From travelling the country and observing the best agents at Ouwens Casserly, Director Alex Ouwens has shared his top 20 hot tips for real estate agents in 2020.
The 20 for 2020 list was also influenced by the Ouwens Casserly annual Take Off Conference, an event to inspire and teach Ouwens Casserly agents to grow their business & have a balanced lifestyle.
The Take Off Conference consists of presentations from numerous real estate and broader industry professionals, and highlights to the team an insight into skillsets and focuses used by others to excel in their field. Recent past real estate presenters at Take Off Conference include:
- Shannan Whitney
- Josh Phegan
- Dane Atherton
- Kate Strickland
- Leanne Pilkington
- Matt Hayson
- Alex Mintorn
- Lynette Malcolm
- Will Ainsworth
- Tom Panos
- Toby Parker
- Tim Heavyside
- Jet Xavier
- Sherrie Storer
- Damien Moore
- Bethwyn Richards
TOP 20 TIPS FOR AGENTS IN 2020
If you are a real estate agent looking to progress your career, take note of these helpful tips for 2020:
PRESENTATION
1. Adapt your presentation to what the vendor really cares about & focus on points of difference that you can bring to the sale of their home; this is truly your lifeblood. Is it your off-market database? Is it your area knowledge? Is it your agency’s unique creative department? Is it your agency’s lower average vendor discounting? If you sound the same, they’ll select on lowest fee.
2. Carry your Hot Lists everywhere! Always have them ready to go and just another reason for a vendor to want you to sell their home through you. Real hot buyers on a coffee stained list from your back pocket is authentic and powerful. Buyer servicing is key. Make sure you are working your Hot Lists regularly and updating weekly at an absolute minimum. The consumer is comparing you to the best experience you have anywhere. Be the easiest agent to deal with in your market. Upload every property detail to the portals.
3. Have a thirst to learn. Be a part of a ‘learn it all’ culture not a ‘know it all culture’. Access to industry best training on demand is now non-negotiable. Have access to the best.
4. Don’t forget about your Hot Potential Vendors. Work your Pipeline Progression List and update this as much as you can as well. This list lives with you. Let the RAS of your brain help conspire with you to find a solution for your PV’s.
5. Off market. A point of difference. Use the off market platform dialogue to get customers details and get them interested in both selling and purchasing.
“At Ouwens Casserly we sell over 150 homes per year off market, I can set you up for the specific alerts for what suits your criteria, unless of course you are happy to miss the best properties!”.
PROSPECTING
6. Make prospecting a daily ritual. Book a regular time in your calendar every week and dedicate this time. Connect with our community and add value when you call eg speed to deliver sold prices
7. Clean business with good intent is key, a long term view and the ability to see lasting connections is crucial. Clean energy + clean business = less stress.
KNOWLEDGE
8. Know what you’re selling! It may seem simple but taking the time to know answers to those essential questions is what gives potential buyers confidence in your ability. World class opens means more than candles: People are so busy that call backs are getting harder to connect. Two agents at all opens so you can work the room & ask key questions.
9. Leading on from this, not only product knowledge but broader market knowledge is vital. No one comes to an open for inspection to say hello! Know your area and be able to give buyer as much information as possible.
10. Assemble the right team. Another obvious one, but something worthwhile to focus on. Make sure those around you are striving for the same results you are and putting in the same amount of effort as you. Purpose alignment critical.
PRODUCTIVITY
11. Clear those task lists, turn off all distractions and click unsubscribe. Keep yourself and your environment stable, so you have the best chance of staying focused when you need to.
12. MAKE THE CALLS. Just make them. It’s not the dialogue, it’s the activity. Get yourself into a routine that you can stick to and that is getting you results. Just do it.
13. Society is fast paced and within all the talk of being ‘too busy’, other agents can resort to practices that aren’t as value based as they should be. Client loyalty is also thin, so what can you do to ensure the people you once worked for want you back? Be well trained, bring intent and have the same urgency about yourself that life around us does.
14. Leverage your sales! Call your database and use social media in a way that focuses on your successes and what you have achieved for others. Use humility as way to connect with your potential clients, not ego.
LIFESTYLE
15. Stay refreshed. Go hard for a couple of months and then take a break. It really is possible to work only 9 months of the year if you make them count.
16. Good self-care is everything. Go to bed early and at the same time most nights, eat well, exercise and get off digital with enough time to wind down before bed. Allow yourself to be human… have a ‘cheat day’, let your hair down from time to time. Look after yourself!
17. Who do you talk to? Are you hanging with people that serve your purpose? Don’t buy
into external problems. Just dominate your own game. Have a pit crew… mindset coach, fitness, health, business etc. Most importantly, smell the roses and be present.
18. Be a real human being, authentic and understand your values. Use direct and clear
Language – make who you are and what you stand for just another reason for someone to trust you with their biggest asset.
19. VALUES/VISION/PURPOSE… GOALS. The G word. Have something to strive towards, something that gives everything you are working on a purpose. Set them high and be clear with what you want to achieve. Celebrate and review.
20. What will the photo of me look like next year that doesn’t exist yet? Imagine a photo of your future self. What do they look like? Who are they surrounded by? Do whatever you can to make that photo exist. Have a plan and break it down in to small achievable steps.
MAKE IT HAPPEN!
Is this the kind of environment you want to thrive in? Head to our careers page and apply now to join a team where authenticity, optimism, passion and precision are the values we work, live and play by.
Alex Ouwens and Nathan Casserly have a genuine passion for real estate and love to help people achieve their goals and dreams through property. Find out more about OC here.
Interested in a career at Ouwens Casserly Real Estate? Check out our opportunities here.
