“Agents are interesting creatures. Give them an inch and they will take a mile. At the same time if you give them enough rope they will hang themselves."
So for years and years and years, Consumer Trading and Fair Trading have turned a blind eye. Consumers getting frustrated, good practitioners doing the right thing and being tarred by the same brush. And it is a shame that regulation has to be put into place, but if that’s what it takes, then that is what it takes
It is quite sure that some agencies systematically train their agents to push or exceed parts of legislation to achieve the listing and subsequent sales of property to get an end result.
I think the quality of training in the last five years has improved and the industry has finally made the realization that the customer comes first.
25 years ago it was the customer comes first. It was client focus. and that’s how you did it.
I am staggered by people not realizing that , this is the way you do business. “Look after the customer and the customer will look after you.”
“Treat people, not just the way you would like to be treated but how you would like your wife, mother, or daughter to be treated” - What a revelation!”
Some agents have chosen to take the opportunistic view and they have lost sight that this is a service business. To provide quality service, quality advice, great experiences, trust and all of those will give you an end by product being great marketing. If you get all those strategies in place then whether it is for sale or lease then success will happen.
You can either run a dictatorial business or an empowerment business. If you run a 'My way or the highway', the business will invariably be short lived. Empowerment is the key. People start at certain levels and have their career developed.
Do you find it stressful having this role as President of the REINSW and being Principal of your agency?
It’s all about balance. There are 6 partners in my business – although I am still the major shareholder and Principal, I am able to have these partners run certain elements of the business. My time has to be smartly allocated.
There are many issues that are coming out all the time. You have to take a position, you have to have a view and you have to be very careful with every position you take, as some of these things are quite hot topics and you need to be media trained so as not to put your 'foot in it.'