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Feature For Clasby, being able to tap into the
national exposure that Martin & Co off ers is also very important. “Although in many ways we off er the middle ground between an independent and a national brand, what we can’t compete with is the corporate budget of a national chain. I set the marketing and advertising budget and although Martin & Co advise us, and of course encourage us to have a healthy spend, they don’t dictate what we spend. In that way, it is good that we can also benefi t from the national Martin & Co website which I don’t directly have to pay for and head offi ce regularly invests in and improves upon.” Other benefi ts that the franchise owner can take advantage of include access to the legal team and training. According to Clasby, the agency’s research
shows that people like the fact that Martin & Co can off er not only a personal service but also a bespoke service. “This is my business so I can decide on what level of fee I’m going to charge so the relationship between myself and clients is easier and decisions can be made faster than if you are dealing with a national branch. The way this offi ce is run is my vision but I do appreciate that I have the back up of a brand that can help me, which was particularly important when I started out.”
THE NATIONAL: HAMPTONS INTERNATIONAL IN MAYFAIR
THE AREA The Rothschild family bought up large areas of Mayfair in the 19th Century and the freehold of a large section of the area belongs to the Crown Estate. It is the world’s most expensive offi ce location – outstripping New York and Tokyo for rents achieved. At the same time, the value of residential accommodation has soared.
THE PROPERTIES Although large parts of Mayfair have been converted into commercial premises, it still remains the fi rst choice for wealthy foreign business people looking for a London pied-a-terre. The average sales price of a one-bedroom fl at is £1,500,000 and for a fi ve-bedroom house/fl at is £6,000,000.
THE BUYERS Figures show that 60 per cent of Mayfair buyers are from overseas, mainly Russia, the Far East, the Middle East and Europe. Marc Goldberg, head of sales and executive
director at Hamptons International has worked for the company for the last 27 years and believes that the Hamptons’ strap line – Local, National, International – pretty much sums up what Hamptons is all about and acts as the company’s vision statement upon which the foundations of the company are built. “Over the last two years, 60 per cent of
buyers purchasing prime central London property are from overseas, so our international presence is incredibly important in today’s market,” says Goldberg. “It is not just
www.the-negotiator.co.uk
Hamptons Int.
Above: Hamptons offi ce
(interior) Left: Hamptons in Grosvenor Square.
“We provide a
complete service for whatever or wherever
for overseas buyers where this pays off either, we often get buyers in the country wanting to buy in London and vice versa so our extensive network of offi ces allows us to fully service the client – sell their existing property and fi nd them a new one for either rental or purchase.” Hamptons works on this three pronged
approach through all its marketing, advertising and PR and explains that the referrals from one part of the business to the next plays a large part in its success. “One of the reasons why people come to us is the consistent delivery we can off er. We can really provide a complete service and can off er them a solution for wherever or whatever they need,” he says. Of course being part of a huge national chain such as Hamptons means that there has to be a level on consistency throughout. “We pretty much locked away all our directors and we designed a document called the ‘Golden Thread of Hamptons International.’ The idea was to create a best practice document so we would achieve a level of service across all our branches,” says Goldberg. However he believes that this level of
consistency doesn’t mean that they are infl exible. “Of course we have a framework that we expect everyone to work with but it is fl exible to bend to each market. For example,
it is needed.” Marc Goldberg Executive Director, Hamptons International
in Islington there is a high volume of sales so agents need to respond to this but in our Grosvenor Square offi ce it is much more about the agents and managers networking and acting in a more entrepreneurial fashion. “As a large agent, we have resources to take
regular advertising slots in the national broadsheets, helping our clients reach a national and international audience. We are proud to off er other innovative approaches to market our clients’ properties on a local, national and international level. For example, we were the fi rst agent to launch an app for iphone and ipad and we also run a number of national and international events to market our clients’ properties such as our Town and Country Exhibition, which brings country properties to the London market, and The Collection, which brings the best of British property to the Middle and Far East.” Each member of Hamptons’ staff will have
a week long induction and there are regular one to one briefi ngs to make sure that each employee can follow their own career option. “Ultimately what we are trying to achieve is a really good level of customer care,” says Goldberg. “We recognise that this business is all about people and we understand that our clients want to deal with someone face to face on a regular basis. Although we are an international organisation, we have local people working in local branches with local
TheNegotiator ● June 2012 ● 17
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