In an industry racing to automate, Barry Plant Eastern Group Managing Director and Auctioneer Spiro Drossos is advocating for something much simpler – something thatโs always been at the heart of good real estate: human connection.
โThis is not an impersonal market,โ Spiro says. โItโs not a bag of chips we’re talking about – itโs someoneโs wholehearted and financial investment. We have to treat it with care.โ
Spiro believes the rise of automation and reliance on tech platforms is creating distance at the exact moment real estate professionals need to lean in.
โThereโs too much tech stack now in our businesses. Too many things are automated that are taking away from the true relationship.โ
One of the most obvious pain points is the breakdown between vendor and agent communication.
Many sellers are clinging to outdated price expectations, hoping for post-COVID highs to return, and resisting advice on where the market really sits.
โThey believe interest rates are the whole reason the market will bounce,โ he explains.
โBut itโs not just interest rates – itโs cost of living pressures, external factors, buyers being conservative. Sometimes we see a vendor reject a strong offer on auction day, only to come back weeks later and accept $40,000 less. The next offer isnโt always better.โ
This disconnect has forced Spiroโs team to rethink how they communicate. The solution wasnโt more data or fancier reports. It was less formality, more honesty – and better conversations.
โWeโve gone through a process of ‘de-realestating’ our communication,โ he says.
โWe used to be so scripted. People couldnโt relate to that. Weโve worked really hard to create dialogue thatโs human to human … clear, simple and logical.โ
Part of that approach includes a shift in terminology. They no longer talk about โvendor management.โ Now, itโs โvendor care.โ
And care, in practice, often looks like a spontaneous check-in rather than a scheduled meeting.
โWe call it the pop-in strategy. Just turning up for a coffee and a 10-minute update. Letting the client know weโve got their back, that weโre working hard, that we care. No slideshows, no presentations, just a conversation.โ
This change in tone extends to appraisals too: โPeople used to give you an hour. Now youโre delivering the key information during the property tour. Youโve got less time and need to connect quickly and informally.โ
That emphasis on connection is just as important internally.
Spiro is acutely aware that todayโs sales environment can feel like a grind compared to the high-flying days of the COVID boom.
โWeโve got agents who were thriving when everything was selling fast. Now theyโre in a more normalised market and having to grind. Weโve had to support them, motivate them, and reframe expectations. This is what steady growth looks like.โ
He also acknowledges the generational gap in how newer agents communicate.
โYounger agents are so used to text and email, some are almost fearful of picking up the phone. But if youโre not having real conversations, youโre not building relationshipsโand that makes you easy to replace.โ
In Spiroโs view, the ability to communicate personally – by phone, in person, or even with a quick video message – isnโt optional. Itโs foundational.
And when email takes over? His team has a rule: โMore than two emails? Make a call.โ
This principle has shaped decisions across the business, even in property management. After taking over a large PM portfolio, Spiro found a sleek automated system was actually undermining service.
โEverything was automated – rent increases, maintenance requests, updates. But there was no connection. So we switched platforms to one that had great tech but still required the property manager to do the communication. Itโs not about adding more tech. Sometimes itโs about removing it.โ
Communication preferences, too, are never assumed.
โWe always ask the client how they want to be contacted. Younger clients might prefer a message. But overwhelmingly, people still want a phone call and a real voice.โ
That human voice carries through to post-sale relationships. Spiroโs team doesnโt rely on awards or slogans to stay front-of-mind.
They focus on useful, relevant content that adds value.
โMarket updates, local pricingโitโs information-based marketing, not awards-based marketing. People remember you if youโve added value, not if youโve won something.โ
The point, he says, is not to resist technology altogether. โWeโre not anti-tech. You can still use it wellโlike video messages, for example. But the second tech starts replacing the human side, thatโs where the danger is.โ
As the industry grapples with change, Spiro believes a reset is overdue.
โWeโve gone so far forward with automation that now we need to go back the other way. Not to being old-fashioned, but to being connected.โ