With Brian Whiteman, Partnet/Selling specialist, McGrath Central Coast
There really is no other way to describe him - Brian Whiteman is a master of sales. When he moved to the McGrath Central Coast and the industry in 2006, Brian cracked the million-dollar mark in commission in his first year!
It all started with motorbikes. When the family farm was sold, Brian wondered what to do next. He says, “I knew motorcycles were a passion, so I thought why not chase what I want to do? So I approached the owners of a little Suzuki dealership in Bathurst probably about four times before they agreed to sell it to me."
With three staff, the dealership had been selling about 35 new motorcycles a year and about 15 used motorbikes. In Brian’s first year, they sold 100 new motorcycles and 50 used motorbikes. They became the number one regional dealership right across New South Wales and were in the top ten in Australia.
Brian explains, "It fast-tracked really quickly. We became number 1 in the region quickly and it was all through the delivery of great customer service."
From this experience, Brian learned how to close, add value and compete. He says, “I’d always make sure that the customer had the motorcycle insured, I'd arrange their finance, and sell them all the protective gear, so they would walk out with the complete package. In that industry you had to value-add, and it's no different in real estate."
Eventually he and his wife Jen sold the business and made an attempt to retire. He says, “My goal had been to reach a certain stage by 40 and I'd reached it. But do you know what? I couldn't do it. I just can't sit still."
With a desire to keep working, Brian found himself in Terrigal selling real estate, starting from scratch. He started off strong and quickly became very successful, particularly once he pulled in some help.
Brian says, “My wife, Jen quit her job to join me and together we achieved $1-1.1 million in commission during our first year. We’re now in our third year and currently looking at achieving about $2.3 million for the year. And that has happened because I've got a team around me. It would not have happened any other way."
Now the Principal at McGrath Long Jetty, Brian is a specialist sales agent for Long Jetty, Bateau Bay, Shelly Beach and surrounding areas and has no intention of stopping. He loves making people happy. He says, “I love great outcomes in life."
And he certainly has a knack for creating great outcomes for the people of the Central Coast.
1. Outstanding OFIs
Brian ensures there are at least two agents present at every Open for Inspection (OFI). He says, “I put myself on the front door for the first fifteen minutes so they're all meeting me as they come in. And then my wife Jen will capture the data as they leave. It’s great teamwork.
"I shake everyone's hand on the way in and welcome them to the address. Then I go in and sell, which is what I do best. I sell the features and benefits of the home, getting everyone really excited about it, because I get excited about every home I list. It doesn't matter if it's a $200,000 home or a $2 million dollar home, I just love selling homes. We are always told that we run outstanding open homes."
2 Put in the hard yards
According to Brian, Mondays and Saturdays are the two busiest days of the week in real estate. So if he has a day off (and often he doesn’t) he chooses a Friday or a Wednesday as there is generally less action happening on those days. After OFI’s on Saturday, Brian and his team return to the office to conduct their call-backs to assess the interest. He says, “I’ll be working through to ten o'clock at night some Saturdays. It’s important to understand that when someone comes all the way from Sydney to look at a home, they're a hot buyer. They want to make a decision now. And if you drop them at any stage, you're potentially dropping fifty grand on the floor."
On Mondays, they will call everyone again and capture the interest. Brian says, "The love comes second time around. I think first, they do fall in love, but the second time it's bigger, it's better, and I'm better because I'm by myself selling the property to them. So, it's really important to get a re-inspection in my world."
3 Loving homes helps to sell them
Brian and Jen are serial renovators and have bought, renovated and sold 15 homes to date. This allows them to speak from experience when faced with a buyer who would like to do the same. When a new owner takes possession, Brian, Jen and their team are there with the welcoming touches and personalised gifts.
4 Be transparent
Brian says transparency is crucial to gain people’s trust in real estate. He always asks a buyer who makes an offer if they would like to be informed if a higher offers comes through. He says, “Honesty is so important because it’s the only way I can help someone through that journey. And it’s really important that your buyers respect your honesty. And through that process you will actually achieve a higher price."
5 The Power of sold stories
Brian says, "If you have some great sales success behind you use them to your advantage during the pre-listing process. Just ensure you use comparable sold stories – so compare apples with apples."
6 Retention
Brian has an outstanding retention level, the result of staying in contact with people. He says, “I'm always making calls and touching base with somebody. I don't think I've ever seen my phone ring so much as during the last year or so due to referrals."