In this week’s blog, we consider some of the thoughts of Asad Riaz from the serial award-winning London-based agency Location Location.
Alongside Vicky Bibiris, they make a formidable pairing.
Their agency is a founding member of the EAN.
Earlier this month, Location Location won the award for Best Overall Sales Agency and Best Small Agency at the EA Masters.
The thing I love about Asad’s approach is that you won’t see him perpetually popping up on podcasts or posting online about how great his agency is. He’s high performance, not high-profile.
I’ve gained a great deal from his wealth of wisdom and business experience.
I’ve dubbed the key points The Riaz Rules.
Let’s go.
1. Ask your team, ‘What does dominating our market look like?’. Asad and Vicky lead a one-office agency (with a brilliant satellite branch in Thetford). That’s because they don’t let ego drive their decisions, and they made what turned out to be a wise move to become number one in a geographically defined, competitive, but lucrative market.
2. When it goes wrong, it’s always your fault as the boss. Of course, we’re all guilty of seeking someone to blame, but when you run the show, the buck stops on your desk. Always. No excuses.
3. Is there more you could be doing to serve your existing clients? Most of us know the squeezing the lemon adage. But how many of us look at our client base and think of ways to do even more business with people who already know, like and trust us?
4. Clarity is the key to performance.Have total clarity around what you expect from your team and ensure they understand what is expected of them.
5. Continually revise, refine and improve systems and processes. I always get the sense from Asad that his team understands that what got them here won’t get them to the next level.
6. Time can be wasted or well spent. It’s your choice. Time wisely used includes working on culture, systems, processes, training and development and community work.
7. Mind the OGAP – His team regularly reviews all aspects of their business and rates them as either Outstanding, Good, Average, or Poor. Then, they go about raising the standards.
8. And finally, ‘don’t waste your time on jobs that someone else can do more cheaply and probably better than you.’ Instead, use the money to free up your time to do the stuff which builds your business and creates the lifestyle you seek.’
And a bonus idea from something Vicky shared with my then ten-year-old, football-mad daughter, Charlotte, when they met at an event we hosted.
“My advice is do your best and don’t be outworked OR outlearned.”
In a sentence, I think Vicky nailed what makes hers and Asad’s agency so successful.
