WITH 25 SUCCESSFUL YEARS of real estate experience under his belt, Tony Williamson of RE/MAX Cairns knows a thing or two about keeping your head in the game to create a successful career. Answering the tough questions for Elite Agent Magazine, we find out out how Tony handles the good and the bad days, and more.
You’ve been in real estate for a long time – what do you love about it?
My first boss on my first day in real estate said, ‘We will always have a job’. I asked him why. He then launched into an amazing 10-minute presidential speech about the real estate world that could really be summarised as follows: There are two essentials in life, food and shelter, and we cover one of them.
Ever since then I have been driven by the fact that everyone needs shelter. We as real estate agents take on this amazing and dynamic role to ensure that every possible person has access to housing.
One day last week I had three calls within five minutes. One was from a high-profile sportsman looking to invest in Cairns, than a tenant who had just lost his job and wanted to break a lease, than a Chinese billionaire who wanted to meet over a new project. Real estate has no boundaries, no discrimination; just an amazing opportunity to provide one of the essentials of life.
What is the difference between an ordinary agent and a top performer?
The market! I’m referring to the market between your own ears. How can two agents in the same office, with the same brand and the same opportunities, have vastly different income levels?
The key to success is our own internal dialogue. You’d be right to keep in mind the old chestnut that if you think you can, you can, and if you think you can’t, you will end up failing. It’s not education, ideas or product knowledge that gets you over the line. It’s confidence, charisma and courage.
The agent that has the ‘red hot go’ is the agent who normally wins.
How do you personally set yourself up for success each day?
I take control from the moment I wake up. We live in the age of instant information and we are subjected to an amazing amount of messages, good, bad and indifferent, in many forms.
A typical non-controlled day could be as follows. Wake up and check your iPhone for messages and Facebook. Sit in the lounge, put the TV on and crank up the morning news and talkback. Off to the bathroom, more Facebook, cruise through some news sites and check emails. Jump in the car and listen to talkback radio and more news from around the world. By the time you get to the office you’ve been subjected to 47 different, mostly negative, one-way communication channels. So you hit the office and the receptionist says ‘Good morning, how are you?’
Well, by now you’re almost ready to turn around, go home and hide under the doona.
The reality is that our clients need our help. If we are not present, in the moment, with a positive energy, we are not going to deliver.
Furthermore, our clients and potential clients need our energy. The whole selling process is just a transfer of energy.
How do you pick yourself up if you hit a rough patch?
I think of actors on stage or sportsmen on the field. It’s their ability to continue in the face of adversity that separates the good from the great. I have the mindset that I just need to keep moving forward – like a tank.
Furthermore, by being clear about your goals and ambitions, you know what you’ve got to do. Then you do it. No excuses.
How important is a winning mindset?
We run a positive, high-energy business. You have to be careful. Energy flows from you to the client and to your colleagues. Negative as well as positive, and both are contagious.
So we need to reinforce our own strengths and continually lift our own game. We never discuss the personal shortcomings of our competitors. We are always looking to improve.
What opportunities become available to agents who get their minds right and take their performance to the next level?
People deal with people; we work in a performance-based industry. The rewards are unlimited if you believe in yourself. Positive beats negative. Charisma beats misery. Enthusiasm beats experience.
The best way we can control our state of mind is to be careful of what and who we let in. Shut out the doubts and let in the winning mentality.
Do you have any concerns about the future of real estate?
A very wise man told me never to worry about the ‘worst case scenario’, because as humans we have an amazing coping mechanism. How many stories have you heard about the obstacles and setbacks that great leaders have had to overcome to be successful?
So when people start talking about the possibilities of an ‘Uber effect’ in the real estate industry, I just pause.
Like a good cricketer who judges each new delivery on its own merits, I play the game as it is today. Don’t get me wrong: we are very receptive to adapting to change, but don’t jump at shadows.
There will be threats and challenges ahead. I know some amazingly successful travel agents and stock brokers, who have faced massive industry changes and come through the other side strong. Push on today, be aware and make the necessary shifts and changes as required to stay ahead of the game.
Is there any real secret to success?
There is no secret. Just help more people by transferring your energy in the right places at the right time.
