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small company which means I’m still very involved in actually selling the properties, I still go to many viewings and I really know what’s going on locally,” he says. “Vendors and buyers appreciate the fact
that we know about the history of many of the properties on our books, having helped someone buy or sell the same property in the past and we know the details about what road you need to be in for school catchment and why certain roads command a price premium etc.” In this area, competition with estate agents
is fi erce and each agent will need to have a USP to attract clients. “In a local market such as Barnet there is a lot of ‘word of mouth’, which means that we get a lot of recommendations,” says Heaney. “We off er the same sort of marketing as any of the larger agents/chains such as advertising on all the big portals but we off er a much more personal service and people like the fact that they can talk to me, the owner, or any of my very experienced staff . We also have a very good board presence, which is important for all agents.” Sean Heaney, on the whole, looks after the
middle to upper end of the market selling homes from £500,000 to £1.5 million, mostly to the family market who will always need to move to get their children into the best schools. “These buyers and vendors will be looking to their agent to really understand the local market and have excellent potential buyers on their books,” says Heaney. “Communication is key and knowing that we have very experienced staff means that any of our agents will be able to talk them through any concerns or queries they may have.”
THE FRANCHISE: WINKWORTH
Winkworth was established in 1835 and, in 1981, became the UK’s fi rst franchised estate agency operation. Now it has a network of over 80 offi ces along with an extensive London presence. The fi rm has offi ces spanning the UK and an increasing international presence. Every independently owned and operated offi ce has a reputation for local knowledge and access to a centralised marketing and PR initiative. Winkworth Estate Agents in Barnet is
jointly owned by Dominic Brinkworth and Paul Grover and the franchise element is something that is hugely important to Brinkworth. “We actively promote that we are a franchise business because we believe that we off er the best of both worlds,” says Brinkworth. “As a franchise that is part of a well known estate agency, we can off er the same personal touch that independents can off er but with the backing of a big name brand. “The beauty of a franchise operation such as ours is that we off er something for everyone. Many people don’t like dealing with big corporations because they feel that they are missing the personal touch. As a franchise
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“We actively promote that we are a franchise business because we believe that we
we work within the Winkworth brand but very much tailor make it to fi t within the Barnet environment. “We can off er the same service as a big named national agency, with the benefi ts of having a really wide network and we share contacts. For example, if after a certain time period I felt that we had exhausted all our leads in Barnet, I could go to neighbouring branches and use their database. Sharing information in this way has recently led us to get a valuation in nearby Finchley. We very much understand the local market of Barnet and what buyers and sellers are after but having a franchise allows us to have the backing or a large corporation when needed.” According to Brinkworth, the agency’s
research shows that people like the fact that Winkworth is a well respected brand, they are competitive on prices and have good local knowledge – but what they most fi nd attractive is the one to one contact. “I think the most important thing for people is the fact that they can come into the offi ce and talk to me or my partner as the owners of the business which is something you can’t do with a big national estate agent,” says Brinkworth. Taking the route of owning a franchise operation rather than progressing up the
off er the best of both worlds.” Dominic Brinkworth, joint franchise owner of Winkworth in Barnet
ladder was appealing for Brinkworth on many diff erent levels. Working as an area director for many years, he found that his time was taken up with on-going meetings rather than actually selling properties. “I spent more time working out budgets, writing reviews and targets, dealing with discipline proceedings and generally admin type duties that I felt I was losing touch with the market,” he says. “I wanted to be back selling and marketing
homes and making signifi cant changes within the agency as and when I saw fi t. For example, working for a large corporate, I found a website that I really wanted to use more as we were getting good results but it took so long to get the change approved that we missed the boat on the best deals. Another problem was retaining our best staff due to the amount of time it would take to get a pay rise sanctioned. When I felt that staff needed a pay rise to refl ect the work they were doing, a number of meetings would have to be arranged by which time they had left as they were off ered a better role. Now I can keep my best staff by having a quick 30 minute meeting with my partner and deciding who needs a pay review.” Franchise rules will always need to be
adhered to but Brinkworth believes they are there to help you run the business in the best
TheNegotiator ● May 2012 ● 19
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