An Innocent Way of Doing Things Even for an Estate Agent

Last Friday I jumped in the car at 4.30am and drove up to north west London to visit Fruit Towers the fantastic HQ of innocent drinks.

I grew up on the mean streets of NW10 just down the road from innocent so I felt like the not so prodigal son coming home.

When I say mean I mean it. Stonebridge Estate, a place where people thought you were posh if you had a job and every time you got home you were relieved you hadn’t been burgled while you were out or mugged on the way back.

For the record I loved the place and its people.

Anyways I digress.

So let’s talk about innocent, you can pop in and have a tour of the five floor towers. No catches, it’s free and is actually a lot of fun.

I went with a non estate agent client of mine who is in the drinks business. He wanted ideas for his new head office and I just wanted ideas I can share and use with my estate agency clients.

We both got plenty out of it – and as promised over the next few paragraphs I’ll share what I picked up.

The Big Thing

The thing that sticks most in my head from the visit is this.

They employ people not on qualifications and experience (it’s handy they said but not the most important thing). What they look for are people who share the company’s values.

They are – Be Natural, Be Generous, Be Responsible, Be Commercial, and the one that surprised me the most – Be Entrepreneurial.

Yep they look for people with entrepreneurial flair whether they work on reception, in accounts or indeed even in PR (all good PR people have commercial nous).

The charming young girl who showed us around was clearly all of the above.

A Great Place to Work

Here’s some of the stuff that makes it the best place to work I’ve ever seen.

They get free breakfasts – “You can’t work well on an empty stomach.” Said our guide.

Departments don’t sit together – this is to encourage working relationships, idea sharing and understanding different roles within the company.

A red telephone box – yep an actual full size one – in a corner for when you need to make a private or ‘difficult call.’

A library. Innocent invest heaps in their staff’s training and when people have finished their courses they are encouraged to leave their course books behind for the next person / people coming through.

I could go on and on about it but the best compliment I can give it is that everyone working there seemed happy, the vibe was productive and it’s DEFINTELY the kind of place I’d want to work.

What can agents learn from innocent?

Some of you might be thinking ‘yeah but they’re a big company and we’re a small independent agent, it’s easy for them.’

Yes and no but that shouldn’t stop us from daring to be different.

Whether that’s through your signage –Ewe Move is a good example.

Your company’s written tone of voice – Big one this and I come across so many agencies with a dull, dreary style of communicating. Too much hype not enough help. Too much ‘me’ not enough ‘we’.

Culture – Whether it’s just you on your own or 50 colleagues across ten offices your agency has a culture. Innocent’s is obvious, but what’s yours?

Motivating Staff – My old Irish Uncle Tighe was ahead of the game on this one but innocent follow his train of thought. Back in the 70s and 80s he had a decent sized building firm.

His workers were well treated and respected (unusual for the industry in that era). They worked very hard and honestly for him and why? As Uncle T put it so wonderfully simply ‘Happy chickens lay more eggs.’

It can be done differently

Finally I think that purely by looking to other industries for inspiration agencies will find new ways to improve what they do, market themselves better and provide a greater level of service to clients.

We can all be guilty of falling into ‘it’s always been done like this’ pit of thinking but have a look at innocent, and other creatively minded companies for inspiration.

It can be done.

Thanks for reading and here’s to your next instruction.

Jerry

PS: I’ve had two more spaces for new retained clients become available next month – if you’re interested in finding out more drop me a line on jerry@propertyprexpert.co.uk

You May Also Enjoy

Rightmove logo
Breaking News

Rightmove’s weekly mortgage tracker 30/05/25

Average rates for 2-year and 5-year fixed-rate mortgages   Term Average rate Weekly change Yearly change 2-year fixed 4.64% +0.03% -0.78% 5-year fixed 4.61% +0.03% -0.45%   Lowest rates for 2-year and 5-year fixed-rate mortgages   Term Lowest rate Weekly change Yearly change 2-year fixed 3.82% +0.02% -0.93% 5-year fixed 3.88% +0.09% -0.55%   Average…
Read More
Home and Living

Carpet Cleaning Specials in Stanton: Save on Your Next Service

Sure, the carpeting in your Stanton home is inviting and adds warmth and comfort, but it can also store harmful dirt, allergens, and bacteria that can affect your family’s health. This makes regular carpet cleaning not only better for your health, but also your wallet. With Carpet Cleaning Stanton specials, you can save on the professional services…
Read More
Rightmove logo
Breaking News

Seven in ten branches now using Rightmove’s insights and training platform

New figures from Rightmove, the UK’s largest property platform, show that seven in ten estate and letting agency branches are making use of its insights and training platform, the Rightmove Hub. This is up from 56% of branches back in 2023. The Hub, first launched ten years ago and recently revamped, has expanded in response…
Read More
Letting Agent Talk

From Fixer-Upper to Profitable Asset: Strategic Renovations for Landlords

Did you buy a fixer-upper? Or maybe you inherited one. Either way, you’re standing in a place with peeling linoleum, a questionable smell, and wallpaper that could file for social security. The big question: Do you patch things up, go full HGTV, or just torch it for the insurance (don’t do that)? First, take a…
Read More
Breaking News

Household Costs Indices for UK household groups: January to March 2025

Household Costs Indices, 12-month growth rates, expenditure shares and contributions for UK household groups and all-households. These are official statistics in development. Main points Overall UK household costs, as measured by the Household Costs Index (HCI), rose by 2.6% in the year to March 2025; this is a fall from 2.9% in the year to…
Read More
Surge in country and seaside property values
Breaking News

Why Rural House Prices Are Surging Faster Than Cities

New analysis from Open Property Group reveals that rural England is facing an affordability crunch, as house prices in the countryside outpace urban growth, despite lower average wages and higher living costs in remote areas. These shifting dynamics are challenging the long-standing assumption that rural life offers a more affordable and sustainable alternative to the…
Read More