Maintaining a hunger for learning is what sets apart the great agents in our industry. We asked Craig Fine from Sydney Sotheby’s International Realty to be our roving reporter at Josh Phegan’s List, Sell, Negotiate. Here he shares his top 10 takeaways from the event for agents, like himself, who are starting out but have a passion to achieve.
1. Have An Eternal Hunger – Michael Klim
Michael Klim is a fantastic example of how hard work leads to success. He came from a very unrewarding background which didn’t support his dream to become an Olympic Swimmer. My take away from Michael is that it doesn’t matter what life throws at you, you have the ability to control your life and how you want to live it. Michael said “Knowledge is power and, for me, this was derived from my swimming experience. I used this to have continued success out of the pool”.
2. Work “Harder, Smarter and Faster” – Matthew Hayson, Cobden & Hayson
Get rid of all distractions and fear as it prevents you from having a strong sense of clarity. Matthew believes that real estate success is 15% technical skill and the other 85% comes from being driven and passionate with clear vision – working “harder, smarter and faster” with an absolute focus on customer experience will lead to optimal execution.
3. Begin With the End in Mind – Christine Mikhael – McGrath
Closing is an important part of being in this industry and learning when to close during a listing presentation is vital for success. Christine said by being ‘in rapport’ with clients you have the best opportunity close a deal as you have established a high-level trust and understanding with the client. Build rapport by always looking for the opportunity to use open-ended questions which cannot be answered with a simple “yes” or “no”.
4. First Impressions and Charging What You Are Worth – Andrew Keleher – Jellis Craig Doncaster
Andrew knows that the first phone call is the key to winning business. He says don’t be afraid to ask direct questions in order to extract specific information – for example “Who am I competing against?”. Ensure you ask personal questions at an appraisal and don’t just ask about the house – focus on the individuals sitting in front of you. When discussing commissions Andrew believes it is important to state “Generally, agents charge between X & X” and also suggests using a performance-based fee strategy.
5. Maintain Absolute Focus – Justin Marden – Studiomardo
Even though Justin spoke on brand, design and marketing as these are his areas of expertise the key thing I took away from his presentation was the need to maintain absolute focus. He believes as agents and people, we need to focus on one thing and do it very well in order to ensure high quality and efficiency in our outputs.
6. Work Hard and Do What You Do Best – Karl Latham– Elite Cairns
Karl believes “We have to keep our eyes on the stars and our feet on the ground” meaning we should have goals and targets to reach and know that it’s a constant hustle to get there. Karl offered up loads of great snippets on how to achieve success.
- The best prospecting is done at the opens
- Life can be very unpredictable so have a great team in place who can handle any challenge
- Have a buyer manager who is able to constantly service buyers by showing them homes – today’s buyers are tomorrow’s sellers
- Seek out a mentor who can help you tackle challenges in different ways.
7. Become a Customer-Centric Agent – Shannan Whitney – Bresic Whitney
Shannan says the industry needs to shift from being agent-centric to customer-centric. He believes we are failing today’s consumers and not servicing them at a level they expect. If you don’t strive to continually improve customer experience you will not increase business going forward as this is a service industry. To be customer-centric Shannan says we need to have: vision, purpose, strong team culture, the ability to attract talent, be innovative and also creative.
8. Create a Healthy Business – Simon Harrison – Belle Property Lane Cove
Simon says there are four things that make a business healthy: volume, client nature, efficiency and energy. To achieve this you need to put yourself in the absolute best position to achieve success by being consistent, having a point of difference, building rapport, building trust, providing solutions by understanding expectations and ultimately being able to win the businesses.
9. Own Your Area – Georgia Cleary – Bradfield Cleary
Georgia knows that in order to get lots of referral business in your farm area, you need to “own it” by becoming a specialist. This means focussing on the quality of the listings to generate future business rather than the quantity of business and also sharing your knowledge. Georgia does this via her blog, Georgia Cleary Homes and says social media underpins her business.
10. Be Beyond Average – Josh Phegan
Josh said that “Today, being average is officially over. Being average just won’t earn you what it used to”. This resonated with me as we are far beyond the days of just thinking that business will come our way, we really need to earn it by going above and beyond for all of our clients.
He stressed the importance of being creative and not looking at ‘what’s next’ but ‘mastering the present’ by best using what you already have available. Be disciplined, stay focused on the tasks at hand and work for the results and not the hourly wage we don’t get paid.
Photo: Josh Phegan via Facebook
About the Author
Craig Fine is a newcomer to the industry and is currently Sales Associate to Mark & Barry Goldman at Sydney Sotheby’s International Realty. Prior to undertaking a career in the real estate industry, Craig, worked as a Personal Banker at Westpac. Craig’s drive for customer satisfaction and exceptional results is a perfect match for the industry-leading team, The Goldman Brothers, at Sydney Sotheby’s International Realty.
