LSN Take 5 with … Christine Mikhael

If there was a soul for selling then Christine Mikhael has it. She’s the lead Sales Manager behind McGrath’s Company Owned North group and is responsible for coaching over 25 teams, writing well in excess of $1m each. She will be speaking at the List Sell Negotiate event on November 11.

 

 

What’s the best piece of advice you’ve ever been given?

Focus on the things you can control, not on the things you can’t – be nimble, learn and move on quickly.

What does success look like for you?

Scoring 10/10 in all facets of my personal, spiritual and professional life.

How do you stay hungry and inspired to achieve more?

Having endless goals … I’m always striving and aspiring for the next thing that will make me jump out of bed in the morning! Some are definitive and others are lifetime goals that never end. As goals are achieved others are added. I’m always learning and expanding my interests. I also like meeting or learning about people who are already where I would like to be. These people could be children or adults, alive or have passed … If you’re clear on what you want; your teacher and opportunities will appear.

What’s the best thing about the real estate industry?

Although the fundamentals are the same the landscape keeps changing … Technology, new generations, legislation and global influences keep it exciting and on the go. Once you reach mastery in the key skills and you stay committed to your values … It’s an industry that’s licence to friendship and wealth creation.

What one thought do you want to leave LSN attendees with?

Be open to change, adapt quickly, be committed rather than interested in what it takes to make it happen, be kind, generous and never stop learning.

// Learn more about this year’s List Sell Negotiate event at listsellnegotiate.com.au

 

LSN Take 5 with … Shannan Whitney

He’s the CEO and co-founder of Sydney’s BresicWhitney, a brand that has grown a reputation for its dynamic forward-thinking. Today, Shannan Whitney gives us an insight into the way he thinks ahead of the List Sell Negotiate event on November 11.

 

 

What’s the best piece of advice you’ve ever been given?

Receiving advice, is and will remain an important facet to ones journey and development. I have received good and bad. I have learned through my journey, whatever the nature of the advice, have faith in what your inner self is telling you.

What does success look like for you?

A continuous and incremental journey of personal development, finding meaning in life and contributing to others in their journey.

How do you stay hungry and inspired to achieve more?

Being passionate about what I do means its not a forced or often conscious approach to keeping inspired and stimulated. If anything, I make sure i’m not over stimulated and achievement focused to remain balanced. This is an exercise in awareness and continued personal reflection.

What’s the best thing about the real estate industry?

Property

What one thought do you want to leave LSN attendees with?

Educate yourself – the only way to create a sustainable and meaningful Real Estate career.

// Learn more about this year’s List Sell Negotiate event at listsellnegotiate.com.au

 

Ray White star named NZ’s Changed Agent

williamvaea-articlepic
William Vaea.

FIREFIGHTER turned real estate agent William Vaea is New Zealand’s 2016 Changed Agents Award winner.

Mr Vaea, of Ray White Manukau City, beat out entries from across the nation to take the prestigious title at the annual real estate Blue­Print conference held in Queenstown on Wednesday, September 14.

His journey from saving houses to selling houses has seen him increase his gross fees commission by 115% to $559,784.94 in the last financial year and with a new level of confidence he has set a target of $800,000 for next year.

Mr Vaea’s family and staff were in attendance to see him win the award voted by more than 90 of his industry peers at the two­day conference.

“I’m pretty stoked. I was just happy to be there and to win is amazing,” an elated Mr Vaea said.

“It’s great exposure and the messages of support from everyone in the room telling me that they voted for me was flattering.

“I’ve even had a phone call from the CEO of Ray White New Zealand to congratulate me.”

Mr Vaea’s career as an agent started after nine years in the fire service, where he says he first found an enthusiasm for connecting with members of the public.

As an agent, Mr Vaea has said he has used his passion for people in being able to provide a personal service, guiding people through the buying and selling process.

He believes keeping it real is the key to his success.

“You have to have that connection and be able to relate to people and just be genuine. People can see through those who fake it. If you genuinely care about people you’ve got a chance of making it,” he said.

The Changed Agents Awards win caps off a successful year for Mr Vaea who has won several internal accolades at Ray White including the company’s Executive Award, National Premier Member Award and National Elite Member Award.

First launched in 2013, the Changed Agents Awards is the brainchild of real estate speaker, trainer and coach Josh Phegan and recognises agents who have gone from “zero to hero” in less than a year.

Mr Phegan said four Changed Agents Award finalists had 15 minutes to present their success stories before their peers judged the eventual winner.

He said the quality of entrants was a testament to the strength of the industry in New Zealand.

As the award winner, Mr Vaea received $5000 cash, a one­on­one full day consulting session with Mr Phegan and $5000 in advertising from Property Press.

Albury-Wodonga Real Estate Agent takes out top honour

Craig Huckel
Craig Huckel

FIVE years ago Craig Huckel made a life-changing decision to become a real estate agent after 17 years as a paramedic.

 At the annual Blue-Print conference, Mr Huckel, beat out entries from across Australia including three finalists to take out the Changed Agents Award title as voted by his peers.

After just 18 months as a successful agent at Ray White Albury, Mr Huckel took on the role as principal of what was then called Landmark Harcourts Wodonga in 2013.

Mr Huckel rebranded the business to Harcourts Albury Wodonga after meeting with Landmark Harcourts in an effort to signal to the market the brand’s residential focus.

Together with his team, Mr Huckel has turned the business from five listings a month to reaching 20 listings in June, 25 in July and this month the team is striving to sign on 30 new properties.

Success hasn’t come without its hardships. In October last year Mr Huckel and his family resorted scraping together any cash and credit cards to prop the business up one final time and the doors to the agency very nearly closed.

“Financially, emotionally and physically. Everything I had and more was invested in the business,” he said.

 

There have been a lot of tears. You’re responsible for your employee’s livelihoods and while you don’t want to have to go through hardships, you definitely don’t want them to either.

“We now have very clear targets and belief that we can do it. We’ve come far but we still have work to do.”

They recently purchased Stockdale & Leggo Wodonga, which saw the number of staff jump from seven to 19, the number of listings increased from 20 to 70 and the rent roll surge from 90 properties to 700.

Mr Huckel said he was humbled to win such an award and when he gets back to Albury-Wodonga will get straight back to work and spend time with his wife and five children.

“You can lose perspective. There are a lot of worse of people and everyone has a story,” he said.

“I don’t get carried away with wanting to dominate a market, I just want to provide people with the best possible service. Doing the right thing for people is what it’s all about.”

First launched in 2013, the Changed Agents Awards has been an amazing program launched by Josh Phegan and recognises agents who have gone from “zero to hero” in less than a year.

He said the four finalists in the award had 15 minutes to present their success stories before their peers judged the winner.

Josh started his real estate career as an agent in Albury-Wodonga and has since gone on to become a leading international real estate trainer, preferred by Australia’s top 100 agents according to REB online.

The quality of entrants was again outstanding this year and that it was pleasing to see a winner come from his hometown.

As the award winner Mr Huckel received $5000 cash, a one-day training session with Josh Phegan and $5000 subscription to leading real estate technology provider AgentBox.

Mr Huckel said he is looking forward to having Josh Phegan in his office.

“The real prize is getting Josh in my office with my team. I know how much he gets me going and I can’t wait to have him with me in my office showing people what they can achieve,” he said.

“I can’t describe how much one person has changed things for me. When I talk to Josh he makes me accountable for my actions.”

Ep 71 — Build Your Pipeline by Reading The Marketplace

In this High Performance Podcast for Real Estate Agents Josh Phegan and Alexander Phillips talk about building your pipeline by reading the marketplace. Alexander begins with ways he reads markets ahead of what’s happening, and Josh shows how keeping current with news and events help you read the market play. Alexander tells how he makes those decisions with the client about when to sell or go to auction.

Josh notes the advantage of knowing current demand and supply for planning months ahead. Alexander advises on listings for 2017, and Josh describes decisions based on when you sell or when you settle.

Fighting the Age Barrier

Many attributes define a great agent, but age isn’t one of them. In my Coaching Tip today I want to talk with you about fighting the age barrier by focusing on the things that really matter.

Whether you’re in your 20s or your 60s you may have concerns about how your age affects your ability to do your job well. But your age is far less important than your attitude around it. What really matters is your level of commitment to the type of person you want to become. You need the courage to increase your capabilities. Get better at prospecting, open for inspections, listing presentations and negotiations. Being good at what you do will naturally give you confidence, and that will make you a very attractive agent.

Older agents have more trouble with that confidence factor. They may feel the younger agents have more drive and energy, but the real problem is they’ve simply lost their hunger. The key at any age is to have a bigger future than your past, and that’s a decision you make around your knowledge, your capabilities, and your ongoing ability to make a contribution. You also need clarity around where you want to go, what you want to achieve, and what you need to learn and do to get there.

Fighting the age barrier is about learning that age doesn’t matter. A great agent has knowledge, passion, and dedication to serving their customer. Cover those bases and you’ll have an incredible career.

I hope you’ve enjoyed today’s Coaching Tip, and I look forward to seeing you here again next week.

Ep 70 — How to Get Leads By Referral

 

This High Performance Podcast for Real Estate Agents features Josh Phegan and Alexander Phillips on how to get leads by referral. Alexander defines what referral is and tells some of the things he does to work those leads. Josh notes non-obvious lead sources and outlines the referral process, and Alexander gives examples of his own referrals and things you can do to generate referrals based on building relationships.

Josh points out that people are likely to give you referrals many times over if you continue to keep in those relationships. He ends on learning to be responsive, interested and visible.

William Vaea is New Zealand’s Changed Agent for 2016

FIREFIGHTER turned real estate agent William Vaea is New Zealand’s 2016 Changed Agents Award winner.

Mr Vaea, of Ray White Manukau City, beat out entries from across the nation to take the prestigious title at the annual real estate Blue­Print conference held in Queenstown on Wednesday, September 14.

His journey from saving houses to selling houses has seen him increase his gross fees commission by 115% to $559,784.94 in the last financial year and with a new level of confidence he has set a target of $800,000 for next year.

Mr Vaea’s family and staff were in attendance to see him win the award voted by more than 90 of his industry peers at the two­day conference.

“I’m pretty stoked. I was just happy to be there and to win is amazing,” an elated Mr Vaea said.

“It’s great exposure and the messages of support from everyone in the room telling me that they voted for me was flattering.

“I’ve even had a phone call from the CEO of Ray White New Zealand to congratulate me.”

Mr Vaea’s career as an agent started after nine years in the fire service, where he says he first found an enthusiasm for connecting with members of the public.

As an agent, Mr Vaea has said he has used his passion for people in being able to provide a personal service, guiding people through the buying and selling process.

He believes keeping it real is the key to his success. “You have to have that connection and be able to relate to people and just be genuine. People can see through those who fake it. If you genuinely care about people you’ve got a chance of making it,” he said.

The Changed Agents Awards win caps off a successful year for Mr Vaea who has won several internal accolades at Ray White including the company’s Executive Award, National Premier Member Award and National Elite Member Award.

First launched in 2013, the Changed Agents Awards is the brainchild of real estate speaker, trainer and coach Josh Phegan and recognises agents who have gone from “zero to hero” in less than a year.

Mr Phegan said four Changed Agents Award finalists had 15 minutes to present their success stories before their peers judged the eventual winner.

He said the quality of entrants was a testament to the strength of the industry in New Zealand.

As the award winner, Mr Vaea received $5000 cash, a one­on­one full day consulting session with Mr Phegan and $5000 in advertising from Property Press.

Backing Yourself In

It’s better to live a life of discipline than a life of regret. In my Coaching Tip today I’m talking about backing yourself in, standing up for yourself, and having the courage to make those crucial decisions.

Part of being a great agent is the ability to listen and be consultative with your clients. But there comes a time to be firm where it counts. You need to have a plan for how you intend to get that property sold and be able to validate that plan. You must have an informed answer to whether or not your client should accept an offer. And no matter what happens in the marketplace, you need to know what to do next in every situation. This is how you become the trusted advisor.

You’re also setting an example for your junior associates, assistants and agents, and helping to progress their careers. You must stay current with the marketplace and maintain clarity with your team about how to negotiate, how to prospect, and what you’re doing to become a better agency. Operating with clarity not only makes you a more attractive agent, it also makes it easier for you to make the decisions that determine where you’re going and whether you will succeed in getting there.

First you need to know what success looks like to you. Determine where you’re at now and what you must do to develop the strength, courage and confidence you require to achieve that success. Getting clear about what you want to do and purposeful in your actions you’ll gain that confidence you seek.

Time is a limited resource. Use it wisely by backing yourself in, going for broke and becoming the agent you’re capable of being.

I hope you’ve enjoyed today’s Coaching Tip, and I look forward to seeing you here again next week.

Ep 69 — The Role of an Executive Assistant

This High Performance Podcast for Real Estate Agents features Josh Phegan and Alexander Phillips on the role of an executive assistant and how that differs from an assistant position. Alexander lists responsibilities and leadership tasks you want an executive assistant to perform, and both discuss compensation. Josh notes the importance of demographic matching and employing someone who is better than you at performing essential tasks. Alexander details how his executive assistant has helped his business achieve exponential growth, and emphasises the necessity for trust in your executive assistant’s competency.

Josh tells how your executive assistant compliments your leadership by making sure your requirements are met and tasks are completed by the rest of the team. They detail ways to find the best person for the job, and encourage the decision to hire.