Welcome to four-i August

Are you Pound Saver, or Louis Vuitton? Those who saw Josh Phegan last month will know exactly what I am talking about here!

Josh delivered excellent brand new content on his tour here in the UK in July, and one of the key points he wanted to get across was; who are we? What is our brand promise? Are we Pound Saver, or Louis Vuitton? He believes that everything we do in the run up to the transaction determines the fee.

We can all become Louis Vuitton once we have the valuation appointment booked. But what about before? What about the experience online and on the phone? What about the experience when they are walking past the window and looking in? What about when they pop in to enquire on a property to buy and they are not on the market yet?

What is it really like to go through the customer journey at your estate agency business. Is the experience reflective of the brand from start to finish?

Regardless of whether you are Pound Saver or Louis Vuitton, the consistency in everything we do will determine the fee we are worth. Josh will be back in September so be sure to hit reply and find out how he can help you and your business in the limited time that he is here from down under.

Being sure of who you are and what makes you distinctive and compelling is also what behavioural economist Roger Martin-Fagg says is important right now in light of the Brexit decision. You can find out what he thinks Brexit means for both the UK economy and house prices here.

Following the decision to leave the EU, many business owners are unsure on what this means for them and their company. What actions should be taken, if any? What are others doing right now? This was exactly the topic of conversation at each of our July Mastermind meetings where 10-14 business owners from across the country got together to find out what decisions and actions are being considered by others in a confidential environment.

Amongst sharing proven ideas, each meeting has an expert business speaker sharing their wisdom in an interactive workshop. If you’d like to find out more about Mastermind then let me know, we have an open day on the 13th September so come along for a trial and see what it is all about. You will leave with a notepad full of information, insight, ideas and inspiration! Be quick though as I only have 9 spaces remaining.

If you haven’t already heard, entries are now open to the Estate Agency of the Year Awards! There are many categories to choose from in addition to your size band and location, so be sure to make the most of your strengths and enter appropriate specialist categories as well. The full list can be found here.

This month I was delighted to interview Phil Hesketh and find out how he suggests we can hold our high prices and what the ‘rules’ are for discounting. He shares some great gems so be sure to watch the video to keep those fees up! Rachel Ritson of Grisdales has kindly shared her tips on becoming the ever important ‘local expert’ in her tip of the month. My colleague Danni has provided this month’s excellent book summary on ‘Essentialism’ by Greg McKeown. A must read for those who find themselves stretched too thin…

Enjoy the rest of the summer!

Nicky