AI Magazine Issue 7 2018

8 Acquisition International - Issue 7 2018 “At RT Edgar, we are a very auction driven business. We strongly believe that in most cases the best way to sell a property is through an auction. With my 30 years of experience, I have seen how an auction setting can optimise sale results and encourage buyers to come forward and bid for the property. Auctions can make the sale process timely where buyers do not have too much time to negotiate on price if they are competing with others. It is a transparent time-defied process that allows competition in an open forum. In most campaigns, I encourage vendors to go forward with an auction campaign.” Speaking of working in a competitive environment, we ask Glen to describe how the team at RT Edgar differentiates themselves from competitors and marking them as the best possible option for clients. “How we differentiate ourselves from competitors is by placing a strong focus on attention to detail. We focus on ‘clients for life’ by being able to meet client’s needs and exceeding their expectations. Additionally, I always make an extra effort to learn the names of my client’s family members and pets. Also, I take note of their birthdays and send small gifts, wine to restaurants or tickets to their team’s matches, making an effort to personalise each gift and service whenever possible. “85-90% of my business is word of mouth, with a lot of this business coming from the children of my clients who have been receiving gifts on their birthday for years. This in turn puts me in front of mind when it comes time to sell. Often the children may suggest my name because they remember the football tickets or chocolates they received from me. Our personalised service and attention to detail puts us above our competitors, displaying that we genuinely care about our clients and the relationships we build with them.” Helping the firm to maintain this focus of ‘clients for life’, is the dedicated team of individuals whose tireless efforts, and dedication to firm have helped to shape the company. Highlighting the positive and vibrant culture within the firm, Glen goes into great detail about how he cultivates such a productive environment. “My business partners are also my brother in laws, making it a very family oriented business. Our office is structured to create a productive environment, leading to a positive and vibrant corporate culture. This ethos plays an integral part in our office success. Personally, I ensure I go out of my way to make each team member feel valued by praising them both privately and publicly. Also, I continue to listen to the needs of each staff member and try to accommodate wherever possible. I ensure that we celebrate special occasions, such as staff birthdays, as well as conducting an annual awards night which congratulates the outstanding performances by staff. I find having regular outings and group events outside of the office improves staff morale. In addition, I regularly run many training sessions with our team and meet with all staff members one on one to work towards achieving their goals, as well as sharing my vast knowledge of the industry with them. Each week in our sales meeting, there is a chance for the team and myself to work together, analysing current campaigns, and also offering advice when needed. This is a great chance to bounce ideas off one another and can be seen as informal training. As a director, I lead by example and am always hands on with staff at ground level. When I have received positive feedback from a client, I will always share this feedback with the team as a learning experience. This exposes them to the techniques I used which they can implement to secure business and grow as an agent.” Bringing the interview to a close, Glen reflects on some of the developments that he foresees going forward and notes on how RT Edgar will adapt around them. “The main development within the industry, is the increase in social media usage. In order to adapt to this advancement, we have employed a full time social media expert to manage all online advertising. As social media is a major platform for advertising in the property market, it is important to stay up to date in order to keep up with competitors. Another development to adapt with, are companies and agencies that discount their fees to levels that are difficult to compete with. As discounted fees are extremely attractive to vendors, we need to ensure that we continuously achieve the best results and provide first class service in order to secure business.” As for what the future holds for RT Edgar, Glen is keen to highlight some of the goals the firm have their sights on. “Looking ahead, we have a lot of plans for the future and are always developing projects to increase business growth and success. We would like to focus on the property management aspect of our business, and ultimately increase our rental portfolio. One of our larger goals for the future is to open two or three more offices across Melbourne to create more exposure across different areas. Recently, we have opened an office in Carlton and Manningham to expand our clientele, maybe even an office in Beverly Hills, USA. We would also like to delve into a lot more commercial real estate over the next few years. Overall, we are constantly seeking to further develop the business in as many areas as possible and gain more market share within the industry. And for Glen personally, he is about to launch his first book, The People Lover, which follows his real estate journey. 1 Harcourt St Hawthorn East, price range circa $20 million