Breaking records, being true to yourself, we are here to support you
The great thing about starting a business in the midst of a pandemic, which is then promptly followed by a substantial reduction in the sales volume in the very product that you are trying to sell, is that you get to break records all the time while the expectation is that you should be going backwards.
In the month of July we had a record number of sales go unconditional. We doubled the number of unconditional deals from the previous month.
We also broke our record for the number of new Independent Agent salespeople joining us in a month. Five people joined the team, from 4 different franchise groups, every one of them with very strong and unique niches and skills.
Independent Agent never got the benefit of the enormous property volumes that were selling throughout 2020 and 2021 because we were a brand-new business. When I told people back in 2021 that I owned a real estate agency they would promptly put their wallets away so I could pay the bill, smile at me knowingly, saying well you have had a great run haven’t you. I’d smile, pay the bill, and hope that the 2 agents I had on board would sell something… soon (which they always did – thank you Stu and Rochelle)!
Now when I tell people that I own and manage a real estate agency they give me a sympathetic look as their eyes slide to the side, getting out their wallets to pay the bill.
The fun thing is that I get to tell the story of how we are a new and growing business, smashing our own records on a regular basis.
I regularly get a buzz of excitement when I think about where we are headed. Ok sure, there are times when I throw my hands up in the air and want to throw in the towel, but the excitement and the good far outweigh the bad, or we would not still be here.
At just over half way through 2022, it is a good time to look back over the year. As well as substantially growing our sales team over the past 7 months and increasing our national reach, we have also made real progress with the support that we offer our team.
Right back in the beginning of Independent Agent, I had a desire to create an alternative for salespeople that would allow them to work independently without a physical office, without a big-name brand, under their own branding in the hope that they could be a little truer to themselves on a day to day basis.
I know that many agents reading this like to be in an office and like to be associated with a brand. I need you to know that I think that this is great too – what I think is that there is room for us all. Without the training ground, career support and real estate schools offered by the dominant players in the market a business like Independent Agent would have a tough time finding sales talent to start with. We live in a varied and diverse world and different people like to work different ways with different needs. This is where we fit in.
There is an assumption that when you join Independent Agent you are going to be left to fend for yourself, struggling along late at night trying to put up your own listings and ordering your signage, or floundering alone in a tricky negotiation. Nothing could be further from the truth. In order to create a great service to agents we have to take care of that for you. You are salespeople, you are not administrators. Let’s clear some of this up by introducing my administration team to you.
Claire Wilkins is a virtual PA and a bit of legend when it comes to our software platform REX. Claire handles the uploading of our listings and making sure they get out into the world on the various websites that you would expect them to. Claire is detail oriented and super responsive. She can get a listing up and live in 20 minutes (if you fill out your paperwork correctly…!)
Michelle Percival is a whizz at interpreting marketing forms, and turning your marketing wishes into reality. She makes all of our marketing orders for print and signage and spends a lot of time with Campaign Track, creating individualised templates, making orders, and getting all of that side of things right. Did you know that when you create fliers and signage with us that it can be delivered right to your door? Making all of this flow together is Michelle.
Leanne Prinsloo loves contracts (we have this in common!) but luckily for me she also loves administering them. Leanne deals with solicitors, deposits, extensions, dates, releases, and all things contractual. An exceptional communicator, she makes sure that the team is kept in the loop about where things are at. And makes sure that they get paid on time!
Michelle Corpuz works remotely for us from her home in the Philippines. She supports us with our database administration, administration support, and she also ‘works late’ on a Friday, available to upload listings and finish off those last minute tweaks before the weekend. Always happy to help and a pleasure to deal with, she is a valued member of the team.
Across all of this is Kim, our amazing operations manager. Kim keeps all the separate departments of the business talking to each other. Independent Agent started out with Kim and I and an idea two years ago. It has grown an awful lot since then.
Matt Shirley has over two decades of Real Estate experience, including many years as a manager in nationally recognised organizations – a blue one, and a yellow one. He checks over contracts and listings, and manages the supervision of the team, as well as offering moral and practical support.
Vania has recently joined the team as our National Sales Director. With experience in the education industry running large teams, and in Real Estate as a branch manager for a business in Whangerei. Her skills in finding efficiencies and challenging the status quo are rapidly beginning to make a difference in just a few short weeks.
That’s the support crew – we do all we can to make sure that your experience with us, from the moment you get started, is positive, productive and successful one.
A very big welcome to Kevin Mills. Kevin would be one of the early people that I contacted – I am sure that he received at least one very stammery pitch from me in the early days. Kevin’s focus is working with developers in land deals and section sales in the North Auckland region. He is also a pilot, doubling the number of aviators on our team. I am looking forward to working with you Kevin!
