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The anxiety and worry of being an Estate & Letting Agent

Most people of the world don’t like to have the spotlight shone on us. It stems from caveman times. Our caveman brain is hard wired over hundreds of thousands of years to be part of the tribe, keep our head down, don’t pi$$ of the tribe leader, as there would less chance of being chucked out of the tribe (and thus starve to death).
People have anxiety and worry of being different. You may think we want to be popular, with everyone looking at us all the time, but it is in fact simpler to blend in, so people don’t mock us or laugh at us or think we are stupid.
Nobody likes that, because blending-in means there is less chance of being mocked and less chance of embarrassment, less chance of being made to look stupid and foolish, because then you won’t be at the wrong end of  a fellow human being’s judgment
But blending in may also mean leaving less of an impression in life, less of a chance to leave a legacy, less chance of making a real difference ...
My opinion is this .. if believe you in your hearts of hearts you are the most extraordinary estate and letting agent in your town or county, you can’t blend in with the rest... you must always be different.

Not different for different sake .. different, that it makes a difference to other people

Making a Difference

The only reason the likes of PB and Yopa are getting a foot hold in UK estate agency is we as agents have allowed ourselves all become the same. Our boards, our 5 x 5 grid of properties in our newspaper adverts, we all use the same portals, our marketing is all the same as everyone else’s. Change the font and colour of your website and a homeowner or landlord would be challenged to tell the difference… we have all become the same .. homogenised and standardised … all us agents look the same from the point of view of the homeowners and landlords out there  

So, let’s use that caveman brain to our advantage.

People accept (almost crave) authority .. they like to know who is the boss and what the hierarchy/pecking order is. That is why we accept the Monarchy to rule over us, that is why we accept the Government taking taxes from us and why most people are employees (the reward of income is much higher than any risk of being self-employed) …

We do what the Boss/Government says and in return they protect us. .. they have become our 21st Century tribe leaders

So why not become your own tribal leader? .. really small to start with (and you can do this whilst still being an employee)

Why not become the leader - the authority on your local property market? .. because if you think about it … that’s what you do already isn’t it?

Being an authority means to be different and to stand out from the crowd.
 
It means you need become a leader and an expert in learning your art of being the authority on the local property market. Observe, I didn’t state it means to be an expert of your art. The 1st law of being an expert is to recognise you will never be one. All anyone can ever do is try to educate themselves on their art with impartiality and as far as possible, without an agenda.

Let explain how and why?

Rivalry with Your Competitor Estate Agents Raises The Bar

If you want to succeed in the 21st Century as an Estate or Letting Agent .. standing still and waiting what will happen is not an option if you want to thrive.

Over the last 20 years, we have let ourselves and our industry become plain, common, vanilla like, homogenised, generic and bland.

We all look the same and sound the same.

Hence the likes of PB and Yop’s have been able to get a foot hold in the industry.

My intuition tells me this in order to survive and thrive in the next 10 years; You have two options as an estate and letting agent..

1.     You can either join Multi-national online/hybrids corporate estate agents of this world on their commoditised, passionless, no experience required ‘local property whizzes’, one size fits all, cheap as chips fees estate agency model or ..
2.     You up your game, improve your passion, improve your knowledge and improve your skills and become the Authority of Your Local Property Market


Because there will be no middle ground.

  • You can’t be average in passion.
  • You can’t be average in knowledge.
  • You can’t be average in your skills.


Make a choice .. dumb down or become the Authority

How do you become the Authority of your local Property market?

Just see what this agent does in Cardiff

Kate writes a weekly article on the Cardiff property market

·       £24m paid in Stamp Duty by Cardiff Residents

http://cardiffpropertynews.co.uk/2017/01/24m-paid-in-stamp-duty-by-cardiff-residents/

·       ‘Generation Rent (Forever)’ – 27,898 Cardiff Tenants have no intention of ever buying a property to call home

 http://cardiffpropertynews.co.uk/2017/03/generation-rent-forever-27898-cardiff-tenants-have-no-intention-of-ever-buying-a-property-to-call-home/


·       Cardiff First Time Buyers Are Paying 6.6% More Than 12 Months Ago

 

http://cardiffpropertynews.co.uk/2017/01/cardiff-first-time-buyers-are-paying-6-6-more-than-12-months-ago/


Kate even does videos on the Cardiff Property Market ..

·       This one on the Cardiff Property Market - 8 months on from Brexit https://youtu.be/CoqxzztcFrg

·       and this one “Renting to become the norm for the young people in Cardiff?’
https://youtu.be/mbzLgMZ-m48

·       Will Brexit affect the Cardiff Property Market?
 https://youtu.be/_nkLC5kf7t4

But don’t wait for your boss to tell you that you can be the leader, the authority … It's in our nature to wait to get selected.
Don’t even ask their permission to be the leader .. they won’t give it (because if you c*ck it up you can blame them but if you do well you will take all the glory)  
Once you cast-off that impulse and realise that no one is going to select you to be the Authority … that Prince Charming has gone to another Cinderella’s house down the road, only then you can truly get to work becoming that Authority
Once you realise that there are troubles just waiting to be solved, once you realise all homeowners and landlords are interested in themselves and what is happening to the local property market to their house, once you realise that you have all the tools and all the permission you need, then chances to make a difference go up like a rocket
No one is going to pick you .. so pick yourself.
Moving Forward
Just start writing articles and producing videos like Kate from Cardiff.
If you require reassurance that they are doing what is expected and prefer exact step by step description, expectations and goals, all to be laid out .. look at the 50+ training videos in the Youtube channel. Its tells you exactly what you need to do

  http://www.youtube.com/c/ChristopherWatkinGrantham 
..and if you still need permission – then let me give it to you now!

I know most estate (especially letting) agents desire that things do not change, but sometimes change is necessary.

I can hold your hand so that change is well thought out and planned.

I can give you the reassurance you need and ensure you will never be criticised or made to look stupid or silly

Pick the phone up or email if you need anymore help

Kind regards
Christopher Watkin