Robyn Conroy started her career in a small real estate agency in the Illawarra region as receptionist when she was 15; and has been in the industry now for 24 years. Although her first love is Property Management, she also holds a Sales Agents Licence in South Australia.
Robyn, what made you choose a career in Property Management?
I always loved Real Estate. Smart clothes and fancy cars! I am also a highly organised person and love the systems and processes. I enjoy the variety and love the flexibility, especially now that I have a family.
What are the biggest challenges that you face?
Starting a property management business from zero is a challenge many real estate businesses face. When you start from nothing, ‘growing pains’ can occur because you need income to be able to invest in resources to grow the business. The outlay of a Business Development Manager can be a financial obstacle for many businesses, but I truly believe it is better to have someone in that function who is focused on the growth of the business. It is also challenging to keep thinking about your competitive edge, and how you keep your business different, fresh and having customers wanting to do business with you. Nurturing and guarding your brand is key. Innovation is essential to stay ahead of the competition.
What do you love Property Management?
I love that I am in control of my own day. I have the variety of being in the office and attending to emails; as well as being out and about and meeting people all in the same day. I love the freedom to be able to be at my children’s school for special occasions and sports days. I love that I work in an environment of such outgoing and motivated people to succeed in not only their career but in life. I have an intense passion to be the best, and now that I have the opportunity to have my own business, I can combine the magnificent resources that the Ray White Group offer with my knowledge and experience to create a winning combination. I also have a unique opportunity to be located in our Corporate Office in Adelaide, with the amazing resources at my fingertips, as well as the knowledge of our CEO Nick George.
What are your most important values?
I aim to look after every property as if it were my own. I know that every time I meet a tenant or a landlord that we are going to have a relationship that is a long one, so getting to understand and know them makes the job so much easier. Some of my landlords I have known for 16 years. The best advice I have ever been given is to “Under promise and over deliver”. I’ve seen some people get overly enthusiastic about selling themselves and their service, and it is easy to get carried away.
What are the key features in maintaining healthy relationships with landlords and/or tenants?
Automate the processes that do not need a personal touch, so you can spend more time communicating to your clients. And by communication I don’t mean just sending an email; pick up the phone and have a chat with them, make time to have a coffee with them.
Do you have a mentor, or someone that inspires you?
Ben White (CEO of Ray White Property Management) has extraordinary vision and passion for Property Management.
Any interesting stories from your career you would like to share with us?
Like many Property Managers, I have so many stories from inspections that probably should never be printed! Oh, there have been many times getting my suit pants caught on a fence or gate where I have had to go home and change. A very large dog once jumped on me with muddy paws while I was wearing a new cream linen suit jacket. When I returned to the office with large red clay paw marks all over it, my colleagues were quite amused.
What advice would you give someone starting out in Property Management? Have strong systems and processes in place, follow them religiously and you can not go wrong. It will give you the structure and time to keep in touch with your Landlords and Tenants. Attend every training session you can, including sales training. Pay close attention to your customers, because in the future, exceptional service will be necessary for maintaining and growing your business.
What are your predictions for the Real Estate Industry for the next year? The focus will be exceptional customer service more so than ever; nurtuing those few buyer enquiries and tenant enquiries that are coming through. Work closely with each one to ensure you find them a perfect match for their next home.
To support Robyn in her “Great Wall of China Challenge”, visit www.everydayhero.com.au/robyn_conroy.
