GROUP UPDATE
So many times in recent weeks I have heard our members repeat one of Brian ’ s favourite expressions : “ Ray White sails best in light winds ”. It has been repeated with a mixture of pride and nervous excitement in some of our markets .
I clearly remember hearing this phrase for the first time many years ago , because at first I struggled with it . It seemed to be contradictory . Why would we perform at our best when conditions were weak ? Surely , we go best when conditions are strong and we can build speed ? “ What is my old man thinking ?”, I wondered !
Then I experienced my first major change in the market 20 years ago in Sydney . The change was sparked by the NSW government introducing a vendor tax at the end of a long boom . The market was spooked . Transactions slowed significantly .
What became quickly evident was that everything that we believed in - ambition , leadership , creating competition - became even more important . If we were committed to these things , we would discover some big opportunities . Customers became even more careful when selecting an agent and our larger market presence gave them more confidence .
The period that followed in the mid-2000s produced the start of a critical period of market share growth for us in Sydney . Great careers were forged . Our reputation strengthened .
We are far better equipped now to provide value to our teams and customers in a changing market than we were 20 years ago . Not only do we have so much experience in these markets to draw upon . We also have the insights from our members , combined with Pulse data , Ray White Now , the media presence of Nerida Conisbee and her economics team , that collectively provide enormous opportunities to build trust with customers and support their decision making .
We aren ’ t complacent though . Just because we have sailed well in light winds in the past doesn ’ t guarantee we will do it again . There can be no short-cuts . We look forward to supporting all of our members to continue to build their businesses regardless of what the market does or doesn ’ t do in the years ahead .
Dan White Ray White Group Managing Director
If we were able to communicate the importance of marketing , keep our faith in auctions , be relentless in providing regular and honest feedback , and continue to work as hard as ever , we could be proud of our service and results would come .
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