COMMENT
Colin Shairp, Director, Fine & Country, agrees with our conference theme – ‘Raising Your Game’ is the only way to succeed in agency.
A
fter reading PROPERTYdrum, I decided that it would be a good idea to attend the magazine’s National Conference as the
theme was 2012: Raising Your Game. It is, after all, the philosophy that drives
my approach to estate agency and what prompted some colleagues to think I was mad when I decided to go it alone in 2009. I had spent my agency career in
partnership but decided a solo effort was the way to control my own future. The trouble with being solo, though, is that there are times when you need a big name, which is why I have Town & Country Southern as my local brand and Fine & Country as the national and international identity. Some people take the view that it’s best
to launch low-key and build up; but I don’t agree. I reckon you have to go in hard from the start, banging the drum and letting people know you have arrived. That’s what I did. I scouted for excellent launch properties, concentrating first on Fine & Country. Once that was established, it was easier to get Town & Country Southern running. After all, many buyers with aspirations own properties outside the top 25 percentile that we aim for at Fine & Country. Why pass the sale of their homes to other agents? Town & Country Southern capitalises on those opportunities while letting me target other vendors I might otherwise miss. Marketing spend was a top priority.
Many estate agents don’t bother with their local newspaper any more, but I take the opposite view. I decided that local papers were important; they offer free editorial to advertisers – I make maximum use of that. Many agents struggle to write editorials, I employed a specialist PR company.
‘My advice for raising your game is to start high in the first place.’
Professional press releases stand more chance of being used and exploit opportunities that I might never see. For instance, I had trouble with my
phones. As I launched, a new area code was introduced for Portsmouth – 02393. The trouble is that everyone still used 02392 for Portsmouth because the new code hadn’t been publicised. Anyone who rang 02392 277277 got Southern Electric instead! One of the team mentioned to the
PR that we were having terrible phone trouble – cue a story that got us into the papers and on local radio and we had an instant no-cost ad campaign instead of a phone problem. Both brands are performing very well
and readily demonstrate the value of local promotion. I monitor what’s happening with the online portals and it’s obvious that properties mentioned in print adverts or editorial instantly get more activity. I also value training and development
for my team. This has let me spread Fine & Country coverage beyond my original Solent boundaries and I now take in New Forest, central Hampshire and West Sussex properties. It’s important to give back to those who
help me; I have become closely involved in Fine & Country’s training and induction programme for new licencees and their staff, spending several days a month at the Park Lane head office conducting seminars. I can do this because my staff in my Drayton office give excellent back-up.
If you want to raise your game, employing the right team is essential. This training workload may seem
altruistic but there are advantages for me. As a member of the Fine & Country national advisory council I get a voice on the way the business develops and as the sole trainer I get to influence new outlets, which I hope helps lift quality. One of the reasons for joining Fine & Country was to get the value of its national and international spread. Now I have it and do all I can to help it grow, including visiting our international colleagues. My advice on raising your game is to
start high in the first place. Stumbling along with your launch doesn’t create the impact you need or energise you sufficiently. But if you are out there telling people you can do it, you have to deliver. Self confidence is what drives successful estate agents – it’s not a business for the meek and mild. The PROPERTYdrum National
Conference, along with the exhibitors’ products and services, certainly energised me to go even further to ‘raise my game’. As chairman of the Fine & Country IT committee, I take the view that all media formats must be fully exploited. Social media has many benefits and I encourage all agents to explore its many avenues and make their marketing initiatives the best in their area – and make them cost effective. I’m raring to go and really looking
forward to 2012!
Colin J. Shairp Cert. Res. EA FNAEA MARLA, is a Director of Fine & Country and Chairman NAEA, Solent Region
Do you have any views or experiences to share?
www.propertydrum.com/articles/commentnov11
PROPERTYdrum NOVEMBER 2011 15
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