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.

  1. Like me he doesn’t speak propah but doesn’t give a monkey’s.
  2. His comic descriptions of growing up in a working-class London family are scarily accurate. His line ‘My dad thought he was helping out around the house if he closed a cupboard door,’ could’ve been talking about my old man.
  3. He understands the importance of the ‘long run up.’

And my estate agent amigos here’s the ‘fing’.

Mickey talks about taking the long run up approach to getting his wife’s permission for a lads’ night out.

He’s implying (rightly in my experience) that you can’t simply go ‘alright my lovely, I’m off out with the boys tonight.’

He highlights how you need to take your time, turn on the charm over a course of weeks / months, go out of your way to be helpful and then when the timing is right raise the subject.

It’s the same with estate agency marketing.

Asking for an instruction in your first blog / email campaign / newspaper advert is mental.

Expecting one is even crazier.

A massive decision like selling a home takes time to reach, so your approach should be that of the ‘long run up’.

Marketing isn’t an event it’s a regular process.

Turn on the charm, consistently with helpful blogs, original and interesting adverts and getting noticed locally for the right reasons

And hopefully when the time is right you’ll be in the running when valuations are being requested and instructions up for grabs.

It’s at that point a long run up proves worth the wait.

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

Jerry

PS: And another fing – My Letting Agent Articles are being released on general sale for £349+VAT on October 2nd.

To get a sneak preview of all 31 articles, written to win the hearts and minds of landlords, ping me an email with your postcode and if that area hasn’t already been snapped up I will send you samples (no obligation to buy) and a special early bird price.

Jerry Lyons

You May Also Enjoy

Rightmove logo
Breaking News

Rightmove’s Weekly Mortgage Tracker – 18/09/25

Average rates for 2-year and 5-year fixed-rate mortgages   Term Average rate Weekly change Yearly change 2-year fixed 4.54% +0.02% -0.44% 5-year fixed 4.56% +0.01% -0.05%   Lowest rates for 2-year and 5-year fixed-rate mortgages   Term Lowest rate Weekly change Yearly change 2-year fixed 3.75% +0.00% -0.24% 5-year fixed 3.89% +0.00% +0.12%   Average…
Read More
Planning disputes on new build land
Estate Agent Talk

Slowdown in planning applications and decisions

Property lawyer says “The government have had a year to make improvements to house building and have not made any progress.” Housing Secretary Steve Reed has announced a “building acceleration package” to speed up house building in England after new figures revealed a slowdown in planning applications and decisions. David Smith, property litigation partner at…
Read More
bank of england interest rate
Breaking News

Bank of England’s holds interest rates at 4%

With the Bank of England’s decision to hold interest rates at 4%, here are some thoughts from the Industry.   Matt Smith, Rightmove’s mortgage expert: “A Base Rate hold today had looked fairly nailed on, especially after yesterday’s news that inflation remains stuck at 3.8%. The later-than-usual Budget is very much on the horizon, and…
Read More
Breaking News

Breaking Property News 18/09/25

Daily bite-sized proptech and property news in partnership with Proptech-X.   Exodus of Landlords – means lower supply and increased rents’ MPs have taken the Renters’ Rights Bill a major step closer to Royal Assent, confirming the scrapping of Section 21 “no-fault” evictions and the end of fixed-term tenancies, which will now convert into open-ended…
Read More
Breaking News

Energy Rules Without Power: Tenants and Landlords Both Question EPC Impact

New research from LRG reveals that both landlords and tenants are struggling to engage with the Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) system, raising serious questions about whether it can deliver on its intended goals ahead of the government’s 2030 targets. While landlords overwhelmingly support the principle of improving energy efficiency, confidence in the system designed to…
Read More
New Builds 2020
Breaking News

New Build Home Enquiries Double in Summer 2025 

From June to August 2025, Compare My Move’s conveyancing data shows a 120% increase in new build home purchase enquiries compared to the same period in 2024.  This surge reflects not only more people looking to buy homes overall but also a higher share of buyers choosing new builds. On average, 12% of purchase enquiries in…
Read More