Stacey Moseley
Most agents’ appraisal numbers spike in their first 12 to 18 months in the industry and then plummet southwards, one industry leader has said.
According to Dane Atherton, managing director of Harcourts Coastal on Queensland's Gold Coast, agents who have been in the industry for two years generally do not see the need to prospect as they believe their referral business will keep the phone ringing.
“When you started out you were hungry and humble,” he told over 150 agents who attended Richardson & Wrench’s annual Jump Start 2012 training event last Friday.
“You listened to what your principal told you and you did it. You picked up the phones and prospected and that is how you found listings."
Yet things can change once the agent has had some success.
“I see many agents who get to a certain point in their career and think 'I am above prospecting or cold calling'. But what would they do if their phones stopped ringing?”
Mr Atheron, who opened his Harcourts office just 18 months ago after a career as an industry trainer, has already been named a finalist in the Real Estate Institute of Queensland’s (REIQ) Awards for Excellence.
He emphasised that prospecting should be a part of all agents’ schedules, no matter how long they have been in the industry.
“How many listings are you missing out on while you wait for your phone to ring?” he asked.
Mr Atherton spoke at the R&W annual training event held at Bicentennial Park in Sydney. Other speakers on the day included real estate coach, Daniel Spencer, international speaker and trainer, Chris Helder, and motivational speaker and Olympic gymnast, Brennon Dowrick.