Business Leadership
Elite Agent is a respected news, education and information source for real estate professionals throughout the world – because we work with the best in the business. We cover all aspects of real estate careers including property management, leadership, rent roll growth, sales techniques, listing, negotiation, technology, social media, digital marketing and more. More about Elite Agent.
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The highlight reel from Street MBA Brisbane
Great weather, great food and great company: Street MBA headed to Brisbane in October and it was nothing short of amazing. We visited some of the best in the business: Coronis, Image Property and Place, and the tour highlighted how three very different businesses share common goals and core beliefs. Our largest tour yet made…
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Leah Jay – The quiet achiever
At 4.40am on May 22, 2017, Leah Jay looked out at the curvature of the earth from the top of Mt Everest. It marked the achievement of a major personal milestone, drawing on “30 per cent physical ability and 70 per cent mental strength”. Leah describes summiting the world’s tallest peak as much the same…
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Blood, Sweat and No Tears
Debt collection and resolving disputes in court are not usually at the top of employees’ most-loved work tasks. But Simone Firns is different. The Network Pacific Owners Corporation Manager loves the jobs others despise. “The legal component of my role is one of my favourites,” she enthuses with genuine passion. “I like doing debt collection…
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10 ways to future proof your real estate business
IT CAN BE HARD TO KNOW where to start when implementing technological changes in your business. Futurist Gihan Perera has done the head-scratching for you and explains what to do now to remain relevant for tomorrow’s consumer. Australia is perfectly positioned for growth in this “Asian Century”, and Australian real estate will be highly-sought and…
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Empathy and Understanding the key to service
In an increasingly technological world, David Holman knows people are more important than ever. The Direct Connect Chief Executive Officer says the moving services company’s employees and the vibrant culture within the organisation are what makes things tick. Of course, technology aids their workflow and makes things easier for customers, primarily renters who are moving…
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10 things to attract top Gen Z talent to your business
It wasn’t that long ago that folks out there were scratching their heads trying to work out ways of attracting, recruiting and retaining millennials to businesses. Now, with the 2019 HSC well underway and school leavers looking for jobs the conversation needs to turn to attracting Generation Z talents to businesses. So push the smashed…
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Learning from the best at Street MBA Sydney
Where better to learn from the best of the best (and eat our weight in food); Sydney! Our Street MBA headed to Sydney in September and it didn’t disappoint! We were lucky enough to visit some of the best in the business: Di Jones, Novak Properties and The Agency. Whilst very different business models, the…
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How to use technology to solve your problems
Tech-driven problem solving In a world that moves at an ever increasing pace, it can be hard to know how to keep up. Josh Phegan takes a look at how using technology can solve your problems and which apps he thinks are game-changers. The problem is not the problem. The way you think about the…
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Three ways to boost employee engagement
Insights from Forbes, PwC, HBR and human resources professionals show the cost of replacing staff can fall anywhere between 20 and 231 per cent of an employee’s salary. Negative job growth has struck the property industry in the past five years, while the employment outlook nationwide indicates a rise on the horizon, with an estimated…
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Steve Carroll: Leadership in a digital age
By 2020, millennials will make up 50 per cent of the workforce. Whether or not you think technology has changed the face of leadership, three things we can agree on are: 1. The expectations of our employees, driven by millennials, are increasing dramatically. 2. The fundamentals are in place. However, they only keep our employees…
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What does the future of real estate hold?
Tony Morrison has always loved to talk numbers. The Harcourts Tasmania and Victoria Chief Executive Officer has been in the profession 31 years. He oversees 82 offices, and Harcourts holds 25 per cent market share across the two states. The number 24 is also important for Tony – not only because it signifies the number…
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Highlights from Street MBA Melbourne tour
For Street MBA tour #2 we headed to not so sunny Melbourne, and what an insightful tour it was. We had three well-respected agencies on the agenda and were hosted by exceptional operators: Sophie Lyons and Sam Nokes from Jellis Craig, Simon Fung from Woodards and Evan Thornley from LongView (aka the quiet achievers). Unsurprisingly,…
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Martin Millard: From humble beginnings
Martin Millard has been through the wringer and come out the other side. He’s still a little crinkled, definitely more enlightened, and has a dry, but earnest, sense of humour. Unorthodox is the only way to describe the Harcourts Solutions Managing Director’s journey in real estate. It’s a career that started 19 years ago with…
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The domino effect
Ask Maria Carlino about her goals for the years ahead and she’s crystal clear in her response. “Ten thousand-plus property managements is my goal for The Agency in the next three years, with a presence in every state,” she declares. That’s no small target for a brand that was founded less than two-and-a-half years ago.…
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The smart business approach to freedom of speech
Have you had a conversation about Israel Folau in your office recently? Whether we are on planes, trains or automobiles, listening to the radio, a podcast or the news, there are opposing sides and debates on whether this is an issue of freedom of speech, a concern of contractual agreement or awareness of social expectation.…
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A whole lotta love: Scott Harman on leadership in a challenging market
Scott Harman isn’t afraid to knock on doors. His path to real estate began as a door-to-door encyclopedia salesman. He’s not fazed by picking up the phone either. Most of his 31-year career has been spent dealing with high-rise owners in the tough market that is the Gold Coast where many of his sales were…
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Culture Kings
This isn’t an article about stress balls, workplace yoga and office zen zones that miraculously transform your business into a place where every employee is eternally happy and shares a united positive energy. It’s about people. It’s about performance, and it’s practical. I’ve been in this business for more than two decades. I’ve seen it…
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The importance of your real estate company’s strategic plan
The real estate industry is changing at an ever-increasing pace, with agencies and agents facing the prospect of being here today and gone tomorrow. Ouwens Casserly director Alex Ouwens explains how a strategic plan could be your saviour. In any hectic job it’s hard to think about tomorrow when your to-do list for today seems…
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Destination: Sold
In an expansion market buyers have to act. Every three months they wait for properties to rapidly increase in price, whereas in a contractionary market, every three months a seller remains, their sale price declines. In a slow-growth market, neither the buyer or the seller are compelled to act financially. To win, you have to…
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5 big lessons from Street MBA Adelaide 2019: Hannah Gill
After much planning, anticipation and excitement, our first ever Street MBA study tour kicked off in Adelaide on 25 July. The good news: it was a huge success. We were fortunate to be visiting three of the best agencies in the state: Ouwens Casserly, Harris Real Estate and Toop & Toop. Our hosts at each…
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What to do when sales volumes are low
Difficult real estate markets can still provide an opportunity for business growth, a leading real estate accountant says. Live Real Estate Accounts Managing Director Chris Mercer says agency leaders should not only see a changing market as a threat but as a great opportunity for growth. “Not all businesses are on a solid financial footing,”…
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Make it then break it: John Percudani on meeting the agile challenge
Realmark might already be a hugely successful and highly-awarded agency, but Managing Director John Percudani is set to pull apart his business model then reassemble it piece by piece in a bid to improve the customer experience. When Realmark Managing Director John Percudani talks of ‘agile business’ and the ‘customer journey', he’s not just paying…
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Recruiting for performance
If you’re a manager or leader you will likely have come across the age-old challenge of balancing values with results. It’s a tough question; how do you create a sustainable culture that balances and upholds set values and is equally performance driven? In any team, there are usually four types of performers. Jack Welch, Chairman…
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18 things that will make you a better leader: Chris Hanley
Don’t ask successful people what they do now; ask them what they did back then to go from there to here. What did they change and what did they implement? I have found most people know what they need to do to be a better leader or salesperson or musician. When tested on what they…
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Why workflow works wonders: Josh Phegan
I want you to imagine this one person, sitting in the room, at every meeting you have, listening intently and watching your every action. They are the customer, and they can’t believe how poorly the industry is serving them. There’s a massive upgrade required to thrive in this business, and it starts with workflow –…
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The art of celebrating success
You’ve had a great few months, closed a lot of deals and the future pipeline looks great. You’ve taken a lot of affirmative action, spent time getting yourself and your team organised, and everything is moving along like clockwork. The problematic market only seems to fuel your desire to keep pushing forward and dealing with…
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Don’t run the risk of having to pay for company debts yourself
Recent changes to company tax obligations could put company directors at increased risk of being personally liable for the Superannuation Guarantee Charge (SCG), according to legal experts Meyer Vandenberg Lawyers. They explain amendments to the Commonwealth legislation in April have extended the enforcement measures and decreased the reporting timeframes for a company’s SCG obligations. Meanwhile,…
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Strategies to reduce your break even point: John Knight
In the last month's article, we talked about the one number every business owner needs to know – their breakeven point. Once you know your breakeven point, what do you do about it? Irrespective of how your specific market is travelling, the lower your breakeven point, the lower the risk in your business. The lower…
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Purple Rain: 7 marketing lessons for any business
Purplebricks spent roughly 900 days on Australian soil, reportedly spent roughly $200 million in marketing, yet couldn't make their business model work. With my marketer's hat on, here are what I hope are seven useful and practical lessons we can all take away from the experience. 1. There is no point branding unless you can…
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Finding your break-even point to make better business decisions: John Knight
In business, there are hundreds of numbers you could be tracking and the key is to know which one to focus on at the right time. Recently we’ve had a number of discussions with clients where they have expressed concerns about whether or not they should cut costs in their business. ‘Is it time to…
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Pareto people: Sarah Dawson
What do the humble green pea and real estate have in common? The Pareto Principle. The brain child of Italian philosopher and economist Vilfredo Frederico Damaso Pareto, the concept evolved from his observation that 20 per cent of the pea plants in his garden generated 80 per cent of the healthy pea pods. Commonly known…
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Great expectations
Have you ever asked yourself, ‘Am I expecting too much?’ It’s a question principals and lead agents ask frequently. It usually comes up when they are frustrated, disappointed and the performance and follow through of their team members has let them down. It’s rare that the leader’s expectations are too high. Instead, there is often…
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50 lessons that will make you a better leader
The Leadership Diaries, an exclusive set of Elite Agent podcast interviews, turns one next month. Over the past 12 months, and with much more still to come, we’ve discovered leadership is a skill, an art and an essential ingredient for your business to achieve growth. To celebrate the milestone we’ve put together, in no particular…
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‘Together we will succeed’: Owen Wilson
Owen Wilson stepped into the top job at realestate.com.au in January - amidst arguably the worst downturn in the property market in the past 10 years. With an uncertain year ahead and global players such as Facebook making their own plans in real estate, Wilson’s overall philosophy is that it’s time for REA Group and…
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What are your agents worth? Andrew Acton
In 2017, the Macquarie Residential Real Estate Benchmarking Report found the national average commission had slid from 2.6 per cent in 2009 to 2.18 per cent in 2016. Meanwhile, agencies were ‘looking to get more value from their investment in salespeople’. How can I help you? As a second-generation real estate agent who has experience…
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