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Cutting through in 2017 with Daniel Acocks
With Daniel Acocks Privince Agents
Daniel Acocks has worked alongside some of the biggest agents at McGraths. After 20 years in the game, he has just taken on the role of a non-competing Sales Manager with one of Sydney’s newest agencies – Province – on Sydney’s glamorous Lower North Shore. Daniel feels he can really help inspire another generation of cracking agents. Daniel says, “I guess I look at myself as a father on the side line of the kids sporting match. I'm living my dreams through those guys. I really enjoy coaching them."
He has learned the following from working alongside the best.
You can do it
Daniel believes that one of the distinguishing characteristics of top agents is that they truly believe that it can be done. He explains, “The best of the best expect to win every game, train to win every game, have the mindset to win every game. What we need to do as individual sales people is to believe – so that at every listing you think 'I’m the best agent for it' and act that way. He has had agents he was managing who have come to the realisation that they were looking at other people in the office thinking, 'I deserve that much, if not better'. Daniel has witnessed the power of the mind and seen the results once someone has decided to change their mindset and done the work to best assist their clients. Those agents have been rewarded.
Take Ownership
Daniel has observed another characteristic of top agents is taking ownership of everything – from prospecting to marketing. Don’t expect someone else to take up the slack – see your job as if you are opening the doors of your own business and treat it as such. Daniel says the top agents have business plans. He says, “First, they have a plan for their prospecting. They have a plan for their marketing. They budget it out and understand that, just like we would as business owners, expect to understand a budget and expect to see when turnovers come in and what's going out."
Perservere and work as part of a team
Own an area. Working alongside some of the best agents in the business, Daniel has noticed in addition to taking ownership, they also relentlessly persevered and eventually owned an area and most interestingly, were not afraid to work as part of a team. He explains, “They had the area and they owned it. They have this amazing ability that when I look back at the top agents that I've seen - whether that be at McGrath's, whether that be at Province, whether that be anywhere that I've worked or seen, you can normally pinpoint it back to a suburb or half a suburb because they've really owned it. Top agents aren’t precious or territorial either. They don’t think, 'This is my area, stay out'. They know that the more signboards that an area can have in a single suburb, the better it will be for the top agent or also the junior agent."
Daniel's Top Tips to bring it all together
Don't just focus on listing and selling
Daniel tells his agents to see every day as an opportunity to build their own individual business. He says, “Ask yourself: What gross commission do you want to write this year? How did you arrive at that number? Is it based on an average sales price or average commission rate or the deals that you've done previously? How much do you want to grow your business in the future?” Answering these kinds of questions will help you cut through in 2017.
Set Goals for every aspect of your life
In addition to business goals, Daniel encourages agents to also develop personal, family and financial goals. Life is more than work. Make sure yours is.
Reflect, change and act
Dr Phil says that if you keep doing what you always do, you’ll get the same outcome. Shake up your business practice. Don’t do the same old thing if you want a different outcome. Daniel says, "Ask yourself: What are the blockages? What's going to stop you moving forward?"
Daniel has three important questions that facilitate change.
a) What are those things that you want to stop doing? b) What are the things you want to continue doing? c) What are the things you’re going to start doing?
Twice a year look at the lead source of every listing and every sale
Daniel says, “Over time, that data will show where your weaknesses or strengths are when it comes to prospecting and lead generation. I only did it recently with one of our top agents - 40% of his business came from past clients. When I asked him to explain his past clients' nurture strategy - there was none. So what we realised was if we could put an established clients' strategy in place, that would make a big difference to his business."
Decide that this year will be your best year yet
Daniel encourages agents to say that this year will be the best. He says, “Let's go out and do that, and if we can do that in a six month period then let's re-evolve. Let's go and say, 'Okay, what's next? How can I raise the bar a little bit further'. However, he never wants goals to weigh heavily on the shoulders of an agent. He warns, “Goals can sometimes be a burden, and that really can play heavily on agents." So be realistic. Give yourself time to breathe and enjoy the fruits of your success with the people you care about the most.
Focus on the process not the outcome
Always remember – the journey is part of the destination.
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