Congratulations on taking the firsts steps to owning and operating your own real estate business
People come into real estate from a variety of educational and professional backgrounds and at various stages of their lives. Some choose to enter the industry straight out of high school while others opt for a career change later in life. Many successful real estate agents have come from trades and other professions before deciding it was time for a change. They are attracted to the industry for many reasons, including an interest in property, a desire to work with people, and the fact that the industry has the potential to offer significant monetary rewards. But unfortunately, many people join the industry for the wrong reasons, assuming that it’s an easy way to make a lot of money. While the potential is definitely there for substantial monetary rewards, the truth is, success only comes to those who are dedicated and prepared to work hard.
Real estate is focused on connecting with people and helping them achieve their property related goals. But it is important to understand that the real estate industry is a business space first and foremost. And like any commercial enterprise, it takes strong communication, organisational and time management skills to make it a successful venture. It also takes an understanding of the systems and processes in place to help you perform your role at an optimal level.
The program also highlights:
- What you can expect from us as a company,
- How to run your own real estate practice within the business, and
- Our expectations of you during and immediately after your first 90 days.
WHY REAL ESTATE?
A career in real estate is so much more than just listing and selling or leasing property. It’s about establishing and managing relationships with people first and foremost. Whether you work in sales, property management or administration, to be successful in real estate, you must be committed to delivering exceptional customer service and adding value during one of the most significant financial decision-making periods in someone’s life.
As you commence your real estate career, you may have conjured up images of driving a fancy car, earning a high income and sitting behind a desk waiting for clients to come to you. While the dream of financial freedom is certainly attainable in this industry (in fact real estate can be one of the highest paid professions in the world), to achieve it requires a lot of hard work, dedication and the commitment to work beyond the standard 9 to 5. After all, you will be one of many agents vying for every valuable listing. So rather than waiting for a client to come to you, it is you who will need to go to them, convincing them that you are the best agent for the job.
The potential for success is high for those who commit themselves
As real estate professionals we all share a common goal – to be successful and to help people achieve their property goals. But being inspired and setting a goal is easy, especially at the start of your career. It’s maintaining the inspiration and doing what it takes to achieve your goal that can be the real challenge. This is where many real estate agents eventually fall off the rails. The key to the success of Australia’s top real estate professionals lies in creating a roadmap for success that allows them to work smarter. The result is that they not only achieve their own professional goals, but they are also brilliant role models; they’re known by homeowners as the agent to call; and they’re able to achieve a high income while enjoying a healthy work/life balance.
THE BENEFITS OF WORKING WITH US
Simply put, you enjoy all the benefits of business ownership without the expensive start-up costs and extravagant overheads. Leveraging from our national brand and unique selling proposition, you will have access to all the systems, access to ongoing training and support required to be successful in the real estate industry.
So what really sets us apart?
YOU retain majority of the commission generated! Whist at the same time still having access to the support and resources of a national brand. With an increasing number of real estate transactions happening online, you don’t need an expensive shop front and receptionist to grow significant market share within your territory.
We provide state-of-the-art tools along with ongoing training and support in all aspects of the business.
Administration and management systems are centralised, allowing our team to focus on dollar productive activities that generate income. This also creates flexibility and puts you in true control.
A BRIEF HISTORY & CORE VALUES
Established in 2001 by industry leader Cameron Fisher with the vision and goal to revolutionize the real estate industry forever, Changing Places has proved to be one of the fastest growing real estate operations throughout Australia
We believe the industry must accept change and together we are making it a reality.
We introduced a “Fixed Fee” commission structure calculated on the general demographic of the likely buyer, and the level of effort and resources required to achieve the best possible outcome for our clients, not the dollar value of their property.
This simple change in attitude and mindset has allowed our team almost treble their business and their income.
YOUR POCKET RESOURCE CENTRE
One of the best things you can do to build your profile in your Business Development Area (an area in which you have nominated) is to provide such exceptional service and helpful information to homeowners, that they tell others in the area about you. It’s not just about achieving a listing and a sale. It’s about connecting with people and letting them know that you genuinely care about helping them achieve their property goals.
Once you are known as a professional agent who genuinely cares and adds value for nothing in return, you will be rewarded with something money can’t buy – an advocate for life. How do you build such advocacy? By providing people with helpful letters, tips, articles of interest etc. and genuinely helpful verbal advice (as opposed to a sales pitch). This is where the Changing Places Resource Centre comes in.
Accessible from any device connected to the internet, our resource centre is your complete pocket library and tool centre rolled into one. Best of all, it’s available anywhere, any time you need it.
An industry first, the Resource Centre stores all the resources you need to build and maintain advocacy in your area, including:
- Every letter and email template you will ever need
- Articles of interest
- Visuals
- Scripts and dialogues (including our Signature Negotiation Process)
- Listing Presentation Kit
- Templates
- Changing Places documents an policy
In this way, the Resource Centre helps you build and grow your own successful real estate practice.
THE COMPLETE REAL ESTATE JOURNEY
The Visual Business Framework (VBF) brings clarity and structure to all the processes, systems and services required to produce winning results in any real estate business. It follows the cyclical journey of an agency’s relationship with a client/prospect from start to listed to sold or leased and visually highlights every component, action and process that makes up the journey in an easy to follow format.
We give you unlimited access to The Complete Real Estate Success Program, an online, guided learning system containing a series of learning resources that allow you to learn at your own pace. The learning resources cover everything you need to know about working in the real estate industry – from real estate sales, leasing and administration to management, leadership and business ownership.
In line with Changing Places’ ‘Blended Learning’ and ‘Teaching for Understanding’ partnership, every module within The Complete Real Estate Success Program contains three Resource Groups to cater to different learning style preferences and reinforce Key Learnings – Video, Audio and Documents. Audio Learning Sessions may be downloaded and listened to in the car or while exercising and Documents may be saved and/or printed out.
Real estate is a journey
In the real estate space, clients and consumers have a natural process they follow. The most successful real estate agents understand this process and use it to ensure they engage the most appropriate plans, strategies and marketing at the right times to achieve their goals.
THE COMPLETE SALES PERSON COURSE
Much more than just a training course for real estate sales agents, The Complete Salesperson Course is a 2-day interactive learning experience and system that applies equally to all real estate professionals, from sales agents, property managers and administrative staff to managers and business owners.
Delivered by Real Estate Academy CEO, Lee Woodward, the course covers all the latest ideas, proven methods, tools, visuals, scripts and audio to be more productive, win more business, gain more referrals and love what you do. Regularly updated, many agents attend multiple times over the course of their career (often bringing their team with them) to network, re-energise and refocus.
BUILDING YOUR OWN REAL ESTATE PRACTICE
You don’t have to own a real estate office to run a real estate practice. As a real estate agent, you are effectively the master of your own destiny.
How to work for yourself, but not by yourself
Running a business within a business is a common way for many real estate agents to build their own real estate practice. In fact, operating under the Effective Business Unit (EBU) model or as an independent contractor are options chosen by many successful real estate sales professionals
What’s an EBU?
One of the major hurdles faced by real estate agents today is the fact that when they get busy, service levels drop which sets off a negative chain reaction – as service levels drop, referrals decrease and as referrals decrease, listings become more scarce, and so on. An Effective Business Unit (EBU) overcomes this by ensuring that all scheduled activities are undertaken every day. As a result, many real estate agents opt to reinvent their offices into Effective Business Units (EBU), with many reporting unprecedented career growth as a result.
Quite simply, an EBU is a team-based approach to working that allows each member of the team to focus on his or her key strengths. In this way, an EBU facilitates the sales process, allowing business to grow without compromising quality standards, especially service to clients. An EBU draws only upon the skills required, no more, no less. In this way, the EBU eliminates duplication of activities, which leads to inefficiency. And due to its small size (generally three individuals) communication is facilitated. It’s all about having the right people in the right roles, making it true to its name – an effective business unit.
THE ROAD AHEAD
When working in the real estate industry for the first time, it is important to learn the skills and information in the right sequential order for success. In the past, a new agent was simply given a phone and a desk and instructed to start prospecting for potential sellers from day 1 on the job. Unfortunately this still happens in a lot of businesses. However it is vital to ensure you are completely ready to run with the potential of an appraisal request BEFORE you start connecting with people in your Business Development Area. After all, you wouldn’t dream of commencing the construction of a house until you had the right materials, tools and foundation in place first would you?
Your roadmap to build the right foundation for success…
The following checklist outlines the key things you need to learn and understand before you are ready to connect with existing and prospective clients:
1. Know your agency & your brand
As a new member our team, you are representing our brand every time you make contact with someone in the community, whether it be in person, by phone or in writing. It is therefore essential that you know about our history and core values and understand the benefits of entrusting the sale or management of a property to us.
2. Have your ‘tools of trade’ ready for business
You will be inducted into the agency with your own business cards, email address and a selection of marketing material and tools as part of your establishment fee. This will give you the professional image you need and ensure that valuable opportunities are not lost when someone wants your contact and agency details.
3. Understand the end-to-end process of a sale/lease
You will be walked through a visual business framework that highlights and simplifies all the steps involved in the process of a sale/lease from start to finish. Nothing will give you a better understanding of the journey your client will take, from beginning to end, than a clear understanding of the complete process.
4. Get to know all the resources available to assist you
We make it easy for you when it comes to preparing letters and emails, marketing, making phone calls and conducting a listing presentation (to name just a few). With a host of templates, scripts, articles, visuals and more, readily on hand via the Resource Centre, we’ve got you covered for every contact you will have with a client. It’s also a good idea to put yourself in the shoes of a prospective client and read through all our brochures and consumer letters.
5. Attend The Complete Salesperson Course
The 2-day course teaches you everything you need to know to prospect, list, communicate and sell like a seasoned professional.
6. Get systemised
The people who master real estate are those who master their databases. Rather than simply using their database to store names and contact details, they use it as a tool to generate leads, convert leads and look after their clients.
7. Understand the lead generation process (prospecting for business)
Prospecting (or generating business) is the practice of proactively and creatively searching for new business. Successful prospecting and marketing yourself will build a list of potential clients for you. Ultimately it’s consistent professional prospecting that will keep you in the business.
8. Understand the buyer management & negotiation process
By consistently learning what to say to buyers and how to say it through the use of scripts and dialogues, you will develop a system that will work in your favour. Handling prospective buyers is what you will generally be asked to do once you have been prospecting for a while.
9. Understand the lead conversion process (listing)
By following our unique presentation framework that focuses on the process rather than the promise, you will be well prepared to stand in the lounge-room of a potential vendor with the aim of winning their business.
10. Understand the client fulfillment process (vendor management)
Vendor management is a critical skill in real estate sales. Without it, you will struggle to achieve your goals. Once you have listed your first property, it will be up to you to meet and hopefully exceed the expectations of your new vendor. This will ensure a positive experience; one which will ultimately lead to repeat business by way of referral.
THE STUFF TO GET YOU STARTED
A one off establishment fee establishes you in your new territory and provides the necessary tools and resources to get you started including but certainly not limited to:
- Corporate branding
- Extensive marketing catalogue
- State of the art website
- Benefits of a company funded marketing strategy aimed at growing the brand and image
- Superior technology platforms
- Subscriptions to critical internet property listing portals
- Australia wide subscription access to RPData
- A selection of marketing material upon commencement
- Centralised management systems
- Receptionist service available
- Initial and ongoing training
- Head office support
Our technology platform is state of the art and regularly updated and also included in the low establishment fee you will be set up as your own real estate practice and have the ability to fully utilise the CRM function of the database.
Assistance will be available every step of the way, we have done this many times and have developed a thorough knowledge of the process to set up and establish a successful operation.