Chris Gilmour lists and sells a property every 26 hours in what everyone considers “a tough market”, how does he do it?
In this market, we really are seeing the best and worst of our industry. It’s like this market is taking the square root of everything about us and expanding it. If we have skill with people, marketing prowess and other positive aspects to us, we are seeing exponential rewards handed out to those agents.
We are also seeing exponential devastation when cracks are showing in an agents or an agency’s armour. I recently spoke for the first time, at a seminar, where many of my competitors were sitting in the room and it was overheard over lunch… ‘When is he going to share his REAL secrets?’
I am an avid learner, and I think one of the keys in my success is that when I hear a great idea, it’s as good as implemented the next day for testing, and if it works, it stays in the system. I’ve learned from the best, I love Bob Wolff and I recently shared the stage with him at AREL, and he is a seven-figure earner in the USA. He summed it up well…. BE NICE!!!
It really is about the consistent application of the basics, and being teachable to embrace new ideas and at least try them on, and see how they fit.
Some of the key components of my success, as I start my fourth year in Real Estate are:
1) Constant marketing of a consistent message.My marketplace gets one message and one message only….SOLD. (or as a recent campaign I did read, the signs were all….’SOLF’ (we don’t have time fro spell chek).
I send out a sold flyer at least 3 times a month to my entire area.
2) A Killer Pre-Listing Kit. My clients are often won before I walk in the door. Recently there’s been a lot of talk and buzz around iPad listing presentations, and as a younger agent, I certainly understand the strategic use of technology, but if I’m up against one, and an iPad is the only trick in the arsenal, I’ve got the deal with my pre-listing kit before they walk in the door.
3) Open Homes That Embarrass My Competition. Years ago, when I first started, I found Glenn Twiddle’s Open House CD program on eBay for 0.99c. I used that to create the ‘Ultimate’ Open Home that literally makes competitors look complacent when they compare them to me. Admittedly, now that I carry between 30 and 44 listings at any one time, my opens are very, very good, and not absolutely superb, but I got to that level by having them absolutely superb for several years consistently.
4) Marketing Innovation. I embrace the latest technology and test it. It is this methodology that has had me able to not advertise in the Newspaper for any of my hundreds of sales. I use Video Tours, You Tube, Facebook and the traditional Internet portals to market my properties and bring in the advertising bill for my sellers substantially less than my competitors. And since my average is about 10% above the median price in my area, I can’t justify changing this practice.
5) Work Hard and Never Stop Learning. I am up before most agents, and I am still going after most agents go to bed. It’s that simple. By the time most agents roll into the office around eight am, I have had three dollar productive hours head start on them. Add that up over a year five days a week, it’s 750 hours, or 18 working weeks. I also go to every training event I can, (it’s great now that I speak, I can go to them free, or even get paid to go!!). I still pay Glenn Twiddle as my coach and mentor. He is part of our team, comes to our office, and keeps us on our toes. Some would say, I can’t afford to do all that.’ I’d rebut, ‘You can’t afford not to!’
Chris Gilmour has just turned 30 and has been selling real estate for three years. He currently competes in the Australian Formula 3 Championship (currently 2nd) hence my tag line “Australia’s Fastest Agent”. At 28 years old he became the business owner of All Properties Group. For more information visit www.thechrisgilmourteam.com.
