Guest blog by Charlotte Jeffrey-Campbell, Director, and Trainer at the Able Agent, a comprehensive online training solution for estate and lettings agents.
Charlotte Jeffrey-Campbell of The Able Agent shares her predictions for the year that lies ahead and the need to focus on ‘deal-building’.
Advice-Led Teams
Looking towards
this time next year, Charlotte Jeffrey-Campbell founder and director of the
online training provider The Able Agent, believes that agents will have shifted
their focus entirely from being sales-focused to running advice-led teams. She
comments:
“We have moved into
a different type of market, and those agents who don’t take a proactive
approach when it comes to pipeline building will be left behind in 2023 and
beyond. Now more than ever they need to focus on developing solid relations
with people who are thinking of moving. It will create an entire shift in
mindset; from the reactive to proactive, allowing the pipeline building of
prospective sales to assist them in meeting their targets.
“As the saying
goes, ‘it’s good to talk’. I believe that this advice-led sell could present
real opportunities for agents who are embracing the need to build relations.
Agents will no longer be the route to the portals, instead, they will be the
route to advice – helping people to make and build their home moving plans.
She continues:
“Agents should be able to talk freely about myriad options to sellers and
buyers, including the pros and cons of auction or whether putting a property on
the market in a low-key fashion would be the best way. It will be all about
building the trust of their wider network.
“And they will need
to think about diversifying into new areas, for example assisting homeowners
looking to downsize with furniture clearance.”
The Resurgence
of the Mailing List
Jeffrey-Campbell
predicts we’ll see a resurgence of the mailing list as we come almost full
circle in the whole agency approach. However, she is quick to advise that “…as
the team manager you must be confident in knowing your team has the skills to
build a deal in this way.
“You have to work
on understanding your customer better because you can’t sell by email. It’s
about building relationships and having more conversations in a bid to focus on
the longer-term plan.”
Focusing on your
Team
As the cost of
living begins to bite hard, many agents concerned about the cost of wages will
be scrutinising the work of their team.
“Team leaders will
need to have confidence that their teams are generating an income stream, and
there will be greater focus around overall productivity and the all-important
staff appraisal,” adds Jeffrey-Campbell.
She also predicts
that we’ll see a huge boost in apprenticeships in the year ahead. “In spite of
our changing industry, there is still a great deal of work to do, and I think
there will be a whole host of opportunities for apprentices keen to learn and
upskill.”
Guest blog by Charlotte Jeffrey-Campbell, Director, and Trainer at the Able Agent, a comprehensive online training solution for estate and lettings agents.
