Posts by Jerry Lyons
Why Mickey Flanagan is right about estate agency
In couple of weeks’ time I’m off with Mrs L to see our favourite comedian Mickey Flanagan performing in Brighton. There’s three main reasons I like him. Like me he doesn’t speak propah but doesn’t give a monkey’s. His comic descriptions of growing up in a working-class London family are scarily accurate. His line ‘My…
Read MoreThis time it’s personal
The kids are back to school. The heating is getting switched on again. My flip flops are in the cupboard. My bike is in the garage. This can only mean one thing – Christmas will be here before you can say: ‘Ropey Sir Cliff Richard tunes being piped through the local shopping centre.’ If you…
Read MoreWas it A Con Job and Why the Secret is out for Estate Agents
Just over four years ago there was a young trainee plumber in Dublin. He was skint, hated his job, drove a clapped out old banger and his career prospects were to use how own words, ‘pretty shite’. But he had a vision (literally as it turns out) and strange things happen. On Saturday 26 August…
Read MoreAre you the Chesney Hawkes of estate agency?
Remember Chesney Hawkes? I’m guessing most people do. He is the poster boy of the one hit wonder phenomenon. His record – I am the one and only – topped the charts in 1991. Then he vanished so suddenly it was almost a case for New Scotland Yard’s missing person’s department. But what does Chesney’s…
Read MoreWhy Anthony Joshua would make a Champion Estate Agent
On Saturday night in front on 90,000 people in Wembley Stadium and millions watching on TV across the globe a new sporting mega star was born. Step forward the Heavyweight Champion of the World ………Anthony Joshua. In 11 pulsating rounds against a brave and brilliant challenger our AJ proved himself to be the real deal.…
Read MoreWhat makes your agency SO special?
We have a problem in the UK. You may be suffering from it right now. I know I did, and still do sometimes. But not that often thankfully. See over here in the currently dis-United Kingdom we’re not very good at saying how good / great we are. And estate agents for all the public’s…
Read MoreAre you the most irritating agent in your area?
What’s your take on networking? I hate it. Actually let me qualify that. I hate the word networking. It’s such a clunky way of describing people just meeting up and talking. I like meeting people, like chatting (it’s the Irish in me) but despise hard selling. I was at a ‘networking’ event recently as a…
Read MoreFive F’*k Ups I’ve Made Which Might Help Estate Agents
It was my little girl’s fifth birthday party on Saturday. Lots of kids singing Frozen songs, jam sandwiches, Wotsits and making tea for mums and dads who all seemed pretty glad that their kids were being entertained for a couple of hours. We had family down from London so the entire weekend was a busy…
Read MoreHow to turn your database into an instruction goldmine in seven easy (ish) steps
I met with an agent last week who was charm personified. His agency is award winning, successful and expanding his office has very comfortable chairs and a proper espresso machine. He has a system in place for pretty much everything. Everything except for making the most out of his database – which came as a…
Read MoreWhy Some Estate Agents Make Lousy Lovers – Three minutes and it’s over
Picture the scene. And picture you’re single – if you’re not already. The man / woman you’ve fancied for ages is standing alone by the coffee machine looking gorgeous. Now you’ve said hello a few times, but you don’t know them very well as they work on the floor above. Then you bowl up to…
Read MoreAre your rivals down the road lining themselves up for an award win?
There are loads of ways to publicise your estate agency. There are the usual suspects including portal presence, direct mail flyers, newspaper and magazine adverts and if your budget allows you can plaster yourselves over whopping great billboards. There is also social media, blogging and email marketing. Heck for a four to five figure sum…
Read MoreThe page on your agency’s website that could be your instruction killer
Something happened to me last week which made me realise the power of a single page on agencies websites. Let me explain. I was with my cousin Gerard who is looking to instruct an agent in Hertfordshire. He had asked me for some advice about picking agents to come round for valuations as a starting…
Read MoreIt Really, Really Shouldn’t Happen to an Estate Agent…
Black cats and accident prone agents
Read MoreWhy estate agents could do without sounding like estate agents
“God this is going to be a long journey.” “These people are blathering corporate knobs.” “I am seriously considering throwing myself out of this moving car.” “The conversation is so painfully dull I want to put my head out of the window and start screaming help!!! I can’t take it anymore.” These were a series…
Read MoreEstate Agents _ What do you really sell?
It_s been cold recently. And it_s been getting dark earlier. Before you start thinking I_m indulging in National State the Bleeding Obvious Day let me explain where I_m headed. I was shuffling down the High Street where I live the other day freezing my face off. It was that horribly dusky 4pm ish time of…
Read More