There’s no denying the incredible rise of Gavin Rubinstein. From fast food, to the number one agent in Ray White NSW, there’s one thing all of Gavin’s past roles have had in common: customer service. Honing those skills is something Gavin’s been working on since he first entered the workforce as a McDonald’s employee.
“I think it’s really important to remember that our business is a service-based business. A lot of agents lose sight of that. Ever since I started earning money, I’ve always serviced people. Over the years, my roles have been different, but my mentality has always stayed the same,” he said.
Gavin’s customer service strategies were recognised at the 2016 REA awards as some of the best in country. Named the inaugural winner of Excellence in Customer Service, Gavin said it’s not ‘out-there’ tactics that get results, but a consistent approach to meeting customer expectations.
“Every marketplace has hundreds of agents to choose from. Vendor needs haven’t changed. Sure, they want information quicker, but they aren’t looking for out-there ideas, they want an exceptional result. The only way to achieve a better result is to put in more effort than anyone else,” he said.
“Really good sales people do something differently, but it’s not coming up with out-of-the-box ideas – they just do more work. You’d be surprised where an extra 10 per cent will take you.”
The extra effort that Gavin puts in with his clients is reflected in his customer satisfaction rating: 95 per cent of his customers say they would use him again. One client commented that “Gavin’s approach, together with his team, made the selling experience exciting as opposed to stressful”.
On top of that, more than 40 per cent of Gavin’s business now comes from client referrals and he’s keen to see that number increase.
“The best business is referral business, so I’ll always ask myself the question: ‘will I create a referral from this opportunity?’. The reality is, you can only generate referrals by seriously impressing someone. I believe that’s done through price and presentation.
“Investing in a dedicated team to work on the presentation of listings is one of the best things you can do in a premium market like Double Bay. Our vendors want their property to look the best that it possibly can, and they want it to sell for as much as it possibly can.”
For Gavin, the secret to generating business from buyers is to remain focussed on servicing your vendor.
“Any buyer who is savvy will see the work and loyalty you put in with your vendor. The buyers who become your next clients – or recommend you to their friends – walk away from the experience thinking ‘there’s no other person to use’,” Gavin said.
For the young agents in the early years of their career, Gavin proffered some advice: “make a plan. Don’t expect anything in your first three to five years. And knuckle down for years of hard work, hustle and discipline.”
To hear more industry tips from Gavin, you can watch our interview with him from AREC 2016.
