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D’Leanne Lewis, a Laing + Simmons agent who ranked number four in REB’s Top 50 Women in Real Estate, gives her tips for career longevity, building relationships and keeping a level head in a tough business.
Don’t sweat the commission
“I don’t give myself specific KPIs when it comes to money because I know if I’m writing enough business, i.e. listing and selling, those KPIs will follow,” Ms Lewis said.
Financial KPIs can distract you from forging relationships, and get in the way of your customer service. Ms Lewis prefers to aim for a certain number of properties per month and be more flexible with her commission rate.
Prepare to grow
Greatness doesn’t happen overnight, a fact Ms Lewis is aware of. Since starting in the industry at the age of 20, she said she has grown exponentially, particularly when it comes to dealing with difficult clients.
“I’ve learned [how to negotiate] over the years. I wasn’t [a good negotiator] when I started, I was terrible,” Ms Lewis said.
“But you have to learn ... it’s not something that you press a button and it just happens, and you learn that by listening to others, learning from people more experienced than you, and it’s constant … you never stop.
“Every day I’m learning more about how negotiate and how you learn to negotiate is by listening to the person you’re negotiating with.”
Don’t get bogged down in the drama
Ms Lewis said she and her team “find happiness in things” and this helps them be better agents.
“Be happy that you’re able to have a laugh at situations. You can’t take yourself too seriously in this business. We’re not saving lives, we’re not changing the world, we’re selling houses to people that want them.”
Ms Lewis said her aim is to make the experience as happy and pleasant for the client as possible, even if the people she’s dealing with aren’t pleasant themselves.
