Posts by Sam Ashdown
A FOCUS Strategy for Estate Agents
I have a coaching client at the moment – a very successful four office owner from Kent – who can’t wait to use the techniques and strategies I’m sharing with him in his business. There’s just one problem – he wants to do them all. Right now. As estate agents, we like shiny new things,…
Read MoreYou Get the Clients You Deserve
My youngest daughter – Tess – is heartbreakingly and very worryingly beautiful. She has long blonde hair, and extraordinarily long legs, which as you can see, she inherited from her mother. Last year she turned 16 and a few weeks before her birthday, she came to me and announced she would like to hold a…
Read MoreAre you suffering from Superhero Syndrome?
Do you believe that you are literally the only person in your business who can do things the right way? You’re not alone. I recently wrote about how to delegate, as it’s something small business owners really struggle with. If you’re an independent, single-office agency, then you have no doubt had to be Jack of…
Read MoreThe Pumpkin Plan Formula
What prize-winning pumpkin farmers can teach us about growing our agencies I’ve just read this book – The Pumpkin Plan. In it, author Mike Michalowicz, reveals how applying the secrets of prize-winning pumpkin farmers to business, can help you to grow your agency to a colossal size too. Just as almost every pumpkin farmer grows…
Read MoreHow to Delegate in Seven Steps (and Skyrocket your Business)
What did you do on Friday? If your day looked like most other agents, it probably consisted of answering emails, valuation appointments, calling clients and organising staff. You may also have photographed a new property, written the details up, uploaded to your system, pulled off a couple of Rightmove performance reports, sent your designer a…
Read MoreGive your clients the red carpet treatment
Last weekend, a friend and I met for tea and scones in a lovely country pub close to where I live. As we entered, the hostess – Holly – greeted me warmly by name, and found us a comfy sofa to sit on, despite it being really busy, and throughout the time we spent there,…
Read MoreWhat to do when the vendor chooses another estate agent
A lovely agent called Brian wrote to me this week. He had an interesting question: “What can I do when the vendor decides not to instruct us, but chooses one of our (cheaper) competitors instead? Do I calmly walk away or do I keep in touch with them? We lost an instruction recently to an…
Read MoreHow to keep your phone ringing
I was in an agent’s office recently, and the phones were mostly silent. I asked her if that was usual, and she explained that whilst that time of year tends to be pretty quiet, this year it seemed to be slower than ever. She looked worried. “I’m really hoping for a good surge next month,”…
Read MoreWhat gets you out of bed in the morning?
Do you bounce out of bed before the alarm every morning, with a spring in your step and a smile on your face? Or do you hit the snooze button seven times in a row before eventually dragging your body out from under the duvet to face the world? How you get up in the…
Read MoreFirst, last or middle?
When you go out to a valuation, would you choose to be the first agent to go in? Or the last? Or perhaps the one in the middle? I’ve heard arguments for every which way, with no real conclusion. Having researched this issue, talked to loads of agents and put my curious mind to work,…
Read MoreIs your diary running your business?
Has anyone seen my weekend? I’m sure it was right here, and now it’s gone. And when I come to think of it, I haven’t seen last month for a while either….. Time flies when you’re enjoying yourself, (I am, in my business). Before you know it, it’ll be next week; next month; next year.…
Read MoreThe Perfect Valuation Visit – Sam’s Blueprint.
At HomeTruths, we – that is, my consultants and I – offer a free consultation to homeowners who are struggling to sell their property. This is usually an hour-long visit, and over the last decade, we have collectively done hundreds of these consultations, honing them along the way, until they are the refined and polished…
Read MoreThere’s Profit in Pizza
Most days, I chat to an estate agent about their biggest challenges. Up and down the country; single office or multi; their challenge is almost always the same: they aren’t getting through enough doors. There’s nothing more frustrating than a board going up on your patch that you haven’t even been invited out to, is…
Read MoreWhen Did Estate Agents Become Marketers?
An estate agent friend of mine asked me the other day, “Sam, give me a better term for a grade II listed cottage than ‘Superb kerb appeal’, please?!” I offered a few adjectives, like ‘fairytale’, ‘captivating’ and ‘a slice of English history’, and he eventually settled on “Oozing charm and character”, which is pretty good…
Read MoreYou Get the Clients You Deserve
How to attract the right clients, who will value you and pay the fee you deserve! My youngest daughter – Tess – is heartbreakingly and very worryingly beautiful. She has long blonde hair, and extraordinarily long legs, which as you can see, she inherited from her mother. Last year she turned 16 and a few…
Read More