This year has been a big one for the Ray White Group and for Head of Performance and Recognition Bianca Denham.
As it draws to a close, Bianca reflects on how combining AI and human connection has helped the team excel in prospecting, what she wants to stop doing in 2024 and why agents will need to have strong vendor management skills in the year ahead.
What’s one way you/Ray White agents currently generate leads that’s been effective in 2023 and you want to keep prioritising?
Many people in the industry know that we are committed to NurtureCloud, our new agent operating system.
Our Smart Call module has enabled our agents to call the hottest leads in their databases and due to the propensity driven by Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning, the system is now predicting, with 50-70 per cent accuracy, 90-day sellers.
It is transforming our businesses and making it easier than ever for our agents to find seller leads.
It doesn’t take away the need to make the calls and connect with our customers, but it makes it easier to make the right calls at the right time.
We will be going even further in 2024 with our buyer and vendor modules rolling out in March.
What’s one new daily or weekly habit you want to start implementing to be more productive?
For me personally, I will be getting more into exercise. I’m pretty good at daily walks, but 2024 will be the year of more resistance training. I’ve said it here so I have to keep up my end of the bargain!
As with so many of us in this industry, our work is pretty fast paced, which is what keeps it so engaging, but you really need to make sure your own physical and mental health is right so that you can continue to perform at a high rate.
What’s one weakness or blindspot you have that you want to stop letting hold you back next year?
As with so many of us, my work involves needing to produce, manage and lead.
These three responsibilities are really hard to balance and I often feel that I get dragged into production more than leadership.
I will really focus on spending more time with my team and developing their careers and abilities.
What’s one aspect of company culture you want to keep maintaining because it contributes to your/the team’s success?
Our company is incredibly ambitious and fosters a culture of being creative and taking initiative.
It’s so important that we are all open to listening to each other’s ideas and discoveries in order to keep improving.
I’d like to think that our team feels comfortable enough to challenge each other about anything we’re doing – if there’s a better way to do it, let’s discuss.
What’s your real estate prediction for 2024?
There are so many forces at play in our industry, and it’s quite complex. While some markets are still seeing price rises, others are really hurting.
Migration, employment and international conflict all have an impact on our economy. This obviously flows into real estate.
The benefit for us is that people will need to keep moving for myriad reasons that have nothing to do with economics.
My prediction is that we will continue to see the separation of markets, metro vs regional, state vs state and our agents will need to ensure their skills are sharp to navigate the changes that will inevitably come.
Many agents haven’t been in the industry during a truly tough market and will need to be able to ensure they can deliver strong vendor management in order to keep selling stock, even when prices are being challenged.
