Posts by Sam Ashdown
If you can’t beat them….
I took my daughters to London this weekend. They made complex arrangements to meet various friends, at several different locations, throughout London and Surrey over the two days. What is perhaps notable, is that all these arrangements were made without actually speaking to anyone – their entire agendas were accomplished via iMessage, text, Snapchat, Whatsapp,…
Read MoreFirst, locate your rabbit
In his film Phenomenon, John Travolta plays a character who gets hit by lightning, unexpectedly rendering him a genius, temporarily at least. One scene in the movie stuck with me. Travolta’s character, George, is initially perplexed by the fact that a rabbit is somehow getting into his vegetable patch, and resolves to fix the problem.…
Read MoreDo you need a coach?
Imagine for a moment, you have caught one too many sideways reflections in the bedroom mirror, and you decide you need to lose a bit of middle-aged padding. You buy the gear, download an app or two, and resolve to finally use that expensive gym membership, at least three times a week. For a couple…
Read MoreCanvassing that Converts – Your 3 Steps to Success
Is your canvassing working, or are you just chucking your money away? The average agent (is there any such person??) sends out around 1,000 leaflets a month, and gets back just 3 calls, if they’re lucky. That’s a response rate of 0.3%. In terms of return on investment, this might not seem so bad. Say…
Read More“I don’t sell property – I sell viewings.”
This was said to me yesterday, by Chris Wood of PDQ in Penzance (@PDQProperty on Twitter) and it’s so true, it inspired this blogpost – so thank you Chris! As an estate agent, your job has three main components: get the valuation appointment in the first place then win the instruction, and finally, once you get the house…
Read MoreWho’s Your Pacemaker?
Do you ever watch the London Marathon or the Great North Run? I do, with a mixture of awe and guilt. Awe that so many people had taken on such a momentous challenge, of their own free will, and guilt, that I was enjoying the event from my sofa, while many people less fit than…
Read MoreWhat’s Your Audience Worth?
Why your audience is your most valuable asset, and how to look after it I posted this picture on Twitter the other evening. It opened up a bit of a debate. Some agents insisted that it works for them, generating enquiries and viewings. Others, including Julian O’Dell, estate agent and fellow trainer agreed with me:…
Read MoreNever Knock the Competition
Never knock the competition. My dad taught me this; he was a star sales rep in the 70s, way before social media made it so easy to do exactly that, but if he were still around, he’d give me the same advice now. In some ways, it’s more true now in this new transparent world…
Read MoreEstate Agents Websites – My Top 5 Tips
I’m working on a few estate agents’ websites at the moment, including one for a real estate agent in Chicago. Your website is such an opportunity to showcase your agency and attract new clients, but most agent websites just miss the mark. I’ve put together here my top 5 website tips to help you evaluate…
Read MoreDoes Your Website Have a £300 million button?
No one likes bad websites. If you can’t find the information you’re looking for in a nano second, you’ll simply click away and find it somewhere else. Your website is great: all the information a potential customer needs is right there at their fingertips, with no need to click onto a competitor’s site. But what…
Read MoreDitch the Tech!
I conducted a mystery shop this week. I called an agent, and spoke to a lovely lady called Carol. Carol sounded like she was busy. Obviously, she wasn’t just waiting for my call, so no doubt she was doing something important like answering emails, writing property details or updating the company Facebook page. But I…
Read MoreHow to Turn Your Ideas Into Profit
We don’t have an information problem: we have an implementation problem. Here’s how to implement for success. Are you the kind of person who loves coming up with brilliant new ideas, but loses interest when it comes to implementation? If so, join the club. Estate agents – and especially owners, aka entrepreneurs, are typically creative,…
Read MoreWhat are you worth?
Picasso was once enjoying a double espresso in his favourite café in Paris, when he was accosted by a lady at a nearby table. “Excusez-moi, aren’t you Picasso??” she asked excitedly. When he confirmed that he was indeed he, she then begged him to draw her portrait. With a sigh, he took a clean napkin off…
Read MoreUnpack your service
How to add huge value with a little show and tell Ask Mr and Mrs Joe Public what an estate does for his fee, and you’ll get a variety of hostile answers, most of them unprintable. Of course, we’re all fighting with the legacy of unscrupulous agents who came before us (and those who are…
Read MoreGive Yourself a Head Start in the Valuations Race
When a prospective vendor picks up the phone and books a valuation with you, you probably have a 33% chance of winning the instruction. Why? Because they are very likely to book a valuation appointment with two of your competitors, sometimes even on the same day. (How often have you arrived as one was leaving,…
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