Blog / Buyer Management
Matt Sergeant, Chris Janzon, EBU With a difference
“We’re on the same track for everything; we don’t think one’s better than the other.”
It is often said you should not go into business with friends or relatives, but this advice is lost on Brock Harcourts Synergy’s Matt Sergeant and Chris Janzon who run an Effective Business Unit (EBU) in the Salisbury office.
The pair, who has been friends since they were four, formed an EB2 (EBU with two people) in their South Australian office, with one concentrating on listings and the other on buyer management. It has been a successful move for the 28 years olds, who have just finished a very successful quarter where they split $250,000 between them. They specialise in properties priced just above $300,000 in their business development area (BDA) of 460 properties.
Pre-Destined Partnership
Mr Sergeant started in real estate in 2007, while his friend Mr Janzon was working in the banking industry. They joined f ces a few years ago and haven’t looked back.
“It was just a natural progression. I was at a capacity at that time and Chris just joined [the industry] and he was getting some great results. I was listing too much to handle; we thought it would be a good idea if we teamed up and maybe we could start something pretty special,” Mr Sergeant explained. Mr Janzon could see his fellow agents were concentrating on listing and vendor management, so with his love of talking to people and dealing with buyers it seemed like a natural fit for him to take over that side of the business. “With my background in banking and call centres I just love being on the phones, so the more I’m talking to people the more I love the role and it just grew from there,” he said.
Strong Guidelines
Each partner has a clearly defined role in the EB2, with both sharing some parts of prospecting and vendor communication. They halve profits and expenses. “We both are earning more money now than ever before and I think it just keeps everything in sync. We’re on the same track for everything; we don’t think one’s better than the other,” Mr Sergeant said.
Mr Janzon spends the beginning of the week following up on leads from the weekend, adding buyers to their database and works through the week to organise 5-6 appraisals for Mr Sergeant. He also speaks with prospective vendors about buying matters, has 1-2 buyer appointments and inspections and also sets up destination CMAs (comparative market analysis) so there is a vendor and a buyer trail against a property. “If I have a property that matches [a buyer’s] needs then we’ll get them through; that’s the priority from my end,” Mr Janzon said, adding he usually works with 30-40 buyers at a time. The pair’s prospecting method includes doorknocking, dropping off ‘Welcome to the Area’ packs for new residents (including those who bought from other agents), sending CMAs and ongoing communication with buyers and vendors. This prospecting work, coupled with their ongoing client communication, has meant they have a constant stream of leads flowing in.
“I like having a certain lifestyle, so to be able to have that lifestyle we need to do certain things. We’ve got constant leads coming in and we don’t have that up and down period,” Mr Sergeant explained.
And two Becomes Three
Once the partnership was running smoothly, they decided to press their foot on the accelerator and hired an assistant, essentially turning their EB2 into an EB3. works with vendors on their marketing and administration, a role previously handled by Mr Janzon, who now meets the vendor for the first time to explain the sales process. Then Mr Sergeant handles the listing side. “Vendors feel loved from three of us, not, just one listing and onto the next person. It’s not a conveyor belt approach; you’re not on a production line. It is a whole team working for the vendor,” Mr Janzon said.
Clean Data Brings Results
To ensure they are working with the cleanest data possible, the Salisbury EBU has been collecting names and numbers to update Complete Data and they arranged a photographer to take photos of the properties in their area. “If somebody rings up for an appraisal, I’ve got a booklet of every house in our area and as soon as they mention the address I’m turning to that page and I’m describing that house to them and they’re blown away by that,” Mr Sergeant explained, adding they often go into an appraisal against no other agent because vendors know they have the area knowledge.
“We wanted to bring a new profession to the industry in our area, not to say that our competitors don’t do the same thing, but we want to always be lifting the bar and I think people see that we bring a quality aspect to what we do,” he said.
Future Goals
The pair plans to build their sales to 150 per year, from low 100s, now they have an extra team member, plus improve their buyer management trails and listing presentation and start utilising more features within Complete Data. “From my end, like Mat Steinwede, to list and sell one a day would be an exceptional achievement,” Mr Janzon said, which was backed up by Mr Sergeant’s comment, “If you’re standing still, you’re going backwards”. Looking beyond their team to the future, Mr Sergeant and Mr Janzon are researching self-managed super funds and self-created wealth, including investing in a development they can subdivide.
Both Mr Sergeant and Mr Janzon train together to ensure they provide the same message to clients. Their advice to others planning to try an EBU is to establish who is responsible for each role right at the beginning and speak every day so vendors and buyers don’t get mixed communication.
“The great thing with our friendship is we were friends before business partners and that still stands very clear today. If there’s a problem, we need to find the solution. It’s not an angry argument with each other, it’s what’s the solution and let’s decide on that together now,” Mr Janzon concluded.
See the team speaking at the Real Estate Academy EBU Workshop on the 26th June in Sydney
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