Next month, the Estate Agent Content Club (EACC) celebrates its fifth anniversary. What began as a simple idea while lounging on a sunbed in Turkey has become something far beyond my wildest dreams. We’ve now served over 500 estate agents, raised more than £60,000 for community and charitable causes through the Karma Club (our community/charity arm), and completely transformed the direction of my family’s lives. I’m particularly proud of building a community of genuine and supportive agents with more than 2,000 years of collective agency experience (in our WhatsApp groups). There’s so much for me to be thankful for. And there’s a lot I’ve learned – not just about business and the estate agency industry, but about human nature, too. This week, I’m looking back at five key lessons I’ve picked up over these past five years. 1) Complacency is more dangerous than your competition When we first dipped our toes into the world of estate agent content, it was just us and Chris Watkin making a significant impact on independent agents in the industry. Over the years, Chris has become a good friend – someone I trust implicitly, unlike some of our other competitors who I wouldn’t trust with a lie (as my Uncle Tighe used to say). Whenever our business has had a bit of a wobble, it’s never been because of what the competition is up to – it’s always been down to us. When things have dipped (and they have, occasionally), I’ve asked these questions: Has our focus slipped? Has our enthusiasm waned? Have we started cutting corners? Have we stopped listening to our clients? Are we getting the basics wrong? How do we get momentum back? Where can we improve, and how? I think any business owner can benefit from guarding against complacency. It’s more dangerous than any competitor out there. 2) Authenticity is everything One of the things that has driven our growth since September 2019 is that we’re a team of decent people who genuinely have our clients’ best interests at heart. For me, authenticity is everything in this digital age. There’s no hiding on the internet. Your reviews will reflect your standards more often than not. It’s crucial to tell the truth – it’s better to disappoint someone with the truth upfront than to p!ss them off later when a lie or over-promise comes back to bite you. There’s so much bullsh!t and so many fake people nowadays that simply being ‘real’ stands out far more, especially in estate agency. 3) Be an outsider If you want to succeed in business, learning from industry colleagues is all good, but seeking knowledge from outside your industry is where the magic happens. Here’s what I mean: If everyone in estate agency listens to the same podcasts and reads the same blogs, we’re all armed with the same information. But you can gain a real competitive edge if you look beyond the horizon for different ideas and approaches from diverse sources. I’ll be honest – 99% of estate agency podcasts bore me to tears. A lot of my inspiration and ideas come from football coaching and sports finance blogs and podcasts. It’s about looking outside your bubble and bringing fresh perspectives into your business. 4) You win some, you lose some In the club’s early days (around years 0-3), I used to feel like I’d been punched in the stomach when a member left. These days, it doesn’t bother me as much – it’s just part of the game. Perry Power once told me he knows the percentage (ish) of how many valuations his agency won’t convert. Once you understand why you’re not converting certain opportunities, you can start improving. It also softens the blow when you ‘miss out’ on an instruction. It’s all part of the learning process. 5) Just say no Some clients aren’t worth the hassle. I know estate agents encounter this all the time. It’s usually the people who want to pay the least but demand the most. I’ve experienced this a few times myself. Some people will drain your time and energy, and those people must be avoided at all costs. Save your time and efforts for those who truly value what you bring to the table. My time-waster radar is now finely tuned, and we’re lucky enough to be able to pick and choose who we work with. Change is essential Reflecting on these past five years, one truth stands out: change isn’t just good – it’s essential. In business, there’s no such thing as staying neutral; you’re either moving forward or slipping back. With that in mind, this will be the last of our weekly emails in this format. It’s time for something new. On 2 September, we’re launching our Daily Idea WhatsApp group – where I’ll share an idea each weekday, delivered to your mobile, that will help you and your agency improve. It’s open to all active estate agents, and I’d love to see you there. If you want to join, send me your name and mobile number. The weekly email you receive will now come out each Thursday at 4.00 pm and will be a round-up of the previous week’s Daily Ideas. Thank you for reading and being part of the past five years. Here’s to the next five. Jerry, Team EACC and the Ethical Agent Network crew. PS: Check out our short video celebrating the Karma Club here. The post Five Lessons from Five Years of Working with Estate Agents appeared first on Estate Agent Content.

I coined a phrase last year that there were a lot of agents doing the rounds on social media that were more ‘high profile than high performance.’ You’ll have your own opinions on this, but my take is that there’s a clique in the industry that gets WAY more attention than they deserve. The estate agency industry has more ‘legends’ than the complete collection of Dungeons and Dragons! Don’t get me wrong. There are high-profile agencies well worth following. I’m thinking of Storeys of Cheshire, Location Location, JDG Estate Agents, and Paramount Properties. However, several get platitudes and a platform with more to do with who they know in terms of industry bodies and training companies than what they know. These fall into the James Corden Category, AKA they leave you thinking, ‘Why are they getting so much attention? They’re not all that?’ With that in mind and probably having p!ssed a few people off, here are three agents you probably haven’t heard of but who are well worth checking out. Nick Cheshire – Nest in Essex. One of the younger generation of exceptional agents. Nick’s a grafter, and despite having more experience in the industry than, his youthful looks reveal he’s still fresh-thinking and full of new ideas. He’s constantly pushing for better client service and ways to enhance the experience of using his agency. I visited his office in Rayleigh, Essex, a while back, and it’s a great representation of how differently he sees the world of estate agency compared to others. Plus, he knows how to do clever stuff with 3D printing, which blows my mind. Aaron Kirk – The Property Cloud I’ve worked with Aaron for years and enjoyed seeing his agency grow and its progress. He’s another one who is always looking for new ways of making estate agency better—a genuinely good guy, too. He is very community minded as his neighbourhood events around Christmas times and his local hero competition recently highlighted. He is generous with his support for other agents and is getting better and better at video content by the week.Andrew Sharpe – Sure Property Burton-based Andrew is probably the best organised estate agency owner I know when structuring his content. That may have a lot to do with his background as an engineer. Unlike most of the overrated agents I’ve come across, he’s quiet and unassuming but driven and again, and this is a theme with these three, he’s tech savvy. These guys have a lot in common, and one of the most striking things in my experience is their humility. Some agents think they deserve recognition for simply working out how to record themselves talking or taking selfies at boring industry events. Another similarity is that their marketing is designed to help their potential clients rather than rub their own egos. Their humility drives their performance and improves their ability because they’re not know-it-alls. Instead, they are in the camp of wanting to know it all (as much as is humanly possible). So, if you’re looking for fresh, forward thinkers, these three are worth checking out and noting. Thanks for reading. Jerry PS: If you’re offended by anything written in this article – tough. The post The Three Most Underrated Agents You Should Check Out appeared first on Estate Agent Content.

Last week, I asked for input about an idea I had that would involve sharing a daily idea to help your agency. The question was: 'Would you / your agency benefit from a Daily Idea being shared with you?'  We received a lot of yeses, so we're going to give it a go. Based on feedback from people within our community (a.k.a. our database) and our club and network's membership, we now know how we're going to share our ideas. Drum roll, please…………… We'll set up a WhatsApp group where we post a Daily Idea each morning. This will start in September. If you want to be added to the group, I need your name, agency name, and mobile number. Feel free to WhatsApp me at 07725 554902. Here's a couple of the 365 (we have a massive idea archive) and counting ideas we'll share, with new ones dropping each week. Daily Idea 362 The historic Euros 2022 win by the England Lionesses highlighted coach Sarina Weigman's skill, wisdom, and leadership. She's coached two different teams to European Championship glory – something that's never been done before. This week's ideas are based on some of hers that have led her to become a record-breaking coach. The vital importance of teamwork The way Wiegman's team played on the pitch was obvious for all to see. But I've lost count of the number of times the players in the squad have mentioned how good the support team are. The coaches, conditioning staff, analysts, communication people and medical experts have all played their part. The fact that England had no injuries during the tournament isn't just down to luck. And with my former public relations and comms hat on, they have had a pitch-perfect PR strategy and execution. Everyone in your agency's team matters. Your success will be dictated by how motivated, skilled, developed and experienced your team is. Daily Idea 312 My daughter's old primary school started handing compliment cards out to kids to give to other pupils. It's a lovely idea. It reminded me of the brilliant Seeds of Kindness a couple of years back from the Location Location team. Could these cards, very subtly branded, benefit your community? Will it help your agency be seen as spreading positivity and doing 'unagenty' things, helping you stand for something bigger AND stand out from the crowd? Fancy it? Being added to the group is free, has no obligation, and is open to all active estate agents. We will only ever promote our services in the group twice a month. Contact me if you want to join and receive Daily Ideas and inspiration from September onwards. Thanks for your time. Jerry 07725 554902 The post Thank you, and a Daily Idea Update appeared first on Estate Agent Content.