Speaking with Ray White Head of Recognition and Performance Bianca Denham, Richard reflected on his journey from business ownership to becoming the country’s number one agent.
“I’ve always backed myself. I’ve always owned and operated my own businesses, but more importantly, I’ve always been in sales.”
Richard began his working life in the family’s knife and saw manufacturing business.
“I sat on the factory floor and my father was pretty adamant you had to start from the bottom, work your way up.”
Following a successful career in sales, finance and eventually property development, the decision to enter real estate came unexpectedly.
“One day I just said to my wife, I think I might do real estate. She said, you’ve gotta be nuts.”
With the support of high-performing agent Heather Walton, Richard got his start in the industry.
“Heather was very kind to allow me to sort of come in and learn the ropes with her.”
His first appraisal turned into a chain of listings.
“That was just appraisal number one… through the process of selling their property, a couple came in and said, look, we’ll buy this property, but we’ve got both our homes to sell… basically my very first sale led into about another three listings.”
Building his database took old-fashioned effort.
“I was actively out there door knocking… I probably did enjoy that a lot… seeing how someone reacts to what you are saying through their face is so much more revealing.”
Communication remains central to Richard’s service.
“You’re going to hear from me a lot. You’re going to know everything I know. You’re going to get honest comms about the feedback.”
He is careful not to misuse vendor feedback.
“The only thing I would qualify that about honest feedback is not necessarily use that to beat up the vendor about all the negatives for the property.”
Trust, he says, is essential.
“From the get-go, the vendor doesn’t trust the agent. I think that’s the default position that we start from.”
Even during a market downturn, his approach hasn’t changed.
“You’ve just got to find a way through… recognise when you have a buyer and then not let them go if you can avoid it… don’t assume what a buyer will pay. Don’t assume what a vendor will sell for.”
Today, Richard leads a five-person team. “I definitely run it like a business… we have team meetings that set our week up… everyone has their roles and responsibilities.”
And his message to new agents? “You have to be 100 percent committed… make sure you know that you’re comfortable with selling… and give good customer service.”
“When I’m doing something, I’m 100 percent all in.”
