With his success based on a strong work ethic and dynamic attitude, along with a dedication to customer service, Michael McClure of Eview Group is recognised by RateMyAgent as the most recommended agent in Frankston and its surrounding suburbs. His numerous awards, such as Eview’s Sales Rookie of the Year and Group Sales Person of the Year, are an indication of even further achievements to come.
How did you get into real estate?
It was a long journey, with some stops along the way. My first part-time job was as a butcher or clean-up boy, and that was a bit of an education – especially when it comes to the cleaning up! Let’s just say that once you’ve dealt with the insides of a pig you don’t have a problem with work ethic; you can pretty much do any job without complaint. So starting at 15 I did that for about two years. The lesson I learned was that if you’re getting paid for a job just knuckle down and do it – don’t complain.
My first full-time job was as a carpenter, which I did for four years after I completed my schooling. I was an apprentice for a number of years, until I injured myself in an accident at work – so I was looking for inspiration and real estate seemed to be a great choice. There seem to be people from all walks of life who turn to real estate and I thought ‘why not me?‘
You had a tough first year in real estate, and then you really turned things around…
For my first nine months, I sort of felt – actually it’s hard to describe! Even though I’ve always had the hundred-per-cent support of the directors and the team, I struggled a bit. I had access to all this training, plus everyone giving me advice. But one thing I didn’t realise about myself was the way I learned new skills most effectively. So I was listening to lots of podcasts and advice on what we should do, but it didn’t do much for me because I’m not an auditory learner; I discovered I was more of a kinaesthetic learner. This means that I need to actually practise the skills rather than just listen to a podcast. Once I started practising, role-playing, that sort of thing, my confidence and belief in myself really changed.
Has real estate changed your life?
Absolutely! This is the best job in the world when it comes to a work/life balance. You work hard for as long as you want and then you’ve got the option to take as much personal time as you like. You have to focus on balance. I work 65 hours a week – and that includes weekends, but the rewards for hard work are great. I take two or three months off every year, and I’ve done that for the last two years.
How has Eview supported you along the way?
I think it’s the fact that you run your own business, a business within a business – and working with Eview has allowed me to do that. It’s a great place to work. Our directors are more like business partners than traditional franchise heads. They’re genuinely there to help us and get everything that we want. So they encourage us to go on holidays and to take time off.
I’ve got a PA and I know that a professional will be taking care of client management if I take a break or a holiday. At the same time, it’s not the sort of job where you are ever really away from work – I’m thinking about my clients all the time.
So, customer service is key?
In a business that relies on testimonials and recommendations, you have to be focused on every single client – and not just one-off transactions; you have to be genuinely invested in building long-term relationships. The key is feedback and communication with the client. They become your best source of new business; they’re the ones who tell the neighbour, ‘don’t go with anyone else’. That’s what gets you repeat business – the raving fan mentality. It takes work – I’m usually making between 60 and 70 calls a day, and that’s not counting text messages.
How many transactions do you do a month?
Probably six or seven listings. I do between 25 and 30 appraisals a month. I don’t run with a lot of stock because my turnover rate’s high.
Because I don’t run with a huge amount of stock I can give exceptional, personalised service.
What advice would you give to your younger self?
I do think it’s really important to identify your strengths and weaknesses and find out how best to learn. You also need that drive. If you don’t have that, you’re simply not going to succeed in this business.
You need to be self-motivated as well. I had heaps of enthusiasm and I was out there prospecting when I started, but it just took me a long time to really click into gear because I still had that negative self-belief; I didn’t believe I was the best person for the job. So I would do a lot more role-play because that’s how I learn. Looking back, I would have skilled up in my scripts and dialogues, just so I could have owned them earlier – that would also have helped with self-belief.
So just how important is self-belief in this job?
It’s vital to believe that you’re the best person for the job. Even with all the sales training and support in the world, it’s your self-belief that’s going to make the difference. During my first nine months I really battled; I kept thinking I was too young for the job. Then everything changed. I think that my strength is that I now have a bulletproof self-belief. That only came because I started doing a lot of training. I genuinely believe that I have the best negotiation skillset and when I finish up a presentation I believe that it was the best. It’s all about your mindset.
What are your goals for the next 12 months?
My main goal is to maintain balance. The workaholic mentality means putting every ounce of what you’ve got into a business and sacrificing so many other things in your life. That’s not what I want. Another focus is to maintain consistency in the number of listings I have each month.
