You have done it once, you can do it again. Create something of your OWN.

A number of articles out there in the media this week point towards a change coming in the market, and certainly in the conversations that I have had this week around the country, there seems to be a bit of an uplift out there at the moment. Let’s hope that we are entering into a time of more activity. May this apply to you, and I wish you every success.

Speaking of success, I realised after publishing that my last post was hinting at imposter syndrome. Imposter Syndrome is all about having an element of success or complexity in life, and thinking that you don’t deserve it or are not equipped to deal with it. Anyone who knows me well understands that I tend towards a bit of self-depreciation, and I guess that at times this might be covering up a whole lot of insecurity. Something to keep an eye on for sure.

Imposter syndrome aside, I get so frustrated when I am not taken seriously. You all know the sinking feeling when the vendor you have been talking to for years lists their property with another agent. You KNOW that you were the right person to sell that house, and you KNOW that you could have sold it. Not only does it hurt your pocket, but it hurts your confidence too. I am not sure which is worse.

As we have all been through this, you will understand that I get the same sinking feeling when a salesperson I have been talking to, and whom I know is a right fit with us, joins another company. I get these deep feelings of resonance and excitement when I am speaking with these people and of course a deep feeling of the complete opposite when they go elsewhere.

My go-to thought is that I am not being taken seriously and that the more established players in the industry are the only ones getting consideration, pass me the tissues. Imposter syndrome right there.

This is not true of course, and the experienced and awarded colleagues I have the good fortune to work with are a testament to this, as are their results.

Keep it in mind in your career – when you get hit with a situation where you miss out on something, you just need to remind yourself of where you have come from and your career highlights. Who you are working with and what you have achieved.

If you have done it once, pick yourself up, because you can do it again.

The public are most interested in YOU. They want to work with someone they like, feel safe with and can trust. They don’t really mind which colour your business card is.

New Zealand is a bit of an exception worldwide when it comes to salespeople gravitating towards big name companies – this is good old New Zealand conservatism at its best I think – but your clients are too smart to buy into that. They just want to know that they will be looked after and achieve a great price for their home. That comes down to the salesperson more than anything else.

There are 16,000 real estate salespeople in New Zealand (July 2022). I want to work with the 1% or so of salespeople who are able to work remotely to their own schedule, brand themselves as the expert in their niche, and give away less of their commission. I am aiming to support 150 – 200 salespeople in this vision. This is my vision and at that kind of scale, we can get active and can make a real difference in the industry for both salespeople and vendors, and I would be expecting that we will certainly be responsible for transacting more than 1-2% of the market when we get to that kind of size.

What you are doing now is a major part of your life’s work. You have the choice to spend it flying someone else’s flag, or creating something of your own.

I’ve not worked at this business for over three years to stop now, so please take me seriously, I would love to have a chat with you about your aspirations.