Real estate sales professional Angela Stergou prepares for the day ahead with a 30-minute workout every morning.
The experienced property manager transitioned to sales with the family company Leo Tsimpikas Real Estate, based in inner-city West End in Brisbane.
She tells Close-Ups, a series of video interviews for real estate tech company Rex Software, that a strict exercise routine is an important part of keeping in shape for her busy schedule.
The first season of Close-Ups focuses on health and wellbeing for property professionals under pressure in a demanding industry.
Ms Stergou balances her role as the solo sales agent in the office with family life as the mother of two young children.
“With property management I got the job done during the day and I only did a little bit of work at night if I needed to,” Ms Stergou said.
“I feel that with sales you’ve got to connect and be available a lot more for your clients, whether they are buyers or sellers.”
But no matter how packed the diary is, Ms Stergou’s morning workout is non-negotiable.
“Whether it’s 5am or 7am when I wake up, I will still do that half-an-hour workout,” Ms Stergou said.
“I need my music on and I need that workout. I need to sweat and think about my day.
“The days are always huge and there is so much going on all the time. If I don’t have the workout I actually can’t perform.”
Ms Stergou said a basic home gym is all she needs to get the day off to a positive start.
She has a treadmill, gym balls, yoga mat and the same kind of determination she brings to her sales role as she works through exercises such as crunches, sit-ups and lunges.
“As long as I have my music on and am powering through that I feel excellent,” she said.
“Then I run upstairs and make a coffee for myself and my husband.”
Ms Stergou tries to work out every day, including the days she’s not working.
“If we are going to the beach and have an early Sunday morning I will do a workout the night before,” she said.
“It’s all about consistency.”
Her fitness level helps her cope with long days.
“I just feel that you can’t switch off at 5pm,” Ms Stergou said.
“There is no way you can do that in sales.
“I know that if a vendor can’t speak during the day I will be speaking to them at night when I’m cleaning the kitchen or when I’m making the lunches. And I’m okay with that.”
Consistency during office hours is just as important as the exercise routine.
“I am a one-person salesperson in my office, I don’t have an assistant who is going to do all the running around for me,” Ms Stergou said.
“The buck stops with me right there.”
Ms Stergou said she does have the support of her office manager to ensure there is a second set of eyes checking for mistakes, and she works through a checklist of all the details that have to be in place before a property goes to market.
Routines are important, but what Ms Stergou loves most about her job is the one-on-one contacts and friendships.
“I think that’s just the best thing. The relationships that we create in our industry last a lifetime.”
Watch the Close-Ups videos:
Media Library – Rex (rexsoftware.com)
