an

infectious smile and has friendly good vibes just oozing out of her.

But don’t mistake the affable exterior for a lack of ambition. She is as driven as the next agent, but always puts the people she meets first. And being active in her local community means she meets many of them in places you may not traditionally expect.

She joined the industry as a PA to Suzy Niemeyer, who coincidentally is the mother of another very successful agent in Qld, Dane Atherton.

“I was Suzy’s PA for seven years. Then she branched out on her own and I helped her set up her office. I got to see every insight, how the Office of Fair Trading works, how trust accounting works and then I ran the business with her. So I got to learn all the background knowledge of how real estate works from the bottom up.”

LOCAL INFLUENCES

BUMPS IN THE ROAD

“I like having a centre of influence,” says Melita, “So I do get listings from getting my hair done, or getting my nails done, or the other day I was in a grocery store and just talking to the lady behind me, and she says, ‘Oh, I’ve got a house to sell,’ because I told her I’m a real estate agent. I think every person I meet is an opportunity. Like, how simple is that? It was just talking to someone. It’s about being real.”

Melita started real estate in Ipswich (QLD) after a pivot from her role as a finance manager in a real estate office.

Melita then moved to Toowoomba and became a mum herself. While taking a break from real estate, tragedy struck following a major car accident which also led to some financial hardship while recovering.

Realising her situation wasn’t the life she wanted she knew there was only one person who could change it.

“It’s so true, when the darkest hours come upon you, what you’re capable of doing and the strength that you find. You can either crumble or you can get up and just go hard. That’s what I decided to do.”

And so selling real estate became the driver for Melita to move beyond her own struggles, and in doing so set about conquering them. In her first year back in real estate, selling property, the stakes for Melita were high – to win or to lose everything: “I had a six-month-old baby and I was single at the time. So yes, a single mum. And I sold 102 properties in that year.

I wanted to be an example to my little boy.”

ATTITUDE OF GRATITUDE While many agents struggle with the balance of having it all, Melita’s son is clearly a driving force for her and fundamentally connected to her purpose in selling property. But Melita is also refreshingly realistic and says what most people are too afraid to be. On the program of AREC 2017 with a major keynote this year, Melita says, “I just want people to know that it’s okay. You know, I do such big, long hours, but [still] I can sit in the car and I cry on the way home sometimes because I’ve missed out on some really vital parts of my son’s life. And you can have a bad day in real estate and be driving home – and

“I always think, in real estate, you can be a rooster one day and a feather duster the next!” be really emotional, and I’ll ring my mum up… but I know it’s worth it because I’ve had to make these sacrifices to be where I am today, and I have no regrets because I’m going to set myself and my son up.”

“I think, if you have family support; I’ve got really, really good parents, they lifted up their life from Ipswich to come and help me with raising my son. They really helped me when I needed them and if it wasn’t for them, I probably wouldn’t have been able to do what I did.”

Melita’s gratitude for real estate as a means to abetter life is obvious and it’s often been said that this approach creates a sustainable long-term drive for a successful career: momentum of that depth is difficult to derail with the day-to-day tactical obstacles that happen in sales. When asked about how she deals with the tough patches she is practical in her response. “I always

eliteagent.com.au 37

cover story think of someone worse off than me. I’ve got my health, I’ve got a roof over my head, I can put my son into a fantastic school, I don’t have cancer, I’m not dying. So why should I feel sorry for myself? And I always think, in real estate, you can be a rooster one day and a feather duster the next! That’s what I say to everyone. You think you’re going really good; you’ve got 15 contracts on the board and then five fall over. But you know what?

It’s okay, because what’s going to happen? I just have to sell them again.”

Her Real Estate Gym Coach, Tom Panos has watched her journey and is admiring of her tenacity in overcoming obstacles. “It’s true,” says Panos, “Melita has overcome adversity and eliminated every excuse.

She has become one of the most successful female agents in the country, while bringing up a young child, in an area that has a low average price. She has proven the secret is to make your goals bigger than your excuses.”

PEOPLE AND PURPOSE While for Melita purpose comes first, people come next. Being honest and authentic with people isn’t some sort of tactic for her to get listings – it is absolutely grounded in her as one of her core values.

The upshot of the referral business she has is an outcome, but not the intention.

“It’s great to email and text people, but there’s nothing better than picking up the phone and talking to someone.”

Her secret superpower? “Be honest.

Don’t fluff things around; just be honest to your clients, be honest to yourself and just don’t lie. Be humble. There’s no point in lying, it gets you into trouble. I always say, ‘You can remember a truth, but you can’t remember a lie’.”

KEEPING IT SIMPLE Melita’s work practices also demonstrate the same simplicity and honesty as her approach to people. On working without a database, she says “When everyone asks me why I’m successful and I have no database, it’s great to email and text people, but you know what?

There’s nothing better than picking up the phone and talking to someone, because usually in real estate we’re either talking to people who are struggling financially or going through separation. Sometimes people just need to hear your voice, that it’s going to be okay. That we can get the house sold and

38 ELITE AGENT • APR - MAY 2017

they can move on to the next stage of life.”

Melita also has one of the sharpest memories in the business and can rattle off her key prospects in a matter of minutes without looking them up. “I have a list of people every week that will be my top 20 listings that I know are going to come up with very soon, and then I have a list of every single vendor, every client that I have currently. I have Monday through to Sunday tick boxes and I tick as I’m driving in the car. I’ll just ring people on the way. And then it will be like my priority people who are going to be listing with me in the next couple weeks, I keep in contact with them.”

“Sometimes, I’ll be driving in the car thinking, man, I haven’t talked to that person for about three months, I’m just going to give him a call.”

PAYING IT FORWARD Perhaps partly the result of her own personal journey when it comes to vendors, for Melita it’s about the relationship, not about making the sale. She adds, “And I don’t even care if I don’t sell the house. Pay it forward, I always say.”

“I sometimes have owners ring me at 10:00 pm at night, crying because they don’t know what to do about their personal situations. So I feel that half the time I don’t even talk about real estate to people.

It’s about what they’re going through, and half the time because I’ve been through it, so I can be very sympathetic to whatever it happens to be.”

Melita also doesn’t closely count results, benchmarking or beans, although she does say she’ll be taking on a PA this year and yes, perhaps even a technology based database solution. But she says her approach will remain service-based.

Through serving her clients and immersing herself in the local community, her own million-dollar milestone slipped by almost unnoticed. On hitting a million dollar GCI target, Melita says again with that trademark smile, “I didn’t even know I did…

My bosses at the time came and showed me the piece of paper, and just said, ‘You did it.’

And it was like, ‘Wow. Okay. That’s good’.

This year she also realised that she had reached number two for transaction sides in the RE/MAX franchise awards, and she is still keen for more.

RE/MAX director Joel Davoren said of Melita, “Melita’s rise in the RE/MAX group, and the industry as a whole, has obviously captured the attention of a large number of people and rightfully so. We are so proud of her achievements and she is an amazing ambassador for the RE/ MAX brand. To see her fulfil a dream of speaking at AREC is just awesome and truly deserved.”

Melita says,“Sky’s the limit, now.

Nothing’s going to stop me.”

You can catch Melita Bell at AREC 2017 on 28 and 29 May. To book tickets use the code ELITE17 at arecconference.com. Words Sarah Bell. Interview Samantha McLean.

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technology

TIME, TRUST AND TRANSPARENCY

NIGEL DALTON IS PART thought leader, historian, geek, and agile promoter. Heading up

the REA Labs in his new role as Chief Inventor he is at the forefront of technological change in the real estate industry. Samantha McLean sat down with Nigel to talk about the chemicals that are currently bubbling in the lab and how they might indicate what the consumer will want next from the industry.

I

t’s impossible to know where to start with Nigel Dalton as there are a million questions that I want to ask him that I have attempted to summarise with a scribbled mind-map on a piece of paper.

The best place to start appears to be talking about Dalton’s role as chief inventor at REA, and what that means. Thinking we might start talking about the future, I’m surprised (and delighted) that he starts by giving me a cool history lesson. And I learn that history is something this inventor is passionate about: where things came from, how they got to be there often has indicators of where to next. “REA Group is known outside for being innovative and people come to visit us just to find out about that,” says Dalton, “It’s a little ironic to me, because the way that digital has replaced print as a media is a pretty old trend now; it’s a trend that our founders jumped on in ‘96. Back then it was very disruptive and an amazing innovation, because it was hard making the internet work in 1996, and making it work reliably.

You tell someone who is 25 today, ‘The internet didn’t work all the time.’ We had to physically scan photographs that were mailed in to us with handwritten descriptions of properties.”

INVENTION VS INNOVATION “[Back then], that was a tremendously innovative model,” Dalton continues, “no wonder people sort of lived in fear of it, and no wonder it was so successful getting into listings at the turn of the century. But today, that’s not really that innovative, so what we do are lots of incremental -

40 ELITE AGENT • APR - MAY 2017

THREE CHEMICALS: TIME, TRUST, TRANSPARENCY With technology and ideas moving so rapidly, I ask how he chooses what to pursue and when to pursue it. “In REA Labs we think there’s three chemicals in ‘the laboratory’,” smiles Dalton. “Time, trust, and transparency.”

In my own Editor’s Note from last issue I wrote about technology in real estate and the idea that no matter what the label says on the can, most things are being invented in this industry are to save the consumer time. I’m flattered that Dalton refers to this as he talks about time. “What you wrote about saving time for the consumer is bang on.” Then there is trust. “Trust is something Rachel Botsman called the ‘currency of the internet’ in her book What’s Mine Is Yours. She was right too; she was talking about the sharing economy what we call Kaizen improvements - to listings all the time. New products, new offers, more data, more science – those kind of things. But we started to realise there were a number of technologies that could take us to quite different places that people were reading about on the front of, say, Time Magazine. So could we get them from Time Magazine into the hands of our customers and consumers at a working stage and see how they might be turned into products? That’s invention rather than innovation.”

And the difference between invention and innovation is an important distinction.

“Innovation happens in our realestate. com.au and real commercial businesses every day. We’re putting new features on these sites and apps every day, literally,” says Dalton.

“I’ve got my two little 50cm-tall robotic friends that hopefully will be well-behaved enough to come on stage with me.” and why she never dropped a towel on the floor at an Airbnb, but generally left it in the bath at a hotel. We’re talking about human behaviour changes [in a] world where you [as a person] have a transparent rating.

“Transparency, then is the sister of trust and time, in that people want to know stuff. They don’t want to have the value of properties hidden. So I draw those as three circles that overlap, and that’s kind

of the recipe. Every technology we look at, we evaluate against time and trust and transparency.”

IS THE FUTURE ALL ABOUT VIRTUAL REALITY? And so it’s time to move onto some of the specific things that Dalton and his team are working on, including talk of virtual reality (VR), robots (bots), and artificial intelligence.

“Virtual reality is definitely about saving time,” says Dalton. “If you add up all the time spent by consumers – it’s the mother with two kids who she got out of school or daycare because the open is at 4pm, in the rain, across Sydney. The kids are noisy in the back of the car, she gets there and [the property] looks nothing like the photographs at all. Then she thinks ‘I never would have come if I’d known this is what it looked like. It looked fine on the listing.’ So [as an agent] you just lost two children plus a mother. She probably had to take time off work. Then there is an agent or property manager who’s probably spent at least two hours in preparation, parking, turning up, ensuring the place is tidy. What could we save [with virtual reality] out of this? Quite a lot of time.”

But Dalton confesses that the uptake of VR hasn’t so far been stellar and the issue is not necessarily the application but both the hardware and the content. “Right now,” says Dalton, “nobody really has the headsets.

Until the Google Daydream headset came out in November, which we were part of the global launch for, there really wasn’t a nice one that fitted your mobile phone, which [mobile uptake] is the critical aspect of technology for the industry.”

Dalton continues, “The next barrier to [virtual reality] not being an exploding media today is the content.” And again we look back at the lessons of the past to gauge what the future might be. “Content is the most interesting blocker to me. Take television, for example; when television exploded in the US from the ‘30s to the ‘50s, it became about owning the ‘complete stack’. You had to own the camera, the studio, the news reader, the broadcast network, the aerials on the roofs of houses, the retail store that the family bought the television from; you owned the whole thing. But by the 1950s that had become kind of fragmented and other people could make content. That’s the time when television exploded in America, when people started making cowboy westerns and things as specialist content makers.

That’s the next bottleneck after we all get a headset: what do we watch on it?

“So there’s a huge opportunity right now to create that content. We’ve got a couple of thousand properties in real estate VR in Australia today, but we’ve got 50,000 listings. So it’s a fraction.”

CONTENT GETS RICHER Clearly Dalton is excited about what technology might bring to the real estate industry in years to come. “I wasn’t in the industry at the time when professional photography took off in real estate in Australia. Those original photos in the ‘90s were taken by the agent and sent off to the pharmacy, to be printed and posted in an envelope to realestate.com.au.

“Now you look at the capability of people like Diakrit, who create beautiful professional photos which

way, confront people’s worst fears. I mean, you name your fear, it’s kind of like you can control it.”

The title of Dalton’s keynote is ‘Robots in Real Estate: Friend or Foe?’ and right now he says they are not that intelligent and can be a slight ‘pain in the ass’.

“Here’s how I think it will play out. [And] I’m going to use a nerdy technical problemsolving tool we use for tough computer problems to illustrate.

“Let’s imagine there are a couple of different kinds of issues; there are simple issues where the answer is obvious and there are complicated issues where the answer is a whole series of things that, in a linear fashion, one thing leads to another – cause and effect. And there are really complex issues which look more like an ecosystem in nature;

“Even my very, very brightest data scientists and engineers could not write an algorithm or a piece of code that can do what a real estate agent does.” have been photoshopped and optimised for online.”

While Matterport technology appears to be the leader in 3D scanning for VR applications, there are many other up-andcoming methods of creating richer content, says Dalton, and they are coming fast.

“They [start] from just popping your iPhone inside a very simple motorised tripod, as an inexpensive option. Google right now have the technology at street level on an app called Street View, where you can create photo ‘bubbles’ and submit them to Google to be part of their image library. And a thing called Google Tango is coming, where phones will be equipped with an even better technology for taking shots inside buildings.

So we’re working on robots for that, because we think there’s a higher-quality, lower-cost way of doing it.”

WILL AGENTS BE REPLACED BY ROBOTS? Dalton will be taking to the AREC stage in May this year to discuss some of the things we have been talking about, but as there has been much talk of robots taking over the industry he says he will have a couple of his ‘friends’ along for the ride.

“I’ve got my two little 50cm tall robotic friends that hopefully will be well-behaved enough to come on stage with me. If not, then they’ll be on the stand. I think what we want to do is, in a humorous way, in a light

so you change something here, it impacts four other things, three of which you didn’t predict.

“The real estate industry as it stands is not a simple problem or a complicated problem, particularly buying and selling; it’s a complex issue. It’s an ecosystem of humans and contracts and laws and mortgages and emotion. Property is at the foundation of Maslow’s hierarchy of needs. Shelter over your head; you can’t get on with the rest of your life until you’ve sorted that out. That’s proven to us every day in research. As an aside, we have one really important research question for people who got through the home buying process. We ask, “What’s it like now you’ve got that done?” The scariest phrase we hear is, ‘I’m so grateful to have my life back’.”

Therefore, says Dalton, right now it is the most complex of complex problems – so not that well suited right now to robots or code or programs.

“Even my very, very brightest data scientists and engineers could not write an algorithm or a piece of code that can do what a real estate agent does.”

Nigel Dalton will be speaking at AREC 2017. For more information and to book tickets visit arecconference.com. There is an extended version of this interview with Nigel Dalton online at eliteagent.com.au/ nigeldaltonrea.

eliteagent.com.au 41

interview

CHRIS HANLEY Good does work CHRIS HANLEY IS THE DIRECTOR of First National

Byron Bay, recent Order of Australia recipient and Byron Shire’s Citizen of the Year. To the real estate industry, though, he is a humble and generous leader and mentor to the mentors. Sarah Bell caught up with Chris in his hometown of Byron Bay to reflect on his life as leader of a real estate business, as a leader of the not-for-profit Byron Bay Writers Festival and a leader of leaders.

C

hris, tell us about your recent awards – an Order of Australia Medal for contribution to Literature and Indigenous Education, and Byron Shire’s Citizen of The Year. What has that been like?

Chris Hanley: It’s very humbling, getting awards. Strange as this is going to sound, it’s also unsettling, because you get awards for things that you’ve done in the past so it makes you look backwards, which is interesting.

The awards weren’t necessarily for real estate. They were for the activities you have done in your community in parallel to real estate. I read that you said the awards were the outcome of ‘living in a community that had nourished your soul’ which got me thinking about purpose.

One of the great issues in our industry is that we believed for decades that you categorise people: A class, B class, C class, people ready to sell in two weeks or ready to sell now. I think that’s all crap, and I will always believe it’s crap. I think you should treat everyone the same, whether they’re a landlord, a tenant, a borrower, a seller, a creative person who lives in the community, a poor person, an old person.

[As for] nourishing my soul... what it in effect means is that someone like me probably would have left real estate quite a long time ago unless I had something that did nourish my soul, that was different from listing and selling houses which I’ve done now for more than 30 years.

Chris, it is clear to everyone who knows you that your passion is people. That’s very clear in how you lead your team here, but also in the work you do in the community where you

When all else fails you keep putting one foot in front of the other.

There is no other answer.

42 ELITE AGENT • APR - MAY 2017

live and the community that is real estate.

I love people, but I like being able to make and create things. You learn more running an organisation where there’s no remuneration than you do running one when there is, because the engine of a not-for-profit organisation is people who aren’t paid. You become a really good leader when you can lead people who you’re not giving any money to, who have no incentive except their good graces.

For most people, there are a lot of other issues that motivate them and you learn that in not-for-profit. So for me, being able to live the values that I’ve learned in one area and practise them in another has been really good. I’ve enjoyed that.

Tell me about your early work life and how it has influenced your thoughts about ‘work’.

I went to work when I was 11 years of age; I used to get up at quarter past four in the morning, and I’d stand on a railway station and sell papers. I did it unprotected from the weather, in the middle of winter, and I used to sleep with my clothes underneath me in the bed because it was cold. I wouldn’t take any of that back.

When I was eight years of age, I was taken to a doctor and told I was going to go blind.

That one was an interesting thing to be told.

I was told not to get an education because it would strain my eyes, and I was told – it still makes me laugh – to go learn basket-weaving and things like that, because when I was blind I’d be able to make an income.

Whatever that stuff has been or whatever turbulence has come along, it’s like, okay, it is what it is and we’ll go and find some way to compensate or work it out. I went down to one eye and that one’s not so good, but I can still read and get around, so it’s all good.

You say struggle is normal, not abnormal.

Yes, it’s normal! When you’re a young boss and there’s a train wreck [at the office] – somebody leaves, or you have the market change radically and you’ve got no money in the bank – the difference between a young boss and an old boss is just the old boss has seen it before. He or she knows this is not the end of the world and that you can keep going.

I think the second thing about struggle is you learn that when all else fails you keep putting one foot in front of the other. There is no other answer.

How do you reconcile the modern Instaperfect culture with that concept – that struggle is normal?

I struggle with that, because the older you get the less you know. When I run into people in their 20s and 30s today who are convinced that they’re super-agents or that they’ve got

all the answers, that certainty worries me.

Struggle makes you realise that you know less [than you thought] and the older you get, the more you don’t know; which is why the greatest of gifts is curiosity.

Certainty is the enemy of creativity and the enemy of leadership, because you can’t be certain. I’ve been running around in the world and I’m scared by people who are certain. I like people who are flawed, who are fearful and anxious. I like people who make mistakes.

Has real estate become ‘instant’, do you think?

My view is that when a market turns, as it ultimately will, or slows, or comes back from a normal market, those surface agents – those agents who to me are a lot more like actors than they are problem-solvers – they’re going to struggle because they’re not experts. They don’t really know their market well, they don’t understand people that well, and when they’ve really got to work hard… I know agents all think they work hard now, but they don’t.

So what would you tell young people in real estate about how to become an agent of substance over a ‘surface’ or transactional agent?

A lot of people have a knowing, as an agent, that there’s another way, or a better way, or a different way. They run around, they read, they watch and they go to conferences; what they’re trying to do is get clarity about what it is they need to do to change from maybe being a surface agent, or to change from going from that type of agent to this.

What I’ve learned recently is that you get the clarity after you act. So that’s an old bloke trying to tell young people out there who understand they’re in real estate and they know what they’re supposed to be doing, but it doesn’t feel right. That’s because they work in the wrong model.

Most importantly, you’ve got to develop your own learning program. Some people have mentors, some people work with someone in their office as a lead agent and a junior, some people go round the country and visit great agents. Some people go to conferences, some people listen to the audio to do their dues, but you’ve got to have a learning program.

I guess the other thing that’s become so important, obviously, is to keep fit. Mentally fit and physically fit. It’s a really big part of keeping your body and your head together, keep it all in perspective and have some fun while you’re doing it.

What would be the central tenant of your approach? What is your one thing?

Nothing encapsulates not only my ethos, but the ethos for most successful organisations I’ve ever seen, as much as ‘Good Works’ and it does: good does work.

It doesn’t mean good works 30 seconds after you do it, and it doesn’t mean that good then becomes a strategy, like authenticity, or telling the truth, or being trustworthy – all of this stuff that comes out at conferences and I want to yell. I want to stand up and say to people, ‘That’s not a strategy or a plan. You do these things naturally. You do these things because you’re a good human being.’

But in terms of how good works, if you build your own business in real estate and you practise [doing] good, and good is within your community and within your staff, the bottom line is that a model of ‘good people’ kicks in. Your business will work and you’ll put down deep roots, really deep roots in your community, like a big, solid tree. And although stuff will happen, your organisation will still prosper. That’s why I love that expression about good works.

Sarah Bell is an in-house features writer and regular contributor to Elite Agent and EPM Magazines.

eliteagent.com.au 43

marketing

THE ART OF RETARGETING ONLINE RETARGETING, SOMETIMES CALLED remarketing, in simple

terms, helps you reach people who have previously visited your website by showing them your ads on other well known sites on the internet. Adwerx, newly launched in Australia, makes this process both simple and cost-effective for real estate agents. Samantha McLean sat down with Adwerx CEO Jed Carlson to unpack this exciting new service that can be used to promote listings as well as your business.

F

irstly, can you simply explain for us the concept of retargeting or remarketing?

Remarketing, or sometimes called retargeting, is the process of an advertisement following around a very specific audience of people on the web.

If you’ve ever been shopping online, on Amazon or something like that, and looked at a product, you may then see that

4 4 ELITE AGENT • APR - MAY 2017

ad elsewhere online, such as on a news site or Facebook.

Adwerx makes it really simple to do this type of highly targeted advertising. We do something called behavioural remarketing.

In the US, we have been creating ads for agents that find an audience of people who have been browsing real estate-related websites, doing real estate-related research online, and then follow those people around as they browse the net.

What are the benefits of this type of marketing for real estate agents?

Advertising really works when you are able to achieve repetition, so people tend to remember things, recall things and think favourably of things that they see over and over again. With retargeting or remarketing, you can spend a small amount of money from targeting just the right people and hitting them with a message over and over again from the search, which

is great. It’s great for agents who want to stay top of mind with people who are likely going to be buyers, sellers or investors.

people who refer you business, past clients, people you think might be coming into the market. It’s really just a fantastic product.

And we now have a new product feature called Quick Adder, that allows agents to easily add people to their advertising campaign by just including a tiny snippet of code in the BCC field of any email.

How can that benefit agents from a brand marketing perspective?

Typically, agents want to be known or ‘become famous’ to people in the local area who are thinking about moving or listing a house. This type of remarketing can put your brand in front of those people over and over again, reinforcing that brand and making people aware that you exist.

How can that benefit agents from a property marketing perspective?

The same technology can be used to market property as well. Showing the properties repeatedly to a highly targeted audience of people who are in the market, is a fantastic way to drive awareness for the property.

Tell us a little bit about ‘sphere of influence’ and how does it differs from postal code?

With sphere of influence, you upload your database or a list of clients, past clients or your network on your CRM into our system, and the ads that we create for you will only follow around those specific people. It’s fantastic for staying on top of the line with

What sort of successes have agents been having in the US by using Adwerx?

A broad range of successes. Agents use it to become more recognised in their area, and we hear anecdotally things like, ‘People come up to me at the grocery store now and say, “Hey, you’re that realtor that I’ve been seeing online.”’ When you’re marketing properties, we’ve had many, many agents tell us that the service has been great for driving traffic to their website.

We hear anecdotally things like, ‘People come up to me at the grocery store now and say, “Hey, you’re that realtor that I’ve been seeing online.”’

Adwerx has just launched in Australia; how do agents secure their postcode?

As there is a limited number of agents allowed to use our service in a particular area, visit adwerx.com.au to check availability. In the US, we have agents who try the product with one postal code and achieve success, and then buy up all the spots in a postal code to lock out the other agents from that area.

eliteagent.com.au 45

profile

CALLING AUSTRALIA HOME WHAT IS IT REALLY LIKE to start your life over in a new country

with a new career? Two agents, Namir Mikha of Belle Property Newtown and Jessica Chea of First National Real Estate Waverley City, immigrated to Australia each for very different reasons. Here they tell June Ramli how they’ve made a successful home for themselves in Australia and in real estate.

Firstly, tell us a bit about yourselves.

Namir: I was born in Iraq. I joined the army at age 16 – everyone did! After serving in the Iraqi Army for five years, I escaped with my mother and brother via Jordan and Albania to Greece. I came to Australia in January 1995 with little English

and worked in a factory for about a year so I could learn the language. I then worked in a couple of sales-related jobs for a few years – selling first insurance and then computers.

I was offered an opportunity to move into real estate sales in 2000 – first with Ray White, and then with McGrath. I am

now with a very good agency, Belle Newtown.

Jessica: I was born in Cambodia, and I escaped the country due to the Khmer Rouge war. I lived as a refugee in Thailand for a while before migrating to Australia in 1983 with my family. I was about seven years old. I did about six years’ worth of school, and I haven’t been to university.

What did you do before real estate?

Namir: In Australia, I worked in a Clark equipment factory in Sydney’s northern suburbs.

I spoke very little English and was often the butt of every joke because of that. I didn’t want to be the subject of other people’s jokes, especially when

to be good at what I do and to provide a safe environment for my family. I have a lovely wife, Juliet – an Aussie girl – and two teenage boys, Connor and Oscar.

I’ve tried hard to clear my mind of anything to do with growing up in the Middle East. Of course it’s not possible to erase those memories completely, but I’ve tried to realign my thinking to focus on being a good provider for my family.

Jessica: I was about 19 when I opened my own business; I was doing some stitching in my garage. Not long after that, we opened a factory for people to work and do sewing. Then I did hairdressing after completing one year of professional training. After a year and a half of working for others, I opened my salon with $9,000 of my savings. I enjoyed running my own business, but I sold it after 18 years because I set myself a goal to move when I was 40.

That goal was to challenge myself to see how far I can push myself to reach my full potential. Running a small business taught me to stay hungry and never take no for an answer.

How did you come to be in real estate?

Namir: With my background, it was important to both respect and help people. I try to work

“I DIDN’T WANT TO BE THE SUBJECT OF OTHER PEOPLE’S JOKES, ESPECIALLY WHEN I DIDN’T UNDERSTAND WHAT THE JOKE WAS ABOUT.” – NAMIR MIKHA I didn’t understand what the joke was about. This was a very strong driver for me to learn to speak English – to try to lose my accent (I’m not quite there yet) and speak like an Aussie! I was trained as a mechanic in Iraq, in the army. I managed to get a job doing electrical repairs in that Clark factory.

My early life has given me a fierce determination to succeed,

46 ELITE AGENT • APR - MAY 2017

on solutions to problems and to make things happen. That can usually be done by talking to people, and have them talk to me. Real estate was an opportunity that I was able to grab with both hands, so I jumped at it and went for my first real estate job – in Redfern. I didn’t have any money, but I had got myself a new car. They liked my story,

my determination, and my willingness to succeed. The rest, as they say, is history. It hasn’t been easy, but my life hasn’t been easy. I’m still here, and still loving the chance to help people with their property solutions.

Jessica: I knew real estate would allow me to explore my potential. I realised very early on what a privilege it really is to be an advisor and part of a journey on one of people’s most important life decisions – either selling or buying a property.

I was determined to build a career on my own, so I trained hard to have better knowledge that I can pass on to my clients.

How long did it take to sell your first property?

Namir: Six months. My very first sale was 78 Eveleigh Street, Redfern. It was part of what was known as The Block – all the windows barred and secured. My first attempt to visit the property, they chased me out of the area in my Mitsubishi Magna, because they thought I was a cop – it was hilarious at the time. The lady who bought it – a true braveheart – paid $158,000 for it. I will never forget my first sale!

Jessica: I made my first sale in 2013 after joining the industry in October 2012. My first listing was a unit in Mount Waverley.

I went against two other agents; I remember I didn’t have much experience, but the vendor felt I was genuine and I had connected with them and so they decided to go with me. I listed the property for $620,000 and it was sold in five days for $640,000. That was my first sale. I approached nearby property owners in the area and I found the next-

door neighbour with a family member was willing to pay premium price to secure a property to be close, and that is how this unit sold.

What prospecting method works best for you?

Namir: I love phone calls. I love handing out business cards. I love direct mail. I dislike doorknocking!

Jessica: When I started, we had to do cold calls, door-knocking to speak to strangers. It wasn’t an easy thing to do. I found that results came when the activity was consistent. Some people do it today, but they don’t door-knock tomorrow.

When I started, I disciplined myself to speak to at least 103 people every day and I wouldn’t compromise. It’s not set as to how many hours; I could be starting from eight o’clock and finishing at ten o’clock, but I

“WHEN I STARTED, I DISCIPLINED MYSELF TO SPEAK TO AT LEAST 103 PEOPLE EVERY DAY AND I WOULDN’T COMPROMISE.” – JESSICA CHEA won’t be door knocking at 10 o’clock. I do speak to people on the phone and if I can’t make it at the door, then I’ll replace it with telephone prospecting. But even with technology today, I still think nothing can replace being in front of people, building ongoing relationships and providing a personalised real estate service for all my clients.

What’s the best advice you have received?

Namir: The best advice came from one of the sales managers at McGrath, who said to me: “Always look to the future, and work backwards from there”. I like that – it says have a vision, have a plan, and work hard to achieve it.

Jessica: I remember listening to the late Jim Rohn. He said, “Even if you are new in sales, you can make up in numbers what you lack in skills.” When you are starting something new, you’re not going to be very good at it as you don’t have the skills, the knowledge; the results will be low, but you can’t let that stop you. To improve that, you’ve got to work harder than those with experience in order to improve yourself and have sharp focus on bringing in the numbers.

eliteagent.com.au 47

Champions

RE/MAX awards

THE REAL ESTATE INDUSTRY

is continually shaped by hard-working, highachieving professionals who are passionate about their careers and their businesses. Elite Agent Magazine would like to congratulate this year’s RE/ MAX award winners with a small selection of photos from the event.

Pinnacle Enterprise Award, RE/MAX Regency, Robina

Eagle Award recipient Murray Carter, RE/MAX Recency, Robina

Special Achievement in Marketing for Individual or Team, Rob Levy RE/MAX Excellence, Townsville

Australian Property Finance Top Market Share Office, RE/MAX Platinum

LET GO TO GROW PAGE 26

THE ‘HIT AND STICK’ PHILOSOPHY PAGE 30

7 WAYSE IS TO RABA THE R17 IN 20

Diamond Award recipient Todd Gerhardt, RE/MAX Advantage, Wynnum

THE DREAM TEAM PAGE 48

LEARN FROM THE BEST #14 DEC 2016/JAN 2017

TECHNOLOGY

10 DIGITAL TOOLS TO SUPERCHARGE YOUR MARKETING

BUYER L PERCEPTIONS ARTIFICIA

IS DO YOUR NCE HOW INTELLIGERATE CLIENTS RE OF YOU? THE FUTU ICE? SERV

OF SIX

PROFILE

AL REGIOWNTH GRO TER MAS WAGGA

W, ENT DAVE SKOTY MANAGEM PROPER

THE ART OF REAL ESTATE WHAT DOES LEVEL IN NYC A NEXT LOOK

BDM LIKE?

LEARN FROM

#15 FEB-MA

R 2017

10 THINGSSALES NEW 9 COM AGENTS NEED TO KNOWCOLD MON CALL

SONYA TRELOAR

THE BEST

PRECISION AND PERSONAL BRANDING

OBJECTIO NS AND HOW TO HANDLE THEM

INTERV IEW

33 FOR

Sales Growth Award, Katie Knight and Adrian Lane-Mullins RE/MAX Success

DETAILS

INSTAGRAM SPECIAL: Do you see yourself here? For a free personal subscription to Elite Agent and EPM snap a photo of this page and share it on Instagram tagging us @eliteagentmag #eliteagent

JOEL HOO D + JARR OD CAR MAN

COLL SUCCEESCTIVE S

WHY YOU NEE TO HAV E A PLAD N

Joel Davoren with Platinum Plus cocktail party guests from REMAX Partners, Hervey Bay

International Hall of Fame recipient Jerri Harrison-Taylor, RE/MAX Executives, Holland Park

MAKING EVERY

PLATINUM PROSPECT AREC17 TICKECOUNT TS SEE PAGE

GOING ALL IN WIT H PHIL HAR RIS

MARKETING

Diamond Award recipient Mark Cheney, RE/MAX Ultimate, Burpengary

MARKETING

• WIN ONE

ICATION YOUR COMMUN CHANGESINATION DEST

THE BEST FROM R 2017 LEARN FEB-MA #10

Lifetime Achievement award, Dave Neilson, RE/MAX Bayside Properties

+

TIME TAME YOUTO DATABASR E

48 ELITE AGENT • APR - MAY 2017

AS SEEN IN

2017

Are you nervous in front of a camera?

Could you do with some tips to make your next real estate video more successful?

Peter Mochrie has trained Australia’s best for over 20 years.

Learn the lessons of the pros online for just $149 Visit petermochrie.com for more information.

mindset

THREE STEPS TO SUCCESS TANJA M JONES HAS joined the ‘head coaching crew’ in

Transform 2017. Here she discusses her ‘Steps to Success’ framework which she uses every day in her regular coaching practice, and with #teamtanj in Transform 2017.

I

remember attending the ‘Million Dollar Agent’ couch conversation with John McGrath and Tom Panos at my first AREC in 2015. Both sat firm, like red Google pins on a map of mastery, casually commanding the stage, seasoned in their wisdom through decades of real estate practice.

John gave a pursed-lipped ‘tough love’ glare at the eager-to-learn lunchtime audience and said, “Guys, your biggest problem is your mindset! Honestly, this game is 90 per cent mindset and 10 per cent skill. We can teach skill, but your mindset is what will make the difference.”

I remember John’s message invited us to consider that we can attend all the training and listen to all the podcasts we want, but if we don’t get our mindset right we won’t last long in this game. Instead we will become a statistic, likely to join the line of thousands who leave the industry within their first twelve months, never to realise their real estate dreams.

50 ELITE AGENT • APR - MAY 2017

As if a puppeteer had tightened my vertical strings, I sprang up in my seat as every cell in my body hollered, ‘He’s right. I’m not a real estate agent, but I know he’s right.’

John’s message has been consistent ever since, as I have witnessed him speak at

You may have heard the phrase ‘Reach for the moon; even if you miss you’ll land amongst the stars’. Well, most of us don’t even look up.

McGrath kick-offs and watched numerous interviews online.

In my two years immersed in the industry I have come to completely appreciate the kind of human being real estate agents actually are.

Now, I know the 2016 Roy Morgan research highlights that they are currently the third

least-trusted profession in Australia, and I have certainly had my own fair share of below-average experiences with numerous agents. However, I also get to work with some of the most big-hearted human beings I have ever met; human beings who display a huge amount of servanthood, sacrifice and extraordinary work ethic, change agents who dedicate their life to enable their community to realise their dreams.

I also swiftly learned that this game is completely counter intuitive to our innate human desire of certainty, security, instant validation and immediate gratification.

Real estate is a world of rejection where every single day agents get told ‘No’, are knocked back, sometimes abused and often hung up on. Pepper that with the fact that it is a highly competitive industry where most work on commission only and get paid three months after making a sale the scarcity mentality is understandable.

So how can agents build a muscle of resilience like Popeye and profit? How can they build a mindset for success that supports them to roll with the punches, stay focused and take consistent action towards their hopeful horizons?

Well, I believe the answer is to apply the Three Steps to Success, a simple architecture crafted by international peak performance specialist Tony Robbins. Tony

has dedicated over 30 years of his life to studying the art of human excellence. He has decoded what makes us tick and how we can each get more tock out of our mental clock. He understands our innate flaws and consistently shares simple tools and traits that, if applied, enable us to triumph.

The Three Steps to Success model is so simple, yet so powerful and is something I use every single day in my coaching practice. It is equally a wonderful framework for leaders to mentor their teams, as it provides an instant choice of three doorways in which you can search for solutions.

STEP 1:

STANDARDS

You may have heard the phrase ‘Reach for the moon; even if you miss you’ll land amongst the stars’. Well, most of us don’t even look up. We often underestimate what we are capable of and don’t acknowledge the innate power we have to liberate ourselves and others around us to absolutely fulfil our deepest desires.

Step one is about clarity. It’s about defining our standards, our why, our what, our values and expectations. If we don’t know where to stand we’ll fall for anything and get side-tracked along the way, diluting

our power and potency.

The only way to achieve what you want is to turn your shoulds into musts.

Until something becomes a must it remains a ‘nice idea’, a consideration, and we end up deluding ourselves that our thoughts are actions. The ‘shouldness’ consumes our mental landscape and takes up valuable space for innovation, which thwarts the rise of our natural genius.

STEP 2:

STRATEGY

Now that you are clear on what you want and you have simplified your musts, it’s time to reverse-engineer a strategy to ensure your time is allocated to taking the actions you need to take to produce the results you want.

I assume you are no stranger to having an ‘ideal week’; this simply means you have sat down with your schedule and allocated time to do what you need to do to achieve your musts. Many people, however, have an adverse response to ideal weeks as they experience feeling ‘boxed in’.

International real estate coach Tom Ferry, together with his assistant, defined 75 tasks he needed to do each day, week, month, quarter and year to ensure he realised his musts. To guarantee success, they sat down

and planned his entire year out, clearing his mind of distraction; now his ultimate must is to simply follows his schedule. It’s a no-brainer.

STEP 3:

STATE

Manifesting our musts takes energy and energy is everything, especially in this game. To master your mindset consider, you need to take care of your four bodies: the physical, mental, emotional and spiritual.

A brilliant tool to do this is to follow ‘The Morning Miracle’ and practise SAVERS. This is an acronym for Silence (meditation), Affirmation, Visualisation, Exercise, Read and Scribe (journal).

For more information I invite you to read The Morning Miracle for Real Estate Agents by Hal Elrod, Michael J Maher, Michael Reese and Jay Kinder, or visit miraclemorning.com.

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 51

marketing

WHAT MARKETING SKILLS ARE CRITICAL FOR 2017?

IN TODAY’S RAPIDLY changing digital world, an agent

needs a tech-savvy, data-driven marketing team that is at the forefront of digital innovation. Leading real estate marketing expert Mark Cairns from CAMPAIGNxpress delves into the new must-have skills for success.

W

ith so many avenues and platforms, real estate marketing today is a complex machine.

Traditional marketing techniques are no longer enough. Instead, agencies need to focus on effective marketing – creating a campaign that has maximum reach within a scalable model. Here we look at the types of skills you need in your team: internal, external and your own.

THE INTERNAL TEAM The internal marketing team needs to be leading the way for digital marketing success. Essential skills today include: • Impeccable communication skills: Cutting through the noise on digital platforms is not easy. Today’s marketers need to be able to tell a story, grabbing a customer’s attention and emotionally connecting them with the property and the brand.

52 ELITE AGENT • APR - MAY 2017

And this all needs to be written for both humans and bots – something that is far harder than it sounds.

• Technological awareness: Taking advantage of new technologies and how they can streamline marketing and sales processes is critical if an agency is to be scalable. Using these digital tools will significantly improve efficiencies and build a future-proof agency.

• Relationship building: Real estate marketing is no longer simply about oneway letterbox drops. A good marketer will be a consumer behaviourist, able to quickly and confidently build online relationships, nurture leads and connect one-on-one with a broad customer base.

As real estate agencies jump on board the digital transformation train, we’ll see a lot of upskilling and training in these areas in the coming years. Astute agencies are also looking beyond real estate, hiring digital marketers from other industries who can bring their cutting-edge digital skills into the property sector.

THE EXTERNAL TEAM Today, the new breed of creatives that support a real estate agency need to be experts in both traditional and new media, including: • Savvy website developers: A good website developer will constantly be looking to enhance your website to ensure the best possible user experience.

• Digital analysts: More than ever, real estate agencies need the expertise of analysts who can track marketing campaigns and proficiently analyse the data. By understanding your customer’s digital behaviour you can craft targeted,

But also critical is video content – something that is leading the way in content marketing. If you struggle with presenting, get a professional to help!

THE AGENT’S SKILLS Responsible for marketing your client listings, yourself and the agency brand, modern agents need to be multi-skilled communicators with a strong understanding of the many marketing platforms available.

Must-have skills today include: • Social media guru: Intrinsic to any marketing activity, a successful agent

More than ever, real estate agencies need the expertise of analysts who can track marketing campaigns and proficiently analyse the data. more strategic and ultimately more successful campaigns.

• SEO experts: SEO is the most valued skill a marketer can have. External suppliers need to be able to competently advise internal teams and adjust content to maximise search visibility.

• Visual content: Professional photographs are essential to any property campaign.

needs to be a social media gun – able to promote themselves and the business, build engagement and understand how best to engage on each platform.

• Understand the digital landscape: With so many digital advertising choices available, a savvy real estate agent knows every avenue available and which option will best suit each campaign.

• Local expertise: Consumers today are community-focused; they opt for personalised service and localised brands over cookie-cutter businesses. As the face of the agency, you need to be present in the local community (online and actual), always being front-of-mind.

• Building an experience: Marketing today is all about experience. Open houses are not simply buyers viewing a property. Rather, it is a social gathering for people to experience living in a well-staged home.

Digital transformation is unavoidable.

But by understanding how you can harness digital technologies to work for you, agents are free to do what they do best – relationship building and face-to-face marketing. Dealing with people during the biggest financial transaction of their lives requires a unique ability to connect with customers’ emotions. And with the right support, that ability should ultimately close the sale.

Mark Cairns leads the charge at CAMPAIGNxpress, the innovator in cloud-based campaign management software. For more information visit campaignxpress.com.au.

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customer service

Response times The key to creating trust THE MOST POWERFUL SKILL agents can develop

to build trust with their clients is communication, according to both research and popular opinion.

But sadly there is a dramatic difference between how the majority of real estate agents define ‘good communication skills’ and the definition held by consumers. Kylie Davis provides four ways that you can improve your response times and delight your customers.

A

ccording to the Consumer Perceptions of Real Estate surveys held in 2015 and last year, both buyers and sellers define good communication as responding promptly to queries (response times), following up and doing what you say you will do (reporting in), and being friendly and empathetic (good listening).

Agents, in contrast, tend to define good

54 ELITE AGENT • APR - MAY 2017

50%

49%

ROOM FOR IMPROVEMENT IN AGENT RESPONSE TIMES

40% 29%

30%

24% 20%

18%

17%

16%

13%

11% 10%

0%

7%

4%

2%

Instantly Within Within Within Within 30 mins 1 hour 2 hours 4 hours

0% Same day

10%

0% 1 business day or longer

took for the agent to get back to them.

Here’s the thing to notice: 94 per cent of consumers expected the agent to get back to them within an hour of their inquiry, but only 36 per cent of agents did so. Almost two-thirds of agents (64 per cent) took two hours or longer to get back to the customer, with 10 per cent taking more than a day.

Now, as an agent, you can insist that such expectations are unrealistic and your definition of communication is the correct one. But here’s the thing. As Harry Selfridge, founder of Selfridge’s department store in London, said in 1909, ‘the customer is always right’.

Choosing to define what success looks like in a way that is different to your customers comes at a cost. That cost is an absence of trust, and that absence of trust has a negative flow on across the transaction, impacts on the types of referrals you get and seriously affects the likelihood of repeat business.

One of the simplest ways for agents to stand out from the crowd of their competitors is to do things differently. This

Choosing to define what success looks like in a way that is different to your customers comes at a cost. communication as having a great sales spiel and talking a lot – about themselves.

The chart shows findings from research carried out by the California Association of Realtors and was shared with me by @CAllActionco at the INMAN Connect Conference in New York.

This graphic shows the expected behaviour by consumers as to an appropriate response time for the real estate agent to return their inquiry about a property, compared to the actual time it

doesn’t have to be radical – sometimes just getting good at the old-school skills like communication can have a huge impact.

The Consumer Perceptions research found that very few agents have excellent communication skills; but those who did really stood out for their clients, who spoke highly of them to friends and referred a lot of business, establishing a long-term relationship.

The research shows only 11 per cent of buyers said agents had good follow-up

Almost two-thirds of agents (64 per cent) took two hours or longer to get back to the customer, with 10 per cent taking more than a day. skills, compared to 33 per cent of vendors.

Equally, 12 per cent of buyers said agents had good response times while 35 per cent of vendors said their agent performed well in this area.

So if you want to stand out from the crowd, it’s easy. Respond quickly to buyers’ calls, and you’ll outperform nearly 90 per cent of your competitors. Respond quickly to vendors and you’re ahead of 65 per cent of the competition. Build trust and the relationship starts from there.

Time to pick up the phone!

Kylie Davis is the Head of Marketing for Property Services and Content at CoreLogic.

Follow her on twitter @ KDavisCoreLogic.

4 WAYS TO RESPOND FASTER TO CLIENTS You’re busy. Really busy.

And client demands that you always respond quickly are unreasonable – especially if it’s 2am or you’re taking an hour to attend your child’s school concert.

But there are a host of ways to help clients feel you’ve heard their inquiry and helped them out. Here are some tips:

1

Put on Out of Office or an updated voicemail: If you’re unable to respond to requests for information for a few hours, put your out-of-office on and let clients know when they can expect a return call, or who they can talk to if the issue is urgent. That’s all they really want. And it really is that simple, but so few do

it. An updated voicemail message is also more helpful than a generic one and resolves the number one issue clients have. Did you get my message? How long should I wait to expect contact?

Get a bot: Chatbots can provide a great service to both consumers and agents. They can start the ball rolling on an inquiry, provide basic information, send reports and help you qualify genuine leads. Check out Holmes from Structurely. (structurely.com) Send a personal video: Your phone shoots video. So if you’re out with the family taking some well-needed time off, shoot a very short video at the park or beach

2

3

to respond to your client.

Tell them you got their call, that you’re with family but their business is important to you and let them know when you expect to be able to call them back. The combination of them being able to see where you are and see your face adds to the sincerity and creates a better connection than an email.

Send a report by SMS: Client X desperately wants information about 27 Jones Street. You’re out of the office. Your options are to ring your assistant and ask her to send it, or wait until you’re back in the office, right? Wrong.

You’ve got your client’s mobile number, you know the property. Go to your RP Data Pro mobile app, build a report with a click and send it in seconds. Minds blown.

4

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C O N N E CT | C O M M U N I CATE | C O NTR I B UTE

20/01/2017 10:54 am

eliteagent.com.au 55

The Home Straight Mark McLeod

The ecosystem of experiences The evolution of our industry is clearly about putting the customer, and the experience of the customer, at the centre of our universe. But that’s not all it will take to futureproof your business, says Mark McLeod.

A

s I have said and written many times, the question remains: who is our customer? Most agents believe their customer is their current vendor and/or buyer. Some extend further and say ‘all the people in my database’.

In my opinion, everyone who owns a home in our communities is our customer.

Many agents take a myopic view of how they influence their customers. My belief is that to be effective in the future we have to build what I refer to as an ecosystem. What do I mean by that? An ecosystem is when we provide services that work together to give the customer a full real estate experience.

Many agents look down on letterbox drops. In isolation, letterbox drops probably don’t allow you to influence your community. But when part of a larger ecosystem it would more than likely play a role.

The experiences that we give at our open for inspections, how we respond to digital enquiries, the experience we give someone we have placed in our databases, how we interact with the schools in our community and the social activities that our communities are built on are all part of the ecosystem.

The development of these ecosystems effectively allow our customers to be fully immersed in the environment

56 ELITE AGENT • APR - MAY 2017

“You could argue that the people who head to those usurpers have never been involved in anyone’s ecosystem – in fact, the contrary.” we create. If we look at the lead generation houses - there are too many to mention now - they want to pick out one part of the ecosystem, such as picking the agent.

They try to do this without providing any real experience, and you could argue that the people who head to those usurpers have never been involved in anyone’s ecosystem - in fact, the contrary. They’ve gone to an open and never got a call back; they enquired digitally but never got a response, or it took an age to receive a response.

Everything we do now is forming our ecosystem. It

underpins how people select their agents, which is now 24 hours a day via a digital interview.

I have always hated the word ‘prospecting’ because it sounds like something that sits outside our daily business. You are either prospecting or you’re not. When you enter into the mindset of an ecosystem, each part is playing a role in developing your brand and nurturing and establishing new clients.

There needs to be a new mindset of our industry in order to navigate the future.

I will leave you with one thought that should change the way you act. If we never got

paid from a client on the first transaction - if we only received payment on the second transaction - how different would our businesses look and how different would our ecosystems be?

Understand the future is about the experience we give our customers, not how many listings we win each day.

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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CPD ONLINE

Ready when you are!

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