Top 5 tips from the speakers at the Estate Agency of the Year Awards 2015
On 4th Dec, some of the best estate agents in the country gathered at the Estate Agency of the Year Awards to recognise excellence in the industry.
The champagne was popped and the winners named at the Times/Sunday Times Estate Agency of the Year Awards 2015 on 4th December. Led by celebrity presenter Penny Smith, the day kicked off with speakers with expertise across a range of industries.
We’ve taken our top 5 tips from these motivating seminars that you can apply in your business today.
Iain Kennedy
Head of Marketing at Rightmove, Iain Kennedy debunked some common mis-conceptions around marketing and gave 4 key things that can help agents “find their happy” with marketing campaigns that stand out. Iain advised that you get specific about who you are targeting, stop using “and” and make your message short and sweet, that if you say the same things as everyone else you won’t stand out. Iain ended with urging agents to “risk being seen” visually.
Iain’s story of success:
When marketing a high end Scotch whiskey brand, Iain found that sales would dip at a couple of points during the year. The dips did not seem to relate to what any of the whiskey competitors were doing. But the real competitor was not a whiskey, it was a phone – every time a new Nokia phone was released, the whiskey sales took a dip. The lesson learned – is your competitor who you think it is? When you send canvassing through a letterbox what other brands are sitting on the doormat when that seller or landlord comes home? Is it another estate agent or is it Domino’s Pizza?
Iain’s quotation:
“Marketing is not fluffy, it’s about precision”
Nicky Stevenson
Nicky Stevenson, Director at Property Academy shared best practice and insights from award winning agents and from Property Academy’s research. Nicky looked at great ways to leverage technology to deliver a great customer experience while reminding the audience that you have to get the basics right and make sure to respond to all enquiries quickly and consistently.
Nicky’s story:
Estate agent Anthony Pepe had great success with their “Zero to Hero” campaign – they offered customers the opportunity to pay a fee only if they felt that the customer service warranted it.
David Smith
David Smith, helped to turn Asda into one of the “Sunday Times Best Businesses to Work For” and shared exactly how he did it.
David’s story:
David advised agents to “listen systematically”, setting up regular opportunities to listen to people across your business in a structured way. By listening “from the bottom up” you can spot opportunities to make things better. David told a story about an Asda team member who worked in the cut flower section. She pointed out that although they were operating in profit and she loved her job, they were wasting the buckets that were used to deliver flowers – “Why didn’t they sell them instead of throwing them away?”, she asked. And millions in profit were added to the bottom line with that idea.
David’s quotation:
“Work made fun gets done better”
Nathan Emerson
Nathan is a partner in Lincolnshire-based multi award-winning multi practice estate agency group Pygott & Crone.
Nathan’s Story:
Interviewed by Property Academy’s Peter Knight, Nathan shared how Pygott and Crone deal with a market where low stock is an issue for many agents. By focussing on brand and culture, having consistent morning meetings to ensure teams keep to the same message you can be confident in your fees – “if people don’t want your level of service, they will go elsewhere”.
Nathan’s quotation:
“Awards create momentum in your team & gives you the opportunity to ‘check your business”
Wendy Alexander
Earning one of two standing ovations during the morning, Wendy Alexander is CEO of New Zealand’s Agency of the Year, Barfoot & Thompson. Employing 2,500 people and claiming in excess of 40% of the Auckland market, Wendy shared a series of snappy soundbites and personal stories that made a powerful impression.
Wendy’s story:
Wendy shared her personal journey of losing her home twice and battling cancer to illustrate that estate agents often deal with people who are not at a cross-roads in their life but rather at a T-junction where it seems there is not a way forward. Wendy advised that the focus must always be on the people, not the property.
Wendy’s quotation:
“Customer service is whatever the customer says it is”
Matt Dawson
Matt Dawson was part of the England rugby squad that won the 2003 World Cup. Matt is England’s most capped scrum half with a grand total of 77 caps and has captained the side nine times. He has also competed on Strictly Come Dancing and won Celebrity Master Chef as well as acting as a team captain on the long-running BBC quiz show ‘A Question of Sport’. The audience was on its feet following Matt’s speech which took the entire room through the process that turned a defeat in 1999 into victory by 2003.
Matt’s story:
With a lot of humour, the crowd was treated to an insider’s view of the defining moments of the final match with Australia and the team effort that made the winning drop kick that we all remember possible. The story was deftly told in such a way that any business could apply the same principles of marginal gains to make the winning difference.
Matt’s quotation:
“If only 5 people in your team make a 1% improvement, that is a substantial gain”
Want helping spotting where your company could make marginal gains?
Click here to register for a free, 30 minute webinar and learn to get the winning edge.
