ELITE AGENT Issue 04 Mar Apr 2015 [FULL]

WHY NO ONE LIKES A KEYBOARD WARRIOR

ARE DIGITAL PRE-LISTING KITS THE WAY OF THE FUTURE?

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PASSION FOR PEOPLE

Emmy Thies

5 KPIS TO KEEP YOUR BUSINESS ON TRACK

INSIDE: THE TOP COACHES

John McGrath • Josh Phegan Michael Sheargold • Tom Panos Caroline Bolderston

CLOSE COLLABORATION Successfully linking PM and Sales

SKIMMERS, SCEPTICS AND SOAKERS Are you covering them all?

31 May – 1 June, 2015 Gold Coast Convention & Exhibition Centre

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Fiona Blayney, Tara Bradbury, Caroline Bolderston, Lisa Brown, Sarah Dawson, Natalie Hastings, Attila Kovacs, Tim Lawless, John & Stephanie McCloskey, Joanne Oliveri, Tom Panos, Josh Phegan, Carl Quested, Jeremy Rosens, Michael Sheargold, Heidi Walkinshaw.

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Sarah Bidmead, Leigh Brown, Craig Caughlan, Lyn Cox, Andrea Dunne, Carole Edwards, Maria and Manos Findikakis, Georgia Goring, Brett Greensill, Mitchy Koper, Glenn McGrath OAM, John McGrath, Laura Meaney, Joanne Neville (ICMI), Charlotte Norman, Leanne Howard, Anthony Lapadula, Danielle Molyneaux, Cara Oliveri, Donna Roles, Lara Scott, Dave Skow, Kevin South, Emmy Thies, Dixie Walters.

We’ve done our best to acknowledge everyone involved in the production of this magazine; in some instances where we have left anyone out, it will be a genuine mistake made in the flurry of activity and mayhem close to deadline. Please let us know and we will give you a mention in the next issue. © Elite Agent Magazine 2015. All rights reserved.

2 ELITE AGENT • MAR-APR 2015

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Contents

Regulars 006 EDITOR’S LETTER 008 READER PROFILE Craig Caughlan 010 UPFRONT News from the community 014 EVERYONE IS TALKING ABOUT Interest rates - How low can they go?

020 MY LOCAL: WAGGA WAGGA, NSW David Skow 022 TECH IN THE CITY: WHY NO ONE LIKES A KEYBOARD WARRIOR Lisa B 023 LEADERSHIP: WASTE NOT, WANT NOT John and Stephanie McCloskey 024 MARKETING: DIGITAL PRE-LISTING KITS Attila Kovacs 048 CHAMPIONS: RE/MAX Annual Awards 064 THE LAST WORD Fiona Blayney

26

First Person 016 STAY HUMBLE, STAY HUNGRY Josh Phegan 018 WORTH EVERY SECOND Caroline Bolderston

Cover Story 026 PASSION FOR PEOPLE Emmy Thies

Elite Agent

32

030 LINE AND LENGTH Our exclusive interview with Glenn McGrath 032 THINK BIGGER John McGrath on what agents of 2015 need to deliver 036 KEEPING IT REAL Leigh Brown on why authenticity is essential 038 THREE ADVANTAGES OVER YOUR COMPETITION Tom Panos 040 SUPER TEAM, SUPER SERVICE Jeremy Rosens 042 SKIMMERS, SCEPTICS AND SOAKERS Carl Quested 044 THE TOP TEN QUALITIES OF THE TOP TEN PER CENT Michael Sheargold 046 AGENT PROFILE Anthony Lapadula, Jellis Craig Northcote

Elite Property Manager 050 THE NEW CUSTOMER SERVICE NORMAL Natalie Hastings 051 HOW TO HIRE A BDM Tara Bradbury 052 C LOSE COLLABORATION Brett Greensill talks sales and property management working together 056 FITTING IT ALL IN AND FINDING TIME FOR YOU Heidi Walkinshaw 058 5 KPIs TO KEEP YOUR PM BUSINESS ON TRACK Jo-Anne Oliveri 060 PM PROFILE Kevin South, Toop & Toop Hyde Park, SA 062 TEAM SPIRIT Sarah Dawson

36 4 ELITE AGENT • MAR-APR 2015

THE BEST LOCAL AND INTERNATIONAL

REAL ESTATE IDEAS FROM 17 SALES AND BUSINESS TOP PERFORMERS PLUS INDUSTRY-FIRST CONSUMER PANEL + SPECIAL GUEST, GLENN McGRATH

DON’T MISS HEARING

“THE FLIPSIDE”

Customers On What They Really Want

INSIDE THIS ISSUE YOU WILL FIND...

YOUR EVENT PROGRAM

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I

EDITOR’S LETTER TALK. TALK. TALK. That has been

me this month. And you know, I have loved every minute of it!

I was waiting for a call on a Friday night a couple of weeks ago. I found myself staring at the phone like I hadn’t done for quite some time, and when my mobile flashed noisily with a +91 country code on it, my heart started beating out of my chest. “Hello, it’s Samantha,” I managed to croak out. “Hi Sam. Glenn McGrath here, how are you?” Just casual, you know, like we are two old friends having a chat on a Friday night.

It was a bit of a surreal experience, Glenn’s PR had called me about two hours before, kindly letting me know he was in India and he may just call at any moment. That set a process of distraction like no other, hoping I didn’t put my foot in my mouth somehow, and trying to be as prepared as possible.

It turned out I needn’t have worried. Glenn chatted to me for almost an hour, and I have to say he was literally one of the nicest, most humble, gracious people I have ever had the pleasure of

Glenn McGrath chatted to me for almost an hour, and I have to say he was literally one of the nicest, most humble, gracious people I have ever had the pleasure of speaking to.

6 ELITE AGENT • MAR-APR 2015

speaking to. We talked about cricket, peak performance and how consistency and attitude mean everything. I think based on this interview which was way too long to put into this magazine (extended version will be posted on the web) - if you head to Ideas Exchange this year you will get a lot out of listening to Glenn’s presentation. And likely you’ll get a few stories about Warney and some of his other more colourful teammates (I didn’t ask, stayed on topic and kept it pretty professional!) But if you are keen to find out now exactly what it took for him to get to the top, turn to page 30.

I always love chatting to John McGrath, and I had the pleasure of an hour or so with him this month talking about ‘agent version 2015’, AREC15, technology and all sorts of other real estate topics. He was pretty open and frank on what his thoughts were on the things

agents need to be doing to be successful in today’s market; plus he gave me his thoughts on marketing, and also the need for more ‘straight-talking’ in the industry. Again, so many tips and ideas from John that we have needed to break that story into a ‘two-parter’. You will find Part One on page 32 and we will publish Part Two in the next (May) issue.

Another really fun interview I did this month was with Leigh Brown from RE/MAX North Carolina, USA who will also be visiting for the for Ideas Exchange this year. This southern belle used to sell chainsaws before becoming a Realtor. “Premium, high quality chainsaws, mind you!” she points out. When she starts speaking, I promise you, you won’t even realise you’ve been dealt a few tough messages on a range of topics because she can deliver them with such a lovely thick southern accent (just like Scarlett O’Hara) and sense of humour that makes you feel quite glad you’ve been told!

Leigh is well regarded for her excellent property videos where she sells on the more emotional aspects of the home (worth looking up on YouTube). She cites her video marketing inspirations as being people like Raj Qsar

from Orange County and Patrick Lilly from Manhattan. I also had a look at some of their vids (and will post a few online) and was mighty impressed; not only inspiring, their range is in the $4-5 million bracket and the properties themselves are amazing to look at. While you’re there, Leigh herself has a few very funny videos online, I particularly loved the one about how to ‘Exorcise Demons from any property.’ (Please don’t try that at home unless you too have a thick southern accent!) Again, way too much of the good stuff to include in the story so we will post an extended interview on the web for subscribers.

Last but not least, I need to thank Emmy Thies, our cover agent for this issue and congratulate her on winning several ARERAs (RER network awards) this month including Boutique Office of the Year, Boutique Principal of the Year, and Qld Agent of the Year. I had sought Emmy out after remembering her on stage at Michael Sheargold’s Real Estate Sales Summit last year, loving her energy and approach.

Emmy is just 28, started ‘from

scratch’, went into property management and five years ago grabbed the opportunity to start her own office - during the GFC, without sales experience.

As someone who has now been incredibly successful in this business, she squarely sees her role as making other people just as successful and just has an amazing energy and drive to do so. I think that definitely shines through on our cover this issue, which I would go so far as to say is our best yet. To read more of her story turn to page 26.

There is definitely a common theme running through this magazine - from Emmy, John, Glenn, Michael, Josh, Leigh, Tom and others. If you want something badly enough, and you’re willing to not just to go the ‘extra mile’, but do whatever it takes, success is right there for you. So get to some of these events, network your socks off, learn lots - Emmy said herself she ‘went to an event one year, came back and implemented everything that was relevant and doubled her business the next year’.

Success starts with you, with your attitude; if you really want it - it’s up to you!

eliteagent.com.au 7

READER PROFILE

INTEGRITY AND PERSISTENCE Craig Caughlan is a well-respected agent at Dukes Estate Agents in Penrith, NSW. Starting in real estate at the age of 40, he is consistently recommended for his integrity and sincerity. Craig’s long-term clientele and incredible sales record both provide evidence of the focus he places on each and every client.

What motivated you to get into real estate?

My family has been involved in property development since the 1970s, and as a young kid I used to get dragged down to my Dad’s development sites. I suppose I’ve had real estate in my blood from a young age. As an adult I began doing a little bit of small-time development and that eventually led into buying and selling real estate. I’ve had a lot of exposure to negotiating and customer service, and just being involved with people at all levels of sales

8 ELITE AGENT • MAR-APR 2015

and management. I like dealing with people, and property is one of the fantastic businesses that it’s great to be in.

How did you get started?

I started about six years ago; I went to see John McGrath and asked if I was the sort of person that would fit into a real estatetype business. Luckily he said yes!

I started my career at McGrath estate agents under the tutelage of the great Matthew Lahood.

Working under Matt for three years was fantastic. I learnt so

much from his mentorship, and also got to work with some of the greatest agents in Sydney: people like James Dack, Ben Collier, Peter Star, Steven Chen; many fantastic agents. I met some brilliant people through the McGrath business.

You can’t pay for training like that; it was sensational for my life in real estate.

How do you define success?

Success to me is having a fantastic work/life balance.

That’s an interesting term that doesn’t really hold a lot of weight unless you can manage it properly, and I tend to think we manage it pretty well within our family. It means spending quality time with my wife and kids, and also spending the optimum time required to meet my budget, KPIs and the requirements I need to be a million-dollar agent in the western suburbs of Sydney.

How’s the market in your area right now?

The Nepean Valley, the Penrith area of greater Western Sydney, is on a massive growth curve, having grown in the last 30 years from being a small country town.

We’re on the peripherals of the Sydney basin, at the base of the Blue Mountains, so the extension of growth from the Sydney metropolitan area finishes here.

We’ve seen exceptional growth west from the CBD of the city; now the second CBD is Parramatta, and the enormous growth that’s going on there now. The next stage is going to be Penrith. Only 20-30 minutes down the road will be the next national airport in Sydney in the not too distant future, so there’s going to be a massive growth opportunity for this area. We’re already having five new suburbs built in and around the Penrith area.

This incredible growth is certainly fantastic for local business life. The lifestyle around the Nepean river is wonderful.

There are some great parklands, great trail runs, national parks, places to go picnicing and for enjoying time with the family. It’s a really nice area to be.

Is there something you couldn’t live without?

I couldn’t live without my family.

They’re a fantastic support; it’s great to get home to the kids, and of course my very supportive wife, Charlotte, is there through thick and thin.

Together we live out the good and the bad experiences of business and family life.

What do you most enjoy about reading Elite Agent Magazine?

I love the magazine; it’s got a great fresh approach. You get some really good advice from people who are actually doing it, rather than just talking about the theory of real estate business. I hope it continues down the track.

It’s a very different publication to what else is in the industry – it’s wonderful.

What advice would you give someone starting out in real estate?

I’m 46 but I really started out when I was 40. Had I been younger and had more time up my sleeve, I would have probably started off as a client service manager or assistant to a top performing agent and worked my way through the business till I got to a point where I was able to stand on my own two feet.

I may have also stayed in my local area. I was born and bred in the Sutherland shire, Cronulla, so I may have stayed down there; that’s the world I knew before I branched out and travelled around. That way I would have hit the ground running and had a lot more contacts than I did have, with people I knew around me. So that’s what I would advise younger agents just starting out.

However, if you’re someone my age coming into the business, work really hard, do whatever it takes and listen to the performing agents to get you off the ground running as quick as you can.

Words to live by?

The key to this game, like any other business, is persistence; that and staying true to yourself.

UPFRONT

LEARN FROM THE BEST – VISIT ELITEAGENT.COM.AU

AUSTRALIA’S FASTESTGROWING INDUSTRY EVENTS ARE ON TRACK TO SELL OUT EARLY With over 1,500 attendees and a sell-out event in Sydney last year, Ideas Exchange Sydney (12 May) and Melbourne (15 May) are once again set to be one of the industry’s top education events in 2015.

Leanne Howard, event organiser (pictured above), said, “We have experienced a 200 per cent market share growth over the two years the events have been running. People are heading to our events to hear powerful take-home content from the best real estate minds, both local and international – content that they can implement quickly to see results.”

Keynote presentations from international guests – David Palfreyman from Barfoot & Thompson (NZ), Leigh Brown from RE/MAX (US), and Kye Wheatley from Keatons Real Estate (UK) – will give you an insight into what is working in highly successful businesses outside of Australia.

“These overseas specialists are all doing things we have not yet seen in Australia, so our Ideas Exchange participants will get the opportunity to hear their exciting strategies first-hand,” Howard added.

Local legends such as Andrew Kelleher, Jellis Craig; David Highland, Highland Property; Caroline Bolderston, Belle; Glen Coutinho, RT Edgar; Phil Harris, Harris Real Estate; and Spiro Drossos and James Hatzolos, Barry Plant, will also be sharing their how-to tips and success formulas.

An industry-first session called ‘The Flipside’ will see a panel of recent buyers and sellers sharing their experiences and why they chose, or didn’t choose, a particular agent. “This should really excite people! We have toyed with adding this session for a few years; now the time is right, as consumers now have so many resources at their disposal when buying and selling that we need to understand what is ultimately driving their decisions,” Howard said.

You can grab a special offer ticket to Ideas Exchange for just $375pp using the promo code “ELITE” via www.etouches.com/idx15.

For more Sydney events info visit www.ideaxsydney.com.

For more Melbourne events visit www.ideaxmelbourne.com.

10 ELITE AGENT • MAR-APR 2015

Rockstar real estate agent returns

After a stint overseas that included touring with Sir Bob Geldof and the Boomtown Rats, Brisbane’s most colourful real estate agent, Paul Liddy, has returned to doing what he loves most – creating a real estate ‘boomtown’ in his home town, Brisbane.

A respected and highly successful 30-year veteran of the Queensland real estate industry, Liddy is definitely not your typical real estate agent. He believes in quality, not quantity, limiting himself to just four campaigns at any one time.

“It’s not unusual for me to refuse just as many listings as I take on,” Liddy confesses.

Having spent time in the UK

and USA, Liddy certainly brings a fresh perspective to the Brisbane property scene.

“In five property cycles, I’ve never seen the market so active,” said Liddy from his new office at Ray White East Brisbane.

Liddy believes in thinking and marketing ‘outside the square’ but has oldfashioned values about honesty and trust. He jokes, “I’m no smarter with a tie on”, and yet is successful in seeking creative and innovative ways to present his clients’ properties to the marketplace.

Compton Green wins three Australasian Real Estate awards Compton Green has been crowned the top real estate agency in Australia and New Zealand for Innovation Excellence of the Year; Property Management Team of the year for over 1,000 managements, and Support Star of the Year (Natalia Benitez) at the Australasian Real Estate Results Awards (ARERAs).

The prestigious calendar event, held on 16 February at The National Gallery of Victoria, reflects the highest benchmark of the real estate industry, and Compton Green’s Director, Adrian Butera, cannot wipe the smile off his face.

“I am overwhelmed that we have received the highest accolades in the country; to be the winner of three awards is such a truly special career highlight. The awards are a credit to my dedicated team and acknowledge a long series of achievements we’ve had in the last 12 months. I couldn’t be prouder; it’s such an honour,” Adrian said.

Compton Green, the largest

independent agency in Melbourne’s Inner West, were also finalists in the following categories: Community Achievement of the Year, Rising Star Agency of the Year, Digital Excellence of the Year, Marketing Campaign of the Year, Property Manager of the Year – Jayne Humphries, Principal of the Year – Adrian Butera and Auctioneer of the Year – Adrian Butera.

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In celebration of International Women’s Day and in honour of the contribution that women make in what is still a male-dominated industry, Anna Thomas, COO of Stockdale & Leggo, hosted Real Women in Real Estate, a one day Leadership Workshop just for women. Held on 26th February and facilitated by Mindset & Peak Performance Coach Tanja Jones, CEO of TMJ Coaching and Founder of Real Women in Real Estate, the day saw over 50 women come together to explore ways to thrive in business while remaining authentically them.

“It is my strong belief that we need to support the women in our organisation, to help them grow,” states Anna Thomas. Anna believes that by helping all employees grow, Stockdale & Leggo will also naturally grow; and the first step in achieving this is by supporting the women of

the group who are already contributing so much.

Statistics show that women make up slightly more than half of total employment in the real estate industry and yet are still underrepresented in managerial roles and professional roles.

“This day was all about giving back to the women. It is a chance to acknowledge the contribution they make, unearth their current realities, reveal their desired futures and provide empowered leadership training that will enable them to produce breakthrough results both personally and professionally,” said Tanja Jones.

Rik Rushton, Head of Strategy, Education and Training at Stockdale & Leggo, reaffirms that women can have a brilliant career and lead the way within real estate whilst maintaining a work-life balance.

CoreLogic RP Data’s Mobility Agitator There’s no doubt the future of real estate lies with mobile. Every day, tens of thousands of consumers are using the latest mobile apps and gadgets to grow their property knowledge so they make informed property decisions.

Meanwhile property professionals like real estate agents, mortgage brokers, valuers and lending institutions are equally hungry for mobile tools that keep them ahead of the consumer knowledge adoption curve while also creating consumer engagement and loyalty.

The newly created role of Mobility Agitator at Corelogic is an internal promotion leveraging Lee Wade’s deep skills and prior responsibilities in Senior Product Management, Product Marketing, Software as a Service and Innovation.

“My remit is pretty straight forward,” said Wade.

“My role is to constantly promote mobility as 12 ELITE AGENT • MAR-APR 2015

a founding pillar in CoreLogic’s global product distribution. We’re going to push the envelope of what’s possible so we continue to build the new, most exciting mobile tools in our markets.

UPFRONT

LEARN FROM THE BEST – VISIT ELITEAGENT.COM.AU

Stockdale & Leggo celebrate women in real estate leading up to International Women’s Day

AUSTRALIAN REAL ESTATE AGENTS LEADING THE WORLD Century 21 has revealed that three of its local Australian agents have placed within the top 0.01 per cent of over 128,000 agents around the world for the first time in the business’s history.

Stephanie Hearne of Century 21 Cordeau Marshall (9th place), Nicholas Papadopoulos of Century 21 Southwest Fairfield (10th place) and Luke Jeffree of Century 21 Jeffree Real Estate (13th place) will all be recognised at a global awards ceremony in Washington DC later this month.

“While some may say the market helped drive these results, a hot market raises its own challenges as more listings and more buyers can often make it harder than ever to facilitate a transaction,” said Century 21 Australasia chairman and owner Charles Tarbey.

“These exceptional results are a testament to the character and work ethic of Australian real estate agents who can and do become world beaters.”

The rankings were based on the US dollar value of Adjusted Gross Commissions (AGC) made during 2014, a metric Century 21 uses as the basis of awards programs that encourage and recognise leading agents around the world.

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EVERYONE IS TALKING ABOUT…

INTEREST RATES – HOW LOW CAN THEY GO? IN FEBRUARY THIS YEAR the Reserve Bank of Australia

once again lowered the cash rate by 25 basis points to 2.25 per cent, the lowest we have seen since the 1950s.

Some economists say they would not be surprised if we see the cash rate fall to 1.5 or 1.75 per cent.

RIGHT NOW IN AUSTRALIA, the available

information suggests that growth is continuing at a below-trend pace, with domestic demand overall being quite weak.

The unemployment rate has also gradually moved higher over the past year.

The CPI has recorded the lowest increase for several years in 2014. This was affected

14 ELITE AGENT • MAR-APR 2015

by two things; the sharp decline in oil prices at the end of the year and the removal of the price on carbon.

With other economic factors at play, it was judged by the Reserve Bank that that a cash rate cut would again be appropriate to lift levels of demand and inflation to be consistent with what is currently expected.

As far as the property market is concerned - dwelling prices (particularly in Sydney and Melbourne) continue to rise and interest rates continue to fall and there is still very strong growth in lending to investors in housing assets. This means that the predicament may get much worse for entry-level buyers; each time the rate goes down, housing values are pushed up by investors, making housing somewhat more unaffordable.

We asked Tim Lawless, Head of Research at Corelogic RP Data, whether he saw further falls in interest rates and what effect that might have on the property market.

Will interest rates fall any further?

In all likelihood we will see the cash rate fall further which will flow through to lower mortgage rates. Lower rates are aimed at providing further economic support at a time when economic growth is below trend levels and the labour market is softening. Lower rates are also likely to bring the Australian dollar lower which will provide some benefits to domestic exporters.

How will this impact the property market?

A lower cost of debt is likely to drive further demand in the housing market; however, we don’t think the stimulus from lower interest rates will be as significant as what we have seen at the beginning of the rate-cutting cycle. This is due to the counterbalancing effect of weaker labour markets with unemployment rising, tighter lending conditions (particularly for investors) and compressed rental yields, which is showing rents haven’t increased anywhere near the same levels as dwelling values.

Are there any other forms of Government regulation that are being considered right now?

APRA and the Reserve Bank

are becoming increasingly uncomfortable with the level of investment in the housing market, with a specific focus on the Sydney and, to a lesser extent, the Melbourne housing market. Late last year APRA stated they would like to see the pace of investment lending stay under 10 per cent on an annual basis. At the end of last year growth in investment lending was 10.1 per cent. With this in mind, we expect APRA will be vigilant about investment lending and to apply more scrutiny upon lending to this segment of the market. Additionally, ASIC is likely to be on alert to the rise in interest-only loans which have been increasing as a proportion of new mortgage to investors and owneroccupiers.

OVER

900 SALES CONSULTANTS

What should the Government be doing to help lower socioeconomic groups or first home buyers?

The best way for the Government to improve affordability in the housing market is to improve the release of land supply for housing in strategic areas and, in parallel, ensure efficient transport linkages are in place to connect new land supply with major working precincts.

What do you see for the mortgage market for the coming year?

With interest rates moving lower we expect competition across the mortgage market to intensify even further as more mortgage holders look to refinance and secure the best interest rate. This means lenders need to become more strategic in their businesses in order to build their market share and relationships with their clients and prospective clients. Communicating to their market about housing market conditions and changes is likely to become even more important in 2015.

1300 505 539 industriemedia.tv Sydney I Canberra I Brisbane I Gold Coast I Melbourne I Adelaide I Perth

eliteagent.com.au 15

FIRST PERSON

Josh Phegan

Stay humble, stay hungry

MEDIOCRE; IT’S A WORD MOST people hate. For real estate

agents it’s a time, a phase in their career, they want to skip past quickly. Josh Phegan explains how you can make the big leap from good to great.

SO HOW DO you leapfrog past the

point in your career where things are moving along okay but not setting the world on fire?

What do you need to do to turn an average number of listings that sell for an average price in an average timeframe into mammoth listings that sell for record prices in quick succession?

In short, how do you take things to the next level and list more and sell more for more?

You need to have a goal.

You need to want to shift gears and go from being a good agent to being a great agent. Without a goal, and a plan to reach that goal, you have nothing to strive for and nothing to motivate you towards success.

Once you have a goal it’s time to set your mantra.

I always recommend to the agents I coach that they commit to doing one thing really well – serving the customer. It doesn’t matter whether you work in a prestige market or blue-collar suburbs; if you serve your clients well, success will follow.

There are three key areas you need to improve to propel yourself from being a good agent to being a great agent.

PROSPECTING It’s vitally important to get your marketing in order so that

16 ELITE AGENT • MAR-APR 2015

you can ship specific content to specific customers and maximise your database value.

You need to be relevant, frequent and consistent when prospecting. Tailor your marketing to your clients instead of sending out the same pamphlet or email to everyone.

A vendor or a new homeowner will be more interested to know

that the house around the corner sold for a record price than reading about a property 10 suburbs away. Think locally; tell clients about events in their street, their neighbourhood and their suburb.

Relevant marketing and prospecting naturally flows on to frequent prospecting.

Prospecting isn’t a ‘sometimes’

thing; it’s an ‘all the time’ thing.

I urge my agents to use the ‘one day, one week, one month, one year’ approach to frequent marketing and prospecting.

That means hop on the phone and have a chat with your client at each of these intervals. Any longer and it may have been too long between drinks.

You also need to be consistent

Without a goal, and a plan to reach that goal, you have nothing to strive for and nothing to motivate you towards success.

in your marketing, so set a standard you want to achieve and stick to it. It often helps to set up a marketing calendar to determine what material goes out and when.

LISTING A listing presentation is your chance to sell yourself and your skills and win the listing. But where a lot of agents go wrong is approaching the listing with one-dimensional glasses and only talk about themselves and their successes.

While it’s good to let potential vendors know you’ve set the record price for their suburb, it’s even more important to explain what this means for them. You need to know how to identify the needs of the customer and pitch specifically to those needs and desires.

It’s also critical to know how to use powerful visuals to sell your key concepts which set you apart from your competition. So instead of using an auction photo where

CLEARANCE Achieving more listings generally translates to more sales. But it’s hard to get more and more listings when you’re still working on achieving sales on properties that have been languishing on the market.

Great agents know how to reduce the days on market.

This not only helps achieve the very best sale price; it improves stock turnover and allows you to meet more people more often.

Meeting more people more often means more listings more often. So put yourself in a position where more people can see you and meet you. Go to open homes, and follow up on every phone and internet enquiry.

As your popularity grows, so will the number of people wanting to use your services.

Another tactic to sell more properties for more money is to create pre-market demand. Source buyers who have missed out on previous properties and draw their

ACROSS

MORE THAN

300 AGENCIES

A lot of agents approach the listing with one-dimensional glasses and only talk about themselves and their successes. you had two bidders, use the photo where six bidders were spread among a crowd of 60 interested onlookers.

It’s also important to present the right mix of urgency and empathy when dealing with your clients. Of course you want to win the listing quickly and get the property to market, but don’t run roughshod over your clients because you’ll never win.

Instead, temper the sense of urgency with understanding of your clients’ thought processes, concerns, questions and emotions. Meeting their needs will ultimately meet your needs.

interest to one of your new properties. Buyers want to buy what others want.

Once you’ve moved from being a good agent to the top of your field, the key is to stay there.

Remember, you need to be humble and hungry.

Josh Phegan is a renowned coach, trainer and speaker for high performance real estate agents. Josh coaches more than 180 real estate agents and more than 60 per cent of his clients write in excess of $600,000. For more information visit joshphegan. com.au.

1300 505 539 industriemedia.tv Sydney I Canberra I Brisbane I Gold Coast I Melbourne I Adelaide I Perth

eliteagent.com.au 17

FIRST PERSON

Caroline Bolderston

Worth every second

ONE OF THE LAMENTS regularly heard in real estate is that there

is never enough time in the day, says Caroline Bolderston of Belle Property. How well are you managing your diary?

REAL ESTATE IS an unpredictable

business. One phone call can throw out your entire plan for the next 12 hours, yet I firmly believe that we still have the power to achieve what we need to every day. I have seen over time that the industry elite tend to carry out their daily functions by removing excuses and taking ultimate responsibility for their actions.

The most important concept to adopt in work and in life is the 80/20 rule. Accept right now that you can proactively control 80 per cent of what occurs in your day; the remaining 20 per cent will cover situations that demand immediate action.

There are four key elements that I believe can help you take control of your time and become more proactive.

FOCUS ON ONE THING Are you using your time effectively and making the most of the hours in your day?

Have you looked at each day of your week and mapped out a mental or written list of your important recurring activities?

Prioritising the non-negotiable

activities and actions for each day allows you to ‘check in’ each morning before you leave the house and be clear of what must be achieved by midday.

Use this personalised list to steer you through the day and ensure you are doing one thing at a time, and importantly the right thing at the right time.

MAKE BETTER CONSCIOUS DECISIONS How many decisions do you make each day? Hundreds?

Thousands? The answer is impossible to define; we make a multitude of subconscious decisions every day, like simply getting out of bed each morning.

As we can’t account for every decision we make, it’s important to become more aware of conscious decisions, those that are taking up more of your time.

Next time a thought or task enters your mind, consciously ask yourself ‘Is this urgent or can it wait?’ This applies to checking Facebook, getting involved in an office conversation or viewing something on YouTube. The decision is yours, so ensure you are making the best use of your time.

Next time a thought or task enters your mind, consciously ask yourself ‘Is this urgent or can it wait?’

18 ELITE AGENT • MAR-APR 2015

ELIMINATE DISTRACTIONS Warning: this next suggestion may take you out of your comfort zone! The best thing you can do to keep your mind focused on a current task or train of thought is to turn off your desktop and mobile phone alerts.

For the majority this pushes many boundaries, especially in an era where being contactable at all times is an expectation, but something has to give! Are you checking your emails during a listing presentation? If not, then why do you feel compelled to check them every minute of

the day? Make a choice to limit your distractions and only check your emails three or four times a day for 30 minutes at a time.

I have found since adopting this practice several years ago my days are more efficient. You will often find that when you get to your emails many of them have already been resolved, allowing you to allocate your precious time more effectively.

MORNINGS IN, AFTERNOONS OUT Four years into my real estate career, I found myself operating

reactively every day, jumping from client appointments one minute to letterbox dropping the next. Making prospecting calls became secondary as I only had time to react to the constant interruptions and distractions that arose throughout each day.

I wanted to be more proactive and efficient with my time, so I started to cluster all faceto-face appointments in the afternoon, which saved about an hour of parking and travel time to and from the office.

The overwhelming advantage of structuring your working day

Are you checking your emails during a listing presentation?

If not, then why do you feel compelled to check them every minute of the day?

PARTNER

WITH US TO BUILD

THEM

A STRONG

ONLINE

BRAND

this way is that you dedicate dollar-productive activities such as prospecting, client nurture and booking appraisals all before midday.

It’s an amazing feeling to go home at the end of each day knowing you achieved more and have the results to prove it!

Caroline Bolderston heads up the Belle Property Academy and provides intense coaching, support and inspiration for principals and agents in the network. Caroline will be speaking at this year’s Ideas Exchange in Sydney 12 May and Melbourne 15 May. Book tickets at ideaxsydney.com and ideaxmelbourne.com.

1300 505 539 industriemedia.tv Sydney I Canberra I Brisbane I Gold Coast I Melbourne I Adelaide I Perth

eliteagent.com.au 19

MY LOCAL

1

WAGGA WAGGA David Skow is the Director of Property Management at Wagga Property Management (WPM) which he started in January 2013. As Wagga’s only property management specialist agency WPM has grown from zero to just over 200 properties under management in just 12 months, without the benefit of sales department referrals.

After a career in the big city as a trainer for REINSW, as well as time spent as state leader for a major franchise group, he was drawn back to his home town of Wagga in 2010. With two large Defence bases and the Charles Sturt University campus located nearby, Wagga enjoys an affordable median sale price and strong yields on rental property as well as some other local treasures.

1. WAGGA CIVIC THEATRE – overlooking Wollundry Lagoon, this is such a great space to watch a show, musical act, comedian or the kids’ performances.

The Civic Theatre allows Wagga to play host to some of the country’s biggest names in entertainment.

2. VICTORY MEMORIAL GARDENS – the Wagga area was home to many of Australia’s war veterans and the Memorial Gardens is an idyllic setting to pay homage to them. Surrounded by stunning leafy Lombardy Poplar trees, the Gardens are popular with families and a beautiful spot for workers in the CBD to relax in their lunch break.

3. WOLLUNDRY LAGOON – situated right in the heart of the city, the Wollundry Lagoon offers a beautiful and peaceful setting to catch up with friends over coffee or admire whilst doing a lap of the city’s walking track. The Lagoon’s banks also host some of Wagga’s most prestigious real estate.

4. MURRUMBIDGEE RIVER – winding through our great city is the mighty Murrumbidgee. With a number of access points and boat ramps for swimmers and fishermen alike, the river is a tourist hot spot, particularly for those who venture down to Wagga Beach to catch a glimpse of the renowned 5 o’clock wave.

5. SUMMER STORMS – some of the country’s prime sheep, cattle and cropping enterprises are within the Wagga area, exporting quality produce around Australia and the globe. There is nothing like the smell of a summer storm brewing over the recently harvested paddocks.

20 ELITE AGENT • MAR-APR 2015

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How to get more Fast! productive…

Tech in the city Lisa B

Why no one likes a keyboard warrior Lisa B looks at the problem of malicious comments posted on social media and why you should never be drawn in.

Y

OU MAY not be

familiar with the expression, but you’ve almost certainly noticed strange, weird, and sometimes vicious and cruel comments in forums and on social media. Maybe you’ve been a victim yourself.

So what exactly is a keyboard warrior?

A keyboard warrior is someone who generally sits behind the safety of their bedroom door.

They viciously attack people online, often hiding behind the anonymity of a username and only ever looking up from their keyboard to peer out through the curtains at the outside world. They are protected by distance because they know the person they are attacking is not within physical reach to identify them or fight back.

In their home or office, the keyboard warrior feels strong, invincible. He or she goes to war every day, lashing out with what they feel are essential comments. They point the finger at others and love to name and shame. They like to get personal.

They like to get very personal.

Sometimes they engage the rest of their tribe to get behind them with their attack. They entice their husband or wife to comment. They’ll try to get other people to support their cause.

Say ‘no’ to the keyboard warrior. Don’t get involved.

What do others think of the keyboard warrior? That’s easy.

The rest of the world knows their contribution is negative

22 ELITE AGENT • MAR-APR2015

rubbish; no one wants to hear it.

Most people will roll their eyes and think, ‘Here we go again’.

The outpouring of negative comments results in many people private messaging each other to discuss the latest tirade. Trust me: if you are a keyboard warrior, you’ve been mentioned in many, many private Facebook messages.

KEYBOARD WARRIORS IN REAL ESTATE ​Believe it or not, we have our own real estate keyboard warriors. They mostly appear in real estate forums, and generally it involves big egos that can be heard clashing all over the country. These people feel the need to be right at any cost.

Disgruntled clients may turn into keyboard warriors and appear anywhere online. It could be a purchaser who missed out on a property; it could be a tenant who was made to go back and clean the bathroom; it could just be someone who doesn’t want your marketing material in their letterbox.

The keyboard warrior may post somewhere that gives you the right of reply, or you may never know. You need to make sure you have online brand protection strategies firmly in place.

The keyboard warrior needs to remember that anything they say, even if it’s in a private forum, can be captured by screenshot and sent to other parties. It can also be used in a court of law.

You may not win the battle, but you can win the war by remaining calm and courteous.

HAVE YOU BEEN TARGETED

BY THE KEYBOARD WARRIOR? If you’re attacked in this way, the key thing to remember is to be polite. Don’t retaliate, no matter how tempting it might be. You may not win the battle, but you can win the war by remaining calm and courteous.

If the keyboard warrior has written on your personal page, feel free to delete it. It’s up to you what you keep on your public pages. You control what you want to show. This is where two functions of Facebook come in handy: it’s easy to ‘unfriend’ or block them. If the Keyboard Warrior is complaining about your business, however, I suggest you deal with the problem instead of ignoring it.

Try to take it offline; the best way to do that is by addressing the situation. You could say, for example, ‘Mr Smith, I’m sorry that this has happened; please private message me your phone number or email address and I will contact you personally.’ Do your best to get the keyboard warrior offline.

In the same way, if you have a problem with someone, pick up the phone and talk to them about it. Don’t air your dirty laundry for the world to see.

Whatever you do, don’t become a keyboard warrior yourself. Nobody likes a keyboard warrior.

Lisa B helps agents to become famous in their area. For more information www. dominatetheinternet.com.au.

Leadership John and Stephanie McCloskey

Waste not, want not: The revolving door of real estate As a leader, your greatest assets are your time and your people. You need to make the most of both, say John and Stephanie McCloskey.

W

Where possible, reinvigorate an existing career rather than adding a new face.

2. DON’T CHANGE THE PEOPLE, CHANGE THE PEOPLE! Business today is all about relationships, and your first relationship is with your current staff. There are large costs associated with a high staff turnover: it takes about one and a half times their annual salary to replace a member of staff, not to mention the cost of the lost clients a departing agent may take with them.

Encourage your current people to grow from where they are right now. People will only grow to their goals, plus about 10 per cent. Your role as leader is to move them beyond that.

Coach them to achieve some minor goals and then bigger ones. Contrary to the current culture of ‘what’s the next new thing?’ promote a Japanese Kaizen model of incremental improvement in your people.

arbitrary. Survival of the fittest is supplanted by survival of those who band and work together.

Therefore, you need to build a cohesive unit as an alternative to making office door adjustments.

Your greatest assets are your time and your people. Get this right and the results will follow.

As a leader you are constantly on the lookout for talent that fits. Have a hiring and selection process in place and stick to the company vision. Instead of trying to ‘sell’ your business so much,

3. DISTRACTIONS DESTROY Time is everything, so help your people invest theirs more wisely. Distractions destroy productivity and advancement.

Keep your people focused on dollar productive activities.

There is so much wasted time in this business, especially in the sales field. Have your team complete a timesheet for a week like an accountant or solicitor, where every quarter-hour of activity type is recorded against a specific client or task. Help them remove silly habits and silly people from their lives. If

ITH 80 PER

cent of new entrants to real estate gone within 18 months, it seems that some businesses should just have a revolving door! The old approach of ‘you’ve got a desk, you’ve got a phone, you’ve got a month, you’re on your own’ is still the way in so many agencies across the country.

We ‘try on’ new recruits and genuinely hope that they make it. Replace hoping with a system and look to minimise your waste.

Natural law is not that

have pride, believe in what you have created and let the right people come. Know the character, aptitudes and competencies you are after. As Peter Schulz says, “Hire character; train skill”.

1. CONSPIRE FOR THEIR SUCCESS Have an induction process that works for new recruits.Invest in a schedule of cohesive training, with follow-up coaching and internal training. Have a learning plan and provide opportunities for role-playing common scenarios. It is better to let people make mistakes in the safety of the office

rather than out in the field; it also gives stronger recruits a chance to shine. A willingness to learn is a key attribute of a successful agent.

Make decisions about your new recruits sooner rather than later; three months is long enough for character to show. Those who can take defeat and learn from it are better than those who shine initially but are floored by a setback. Choose people who are the right fit and then invest your time in coaching them.

your people are using their time wisely, then results will follow.

To sum up, spend more time on selecting rather than recruiting staff. You’ll need to engage more with today’s younger crop, and remove the weeds from among the older ones. This game isn’t for everyone; move along quickly those who don’t fit in.

Where possible, reinvigorate an existing career rather than adding a new face. Conspire for your current crop of people’s success and then look to add new and engaging members to the team.

There’s so much talent on tap at our fingertips, but we need to understand our employees’ motives better. It’s not always obvious, so look deeper.

There’s an old adage in real estate that we spend time and money looking for new business rather than working with what we already have. It’s just the same with our people; recognise and revitalise those who want to grow internally, seek out or attract new colleagues externally and bring the whole group together under a common cause.

Cut back your waste or you’ll end up wanting.

John and Stephanie McCloskey run Get Real Estate Training to activate engagement and leadership competencies in agents and provide coaching for real estate business owners. Contact them at getrealestatetraining@ gmail.com.

eliteagent.com.au 23

Marketing Attila Kovacs

Digital pre-listing kits: Are they the way of the future?

It’s the same old story. You get the sales enquiry; you make a connection by phone, back it up with an email and send out your printed pre-listing kit in the hope of securing the listing presentation. Meanwhile, two or three of your direct competitors are doing almost exactly the same thing for the same listing opportunity. But what if you were to do things slightly differently? Attila Kovacs takes a look at how your choice of prelisting kit can make all the difference.

A

GENTS WILL

have their own approach to managing their sales enquiries, so your answers to the following questions are vital to try and improve your game: • Is my approach unique enough to establish a strong point of difference?

• What else can I implement to my workflow that will clearly set me apart?

• What can I do to increase my chances of winning a listing before appraisal day?

Digital pre-listing kits may be the solution.

WHAT ARE DIGITAL PRELISTING KITS AND HOW DO THEY WORK? Think of your existing paper pre-listing kit, then imagine it being brought to life using web-based video, photos and graphics on an interactive email platform.

At the point of requesting or confirming a listing presentation appointment, agents will be able to send their digital pre-listing kit via email.

It includes a summarised version of your printed prelisting presentation, but with

24 ELITE AGENT • MAR-APR 2015

the added firepower of your own profile video, market update videos, recent open home and successful auction video footage, testimonial videos, and samples of your marketing packages.

RESPOND TO SALES ENQUIRIES FASTER Digital pre-listing kits can be sent directly from your inbox within seconds of an enquiry.

Prospects will receive your kit via email and can view it on their

PC, laptop and mobile devices.

It can easily be shared among family, friends and associates just by forwarding. As your kit is digital, you can instantly start connecting and building rapport in a highly emotive, content-rich

Think of your existing printed pre-listing kit, then imagine it being brought to life using webbased video, photos and graphics on an interactive email platform. and personable environment using video. It’s fast, engaging and entertaining.

BE REMEMBERED AS THE TECHNOLOGICALLY SAVVY PROFESSIONAL At the very least, agents who have implemented digital prelisting kits (let’s call them digital agents) are perceived to be trading at the cusp of technology.

Due to the digital platform they are using for their presentations, the prospects assume the same tech-savvy approach will be implemented for their property marketing campaign.

INCREASE YOUR MARKETING TO LIST RATIO Simply by being different, digital agents will secure a larger ‘share of mind’ from the prospective vendor. Digital agents are perceived to be marketing experts, leaders and innovators. On the flip side, competitors who respond more slowly and engage in traditional formats are automatically perceived as mainstream.

Review your options regarding digital pre-listing kits, trial it, and you might just find your marketing to list ratio starts to creep upward, just for being different.

SECURE MORE VPA, MORE OFTEN Mainstream agents often fight for market share by implementing price wars.

12 CPD POINTS* FOR NSW AGENTS ONLINE AND READY WHEN YOU ARE FROM JUST $89

Why? Usually because they have little or no tangible point of difference from their competition so the only thing that remains of value to discuss is price. On the other hand, market leaders set the pace for product and service innovation, which also allows them to set the value as well as to speak and transact from a level of authority.

If you are a digital agent providing superior marketing solutions for your listing enquiries, you may just find that you don’t need to fight quite as hard for your next listing. You may find that prospects in fact want to list with you, even before you have met with them. If they want to list with you, you may also discover securing vendor-paid advertising becomes easier and more frequent.

ARE DIGITAL PRE-LISTING KITS THE WAY OF THE FUTURE? We think it’s more than safe to say they are. However, just like newspapers didn’t go bust when radio arrived on the scene, or radio for that matter when television hit the market, we think the printed pre-listing kit, box or pack left at the front door of a home needs to stay.

But the game is changing.

Attila Kovacs is the Managing Director of Industrie Media.

For more information visit industriemedia.tv.

MYREALESTATECPD.COM.AU (02) 8231 6669 * CPD Points are approved by RTO 21687 BPG Training Pty Ltd

eliteagent.com.au 25

cover story

26 ELITE AGENT • MAR-APR 2015

PASSION FOR PEOPLE EMMY THIES IS THE PRINCIPAL of House Estate Agents

in Toowoomba. Having started her own office at the age of 23, just five years later she has a thriving business with a team of 25 people and a bag of prestigious awards.

With an unmatched energy, zest, and passion for both real estate and her team, Emmy speaks frankly about her views on leadership, structure, culture, and how she continues to reach and exceed the goals she sets herself.

T

HE CITY OF Toowoomba is the largest city and commercial centre of the

Darling Downs region, located about 130 km west of Brisbane. I first ask Emmy how long she has lived in the area. “I grew up on a farm in Central Queensland, and came to ‘the Downs’ for schooling from the age of six; I always considered myself pretty lucky to be able to do so.”

Was real estate always your first choice of career? “It was,” recalls Emmy, “From the early age of about 15; I used to work on Saturdays, before everything became so heavily legislated, collecting rent and answering general office enquiries. I even used to buddy up with some of the agents and hand out flyers at opens and perform other really basic duties. I just had a real passion for it and knew that’s what I wanted to do. So I started at the bottom and worked my way up the ranks to get to where I am now.

“I ended up working as a property manager within a franchise group in Toowoomba for four years. From school, I was working and going to uni; I was doing a Bachelor of Business and wanted to go on to do Law. As in, I thought that’s what I wanted to do; but I always had this passion for property which seemed to consume my time. I spent more and more time growing the rent roll in the business I was in. And then a magical opportunity appeared, so I took it!”

At age 23, Emmy started House Estate agents with husband Tye, who is an accountant. “So I didn’t have any selling experience in the GFC when I started my

“I thought to myself, I can create these results for other people, influencing and changing their lives the same way that I’ve dramatically changed mine.”

own company, but I wanted to create success for myself and I knew I could do it; I had watched first-hand what had created success for other agents.”

As they say, the rest is history. But Emmy’s personal success also gave her the desire to start helping others around her.

“I thought to myself, I can create these results for other people, influencing and changing their lives the same way that I’ve dramatically changed mine. I call my story a bit of a ‘rags to riches’ story - I’m not being pretentious saying ‘riches’. But for me it was a completely different lifestyle four years ago than the way I live now.

It was just having that discipline, having systems, connecting with the right people and implementing our plans. And I thought, ‘You know what, I’d love to be able to drive this success with other people.’”

You can hear the genuine excitement and passion in her voice when she says, “It is always the people who motivate me. It’s true; you do find, when you forget about the dollars and cents, and you follow your passion and deliver on your promises for people, it just starts duplicating and duplicating. It’s amazing how you can totally transform your life if you have that zest and that commitment. The actual numbers don’t seem to matter so much any more. We started to grow so much I thought, ‘You know, I love this, but I actually want to spend more time connecting with others and helping them grow the same environment.’”

Emmy has people on her team – rookies – who are also writing over a million dollars.

“One of my girls was driving a taxi when I met her, and designing wedding gowns.

This is her first year on her own and in six months she wrote over a half a million dollars in a market where the average sale price is $300,000. And she has no special education but the same real zest and passion for people.”

Is this what you look for when you are recruiting? “I look for passion, values and beliefs that are in line with ours. I don’t care about higher education or degrees; none of that really matters to me. What I want to feel is a connection, and I want to know is that the other person has a similar values system to how we operate as a brand, that will fit in with our culture. I want to be able to ignite that fire in my team, and in turn educate them so that they can once again create the same opportunities for other people around them.”

Just four years after opening its doors, House Estate Agents now has 25 passionate staff who have all contributed to the phenomenal level of growth. How has this been possible? “You just need to deliver on your promises and be true to your word. Be

eliteagent.com.au 27

cover story prompt, don’t take people’s time for granted, and be authentic. I really believe in being authentic. What you see is what you get, and yes, you can be a chameleon and adjust to different types of people from all different types of life; but you still need to stay true to who you are and let that shine through. You don’t need to try and be something you’re not; you just need to have the best education and product knowledge on your marketplace and the results will follow.”

What is your core focus right now? “My core focus at the moment is to grow the sales base through my team. I have a couple of key clients that I still handle directly, but I have wound back my sales volume pretty significantly, and will wind it back further this year. I will then concentrate more on developing our people and individually growing our team to where their personal goals are. In my third year in the business I wrote $1.3m, with one person supporting me. Last year on my own, without a selling team for six months, I still wrote $1m. It was manageable; I still met the team twice a week. Every person in our company I catch up with nearly every week.”

“This year I’m trying to work more ‘on the business’. I still want to remain an active selling principal, but really wind my

own selling activity back again this year to around $.5m to be effective in both roles.

Also, I don’t want to ever be a competitor to my team. It’s a different view to other people, I know, but it’s an unfulfilling proposition; a growth mindset shouldn’t be looking at that as a strategy. I don’t think it’s sustainable.

My key focus is to develop and mentor my team and to build the business that way.”

What does your average day look like at the moment? “My days are varied; I tend to split my week in half. Two days of the week I’m meeting with everyone in the company, working on progress and checking in with them. The other two days I’m working on the business and my personal goals. There’s usually one day where I do ‘catch up’ things for myself.” She confesses, “To be honest, I’m not a really early starter; I’ve never been that sort of person. I want to, but it’s not something that fits in my lifestyle at the moment. I normally wake about 6:30, I’ll have a nice cup of tea and some breakfast at home, play with my dogs. I’ve got two Cavalier King Charles Spaniels, which I love. Then I’ll head into the office and start my day in there about 8 am.”

“Before, when I was a selling agent, I would be finishing pretty late, between 7pm and 9pm depending on the night and what

“I look for passion, values and beliefs that are in line with ours. I don’t care about higher education or degrees; none of that really matters to me.

What I want to feel is a connection.”

28 ELITE AGENT • MAR-APR 2015

was happening, but now I’ll try and finish by about 6pm most nights. Basically I just work on the business with the people and allow time for clients. I’m really about work lifebalance and that’s a focus for our company, to create that for our people. I’ll catch up with our friends for breakfast; I make sure that I go out to dinner with friends, or catch up with my hubby for lunch a couple of times a week. I find that if you get your time management right you can tick all the other boxes. That’s what I struggled with the first two, even three years of the company. Now coming into year five, I feel like I’ve got a really good handle on that.”

How do you go about setting goals for yourself and the team? Emmy responds, “More important than goal-setting, I think, is having a really good understanding of why you do what you do. I always try to connect back to my ‘why’. Why am I doing this? What is the life I want to create, who do I want to surround myself with? I look at my ‘why’ before I set any goals.”

Is there any advice you would give yourself starting out on this journey? “The first thing I would do is have a structure. Be in the office in the mornings and out in the afternoons; it’s as simple as that. You’ll meet your goals straight away. The second thing I would recommend is to be a specialist agent, not a generalist. As soon as I changed my business after the third year to being a specialist, I was on my way to write the million. We’re in a market that’s very conservative. As the average sale price is around $300,000, we have to do a lot of transactions to get to that number. I’m not saying it’s that hard; it’s just having that time management and making sure that you’re a specialist. Those two things alone would have changed my career at least one year faster, I think.”

House also belongs to the Real Estate Results (RER) network and Emmy is keen to give some of her early mentors credit.

“I would say someone that has been a great person to look to from a learning and development point would be Michael Sheargold. Incredible knowledge, he’s really helped us fast-track our company.”

“From the point of view of performing agents, there are two people I really respect.

One would be John Cunningham as a leader, and the other, a female agent, would be Stephanie Dobro from Caporn Young in Perth. I remember when I met John, at my first ever event. I was 23, and just scraped together enough money to attend a conference in Fiji. I listened carefully to John and what he spoke about. Tye and I came back from that event and implemented everything that was relevant to us and as a result doubled our turnover the next year.”

“Sometimes I have to pinch myself, but it’s not like we were gifted anything. No one said ‘go and get a mentor’. No one held my hand and said, ‘this is what you’re going to do, or this is how you’ve got to do it.’”

“Also, through the network, I have many people that I know that I can talk to. Real people that are humble, good at what they do and have got the same mindset. Quality, authentic people who are passionate about their careers, the same way I am. I’ve made some really amazing friendships; quite a few members every quarter have a casual catch-up and a coffee. They’re about quality over quantity, but each business is different and it’s good to learn from that. Then there is that framework with RER, which to us was a no-brainer. We are so privileged to be in that network and absolutely love it.”

Is there any advice you would give to someone who wanted to start their own business? “We started the company at 23 and had nothing. We needed $300,000; we pushed hard and incredibly, the bank gave us a loan. After that we didn’t have any choice but to perform. I think when you’ve

myrealestatetraining.com.au national enquiries 1300 155 144

got no choice other than to back yourself, you have to go for it!”

“Take away the excuses, and just rock and roll it - that’s our policy. Don’t be risk-averse; take chances when you can as you may never get the time or opportunity again. Don’t sit there waiting for what’s going to happen, just do it. Sometimes I look back on the last four years and think, no, we need to do more, it’s not enough. Other times I do think, this is truly awesome! Sometimes I have to pinch myself, but it’s not like we were gifted anything. No one said ‘go and get a mentor’.

No one held my hand and said, ‘this is what you’re going to do, or this is how you’ve got to do it.’ You’ve just got to go and attract the right people with the right mindset.”

“And work for it, just freaking work for it!” she laughs. “I would rather sacrifice three years of ‘hard slog’ to be in the position I’m in now, than muck around for 10 years and never have the chance. That’s what I want for our people as well, and we’re starting to create that. Real estate is a job that can create big change your life.”

“If you manage your belief system and your mind, there is absolutely nothing you can’t achieve. It’s not just me. I’ve seen it in other people, and it’s possible for anyone!”

MAKE IT YOURS. eliteagent.com.au 29

exclusive

LINE AND LENGTH

GLENN MCGRATH (OAM) had the talent and consistency

to become one of the most economical and dangerous fast bowlers of his time. No stranger to hard work or doing ‘whatever it takes’ to succeed at the highest levels of his career, McGrath will be addressing attendees of Ideas Exchange on 12 and 15 May this year.

M

ANY PARALLELS have

been drawn between the world of elite athletes and successful business people, centred around the themes of consistency, visualisation, mindset and peak performance.

Given Glenn McGrath’s achievements both on and off the cricketing field, I figure that goalsetting is a good place to start.

I ask McGrath if playing Test cricket was always a goal for him. “I don’t know if I ever had a goal of playing cricket for Australia when I was growing up in the bush,” he says, “but I had a real passion for it and just loved getting out there and playing. I guess when I was younger some people thought I couldn’t bowl; even when I was in the Under 16s I didn’t get much of a chance because our captain thought I wasn’t good enough to bowl in the team. It wasn’t until he got a bit older that I got more of an opportunity.

I didn’t play my first representative game of cricket until I was 17, so was a bit of a late starter in that respect. By the time I was 18 I only played Saturday afternoons in the bush and trained once a week.”

“It was a big decision to move to Sydney, but once I had made that decision I was pretty focused on what I wanted to achieve when I got there, and how I was going to go about it; at that point, my goal became to play for Australia. In 1992 I attended the Australian Institute of Sport, and there you eat, breathe and live cricket 24/7. It showed me what sort of commitment I needed to make and what I had to do to become a successful first class, and then international,

30 ELITE AGENT • MAR-APR 2015

cricketer. It was a big turning point for me, and four years after moving to Sydney, I was playing cricket for Australia.”

OVERCOMING SETBACKS It wasn’t long until there were a few setbacks on the road to greatness. Recalls McGrath, “In my first game for NSW I played pretty well, took a five-wicket haul and then ended up with an injury at the end of that match. It was pretty tough. I remember sitting on the bench thinking that I had to do whatever it took to get back on the field as soon as possible. Sometimes it’s these little setbacks that make you

found a guy by the name of Kevin Chevell who is classed as one of the toughest trainers out there. I started working with him; his attitude was to train so much harder than anything any of us had experienced before.

And his training matched his reputation.”

“I realised that I had to look at different and better ways of doing things if I wanted to stay at the top. I was prepared to do whatever it took. I think making that decision and going out and tracking down a trainer who is classed as one of the best, one of the toughest, and having the right people around me, was one of the best decisions I’ve made. I worked with Kevin my whole career and I can easily thank him for a lot of my success. Sometimes we think we can do everything by ourselves, but that’s not what it’s about; it’s about having the right people around you, having a good team.”

BEING PREPARED I had read somewhere before our chat that McGrath is a believer in visualisation, as in visualising the perfect ball, and also the fact that he had ‘never had a bad dream about cricket’. I ask him about this and he laughs.

“Yes, I guess you call it positive reinforcement.

I call it ‘preparing for success’. I always visualised bowling good deliveries and taking wickets, and I would watch video footage of myself taking good wickets. It’s as much a confidence thing as anything else: positive reinforcement, dreaming about it and how you want to go about it. Even during the game, at the top of my my mark, I’ve already visualised what ball I want to bowl, where I see it landing and what I see it doing, so it’s already locked in. I think that this sort of positive reinforcement or visualisation is one of the key

“They say practice makes perfect, but actually that’s not quite true; you can can practise the wrong way so you’re not going to get any better. It’s more ‘perfect practice’ that makes perfect.” think, appreciate things a bit more and are designed to make you work a little harder.”

“After that, I eventually got back on the field, played half a dozen games and before I knew it was preparing for my first test match.

I sustained another injury in 1995 after we came back from the West Indies, just as I had ‘cemented’ my place in the team. It was an injury down my left side, which is where, as a fast bowler, you get all of your power from.

At the end of that tour I weighed 77kgs and was injured again. I thought, if I don’t do something differently to what I’ve been doing then I’m not going to have any longevity in the game. I realised I had to get stronger and tougher. I went out and asked around, and

factors that set me up for success this far.”

“Preparation is key. I always made sure that I prepared as well as I could. Trained as well as I could, fitness work, more work in the gym, so that when I walked out on the field I knew I had prepared as well as I could. Then I could focus on exactly what I was looking to achieve in the field. Part of that was that visualisation, but it’s a whole package, really.

If you are prepared for success then you are well on your way.”

CONSISTENCY IS KEY One of the nicknames that McGrath picked up during his career was the ‘The Metronome’. A metronome is the incredibly

steady tick-tock that keeps musicians strictly in time. In an era where most fast bowlers looked to dominate their opponents through pace and more flashy tactics, McGrath was well known for the type of consistency that was, to a batsman, like drops of sweat hitting the brow one after the other until a mistake was made, usually with the same ending back in the dressing room.

I ask McGrath if consistency will always win out over ‘flash’. He answers, “I didn’t bowl at 160km/hr like some of the others; I didn’t swing the ball a great deal, but I could land a ball pretty well and I’d get the bounce and a bit of seam and that was my strength.

Even now when I talk to young bowlers, they want to know the secret to taking wickets.

I tell them, ‘If you can bowl 99 balls out of a hundred where you want it, which is hitting the deck just outside of off stump, you’ll take wickets.’ To be honest, I’m not sure that’s what they want to hear because they think it’s going to be some secret formula! It’s a lot of practice and also visualisation, but it was all a feel thing for me too, and it’s just about doing, repeating things. They say practice makes perfect, but actually that’s not quite true; you can can practise the wrong way so you’re not going to get any better. It’s more ‘perfect practice’ that makes perfect. That’s what I tried to do.”

HANDLING PRESSURE Big games and big pressure situations can cause even the bravest of us to break. I ask McGrath how he used to handle pressure in the case of a crucial match situation, in front of millions. “Well, that’s one of the reasons I played the game. I liked to test myself to see how good I really was. Pressure to me is something that only comes from within; nobody can put pressure on me except for myself. A lot of the preparation, having ‘been there and done that’ before, always backing yourself and having that self-belief, they all come into play. In those big moments, I loved it. That’s why you play; how you go against the best batsmen in the world, how you cope in those pressure situations. It’s probably what I miss more than anything now.”

WHATEVER IT TAKES McGrath is currently coaching young cricketers in Chennai, India.. I ask what skills and strengths he looks for in young talent; who are the ones who will make it to the top as he did? “They need the skill level, there’s no doubt about that. They have to have the physical strength, but it’s always attitude to me that stands out. Just the way they go about their business and what they’re prepared to do. I remember when I first started training with Kevin, he asked me what was I prepared to do to achieve what I wanted. My response

was, ‘Whatever it takes.’ He said from that response, he took me on.”

“I guess that’s what you look for in the young guys as well: that attitude to learning as much as possible. The amount I’ve learned about fast bowling since I retired - I wish I’d known when I played! We can never know too much, but it’s just that attitude to get out there, to give things a try, to do the best, to do whatever it takes. Attitude and skill, and being prepared to give everything and do your very best to succeed.”

IDEAS EXCHANGE 2015 “Well, I’m looking forward to it, and in addition to my topic of peak performance I hope to share a few stories about some old teammates and a few other things that have happened, so hopefully it’ll be enjoyable! (laughs). Seriously, I guess there are a lot of things that helped me through my career.

How I went about things including planning, preparation, being match aware. What to do and how to adjust when the plan you have doesn’t work. Plus some other things that have been useful to me in my career.

Preparing for success, I think, is always a good thing. Enjoying pressure, enjoying the big moments, because at the end of the day, if you really want to make it big and really want to be successful, you’ve got to enjoy those

moments and do well under pressure. And also having no regrets.”

Glenn McGrath still holds the world record for highest number of test wickets by a fast bowler, and the record for the most wickets in the cricket World Cup. As well as ongoing duties as Chairman of the McGrath Foundation, which he founded with his wife Jane in 2008, he is now the Director of the MRF Pace Foundation, taking over the position from fellow fast bowling great Dennis Lillee, selecting, nurturing and scientifically developing the cricketing skills of youngsters with promise. He was awarded the Order of Australia in 2008 for his service to cricket as a player and for service to the community through the establishment of the McGrath Foundation.

To be a part of Ideas Exchange this year, we have a special ticket offer for just $375pp using the promo code “ELITE” via www.etouches.com/idx15.

We have more from Glenn McGrath in an extended piece on the web, where Glenn talks more about preparation, consistency and the need for mental as well as physical strength to succeed, plus what he considers the best moments of his career. Visit eliteagent.com.au.

eliteagent.com.au 31

sales

Think Bigger

John McGrath 32 ELITE AGENT • MAR-APR 2015

REAL ESTATE INDUSTRY COACH, mentor, thought

leader, CEO and now star of the TV series Shark Tank, John McGrath spoke frankly and exclusively to Elite Agent about why today’s agents need be “straighttalkers”, how he feels about current developments with portals and property marketing, agent ethics, integrity, and community. In Part One of our two-part interview, John discusses how agents can ‘think bigger’, what to expect from AREC 15, and who he admires in the industry right now.

W

hat do you feel have been the most significant changes in the industry in the last 12 to 24 months?

Well, digital, has of course marched forward once again. Over this past year, the Internet portals have become a more critical part of every marketing program, every agent’s life.

We’ve also seen the stakes raised in terms of industry competition. There are really good agents, both franchise and independent, who are doing some great work, and therefore there is going to be even more pressure on those people who have failed to reinvent themselves. There are still a lot of – let’s call them ‘mature age principals’– who have probably failed to make changes within their business for some time. I think that this market is going to become even more challenging if people are not really getting up to speed with the times and with what’s happening with the better agents.

Last year at AREC14 you quoted Tony Hsieh from Zappos, saying “Whatever you’re doing, think bigger!” What are the things you think agents should be ‘thinking bigger’ about right now?

Start with the basics of personal productivity and performance. The average agent in Australia probably sells a dozen properties a year, or close to that number. In a good agency, and certainly some in our businesses, they are selling 100 to 150 properties a year.

Whatever your current productivity is, you need to be looking at an increase in your expectations of yourself. With the tools available now for database management and other cloud/internet-based tools, most people should be three to four times more productive than they’ve ever been. Even if they’re doing nothing else except leveraging the technology that is currently available, that alone should

really be making people far more productive.

Now, if people are simultaneously redesigning themselves as well as using technology, I think there is an incredible opportunity for massive uplifts for some smart agents. I talk to people who are selling 15 or 25 properties. I say, ‘Let’s have a conversation about how do you go to 50, to 100’, because at that point you’ve got a serious business and you’re a market leader. You’ve got momentum.

Thinking bigger, whether you’re a principal or an agent, comes down to increasing the output of your business.

“With the tools available now most people should be three to four times more productive than they’ve ever been.”

I also feel you can now take a slightly ‘more obscure’ view of thinking bigger, in terms of starting to think about what difference you can make in your community. We’re real estate agents, part of the building blocks that build communities. There is a big opportunity here going forward. Very few industries (unless you are the local shopkeeper) get to see such a wide crosssection of the community. We introduce new people. We shift families around, inside our communities. We get to touch a lot of families within a large geographical area.

There’s an opportunity to think bigger about your own personal performance, and how you, as a participant in the industry, can really leverage what you do and how you do it, and make a difference in the community as well.

I feel that anyone who hasn’t tapped into that, who’s not aware of it and concerned about it and treating it as an important part

of the future, is out of touch. There are two things today that I believe are absolutely nonnegotiable. One is an agent’s integrity and transparency, which still to this day seems to elude too many people in our industry. The second one is the area of the environment, sustainability and the wider community.

As a successful member of any business community, whether you’re a real estate agent or not, you should have those things on your radar and work out what you can be doing.

From a business point of view, it makes total sense that people want to deal with ethical brands and organisations who care about the environment. It is just good business, and even more importantly, it’s part of being a good human being. This is where some of those who are not reinventing themselves are becoming out of touch.

Who in the industry do you admire most right now?

I admire a lot of people, for different reasons.

I’ve got some great friends and mentors in the industry. Michael Sheargold has been a great friend of mine, and a close confidant, for many years. He’s doing some great work with his training and coaching.

There are a few independent businesses around Australia I really admire. Shannon Whitney, has done a great job with his business (BresicWhitney), which is fantastic.

Shannon used to work for me a long time ago, and I’m very proud of what he’s doing.

I think Matt Hayson at Cobden Hayson is doing some phenomenal work in the Inner West, and the quality of their marketing and what they’re doing across the board is really world class.

There are plenty outside NSW as well: Ouwens Casserly in Adelaide are doing tremendous work; Phil Harris is doing great work. Those are some of the independents that I’ve referred to previously, the likes of Marshall White, Jellis Craig in Melbourne.

Those businesses are all world class. I like to think of McGrath as a slightly larger-scale business that is also world class. Whether you’re a one-man operation, or a 50 or 500 office group, there is the opportunity in Australia to do work that’s nothing like anything else in the world. A lot of good businesses are now starting to show that.

You talk a lot about agents creating a ‘worldclass experience’. What does that involve?

Start with the basics of ethics and integrity.

Number one: Agents need to tell the truth, the whole truth, all the time. I think most agents do tell the truth but there are some who don’t and that’s of grave concern to me. I hear stories from customers, and within the industry, of some of the

eliteagent.com.au 33

sales activities that go on. These discussions even happen in the corporate training room sometimes! I’m livid at the fact that there are people who are so outdated in their thinking. They tell the vendor what they want to hear, and then tell the buyers less than it’s worth, and bring them all together at the auction and ‘condition the vendor’; all this antiquated old-speak, yet there are individual agents, offices, and I fear, possibly even brands out there who think this is the way to go.

I am an evangelist for people just going hard on the truth… and not just the truth, but straight talk!

Google has changed the world in which we live. It’s made people expect things immediately, and expect direct, clear answers to their solutions and problems. The real

“If people are simultaneously redesigning themselves as well as using technology, I think there is an incredible opportunity for massive uplifts for some smart agents.” estate industry, or a small part of it, still thinks that it holds the key, and withholds information. It thinks that this way it remains in a position of power. I have a view that the consumers want information, the way they want it, where they want it, how they want it, when they want it.

Even things like price guides; 66 to 70 per cent of our properties are auctions carrying price guides. I wish it was 100 per cent, to be honest. We’ll get there, eventually. I keep talking to the industry, whenever I speak at events, and I often ask, ‘Why don’t you use price guides?’ Someone goes to the trouble of ringing you up, and you say ‘It’s 600,000 to 700,000’. Why can’t you just put that in the advertisement? It makes no sense not to; it’s old-fashioned. It shouldn’t be that difficult.

Another thing is frequency of communication: nowadays there’s no excuse. You’ve got regular telephone, instant messaging, Internet, mobile communication, Skype; there are so many ways to keep your customers, buyers, and sellers well informed, frequently, in an unfiltered, clear, direct manner. Again, these tools didn’t exist when I started in real estate. Most of them didn’t exist more than a decade ago. I think agents have got to recognise that the tools are there to a) increase their productivity, massively; and b) to increase, simultaneously, the quality of their service to their clients. Some of agents are still in the ’80s, or the ’90s.

They’re still thinking, ‘Well, if I get 25 sales

34 ELITE AGENT • MAR-APR 2015

done, that’ll be good. If I give my vendor an occasional update, that’s enough.’

People don’t want occasional updates.

Unless they’re getting married, or having a baby, or having some other incredibly important social and family moment, selling their home is going to be the most important thing on their mind. Some agents still wait until they’ve got some good news before talking to them. I say, ‘Don’t wait until you’ve got good news! Give your clients constant updates, so they know where they stand; and then they also know you’re working on their behalf on a daily basis.’ If I’m selling your house and you don’t hear from me for ten days, you’re quite possibly going to make the assumption I haven’t done much for ten days. If I’m giving you daily updates, (when I was selling was certainly my benchmark), you know I’m still working.

I say to my team ‘it’s about the frequency’.

For me, that’s what people deserve when they’re selling their property.

What surprises can we expect at AREC15?

I say this every year: it’s the best program we have ever had, and I guess that means that every year we need to raise the bar on ourselves! There’s no doubt that this is the most balanced program. It’s the deepest program.

I wanted the program this year to have a very strong emphasis on coaching; we certainly use a lot of coaching in our business, and I do believe that the right

coaches, and the right information, connecting with our industry, can ramp up massive success.

We’ve got the top two real estate coaches from the US; Tom Ferry will be back, as well as Brian Buffini. We also have Samantha DeBianchi, from the ‘Million Dollar Agent’ TV show, who will be speaking about the 2015 agent and what they need to do to be successful.

We also have five of the top Australian coaches in Claudio Encina, Tom Panos, Michael Sheargold, Peter Gilchrist and Lee Woodward. They all have very different styles, and that is deliberate; we didn’t want them all to look or feel the same. Plus we have a lot of local practictioners taking the stage and this year we’re aiming for short, sharp ‘TED’ style talks, some just 20 minutes long, with a theme for each speaker of delivering your very best material in a 20-minute block.

In terms of the non-real estate speakers, we have Wayne Dyer, who is a personal performance expert; he has written some amazing books, one in particular called Erroneous Zones. He’s probably now in his 70s, I would think. His work is just as relevant today, because he keeps reinventing himself.

Tim Ferriss needs no introduction: he wrote The 4 Hour Work Week, and is a productivity expert. He will deliver two keynote speeches over two days; I think he’ll be phenomenal. And we are going to end each day with Les Brown. He first spoke at AREC about eight or nine years ago, and in the 15 year history of AREC, we have never had anyone rate higher than he has; he just uplifts people. He’s really phenomenal.

Last but certainly not least, we’ve also got two great ‘Kiwi’ speakers, who are incredibly successful in real estate in New Zealand. Martin Cooper owns the number one small real estate group; he has got a small cluster of offices that he owns and runs. They’re doing about 45 or 50 million per annum. That puts him right up there at the top. Then there’s Wendy Alexander CEO of Barfoot & Thompson. She’s also very hands-on. She’s going to talk about what her top people in New Zealand are doing.

So 21 speakers all up, more speakers than ever before; it promises to be a great event!

Next Issue: In Part Two of our exclusive interview, John takes a stand on the portals and property advertising, including where agents should be focusing; his goals for the McGrath business for the next 12 months and tips for agents starting out on what to do when starting out in their careers.

To book tickets for AREC 15, visit tret.com.au.

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sales

Keeping it real THE FIRST SENTENCE OF HER bio reads, “Yes, you found her. The no-BS Realtor. And

yes, she sells a house every 1.3 days”. Leigh Brown from RE/MAX in Concord, North Carolina is not only a successful practising Realtor but also one of the most in-demand speaker/coaches in the US right now for her no-nonsense, ‘tells it like it is’ approach.

From a corporate career selling chainsaws to successfully growing her family business, her practical advice will have you laughing and feeling good about yourself in no time at all.

Y

ou are a practising agent as well as a coach and speaker.

Tell us a bit about your local patch and how you got into real estate.

I’m from North Carolina, which is in the south, and it is East Coast. The market here is a little more laid back. The average price is $US 200,000, so it’s a very affordable market, and therefore relatable to a lot of Realtors.

I think that’s why agents like listening to me, because I can relate to so many people.

For example, I love Raj Qsar from Orange County in California, but his price range is $4-5 million and that’s not most of us. I really talk to the ‘average’ agent.

I’ve been in the business for 15 years. I originally came in with my Dad, who has been a Realtor since 1978. I’m the luckiest girl ever; I got to learn from my Dad who is amazing. Everybody loves him and he’s always been good at real estate; he’s just not an organiser! He could have been really great if he was slightly more organised. He’s not; he’s a lover of people and not paperwork.

When I joined my Dad, I had actually been in corporate sales where I’d been selling chainsaws. That’s a really fun experience. I learned a lot but got tired of the corporate environment and so I joined my Dad. I came into the industry as a buyer’s agent.

How did you adjust from the corporate world to being in real estate?

It’s such a hard industry to break into. It looks so easy on paper and it’s just not. When I came in with Dad, my first goal was to learn what to do. I lived in his hip pocket and I went everywhere with him and observed everything before I was ‘cut loose’ with

36 ELITE AGENT • MAR-APR 2015

clients. During that time I was also organising his office because I can’t live in piles. I was getting his business model cleaned up as well.

My business has grown every year. I got him retired out of the business a couple of years ago; he still has his licence, but he only sells a house when he feels like it which is really nice. He’s just a rock star.

Everybody loves my Dad. I’ve grown the business from being a buyer’s agent to doing $70 million in transaction volume last year, which is a really big achievement.

Now we’ve got to number 89 in the RE/ MAX Top 100 worldwide. I was number 89 in the world and I love that. But it’s not just me – it’s because we have really amazing agents with me on my team; we have a shared culture and values. I’ve been able to apply a lot of my corporate background to real estate

What’s really driven my video presence is the all-authentic, Realtor-on-the-street straight talk. I do have a strong southern accent; in most parts of the world they tell you to get rid of your accent. I embrace it because it helps me stand out and allows me to be authentic. That’s probably my number one thing.

When I talk to agents I always say ‘Be who you are!’ If you are a dreadfully boring accountant, video will show that you are a dreadfully boring accountant; but there are clients who want that, that’s who they trust.

Clients want to know you’re real!

You’ve seen Realtor business cards. I’ve got a whole stack on my desk and the pictures don’t look like them! The consumer doesn’t know what to expect. If you’re using video it’s a living, breathing way for you to introduce

“You’ve seen Realtor business cards. I’ve got a whole stack on my desk and the pictures don’t look like them. The consumer doesn’t know what to expect!” without losing the ability to be relational.

You can get too corporate and then you don’t have any relationships, but if you’re too relationship all the time, sometimes you don’t have any money to show for it!

You are becoming very well known in the States for being a video marketing ‘Rock Star’ yourself. Tell us a bit about your special techniques for using video in your listings.

It’s really simple actually; I use my iPhone!

I hold it right here and talk to it, and then I send it. I’m not doing a lot of fancy stuff.

I’m doing some professionally done video for some of my listings, so that’s something we’re moving into.

yourself and tell people, ‘Hey - here’s who I am. I’m not going to sell you anything. I’m going to help you find a home. I’m going to help you in the process. I’m not scary!’

We know video is what consumers will always click on. They see that little arrow and they click. There’s a learning curve on it, though, because you get scared of doing video. Most people don’t like what they sound like and they don’t like what they look like, so they avoid video.

I always get a lot of laughs when I tell audiences they are scared of video because they think they are terrible. Your clients are going to meet you in person someday anyway, so get over it! You are what you are,

and if you’re overweight, so what? You’re underweight, so what? If your hair fell out, it doesn’t matter. What they’re interested in is whether you listen and whether you sound like you’re intelligent. Do you sound like you’re going to care about what they need when they’re buying and selling property? Video can do that in 30 seconds.

What do you talk about in your property listings to engage the audience?

For a lot of the ideas that I’m evolving I’ve got some other agent friends. One of the best things about real estate is there’s such a culture of sharing in this industry. I don’t have Raj Qsar’s budget or his price range, but I love his style. I also love Patrick Lilly, who’s in Manhattan, New York City. I don’t have his price range either. He’s also selling multimillion dollar properties. He’s the one who encouraged me to add more community flair to my videos and talk about the areas. I incorporated some of their ideas into my style because that’s what it’s about: take things you like about other people’s styles, add your thing to it and make it really work for your market. It’s so cool. You don’t see that in a lot of industries.

When I’m starting I ask my sellers, ‘Tell me the one thing about your house that you love.’ Every seller has one something that they love! Now, some sellers want to tell you 20 things; I don’t need 20 things, I need one. Then I’m going to look through the house and see something that I feel a buyer would respond to.

And that is something I should know as an expert in my marketplace; I know what a buyer’s going to respond to. So I’m going to make sure I emphasise that. I also want to know what my sellers love because it’s their home and they live there.

I think sometimes in our industry we get very cavalier about houses because we’ve seen them all. We get very jaded. You forget that somebody comes home there every day and has supper there, and has a glass of wine, and gets in the pool, and takes a nap.

They live there.

As Realtors, we look at it and say, ‘Oh, it’s four bedroom; three baths. It’s going to sell for $350,000.’ We chunk, chunk, chunk and move to the next house. When you allow your sellers to tell you why they love it you can then share that with buyers; first of all your sellers are engaged with you as an agent and second, buyers know that it’s more than four bedroom, three bath, $350,000. They feel a connection to it because it’s special.

When you list all 20 things that’s not nearly as special as saying ‘here’s the two or three things that are the most special’, so

give them a little teaser.

Since we’ve changed our video style, the tours (open homes) are going much, much better. We‘re getting more showings and more viewings online because the buyers are saying the neighborhood sounds great, there’s some cute things about this house and they want to come see it. That’s our job: to make a buyer fall in love with the property, even if it’s the most boring house ever. There’s something about it you can always find.

What are some of the things that you are hoping to share with the Ideas Exchange audience this year?

The biggest thing I want to leave your attendees with is a better sense of who they are as agents.

I know that sounds really fluffy, but there is so much power in knowing your unique value proposition in the marketplace. Who you serve best, who loves you best and why

they love you best.

When you’ve examined those things, then we talk about how you target those people to make them buy and sell with you and tell people about you. When you know who you are and what you provide to the marketplace, it’s no big deal to ask your fans to please recommend you.

It’s going to be fun. They’re going to laugh a lot in my session! I’m hoping to give the audience some great tips that are going to be meaningful and funny at the same time.

To be a part of Ideas Exchange this year, we have a special ticket offer for just $375pp using the promo code “ELITE” via www. etouches.com/idx15.

We have more from Leigh Brown in an extended piece on the web, where Leigh talks more about recruitment, values and work/life balance. Visit eliteagent.com.au.

eliteagent.com.au 37

sales

THREE WAYS TO GET AN UNFAIR ADVANTAGE OVER YOUR COMPETITION REAL ESTATE COACH AND trainer Tom Panos is well known

for teaching agents how to attract business and not just chase it. His podcast with John McGrath “Million Dollar Agent” has drawn an enormous following online. Here are some of the top tips from the podcast this year.

1

KNOWLEDGE IS NOT POWER

Knowledge used to be power, but Google is now knowledge. Anything you want can be found on Google. If you’ve got a computer, if you’ve got broadband, you’re as smart as the CEO of Microsoft.

You could be picking up garbage, you could be collecting stamps, you could be a kitchen hand; the bottom line is you can go onto Google and find exactly what you want.

For me it’s not what you know, it’s what you do that counts. Knowing and not doing is the same as not knowing. I like to let people know ‘Never let perfect get in the way of better’. In fact, 80 per cent of winning is just beginning, so just get started. Get momentum, and just worry about the next action.

2 “If you’ve got a computer, if you’ve got broadband, you’re as smart as the CEO of Microsoft.”

38 ELITE AGENT • MAR-APR 2015

GIVE YOURSELF A DAILY THREEHOUR ADVANTAGE OVER THE COMPETITION

The 5 AM Club: OK, so not so new anymore and people expect this from me. But what a buzzword! What does really it mean? For a start, the 5 AM club is the secret weapon that gives certain human beings on the planet a three-hour advantage over everyone else. Here are some reasons why I think you should actually make the 5 AM Club a ritual and part of your success routine: It’s a chance to plan. It’s a chance to create a day of design versus a day of accident.

It’s also a wonderful opportunity for you to exercise, because there is nothing more powerful than starting your day loaded with endorphins. You’ll feel energetic coming to work knowing that you’ve sweated, that you’ve had an opportunity to think through your day, and most importantly, you’ve got rid of the stuff that sometimes is put off and never gets done in the end.

It’s an opportunity to get smart. The hand that picks up a book is never the same hand that puts it back down, and being part of the 5 AM Club gives you that time, whether it’s half an hour of listening to an audiobook, a podcast, or reading something inspiring. It’s an opportunity to have that silent time, that quiet time to elevate your thinking.

Don’t expect it to be easy; it’s not! The 5

AM Club as a ritual for many of you is going to be daunting. For many of you who are thinking, ‘I wake up at 7:00 or I wake up at 7:30 and it’s all too hard’, well yes, the first 30 days are going to be hard. I’m going to make that clear. Don’t expect that you’re going to start waking up at 5:00 and saying ‘This is excellent!’

You’re going to get tired, but after the first 30 days you’re going to notice a different feeling.

Then you survive 60 days. You’ve created a world-class ritual that is going to give you an incredible advantage for the rest of your life.

But don’t forget, if you’re a 5 AM Club person you must be at least a 10 PM sleeper!

3

SCRIPTS, DIALOGUES, WORDS: THEY CHANGE LIVES

I’ve learned from a young kid that the things you say and the way you say them can actually change the story someone has or their belief about a particular topic. I’m going to share with you some really good listing presentation dialogue.

Dialogue to get you in, to talk about your strategy and marketing. ‘Mr and Mrs Vendor, it’s the process, not the promise of a price, that will have your home sold for top dollar. Can we discuss that process?’

“I’ve learned from a young kid that the things you say and the way you say them can actually change the story someone has or their belief about a particular topic.”

Dialogue to discuss value. ‘Mr and Mrs Vendor, your home’s value is dependent on four things: location, presentation, agent, and the strategy you use in marketing.

The good news is that three of the four are things you can control.’

Starting the marketing discussion. ‘Mr and Mrs Vendor, if I could show you how to swap $5,000 to make $50,000 would you be interested?’

Overcoming a listing objection based on price. ‘Mr and Mrs Vendor, will you be selecting the agent on the things the agent can control, like marketing and their solve strategy, or things the agent can’t control, like the price they give you at the listing?’

Finally, a good piece of dialogue to help your vendors understand that theirs is not the only home on the market. ‘Mr and Mrs Vendor, your home is on the market in competition, not in isolation.’

Finally, let me just say that when scripts and dialogues are internalised, when you know them so well that you sound like you’re having a conversation with a friend at a café, when your intentions are right, and authenticity and care come through, they’re no longer scripts and dialogue, they are a con

Tom Panos is the GM of Real Estate – Sales at News Corp Australia, as well as a leading real estate trainer and auctioneer in Australia/NZ. He will be on stage again as the MC of AREC 15.

Along with John McGrath, he will be running a very special ‘Million Dollar Agent’ podcast live at AREC 15 where together they will answer all your most difficult questions.

To book your AREC tickets visit www.tret.com.au.

Charles is just one of the many Real Estate Angents that have joined Homely.

100% free listings, 100% free leads

www.homely.com.au

CHARLES TOUMA BELLE PROPERTY SURRY HILLS eliteagent.com.au 39

productivity

I

N REAL ESTATE, just like in any

other industry, we should always be looking to be smarter and more efficient, while keeping a strong focus on the customer.

This mentality extends beyond systems and technology. We can use iPads, the latest CRM software and tools that help us automate repetitive tasks, but what about our people? How can we work together to create efficiencies? Grow our business? Enjoy a better work/life balance?

The Super Team model offers a solution.

The concept is simple: leverage the expertise and skills of three or more individuals to create the perfect Super Team.

Traditionally, real estate agents have had to be ‘all things to all people’ – lead generator, lister, administrator, advertising copywriter, auctioneer, negotiator – the list goes on. We can do it all, but is it really the most effective use of our time and skills?

In other industries there is room for experts who work together to create a holistic customer experience. Doctors need anaesthetists, nurses and admin staff. The legal profession has solicitors, barristers and paralegals. So what can we learn from these models?

For some years I have been building and fine-tuning my own Super Team. There are many variations on this model, but I have found the following set-up works well with my team of three.

Team leader – Highly skilled in winning listings and responsible for overseeing the team strategy and day-to-day workflow.

They provide direction, motivate the team and have developed excellent sales skills.

They have high vendor interaction and are the ‘face’ of the team.

Buyer agent/Lead generator –The engine room of the Super Team, mining databases and buyer lists for potential leads. They are focused on building relationships with buyers, assisting them at open for inspections and generating new leads from those buyers.

Campaign coordinator – Providing administrative support to the team, this is a highly organised guru who creates and maintains all the paperwork, advertising schedules and daily vendor communication. They are always available when the team leader is not and ensure that communication is seamless throughout every stage of the campaign.

From experience, I have found that the first recruitment decision for the Super Team after creating the team leader (most likely yourself) is the campaign coordinator.

Their support role is vital in freeing up the

40 ELITE AGENT • MAR-APR 2015

Super team, super service JEREMY ROSENS OF Gary Peer St Kilda examines how to

define roles and recruit the perfect team to create your ideal Effective Business Unit (EBU).

team leader’s time to focus on gaining new business, and ultimately the lead generator to focus on their area of expertise.

When it comes to recruiting the members of your Super Team, it’s tempting to employ people like you. But this can be a mistake.

Look for complementary personality traits and skills. It’s no good employing your twin – there’s already one of you.

Sales people, by definition, are constantly focused on running to close a sale; a similarly focused admin assistant will just create double chaos. It is important that the

campaign coordinator has a strong focus on being calm and thorough, always ready to address the detail that can send so many top sales people running away.

THE BENEFITS OF A SUPER TEAM Become an expert. Each member of the team is able to develop genuine expertise in their area. The more time they spend focused on their tasks, the more knowledgeable, confident and authoritative they become.

This specialised advice then benefits the client and leads to a better result.

Defined roles. Everyone knows what part they play in the team. Their expertise is relied upon and appreciated by the other members.

Faster, smarter systems. Tasks flow smoothly between team members who have input to process improvement. Constant refining of your model leads to increased efficiencies.

Team culture. Never underestimate the value of being in a high-functioning team where ideas are encouraged and success is celebrated. By empowering team members to implement the system improvements they have suggested, team morale and levels of job satisfaction go through the roof.

The whole is greater than the sum of the parts. Ultimately the success of a Super Team will be evident in the bottom line.

The aim is to create higher GCI than three individuals working independently.

WHAT CAN GO WRONG? Too many similar personalities. As mentioned previously, it’s in everyone’s best interests to ensure there is a good crosssection of personality attributes and skills in the team. This means all the gaps are covered and clashes are avoided.

Doctors need anaesthetists, nurses and admin staff. The legal profession has solicitors, barristers and paralegals. So what can we learn from these models?

Down time. The seasonal nature of real estate means we have very busy periods (such as spring) and quieter times. An effective Super Team will plan ahead for these quieter times and ensure there are plenty of projects that can be tackled. It’s also a great time to review any lessons learned or discuss, agree and execute potential system improvements.

CUSTOMER SERVICE – MORE IMPORTANT THAN EVER

Demand for superior customer service is higher than ever, but we also need to show value. Buyers and sellers have access to so much more information than they did 20 or even 10 years ago.

A client who experiences outstanding touch points from all members of the Super Team is far more likely to re-employ, refer and recommend based on the ‘wow’ experience they have just received. Our challenge is to continue to raise the bar and reach it.

The real estate industry needs to learn from models used in other industries. The Super Team is an effective way to help our people become subject matter experts and bring that expertise to bear in a collaborative environment.

Most importantly, the Super Team model, and others like it, is a direct response to the growing sophistication of our industry.

Jeremy Rosens is Director of Gary Peer St Kilda and 2014 REIV Salesperson of the Year (Principal). Jeremy will be speaking at this year’s Ideas Exchange in Sydney 12 May and Melbourne 15 May. Book tickets at ideaxsydney.com and ideaxmelbourne.com.

eliteagent.com.au 41

marketing

SKIMMERS, SCEPTICS AND SOAKERS: ARE YOU REACHING THEM ALL?

CARL QUESTED ANALYSES the different ways we read

and process information. Our marketing needs to appeal to all three groups, so how can this be achieved?

W

• Links to research from other trusted businesses or sites • Directions to find further information, testimonials and reviews

SOAKERS: HEN AGENTS create

their marketing, they rarely have a consumer testing group set up to check their message is on point. Usually they’ll write something they themselves would like to read, get it spellchecked and away it goes.

But as consumers (agents included) our reading style and the way we digest information generally falls into one of three categories.

1. Skimmers – This group has no time to sweat the small details. They want the meat and potato, not the veg. They want to know what is going on in the shortest amount of time. They are generally very decisive, and will make their decision based on the information they have at hand right now, rather than go searching for extra details.

2. Sceptics – Sceptics want to know who you are, and what it is that makes you qualified to tell them anything. This group will be looking for detailed testimonials, statistics and cold hard facts. The sceptics are the type who will research review pages and read feedback before making their own decision.

3. Soakers – As the name suggests, this

42 ELITE AGENT • MAR-APR 2015

group will soak up every single detail you provide. They are likely to reread everything, and are the most likely to hold on to something to go back to later.

Don’t be surprised if they contact you to let you know about a grammatical error; they just can’t help it. They are also likely to continue searching for information if it’s available.

If you read any of those three statements and found yourself nodding your head, the chances are you write in the same style.

What you need to do is to recognise that and make sure all your letters, blog posts, social media and so on cater for all three groups from now on.

Each of these groups likes a certain style and presentation.

SKIMMERS: • Clear headlines • Subheadings that tell the story quickly • Bullet points with key concepts • Summary of the story • Clear call to action – tell them what you need them to do

SCEPTICS: • Testimonials – lots of them (don’t worry, the skimmers will ignore them) • Hard facts with numbers and percentages

• Make the story rich in detail and compelling • Any statistics and data need to have features and benefits • Make them feel comfortable about rereading and keeping your communication for future reference • Provide links to further reading, community pages and so on.

If you need to get feedback from those in the other categories to yourself, just give them this magazine and watch how they consume the information. Is it a fast flick through the pages? Do they glance at it and frown in distrust? Or do they bury their head in the pages and not come up for air?

If you need to get feedback from those in the other categories to yourself, just give them this magazine and watch how they consume the information.

IDENTIFY YOUR CURRENT MARKETING STYLE You can now look through your existing client base, and even your desired client base, and identify which of the three attributes are most often displayed. You will find that, on the whole, each group is likely to have the same attributes, whether they are investors, empty nesters, young professionals and so on.

The idea is not to write the copy based solely on them, but to make that your primary focus and then adjust it to include the other two less prominent groups.

This is also where segmenting your database and customising your message can play a massive role.

SEGMENT YOUR DATABASE Any good CRM these days will give you the ability to segment your database based on any number of different profiles, from pet owners to families with children, downsizers, and so on. This can be via tags created on the record, or separate lists created for each one of your categories. Now you can take it one step further and segment it based on reading style. How do you do this?

The answer is testing. You will only get

to learn people’s reading style over time by testing different types of copy to see which one they are most receptive to. It is a good idea to code your marketing, so that when you receive responses you can use these codes and overlay them against previous campaigns to see which is most effective with whom.

TEST AND MEASURE Like all worthwhile activities, building relationships takes time. You won’t necessarily get the perfect balance on your first communication. The good thing is that the more attempts you make the more you build up points in the relationship bank account – as long as you keep your content relevant, interesting and don’t constantly badger them about selling their home.

You can test whether certain headings will be more responsive to sceptics, or whether an image is more compelling to the skimmer. These are subtle changes that can have big impacts on your response levels.

And make sure that you only test one change at a time. It takes discipline and patience fully to understand your audience; resist the urge to change your document completely, as you will not be able to identify what it is that made the difference.

FURTHER READING If you want to learn more about buyer behaviour, I have come across a couple of really good resources. Firstly, a study conducted by Google called Zero Moment of Truth – www.zeromomentoftruth.com. It is a great study that talks about the number of interactions and hours of content that people consume before making their buying decision.

Secondly, a book called Buyology by Martin Lindstrom. This book studies the human psyche and the role of the subconscious mind in what we buy. It can be a bit scientific and geeky, but getting deep on understanding who your audience is can be a very powerful tool.

Remember, you’ll see Skimmers, Sceptics and Soakers everywhere, and they’re out there reading your stuff.

Carl Quested is the director of AgentMail. (agentmail.com. au), a boutique mail house that specialises in real estate mail. He has recently written the book ‘Alpha Mail – How to List and Sell More Property Using Direct Mail’, due to be launched late November. Visit Alphamail. com.au for more details.

Elite-agent-2015.pdf 1 1/6/2015 3:26:23 PM

THERE’S NO PLACE LIKE HOME C

M

Y

CM

Will your staff appreciate the opportunity to volunteer and help build homes for people in real need?

MY

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Visit habitat.org.au/changelives Call 1800 88 55 99

eliteagent.com.au 43

sales

The top 10 qualities of the top 10 per cent

MICHAEL SHEARGOLD is a

respected business coach and performance expert.

He has completed over 7,000 coaching sessions in his career. How does your attitude and productivity stack up against the top 10 per cent in the industry?

4 4 ELITE AGENT • MAR-APR 2015

I

’D LIKE TO SHARE with you the 10

success qualities of elite agents. As you review them, ask yourself, ‘How well am I applying this success quality?’ and give yourself a score out of 10 for each one.

From there, build yourself a simple action plan based on what you are going to start doing, stop doing and continue doing to make the biggest difference in your results.

1

BUILD A WINNING ATTITUDE

One of the things to recognise is that you must have a great attitude – one that’s positive and motivating. Your

attitude creates your world view; it’s what you put out before you get anything back.

What is your winning attitude? Can you tweak it, hone it and improve it so it’s a can-do attitude?

2

GET SUPER CLIENT-FOCUSED

The fastest way to get you what you want is to help your clients get what they want. When you’re client-focused, you tune in to them.

Ask yourself, ‘How can I deliver great service and help my clients achieve their goals?’ In real estate, it’s the ultimate win-win-win situation: when the seller

the right things in at the right time to produce the right results? It’s not the hours you put in that count; it’s what you put into the hours!

4

GROW YOUR LEVEL OF PASSION

Being passionate about helping people and passionate about this business is critical to your success. This allows you to explore and grow your knowledge. When it comes to talking to new clients or potential clients, an average agent might stop after the first question; but you’ll ask two or three more because you’re passionate about helping people and genuinely interested in their situation.

5 The key is not to attempt to improve everything at once.

Focus on three to five improvement areas that will give you the biggest return on investment.

wins and the buyer wins, then you win.

Good service also kicks into gear the best marketing in the world – word of mouth.

3

BECOME MASSIVELY ORGANISED AND FOLLOW THROUGH

Your level of organisational skills has a huge impact on your success. You might be a great communicator, but if you’re not great at following through on the commitments you make that’s going to get in the way of how people perceive you. It won’t be a communication issue; it will be an organisational issue. So how organised are you? Are you putting

DEVELOP A HIGH LEVEL OF CONFIDENCE

This is about bringing your confidence into play. If you lose confidence in a property or client, I can pretty much guarantee that’s going to show in the way you communicate. So make sure you’re playing the confidence game. That means you have positive anticipation – you’re going to have a great open or a great auction.

Confidence is driven by your level of knowledge and the skillset you have developed. A great strategy here is to explore areas of knowledge and skill improvements you know would make a difference to your confidence.

6

MAINTAIN HIGH STANDARDS OF EXCELLENCE

Without a doubt, the best agents in the business have high standards of excellence – the standards they choose to operate by. This communicates to those around them so they start to step up to the plate as well. A great strategy here is to ask yourself and the team ‘Where do my/ our standards sit?’ If you haven’t done any work on this area, I strongly recommend you do.

7

LIVE WITH HIGH ENERGY

You might think this is similar to passion, but it does have a twist.

More than anything else people buy your energy!

Your energy is influenced on many levels, but do a review of your balance, sleep, exercise and food management. All of these have a significant impact on who you are and the energy levels you have.

Interestingly, anyone can have high energy on a few calls, but elite agents have the ability to turn up their energy for the 120 calls they’ll make this week!

8

BE AN INFLUENCING AND COMMUNICATION LEGEND

A great influencer doesn’t have only one way to communicate. It’s all about different strokes for different folks. Your style needs to adapt to your audience: a young professional couple, an elderly couple, or someone who’s gone through some hard times would all need handling differently. It’s about your ability to tune in to their wavelength. How much work have you done in improving your communication, influencing and negotiation skills?

9

DEVELOP YOUR OUTCOME AND DEAL FOCUS

People tend to think that negotiations start when someone says ‘I would like to buy this property’. But the best in the business understand that deal focus begins now; on an initial phone enquiry, for example. ‘I strongly recommend you put this property on your shopping list. It would absolutely be on the top of mine if I was looking for a property along these lines. Can I ask you a couple more questions to understand your situation a little better?’ You become engaging and help people marry the property – it really builds amazing momentum.

10

UPGRADE YOUR WILLINGNESS TO LEARN

Where can you improve?

How can you tweak that strategy? This is about making learning essential, so you’re focused on getting smarter faster.

The key here is not to attempt to improve everything at once. Focus on three to five improvement areas that will give you the biggest return on investment, then find someone who can help you build that skill. That could be attending a workshop, jumping online to grab a resource or bringing coaching into the mix of your success strategy.

These 10 success qualities are vital tools to have in your toolkit. Rate yourself (or if you’re game have someone else rate you) to identify your greatest opportunities for improvement. You’ll also see where you’re strong and look at how you could build on that even further.

Michael Sheargold is super coach to many of Australia’s leading principals and agents.

For more information visit michaelsheargold.com.

Michael will be speaking at AREC15, to book your tickets visit tret.com.au.

eliteagent.com.au 45

agent profile

Anthony Lapadula Jellis Craig Northcote, Victoria

Anthony Lapadula has been in the real estate industry for 10 years. He joined Jellis Craig in 2007, initially in the Ivanhoe office, and is now a senior sales consultant and auctioneer. Anthony specialises in Melbourne’s inner north market, particularly Northcote, Fairfield, Ivanhoe, Ivanhoe East and Eaglemont, concentrating on the $1m to $4m price bracket. He has been recognised by Jellis Craig as their number one sales consultant in the Northcote office for several years.

What was your first job, and what was the most important thing it taught you?

Real estate has always been my only job and passion, so I’ve always focused my career in the industry. My first role was a sales consultant at the age of 20, not a PA, which enabled me to build my career from an early age.

What do you like most about your work now?

I like to be able to manage my own career and design my own future. I believe you get back what you put in. So if you have the passion, dedication and skills and are willing to work hard, there are great reward opportunities, both personally and financially.

What do you find most challenging about what you do, and how do you deal with it?

Like most agents, I find the work/life balance hard. It’s easy to be consumed by your work, especially when you live and breathe property. One strategy I use to manage this is to make sure I take time off – for example, Sunday is family day and I take holidays during quieter market periods.

Define success for you personally. What will you have achieved?

Success for me is developing

46 ELITE AGENT • MAR-APR 2015

long-standing relationships with my clients. It’s not just about selling their home or development, but becoming a trusted property specialist – the person who keeps them up to date with the current market, as well as their first choice for their next property move.

Describe your typical day.

I start my day with a cycle ride or a run, then breakfast with my partner. Then I head straight for the office, meet with my team and start making the day’s calls. This might be following up leads, talking with buyers, or updating my clients. In the afternoon I’m out of the office, meeting with new clients, managing current listings, overseeing my campaigns, hosting opens, and of course on Saturdays I’m in auction mode.

Is there one thing that’s not obvious about you that you wish more people would get?

I’m very much ‘what you see is what you get’ and I always conduct my business with transparency. If I’m doing my job properly, I’m communicating effectively and nothing flies under the radar.

What’s your secret skill or superpower that makes you so good at what you do?

My key strength is my ability to read different personalities

quickly and adapt my style to each one so we can work together effectively. In the ’90s they called this ‘synergy’ but these days we talk about emotional intelligence. To be successful in real estate, you need to be able to read people’s personalities and emotions to understand their drivers and how best to manage the relationship. Being able to communicate and work with them in their preferred style creates better opportunities for successful outcomes.

What makes you laugh?

I like to find humour in every day; it’s important we can all laugh, especially when we’re under pressure. Outside real estate, my partner is a constant source of laughter – she is one of the funniest, most beautiful people I know.

What’s the best compliment you’ve ever received, and why?

My best compliment came from one of my clients, a well-known family here in Melbourne. They were very appreciative when

“TO BE SUCCESSFUL IN REAL ESTATE, YOU NEED TO BE ABLE TO READ PEOPLE’S PERSONALITIES AND EMOTIONS TO UNDERSTAND THEIR DRIVERS AND HOW BEST TO MANAGE THE RELATIONSHIP. ”

I sold their house and have come to me to sell their other properties consistently over the past eight years. Repeat or lifelong clients are the best compliment; they are proof you are doing your job well.

Is there anything you’re afraid to do, or you would do if you weren’t afraid?

Years ago I was afraid to say it as it is. That’s not easy to do at the start, but making it a priority has helped me achieve my success to date.

If you could give one piece of advice to your younger self, what would it be?

Actually there are three things I’d advise my younger self, or agents just starting out in the industry:

1. Find a mentor, someone you aspire to for their success within real estate or another profession. Learn from what they do and take on their successful habits. Ask for their feedback and advice.

2. Realise you are the master of your own destiny and have the ability to design your own career. You don’t have to be a cookie-cutter copy of the last agent; you can be successful your way as long as you are dedicated, professional and always open to learning and seeking new opportunities.

3. Make more calls. Each morning, set that list of 20 must-do calls and make them. You need to be talking to your network and

“YOU DON’T HAVE TO BE A COOKIECUTTER COPY OF THE LAST AGENT; YOU CAN BE SUCCESSFUL YOUR WAY AS LONG AS YOU ARE DEDICATED, PROFESSIONAL AND ALWAYS OPEN TO LEARNING.” contacts to see the next opportunity and develop long-term relationships.

What are your goals?

My longer-term goals are to continue to build my personal portfolio, building my relationships and networks.

In the shorter term I’m focused on listing the best of Melbourne’s inner northern

property and delivering exceptional results to my clients. Buyers in Melbourne’s inner north are educated and design savvy, so I’m focused on that. I’m also developing new ways to match sellers with the right buyers. This includes how we present and market properties, so they jump off the portal listing or printed page.

eliteagent.com.au 47

Champions

RE/MAX Awards

IN FEBRUARY THIS YEAR , RE/MAX Australia

announced its top performers for 2014 in the magnificent Brisbane City Hall, celebrating an exceptional year of growth and innovation. Managing Director Michael Davoren suggested that this year would be an exciting one for real estate and possibly RE/MAX Australia’s strongest year for some time yet. More than 600 guests attended the gala annual awards event.

Elite Agent Magazine would like to congratulate all the award winners and we are pleased to present a selection of this year’s RE/MAX champions.

Cyndi Ward from RE/MAX Gold QLD (third from left) celebrates her Property Manager of the Year award

RE/MAX Young Sales Associate of the Year Elliott Dean, pictured with RE/MAX Australia Managing Director Michael Davoren

Michael Davoren (left) awards Michael Spillane from RE/MAX Northern QLD, a repeat winner for Special Achievement in Marketing by an individual

Eagle Award winner Brad Neilson, RE/MAX Bayside Properties QLD, pictured with RE/MAX Managing Director Michael Davoren

Recipients of the Diamond Award, the highest of the annual commission-based awards in RE/MAX, take their applause

Number one sales office RE/MAX Regency from Robina, QLD

48 ELITE AGENT • MAR-APR 2015

Top sales award winner Cathy Lammie of RE/MAX Advantage, QLD

RE/MAX Results QLD takes the top sales team spot based on commission generated in 2014. Pictured L to R: Allison Hewett, Deborah Evans and Fraser Evans

Inaugural Everyday Hero Award Nathan Watts, RE/ MAX Hills & Country, SA

EPM ELITE PROPERTY MANAGER

CLOSE COLLABORATION How Sales and PM work together at LJ Hooker New Farm PAGE 54

Natalie Hastings Above and beyond: the new customer service normal Page 50

Tara Bradbury How to hire a BDM Page 52

Heidi Walkinshaw Fitting it all in – and finding time for you.

Page 56

Jo-Anne Oliveri Five KPIs to keep your property management business on track Page 58

Sarah Dawson Team spirit Page 62

eliteagent.com.au 49

Property Management Mentor

Natalie Hastings

Above and beyond: the new customer service normal In the past a basic level of customer care was considered adequate for both landlords and tenants. Now, thanks partly to social media, a little more effort pays dividends.

Natalie Hastings explains why.

L

ong overdue and very welcome, the real estate industry is starting to finesse its reputation with a combination of compliance and an earnest focus on the service they deliver to their customers.

For too long, real estate businesses small and large have got by on minimum standards when it comes to their client care: compliant to a level, but rarely demonstrating true gratitude or attention to detail. However, market forces paired with technology and swiftly apparent client feedback on social media have forced the real estate industry’s hand – and for good!

Eager to benefit from the positive marketing and word-ofmouth referrals that delivering quality client care offers to businesses, agencies of all sizes and categories are now going ‘above and beyond’ to retain and impress their clients. In fact, it’s the new normal.

Here’s why spending time (and money) on honouring your clients makes sense and needs to take priority within your agency.

LOYALTY AT A COST As we all know, landlords are loyal – to a point. They will excuse lacklustre service and communication for some time, often because the thought of changing agencies is too stressful and time-consuming.

50 ELITE AGENT • MAR-APR 2015

Don’t be fooled by their reticence, as it won’t be long before some canny BDM from a competing agency prospects them, offering both attention to their concerns and a lower fee.

Compliance (merely managing the property and all that entails) will not keep clients with you: impressing them, paying attention to them and honouring them with intelligent gifting, events and culture will. Our landlords and tenants are looking for appreciation, not just property management. In their minds anyone can manage a property and take their monthly tithe.

Your rent roll will continue to bleed listings to agents who offer lower rates for apparently the same service if your strategy doesn’t extend to including customer service worth talking about. It is always galling for a property manager to lose listings to substandard competitors, but if your landlord doesn’t understand the difference in service or feel wedded to your brand, the war is already over.

IT’S ALL ABOUT THEM When it comes to client gifting, by and large the real estate industry is sub-par. We all know about the luxury vouchers, opulent bouquets and additional gifts that car dealerships present to their clients, rain, hail or shine.

Real estate clients often spend far more with us than they might at their auto dealer, so why are

we collectively so slack?

Time management and remaining compliant comes into the real estate industry’s lack of focus, but so does a certain kind of narcissism. Client gifting does not mean corporate branded keyrings, ugly cheap mugs, T-shirts or caps. These items are almost meaningless as clients won’t use them. Ultimately

beautiful bouquet of flowers, a delectable package of candles, gardening at their home, a dinner at a local restaurant, a book you know they’ll enjoy. It is the detail and bespoke nature of these tokens of gratitude that matter.

Importantly, make sure you have all appropriate social media channels ready and waiting for your fans and influencers

Client gifting does not mean corporate branded keyrings, ugly cheap mugs, T-shirts or caps. they are for your agency’s benefit rather than your clients’ gratification. And yes, clients include both landlords and tenants, as having both of these groups raving about your service to their communities is worth every effort.

Think of new ideas that are more meaningful and match your budget – and leave those branded novelties and cleanskin wines alone! Consider magazine subscriptions, candles, locally roasted coffee for tenants – and diarise gifting at certain times in your tenant-agent relationship.

Likewise, honour your landlords – and not just on anniversaries.

The ‘just because’ gift delivered to work is often the most impressive. An overnight getaway to a valuable client, a

to share their appreciation for your outstanding service! It’s no longer good enough to shy away from social media because of fear of criticism and if our clients aren’t saying it to our face, they’re expressing it in a forum we’re ignoring at our peril.

It is easy to get lost in the complexity of your everyday role as a property manager; there’s so much to look out for.

That’s where the leader of your organisation or franchise group needs to step in and support your attempts to step it up.

After all, going above and beyond is the new normal.

Natalie Hastings is the Managing Director of Hastings + Co. For more information, visit hastingsandco.com.au.

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Business Development Mastery

Tara Bradbury

How to hire a BDM Tara Bradbury explains the qualities you need to look for in hiring a BDM for your property management business.

C

hoosing the right BDM is essential for any real estate agency that wants to achieve fast and consistent growth in 2015. Before you even advertise for the vacant position, it is important you understand and develop a proper job description. From my experience, principals often overlook the job description and then wonder why the department is going backwards and not growing.

Remember, the energy you put out into the universe for a new BDM is what you will get back in the way of potential applicants. If you put no effort into the job title and description, how can you expect to attract a quality staff member? The roles of the property manager and BDM are very different, and I often see advertising for a BDM position with a property manager’s description.

You need to open and close your BDM advertisement by catching the eye of the best potential candidate with the most suited personality and skill level for the role.

Sample questions for advertisements: • Are you an individual who can think outside the box?

• Are you highly driven and motivated by success?

• Are you prepared to step outside your comfort zone and go the extra mile to achieve high results?

52 ELITE AGENT • MAR-APR 2015

• Can you picture yourself as the expert and provide valuable information to investors?

The above questions will get the prospective candidate thinking and wanting to know more, and they will read on.

You can then close by saying, ‘If the answer is yes, and you are interested in a career that is going to new levels every day, call now! You are the type of person we want on our growing team!’

Now for the best part: you have promoted your vacant position and had a glowing response receiving 20 resumes. Do you interview all the applicants, or choose a select five and hope one is suitable?

I say neither. I suggest giving

calling the suitable applicants for an interview.

Don’t be afraid to ask another staff member to get involved in the interview process with a few questions. They may see something you don’t, and it gives you a second opinion rather than having to make a decision on your own. It is important that the new BDM works well with the current team environment. It only takes one sour grape to destroy what has been a happy and successful team.

Make sure the applicant is doing all the talking during the interview process and ask open-ended questions. Many times I have seen principals do all the talking during an interview. They think, ‘Gee,

actually involves; otherwise they are likely to leave soon after starting. This is why it is important to have a detailed job description which is clearly explained and acknowledged during the interview process.

Keep in mind that many people will come across as excellent and have the skills you are looking for, but are they willing to go the extra mile? Will they live up to the requirements expected of them, and do they have the salesperson skills needed for the BDM position?

Understand that the person best suited for the position may not bring in high numbers straight away. It takes at least three to six months to build solid relationships

The energy you put out into the universe for a new BDM is what you will get back in the way of potential applicants. If you put no effort into the job title and description, how can you expect to attract a quality staff member? each applicant an opportunity, but don’t go to the extreme of interviewing everyone.

Be proactive and have a list of direct questions to send the applicants once you have received their resumes. Put an end date for when they need to be returned and, based on the response, you will have plenty of information to start

that went well!’ and hire the applicant. Then they realise the candidate is unsuitable, but they were never given a chance to speak.

Remember, all the interview questions should be based on job requirements. The recruitment process should give applicants a detailed description of what the job

with referral networks and sometimes longer, when they already have an established relationship in place with another agency or BDM. Finally, don’t be afraid to start your new BDM on a probation period, as this gives you the chance to further test the commitment and skills expressed during the interview

A BDM MUST:

• Be a confident networker, able to build strong relationships and who loves meeting new people • Be passionate about the department’s vision and believe in the product they are selling to the prospective landlord • Understand that the position is not a nine-to-five role and be prepared to do deals after hours or on weekends • Have a competitive nature, killer instinct and be goal-orientated • Have an ability to build and manage a large database • Be a team player and have good communication skills • Understand that ‘no’ doesn’t mean ‘no’; it means ‘not right now’ • Be prepared always to think ahead of how they can go the extra mile for themselves, the business and the client.

process. Probation periods can vary in length but are usually around three months.

I’m often asked whether you need to be a property manager before becoming a BDM. I believe the BDM must understand the role of a property manager and be involved with the team.

However, he or she does not necessarily need property management experience prior to taking on the position.

I personally have seen many successful BDMs across Australia and New Zealand who had no previous experience in the industry and yet comfortably achieve 10, 20, even 30-plus managements per month.

A BDM should be out of the office 80 per cent of the time networking, building relationships, meeting with new landlords, promoting the office by doing presentations, completing rental appraisal and presenting management agreements. The other 20 per cent should be spent handling paperwork, adding new contacts to the database and following up prospective landlords.

The best way to check that your BDM is on track is to ask them to provide you with a

detailed plan. Make sure the tasks and appointments are income-producing activities and follow up with them the next day to see how successful they were.

In 2015, be the principal who is more proactive than reactive when hiring new staff.

Hiring reactively will only create more chaos in your department and make the current team uncomfortable.

Consider the importance and future growth of the property management department and plan to staff accordingly. This practice doesn’t necessarily mean that the principal hires before additional growth.

However, it does mean that the principal hires strategically, rather than reactively.

The practice of proactive staffing requires a strong discipline; it looks past the current and seemingly more urgent ‘issues’ in favour of a different direction where you can design the future according to your business needs.

Tara Bradbury is the Director of the BDM Academy. She shares her business development ideas and strategies with property management BDMs and principals. For more information visit bdmacademy.com.au.

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For more information, visit lpma.com.au/lpma2015

eliteagent.com.au 53

ELITE PROPERTY MANAGER

Close Collaboration Getting the sales team and the property management team to work effectively together so they are referring business to each other is no easy task, but Brett Greensill, Principal of LJ Hooker New Farm, has pretty much managed to perfect it. Having started the business from scratch, he and his partner Andrew Clough now manage around 1,000 properties, with close collaboration between the two departments.

B

RETT GREENSILL will tell

you that anyone who knows Brisbane knows that New Farm “is the best place to be”. On a peninsula just to the north of the city, New Farm is easy to access, close to the airport and has the beauty of being surrounded by the banks of the Brisbane River. “It’s a very desirable property”, he continues. “It also has a village heart. We often refer to it as the Village, meaning that you could, quite frankly, live, work, and play without leaving the suburb, if you wanted to. Many people do. Over the years it’s transitioned from migrant community to urban renewal, and now has a slight socialist leaning that’s left over from the ‘50s and

‘60s, but clearly upwardly mobile.”

How long have you been in the area?

“I’ve been a real estate agent since 1999, been working the New Farm area since 2001. I’ve lived in the area since 1993. So it was a natural progression for me. In the beginning I worked for a local company called Kuceli Real Estate which had been around for 40 years. The principals of that business ended up selling the rent roll to Andrew Clough, who was at the time the Principal of the Professionals office. I was ready to start on my own, looked around and applied to LJ Hooker to get a franchise, and this office ‘officially’ began in 2006; and I started from scratch. Things have now come full circle, in that Andrew and I merged our businesses this year and now we are 50/50 partners in this business.”

“YOU CAN’T DO IT BY YOURSELF. THIS NOTION THAT 100 PER CENT OF SOMETHING IS WORTH MORE THAN 50, OR 25 OR ANY OTHER PERCENTAGE OF A MUCH BIGGER, MORE PROFITABLE BUSINESS IS NONSENSE!”

54 ELITE AGENT • MAR-APR 2015

So you started completely from scratch?

“We did bring across the sales staff from Kuceli,” says Greensill, “plus I had a pretty good local market share in sales. My administrator, Andrea Bailey, who is now my Head of Sales, was with Kuceli – we’ve worked together since 1999. Back then we made a conscious decision just to focus on sales. I had an excellent relationship with another local property management business; we had a deal that she would refer her sales to me and I would refer her managements.

We were across the street from one another so it worked really well for about three years.”

And then? “Then I guess it became a bit of a client-driven thing; I had a couple of clients say that they really wanted to continue working with me and it was really hard to say no. The thought of losing the client, or losing the business; I thought, ‘Right! It’s time to get started!’”

“When I think back, we got to 60 or 70 managements very quickly, no problems, no impact on sales. Then we got to 100 or 120, and again it was pretty easy to keep doing that with one property manager; we upgraded our software and kept going. But then when you get up over that 120 mark you have to get more serious. Now we have approximately 1,000 properties under management; it’s now a business unit on its own, operating independently with six property managers.”

How do you manage such a big rent roll?

“We currently run a hybrid pod/portfolio model. I know the current word is ‘pod.’

Sometimes the labels make it quite difficult, and usually most offices will run with a combination of what works for them, because there isn’t one size that fits all solutions. In New Farm, for example, parking is a problem; and while you may not think that’s a big deal, when you have multiple people driving round and around looking for

a car park for half the day it does become a bit of a drain on productivity. So to counter this we have an outside contractor - ie just one person doing routine inspections.”

For the merged business, the sales department and property management departments are in different buildings running as separate businesses, and yet Greensill is well known within the network for how well they operate together. I ask him what is his secret to success with this.

“I love that question!” Greensill laughs.

“Now just let me reflect on Arthur Kuceli, my first boss. Back then, the PM and sales departments were in the same building but with a corridor running between them, and I remember him running up and down yelling ‘Communication! Communication!

Communication!’ because something had

the client, you’re more likely to retain the client within the business when one of those people goes than if you’re relying on only one point of contact. If you diversify the relationship with the client as broadly as you can through the business, you are in fact more likely to retain the business.”

“But you also have to explain – so that’s it’s clear in the salesperson’s mind – that it’s not a free kick. So firstly, if the referral comes from PM, they must pay a levy for that, but also they need to acknowledge that for every one opportunity that comes out of the office they really need to be bringing others back in, in order for this machine to continue to deliver a result for them.”

“We are also very honest about it. For example, we bank with Macquarie. Funding from Macquarie Bank relies on our rent roll

you can make a good income. Or you grow as big as possible as soon as possible, going all out in order to get there, because there’s nothing in between. And I suppose I learned that the hard way, and I’ve observed it many times; but you can clearly see that one or either of those works very well. So if I was starting a rent roll again I’d be looking at either merging or buying, as I have now done, in order to get as big as possible as soon as possible.

“Also, there is one other thing I would say.

You can’t do it by yourself. This notion that 100 per cent of something is worth more than 50, or 25 or any other percentage of a much bigger, more profitable business is nonsense. And that, unfortunately, is also a bit counter-intuitive, because salespeople mostly become principals. I

being strong and healthy, which in turn guarantees employment and cash flow. So if we’re going to give the sales team access to the rent roll, then we need to have something come back in, and it can’t just be money. It’s also got to be managements.

So the Property Management BDM actually sits with the salespeople, and that’s one way we can ensure that the salespeople can give those leads back to us, so that we can then replace that with others.”

If you could look back on your growth journey, what advice would you now give yourself starting out?

“Look, it’s the same advice I’d give anyone going into business. There are two ways to make money, in my observation, and I wish somebody had told me this. You either stay small and keep your overheads low, because

did myself, and I’m obviously not putting myself in that category, but often it’s a salesperson becomes a principal and the rent roll is just not integral to their business. It’s just another thing that they pay as little attention to as possible but can take to the bank.”

“We completely don’t subscribe to that.

We believe in offering a whole service, and focusing on the rent roll growth for the stability that it gives your income and the reach that gets into people’s lives, because this is how you help more people. That will, over the long term, sustain you better.”

“IF WE’RE GOING TO GIVE THE SALES TEAM ACCESS TO THE RENT ROLL, THEN WE NEED TO HAVE SOMETHING COME BACK IN, AND IT CAN’T JUST BE MONEY. IT’S ALSO GOT TO BE MANAGEMENTS.” happened where the departments hadn’t talked to each other. And I remember that lesson today, even as I’m talking to you about it now.”

“The answer is to have good communication. Sales people will say that the property managers aren’t very good at that, and the property managers say the sales people are just hopeless. So there is a natural problem there and the only solution for the business is to have a good communication policy.”

Greensill continues, “I think that salespeople do need to have relationships in their focus market areas with the landlords who are on our books. Now a lot of principals, I note, spend a lot of their time holding the sales people away from their rent roll, which I think is a short term and slightly naïve, protectionist view that doesn’t work! Because they’ll get it anyway, and they won’t do it with your blessing. It’s like prohibition. Prohibition never works in the industry.“ “If you can create that environment where property managers, the financial services consultant, we as principals and the salespeople all have a relationship with

Brett Greensill will be speaking at this year’s Ideas Exchange. We have a special ticket offer for just $375pp using the promo code “ELITE” via www.etouches.com/idx15.

eliteagent.com.au 55

ELITE PROPERTY MANAGER

Heidi Walkinshaw discusses how to get your time management and productivity under control, even taking into account the odd inevitable emergency.

T

ime! That elusive beast that makes minutes turn into hours and days into weeks all in the blink of an eye, sometimes leaving us wondering ‘how on earth do I fit everything in?’

The demands on property management teams are growing fast as clients’ expectations increase in the ‘now generation’. We are now faced with consumers who have everything available in

an instant and, with companies now choosing to save money and outsource to overseas locations, they also can receive information 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

With a change in expectations, businesses have essentially to re-evaluate their position when it comes to customer service and how to manage the demands placed on them in order to survive. Someone wise once said to me, ‘Property management would be a walk in the park if it weren’t for the people. But then, isn’t this business about the people?’

Fitting it all in – and finding time for you

56 ELITE AGENT • MAR-APR 2015

The actual tasks involved in property management essentially haven’t changed.

We still collect rent, albeit in a much easier fashion than going door to door with a carpet bag collecting cash from tenants and maintaining a ledger on a yellow card!

Routine inspections are still carried out and you will still conduct an ingoing and outgoing inspection with the tenant. Granted, when it comes to eviction, it’s no longer as simple as just throwing habitual late-payers out on the street and changing the locks.

End of month is perhaps a much easier process, with software automation and the elimination of the old Oki dot matrix which would run for over three hours straight until you left the office with the constant drone ringing in your ears. Filing has also evolved from those hours spent tugging open ancient filing cabinet drawers to add carbon copy documents to already-bulging manila folders, torn in many places and barely sticking together.

So how is it that property managers are constantly screaming that ‘they are too busy’ and ‘there just aren’t enough hours in the day’ or ‘I just don’t have the time!’

Anxiety levels in departments are high and teams seem to be constantly running on the hamster wheel without any end in sight.

Today’s property managers have a myriad

of technology and training options right at their fingertips just begging to be used, but in many cases they are not taking advantage of what is so readily available.

Often the excuse is that they do not have the time to implement the change or learn how to use it.

So how do teams and individuals find more time? It’s not about managing time so much as learning new tips and tricks to selfmanage, because each day is just as long as it’s always been. It’s just about learning, or unlearning in some cases, how to manage the hours you are given each day.

Step one in self-management is figuring out where all your activities are spent each week. Spend at least one week recording all your activities and be brutally honest. If you take half an hour to stroll to the coffee

be a completely stress-free zone. We need to have contingency plans in place for when the bottom falls out of people’s sanity.

Identify the routine tasks that can be performed at the same time each day; once planned, try to stick to it. Tasks like arrears, routines, rent reviews and prospecting calls can all be carried out at a scheduled time during the week.

Planning time each day is also an essential item in your week. Take at least half an hour at the beginning of the day to go through your appointments, tasks and outstanding work so that you can prepare yourself mentally and physically for the daily tasks.

You may need a coffee for this exercise.

Equally important is scheduling time at the end of the day to review the day that was.

This will help ease any anxiety, tie up any

WHEN IT COMES TO EVICTION, IT’S NO LONGER AS SIMPLE AS JUST THROWING HABITUAL LATE-PAYERS OUT ON THE STREET AND CHANGING THE LOCKS. shop, record it. If you are spending up to five hours with an owner on the phone going backwards and forwards, note it down. The idea is to pinpoint exactly where your time is being utilised and figure out if it can be better spent elsewhere.

Take a moment to block out the rest of the world. Your sanity will thank you. No matter what happens throughout the day, one thing is certain: in business, and even in your personal life, the phone won’t stop and neither will the emails. Scheduling time each week for block-out time will assist you in getting on top of your workload and in control again.

When we talk about block-out time this means no phone calls, no emails and no office distractions. Easier said than done, right? Turn the phone to silent, close the inbox if necessary and pop a ‘do not disturb’ sign on the back of your chair or on your office door. Communicate to the rest of the team that you are retreating into your bubble for an hour, just to catch up and calm the nerves before the next onslaught.

When you are planning your weekly schedule, it is imperative that you leave enough white space in the calendar for unplanned events. You know the ones: the exploding hot water system, the emergency dryer repair that just has to be done right now and the owner or tenant who is screaming down the phone in complete crisis mode. Property management, no matter what generation we are in, will never

loose ends and help you avoid those 3am panicky wake-ups.

Don’t forget either that your clients will establish their expectations from the boundaries you set, so if you are answering calls or emails after 7pm at night or on a Sunday they will expect you to be available at that time. Set your ground rules from the outset and it will assist you in maintaining a healthier relationship with that client. Remember, there is software available to automate many of the processes you are doing.

Keep in mind that for your own productivity and mental health you also need a little bit of downtime. Most of all, be kind to yourself.

Property management can be a thankless role, but also an incredibly rewarding one; and learning to manage yourself and the hours in your day can help you not just to survive, but thrive in this amazing industry.

Heidi Walkinshaw has been immersed in property management for over 14 years, dealing in all aspects from leasing, property management, business development and team management. Heidi brings enthusiasm and energy to Real Plus and is passionate about system implementation; procedures and staff training that can assist in reducing stress and saving time while helping clients. For more info visit realplus.com.au.

eliteagent.com.au 57

ELITE PROPERTY MANAGER

5 KPIs to keep your property management business on track Key Performance Indicators or KPIs are business metrics used to measure, monitor and manage your property management team and business.

They show you how effectively targets, objectives and goals are being met and whether or not your property management business is on track to success. Jo-Anne Oliveri discusses which KPIs should you be setting, and why.

S

ETTING KPIS is critical

when it comes to keeping your business on track.

Achieving each metric is interconnected and can impact success in other areas. Here are five of the most important metrics you need to measure.

KPI 1: MANAGEMENT FEE ANNUALISED INCOME Your Management Fee Annualised Income is the total annualised income a portfolio is earning or, if you have more than one portfolio, the sum total of all portfolios. This figure fluctuates as portfolios grow, due to the increased number of properties under management or increased rental rates.

Once you have set your portfolio and business’ annual income targets, your Management Fee Monthly Income target should then be defined and monitored. If monthly targets are not being achieved by your team, it is your job to determine why. Causes might include a high arrears percentage, lack of rental increases, lost managements or high vacancy numbers.

Once the reasons have been determined, it is important that you implement effective measures to fix the issues and ensure your team remains on track to achieve your Management Fee Annualised Income target and overall business goals.

KPI 2: AVERAGE WEEKLY RENT Your Average Weekly Rent target can be determined once you have prepared your annual business plan. This target should take into account your market area’s average weekly rent and the make-up of each portfolio. However, your target should aim to achieve above-average market rental rates, because this results in increased income for your business and sets you apart from competitors.

Setting your Average Weekly Rent KPI therefore allows your business to achieve average or above-average rental returns for your property owners. As a result, if properties are receiving lower than average rental returns, you can either take necessary actions to help property owners achieve market rates or decide such managements are not viable for your agency. In this way, setting this KPI keeps your business on track and helps achieve greater returns for you and your clients.

KPI 3: AVERAGE MANAGEMENT FEE Your Average Management Fee determines your monthly and annualised income, and therefore significantly influences your

58 ELITE AGENT • MAR-APR 2015

YOUR TARGET SHOULD AIM TO ACHIEVE ABOVEAVERAGE MARKET RENTAL RATES, BECAUSE THIS RESULTS IN INCREASED INCOME FOR YOUR BUSINESS AND SETS YOU APART FROM COMPETITORS. property management business’ overall asset value. For this reason, your Average Management Fee target should be as close as possible to your current management fee rate.

For example, if your current management fee is 9 per cent, then your average management fee really should be 9 per cent as well. That’s because anything less suggests your team may be discounting fees, which is a big no-no as it devalues your business.

As a result, setting this KPI and measuring it on a month-to-month basis safeguards against team members discounting, deleting, or worse still not charging management fees at all. In this way, setting this KPI helps protect your business’ brand and reputation and also keeps you on track to achieve your Management Fee Annualised Income target.

KPI 4: AVERAGE ARREARS PERCENTAGE AND INCOME Your Average Arrears Percentage and Income determines how each team member is managing their portfolio, as well as the impact arrears have had on your monthly income. Since most principals focus solely on their arrears percentage, many fail to take into account the monthly income lost in management fees. To protect your bottom line, your Average Arrears Percentage target really should be zero per cent (and Average Arrears Income target $0), which is achievable with the right processes in place.

Setting your Average Arrears Percentage and Income KPI puts you in control of this critical factor. Tenants who are in arrears not only negatively impact income targets but also increase your risk of losing managements. Monitoring this metric, therefore, allows you to pinpoint where and why arrears are occurring to ensure they are managed and removed. As a result, setting this KPI puts you in a better position to coach your team to achieve zero per cent arrears and 100 per cent income.

YOUR AVERAGE MANAGEMENT FEE TARGET SHOULD BE AS CLOSE AS POSSIBLE TO YOUR CURRENT MANAGEMENT FEE RATE. KPI 5: AVERAGE PERCENTAGE OF FIXED TERM TENANCIES Your Average Percentage of Fixed Term Tenancies target should be as close to 100 per cent as possible. To do this, you must monitor this metric every month to ensure your team is not allowing tenants to lapse into periodic tenancies. Periodic tenancy terms put your business and property owners at risk of losing income. The key is to understand when tenancy terms are due for renewal so you can manage workflow, productivity levels and income targets.

Setting your Average Percentage of Fixed Term Tenancies KPI helps reduce the risk of managements being lost during the renewal process. If renewals are not properly managed, property owners are more likely to terminate the management agreement

during this time due to lack of renewal, lack of rental increase, lack of priority in managing the outgoing tenant notice period and loss of income in between tenants. As such, setting this KPI allows you to proactively manage this risk factor and set factual income targets for your team to work towards.

As you can see, setting KPIs is critical when it comes to keeping your business on track. Since every metric impacts, and in many cases determines, other metrics, each one must be accurately set and effectively managed in order to fulfil your individual, team and business objectives. As a result, this will keep your business on track to achieving your agency’s overall goals.

Jo-Anne Oliveri, CIPS, TRC, Founder and Managing Director of property management business solutions company ireviloution, is an international real estate identity who has trained over 500 agencies and thousands of agency owners and property managers worldwide. With over 20 years’ real estate experience, she is seen as a leading authority and thoughtleader on all things property management and regularly speaks at the industry’s top Australian and North American conferences.

Visit ireviloution.com to find out more.

eliteagent.com.au 59

property manager profile

Kevin South

Toop & Toop Hyde Park, SA Kevin South of Toop & Toop was interested in real estate from a young age.

Property management was only supposed to be a temporary stop, but after winning Rookie PM of the Year in his first year he never looked back. Ten years later he’s still here and achieving excellence in his local area of Hyde Park, SA.

What made you choose a property management career?

I always wanted to work in real estate, as my family was indirectly involved in the industry.

Growing up, it was always my intention to move into sales after a short time in property management; but I found that I quite enjoyed the day-to-day work of a property manager.

What is it that you enjoy in particular?

I like the real estate environment and the pace.

Days are rarely slow and there’s always something happening.

Property management is also a great learning curve for everyday life; it’s given me great experience in dealing with all types of personalities.

What are the biggest challenges that you face?

I think the greatest challenges are the ever-changing client expectations that have come with the increased use of technology, and people’s need for instant gratification when it comes to information.

Tell us about any of the awards you have won.

In my first year in property management I was awarded Rookie PM of the Year. I followed that up with Assistant Property Manager of the Year the following year within a large

60 ELITE AGENT • MAR-APR 2015

franchise group. Most recently my team at Toop & Toop were recognised as the top performing PM team for the quarter.

What makes your agency unique?

I’m very lucky to be working with a company that puts a lot of emphasis on new technology.

This makes our day-to-day tasks less time-consuming, and gives us more time to have value-add conversations with our clients and build a strong, mutually respectful relationship with them. I would also say that we maintain excellent

relationships with both our tenants and landlords.

What do you feel are the key features in maintaining those healthy relationships?

You need to be honest, open and friendly. Put yourself in their shoes; think of the impact of your actions on them and try and assist where you can. Know your audience and keep them informed the way they want to be informed.

Do you have a mentor, or someone who inspires you?

I look up to a previous colleague

“PROPERTY MANAGEMENT IS A GREAT LEARNING CURVE FOR EVERYDAY LIFE; IT’S GIVEN ME GREAT EXPERIENCE IN DEALING WITH ALL TYPES OF PERSONALITIES.”

of mine, Trish Buhagiar. Trish is the ultimate mediator and taught me many important things about property management.

What was the most memorable or unusual property you have ever managed? Do you have an amusing story?

I managed a house that had a bathtub filled with fish; the tenant was an artist and had been given permission to keep the fish in the bath. The house was filled with quirky art pieces and living displays, and on one inspection the tenant was “his

own art piece” and told me that he couldn’t get out of his chair as he was reflecting society’s decline into laziness!

What’s the best advice you’ve been given?

Not to take things too seriously!

What would be your dream job?

I really want to work with young people who are thinking about property management as a career choice, training and supporting them.

How do you relax outside real estate and maintain a good

“ON ONE INSPECTION THE TENANT WAS ‘HIS OWN ART PIECE’ AND TOLD ME THAT HE COULDN’T GET OUT OF HIS CHAIR AS HE WAS REFLECTING SOCIETY’S DECLINE INTO LAZINESS!”

work/life balance? Do you have a favourite holiday destination?

I enjoy spending time with my family. I have an 11-month-old son, Leo, who keeps my wife and me very busy!

We try and spend as much time at the beach or the park with him as we can, and we like taking him for a ride on the bikes. My wife’s family has been going to the Yorke Peninsula every Christmas for over 50 years, and since having Leo we’ve also started going.

If you could have any three people at your dinner party, who would it be and why?

In all honesty I would have my wife, my son and my parents (they’re always together so they only count as one!) I know this probably seems cheesy but I really do value time with my family above everything. We spend a lot of time at work and it’s very important, but when

there’s any spare time I want to be with them.

What are your predictions for the real estate industry for the next year?

I’ve been noticing the rise in lifestyle renters over the past few years and think this will be an ongoing trend. I think smart investors who continue to offer good-quality properties with attractive features will see steady returns, as they will attract people choosing to rent rather than those looking to buy.

What advice would you give someone starting out in property management?

Property management is a great career. It can be the basis for lots of different career choices and will teach you plenty about life in general.

Don’t let the negative people get to you – there’ll always be plenty of them!

eliteagent.com.au 61

ELITE PROPERTY MANAGER

Team spirit Sarah Dawson of Rockend shares her ideas on teamwork and ensuring your team’s success.

P

ROPERTY MANAGEMENT

teams come in a variety of sizes and with a diverse range of rent rolls. While all these teams operate differently, there are some common strategies and practices that successful teams use to operate more effectively. It’s important to remember that your rent roll can provide a huge profit for your real estate business. This article will give you a few simple ideas you can implement to ensure your team’s success.

ALIGNED TEAM GOALS Making sure you all have the same goals is one of the simplest things to implement, but it can still be overlooked. A clear direction and set of shared goals for the property management team is vitally important, as sometimes property managers’ ideas may differ and teams can become ineffective.

Take the time to have a regular meeting to share plans and activities. You can use feedback from these meetings to establish ways to improve processes and ultimately work towards – and achieve – the end goal.

STREAMLINE PROCESSES After evaluating your processes, it is important to see whether there are any systems you can automate and streamline to help save time and create a more efficient work environment. Automating everyday processes can save each individual a few extra hours per week, so as a team that can be an entire day’s worth of work!

Investigate the tools and features available in your property management software; these can help eliminate mundane manual tasks and provide you with time to focus on other aspects of your business. For example, if you can use your software to automate

62 ELITE AGENT • MAR-APR 2015

the low-value interactions with clients, such as emailing an invoice, your team can focus on delivering the best experience for the high-value interactions.

COMPETITIVE ADVANTAGE It is important that your whole team is aware of your competitive advantage so they can promote this and use it to win business. An example of a unique competitive advantage could be using your management reports to show a low arrears and vacancy rate. Prospective landlords would feel confident in an agent who can show proof that their rent is received on time and their property rented quickly.

All your team should be on the same page in regards to the processes and procedures that contribute to your agency’s point of difference. This means that every client interaction must be of the same standard across your business. A competitive advantage assists your team in justifying the set fees and charges. If you or your team don’t know what your competitive advantage is, make sure you analyse your strengths to isolate your unique selling proposition.

QUALITY STAFF Employing and retaining high-quality staff makes a huge difference to the overall success of your property management team. Finding quality staff is no easy task; it will take time and energy, but overall it will make a huge difference to your business. So how do you go about recruiting the best staff for your team?

When hiring staff it’s important to look beyond their resume. Instead, you need to identify people who are also compatible with your team. Will this person fit your company culture and work well with existing staff and clients? If the answer is no, it is likely that they would not be the best fit for the position. Taking the time to find high-quality employees will make a huge difference to the success of your business.

STAFF TRAINING Staff training can ensure your entire team is on the same page and keeping to the same universal standards. Working with like-

ONE OF THE MOST COMMON REASONS PEOPLE ARE DISSATISFIED WITH THEIR ROLE IS THAT THEY DON’T FEEL CHALLENGED OR FEEL LIKE THEY ARE EXPERIENCING PERSONAL GROWTH. minded, successful and motivated people is a sure way to have a highly productive team.

One of the most common reasons people give for being dissatisfied with their role is that they don’t feel challenged. They don’t sense they are experiencing personal growth. Providing and encouraging learning is important, and not only for the success of your business, staff retention and employees. Investing in your staff is crucial to the overall success of your team.

Sarah Dawson is the Account Management Team Lead at Rockend, Australia’s leading provider of property software.

With over 20 years’ experience in the industry and extensive experience in management roles, Sarah understands the needs of real estate businesses.

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The Last Word Fiona Blayney

It’s OK to own it The key to self acceptance and success, says Fiona Blayney, is to stop comparing yourself to others and own your choices.

A

S I ARRIVED home last week from our first workshop of the year, my husband, as always, asked how it was. While I talked him through the standard elements of the recount, people, performance and feedback, it was a particular element that made him smile. Well, OK, it was more like a roar of laughter after the shock subsided.

What did he find so amusing?

During the first session, where we undertake planning your life for the next 12 months, I described to him how I announced to the room that I thought I was awesome. Yes, I know; can you believe it? I actually stood in front of a room full of people and told them that I love myself and think I’m pretty cool – in fact, I think I may have actually used the word ‘amazing’.

Evidently by my husband’s laughter, and the shocked looks on the faces of the people in the room, it became apparent that it isn’t the ‘done thing’ to admit to the world that you think you’re a bit OK. Or perhaps they didn’t agree; I like to think it the latter.

Why not? Why is it wrong to think I’m awesome? What am I meant to think? And what internal monologue is occurring for the recipients of such statements? My husband and I have been discussing this now for a few days and I think I’ve worked out what all the fuss was about. In making this statement, the perception of others is that I think I’m better than them.

64 ELITE AGENT • MAR-APR 2015

I had an epiphany last week.

It became obvious in that training room that many of us tie our awesomeness either to a comparison with someone else or to an unrealistic, undesired goal in the first place. It doesn’t have to be that way; you have the choice to believe you are awesome.

Stop comparing yourself to another. There is no other you.

Own who you are, what you believe in and what you want out of life, and be driven by it.

I too have times where I don’t Well, it couldn’t be further from the truth. My love of myself is not a game of importance hierarchy; it is simply an indication of selfawareness, the reality of the goals I set, and monitoring the expectations I place on myself every day. It doesn’t mean that I think I’ve achieved the dizzy heights of knowing and being everything that is humanly possible, nor does it mean that I don’t hold others at an equal level of awesomeness.

Of course, there are days where I set the bar too high and fall short of my plans, and even times when I measure myself against another human and decide that I have come in under the height chart of success. But what I do know is that every night when I go to bed, even on those days when I’ve cried myself to sleep (we’ve all done it), I’m confident that I’ve made that day’s decisions according to my own code and as such I did alright; and for that I think I am pretty awesome.

Right now, I have clients who

Evidently by my husband’s laughter, and the shocked looks on the faces of the people in the room, it became apparent that it isn’t the ‘done thing’ to admit to the world that you think you’re a bit OK. are not achieving timelines for project delivery, or not achieving their goals. Why? They may not be making enough calls, or not investing the appropriate amount of time or energy needed. For some, much gets added to their ideas list yet little gets implemented, and as such many boxes remain unticked. I could go on, but it is safe to say there are many people out there right now who, through a lack of ‘achievement’, are reading this thinking they are anything less than awesome or amazing.

hit the timelines for projects, make the calls to prospective clients, or capture every possible contact, but I still think I’m awesome. Why? I didn’t set out to do it in the first place, and I own that choice. Perhaps, at the core, whatever decision I make I own it, and that’s why I am awesome.

Fiona Blayney is the founder and director of Real+, an industry first Property Management learning platform. For more info visit realplusonline.com.au.

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