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The CEO of a billion-dollar real estate agency has shared what sets their business apart from the rest.
Speaking on a recent episode of Secrets of the Top 100 Agents, the CEO of Burgess Rawson, Ingrid Filmer, was reflecting on the national commercial agency’s recent growth, as well as their capacity and ability to do $1 billion-plus in sales transactions and manage $6 billion worth of property annually.
It’s her belief that the “biggest thing that sets us apart is that we stick to what we do really well”.
“We stick to 10 key categories and we sell those properties from $1 to $100 million.”
“That’s our space,” she affirmed.
Pointing out how this looks practically, the CEO raised: “We don’t do office, but we sell more than 60 per cent of all fast food, [and] more than 60 per cent of all fuel. We sell some 55 per cent of all childcare.”
For the employees on the ground, this point of difference filters through to the work they do, with agents not necessarily working within a region, but instead, “they work within a category”.
“We set ourselves apart by doing what we do really well and being experts in our categories.”
Another important driver of their success is the auction events undertaken by the company, “eight times a year, over three days in Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane”.
According to Ms Filmer, that’s what the firm is most known for.
Bringing anywhere from 50 to 90 properties to market each time, the CEO said: “It truly is the most up-to-date litmus test of the market.”
Adding that the group is “very, very proud” of this reputation, she explained how “every one of those auction cycles will have two or three childcare, two or three medical, two or three fast food, et cetera”.
With Burgess Rawson’s first auction day of 2024 almost here (24 January), the firm’s teams have already hit the ground running, with one eye firmly on growth.
“In 2024, our auctions will continue as they have for the last 22 years,” Ms Filmer remarked.
“The dates are all booked in and I think we’re seeing a lot of exciting property coming to market in February, and I think we’ll continue to see that.”
She is also of the belief that “we’re going to see good property in 2024, which we’re very excited about”.
As well as looking towards growth, Ms Filmer is also emphasising the importance of staying on top of their game.
“It’s a year of making sure – being really focused – on the quality of our management as things change.”
Acknowledging that there have been “massive changes” to cyber and insurance of late, she raised that these factors have impacts on asset management, as well as the overall business.
“We’ve got a big focus on high-quality management, being top of our game, understanding those changes, and making sure all of our staff are across them,” she shared.
Combine that with market cycle pressures, and it’s no easy task when dealing with a relatively young cohort – not just within Burgess Rawson, but in the broader industry as well.
To combat this, Burgess Rawson has placed a lot of emphasis on education.
“A big part of our business has been about education and having our older or more senior staff telling and teaching young staff about what happened in the GFC and what it looks like, and what the market looks like and how to react.”
In turn, Ms Filmer said the leaders of the business have been “really focused on education and training during this time. And also just making sure our people and our entire business is adapting, and we’re remaining flexible in response to these changes”.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Grace Ormsby
Grace is a journalist across Momentum property and investment brands. Grace joined Momentum Media in 2018, bringing with her a Bachelor of Laws and a Bachelor of Communication (Journalism) from the University of Newcastle. She’s passionate about delivering easy to digest information and content relevant to her key audiences and stakeholders.
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