Blog / Prospecting


Flying into the unknown with Traci Stellar


With Traci Stellar Fletchers, appearing on Real Estate Academy;s Mobile Audio Books 2018

Traci Stellar is a Victorian industry legend who has never been afraid to allow herself to spread her wings and take a calculated risk. One of the top women in real estate in Australia, after 10 years of working in the same company, Traci knew she was ready to grow and explore new challenges. She says, “I think my wings were clipped and I needed that space and I needed that environment where I felt I could grow as an individual.” Even though the idea of change was terrifying, she wanted to take her team and explore new avenues, learn different things and embrace new technology. She landed with Fletchers. She says, “I could see how their business was starting to grow with the change of CEO and they had big plans. That's where I thought ‘That's where I want to be. I wanted to be involved in the growth’."

Her leap of faith has paid off. One of the top agents in the Fletcher’s group and now a company director, Traci is a poster child for spreading one’s wings. Working in the leafy Park Orchards area, it wasn’t easy making the change. She says, “I had to start from scratch again. So, after 10 years of working really hard, being loyal and not coming with anything - it's a big step. Within our first year together as a team, we were the number one in our Manningham office so we were pretty proud of that. I think by year two, we were number one in the whole Fletchers Group.” She savours achievements but values the journey and self-belief even more.

Renowned for nurturing talented agents, Traci is always prepared to embrace new methods and technologies - even if she doesn’t want to. Her videos have become an excellent source of leads. She says, “I never wanted to do videos; I was scared to do videos. I'm not good in front of the camera. I get nervous and one of my colleagues, Tim Heavyside embraces them - he does them all the time. He made me go into a video with him, made me take my shoes off so I wasn't too much taller than him but he encouraged me to do it because he felt if I could do that, it would help boost my profile."

And it has. Traci adds, “It's amazing how many people actually view them or share them. You do have to step out of your comfort zone. If you really want to be successful in this industry, you have to take risks. As much as we don't want to do something, you have to do it."

Her willingness to take a calculated risk has meant that life is constantly interesting and she adores going to work every day. She says, “The sky's the limit really and no bird can fly too high unless they've got their own wings to take them there. So, I've got the wings and it will be interesting to see where it takes me but I don't know at this point where I will be."

Traci’s advice for people starting in the industry

1. Be Visible

Traci says, “For me, if I was starting out now, I would be wearing my badge every time I went down to the supermarket or whenever I was going shopping. I'd have plenty of business cards in my handbag, handing them out to every single person I could come across. I would want to be out there in the community. I would be walking the dog through the park, I would be talking to as many people as I can and then I would want to know what you do, what your dog does. I think you just need to be out there. You need to be; you can't just be sitting in an office and just writing letters and just doing some letterbox drops."

2. Get involved in your community

She says, “People want to see the face and they want to connect with that person. So, get involved in as many after activities as you can. Be involved in the community as much as you can. Be seen in the community as much as you can. I love to take a client down to a coffee shop and I sign them up on a coffee shop table because for me, it's a more relaxed atmosphere for them. People see me writing there and they think, ‘What's she doing now? She's signing up another listing or she's signing up another offer’. It's just about me looking busy. I may not be but it's actually a really nice time just to get out."

3. Embrace technology

Traci says, “Embracing technology is one thing I didn't do for a long time. Now I have embraced technology and social media. It's not something I enjoy but get someone to do it. David is my young PA. He loves social media. He's always on Instagram and Facebook and he builds my profile through that. If you're not good at it, delegate it but make sure you are involved in these platforms because you're just going to get lost if you don't."

4. Listen

Traci says, “I think a lot of agents don't listen. I think for me, my song is to have empathy, to listen to the client, to understand what they really want from me today. Is it just an update? What's important to them? What's important to them when they're looking to choose an agent? I think so many of us just go, ‘It's all about me and look, I've won this, I've won that and I'm this and I'm that’. It's really not about us - it's about what can we do to help the client."

"The sky's the limit really and no bird can fly too high unless they've got their own wings to take them there."

 

 

 

 


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