Blog / Winning Business
Greg Earney, Complete Salespeople can always learn new tricks
Success does not guarantee continued success. Companies that are committed to innovation and ongoing professional development are the ones that build businesses across decades.
Greg Earney, from Methven The Professionals in north east Melbourne, knows a thing or too about real estate. He is a third generation real estate agent and with his father Geoff, he is in charge of four busy offices and heads up a sales team of 11 people.
Greg knows that you can never stand still and bask in your success. There are always new and better ways of doing things. After working with Lee Woodward from Real Estate Academy for many years, Greg recently attended The Complete Salesperson Course and while most people would be content to walk out of a course having learnt one good thing, Greg left with 63 notes to self!
Greg says, that whenever his Dad assesses a new idea for the business, he asks, ‘Is it going to make the boat go faster?’. At the course, Greg found many ideas that he thinks will continue to make the good ship Methven The Professionals rip away from their competition.
As Greg explains, some of the highlights of his 63 notes to self are:
1-2 Review and freshen up suburb reports and examine our listing follow up presentations.
At the course, Lee showed a more polished summary for listing presentations that cuts to the chase and makes it easier for potential clients to see that we would be a better company to handle their listing.
3. Develop an introductory video and CD for new staff
I thought that everyone would know the culture of our business, our history, where we’re going, our reputation but when listening to Lee I saw that in fact, most people don’t.
If we can put together some sort of video summary of how we operate, that welcomes people to our team and shows our past successes, it would set the tone and inform staff about what we expect of them.
4-6 Review our letters and feedback processes
Every now and then, it’s good to just rip all the letters, or put all the letters out on the table and say, ‘Is that letter right now?’; ‘Can we change it?’; ‘Do we need it?’; ‘Do we need to change the wording?’. All of our guys have got a Listings to Get sheet and I want to make sure that everyone has a top 50 or a hot list of main clients that are going to be coming on in the near future.
7. Remind the sales team - “What’s the amount that is going to excite you to get out of bed and do the job?”
Ask the sales team: ‘Well what is it?’ What number is going to excite them to get up and get going and get into it?
9. Develop a focus map database
We’re developing a dwellings database of our area and we aim to get in touch with everyone in our area who is not in our database.
15. Pre-book your diary with two buyer appointments and one listing per day
I loved this idea. Make the booking even if you don’t have the appointments – it’s a great motivator. Everyday, I’ve got two appointments, and a listing and I’ve just got to fill it in, simple as that.
16. Delegate listings, get out of the fog
I love my listings and I love looking after my clients so it can be very hard to hand them over to someone else. But for the business to continue to grow, my time is better spent working on the business and working with my team.
17. Data acquisition – business oxygen
At the end of the day our goal is: how can I get more people into our database? The more people I can get in there with their addresses within our service area, the more we can start to communicate with them. I know with the communication strategies that we have in place, within two, three years, four years, you will eventually get to know those clients. The more data I can get, the better.
28. Develop a buyer information booklet
I quite liked the one Lee previewed from Danny Grant – it includes things that the vendor loved about the property. It’s different from the normal brochure. I think it just creates a good first impression. It takes a lot of work but it’s worth it.
34. August 1 and 2 - The Complete Salesperson Course, Hawaii
I thought, well maybe that could be a good incentive for our salespeople for maybe one of our awards or when we do a special thing. To say, ‘Righto, you know let’s dangle the carrot and see what happens’.
40. Set a goal - I want to be seen as a legitimate voice in my area. And, to be a legitimate voice you have to write and provide information of value.
I was in one office for a number of years and over that time, I was known as the legitimate voice of that area. I want that to be the case in the area that I am working in now.
52. Testimonials; focus on getting them
We get lots of testimonials coming in here. I must admit, myself personally, I’m probably not the best at asking for them. I like getting them but that was just a note for me to remind everyone – including myself - to ask the owner if they can jot down some kind words, or ask them on the phone and say, ‘Do you mind if I type that up?’.
61. Develop a calendar of events for the vendor
I thought this was good. You know, we have a marketing calendar and a number of things but just so that anyone can see, ‘Okay on this day, that’s happening; on that day, that’s happening. We’ve got our ad out in the press next Tuesday’ - it just makes sense.
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