Ray White Queensland is best in market

Following training days in March and July, the network’s third session focused on Ray White Queensland’s continued commitment to being ‘best in market’.

Ray White Queensland CEO Jason Andrew (pictured above) welcomed the 400 members and reminded everyone that the network’s aspiration was to be the ‘best in market’.

He told everyone that now was the time to strive to have the best year possible in 2024.

“I challenge you all to see how your interactions have an effect, and how a single moment in time can destroy thousands of hours of work, thousands of hours of letterbox dropping, then that one phone call catches you off guard and that’s why every interaction matters.

“We are the competition creators but are we turning up everyday like a broken record or like the opening night on Broadway? Are our open homes the best that they can be? Are your vendor presentations wowing your owners? Don't play the price dance but give people information about buying and selling decisions. It all appears to be working though as our market share has risen to 16.42 per cent in Queensland. And every single member plays an integral role to play in that rise.”

Mr Andrew also made a significant announcement about the iconic business Ray White Surfers Paradise. Top sales agent Jordan Thams and corporate star Michael Andrews (pictured above) have been anointed by Andrew Bell to take over the flagship Gold Coast business.

“Given the pedestalling in our business, this is a Matt Lancashire and Haesley Cush moment, the dynamic owners of Ray White Collective. This pair will take over and lead this business and we are all very excited," Mr Andrew said.

“We wish Jordan and Michael well on their leadership journey, and as Michael told Andrew Bell, ‘we won’t let you down’.”

Ray White Head of Strategy (Real Estate) Mark McLeod spoke with TRG founder Gavin Rubinstein (pictured above), who was recently named the top principal inside the Ray White Group internationally.

Gavin Rubinstein's story is well known; starting out managing night clubs through Europe, he turned his attention to real estate, working as an associate in the highly competitive eastern suburbs of Sydney.

He quickly realised his gift and devoted himself to the craft, ascending the ladder of the Ray White network to become its top salesperson.

Mr Rubinstein attributes much of his success to those that have been in his corner throughout his career, one of those people is Mark McLeod.

The pair first met 20 years ago when he was a rookie agent at Ray White Double Bay.

“I jumped into real estate as it was my only option and I was excited by the opportunity to earn an uncapped income. I was a nightclub promoter and I had worked at McDonalds, and I quickly realised that I could make an impact and within 12 months I thought, "this is going to be fun”.

So what did Gavin Rubinstein do?

“Young people are so obsessed and they prefer the end result rather than the process. The tasks that are required to succeed are mundane, and I always did the tasks and stayed focused,” Mr Rubinstein said.

“I always keep it simple. Mark, your advice was always practical and simple. It’s a simple industry, you talk to more people and you win. How do you get in the door, you make phone calls.

“I would dial for dollars from morning to night, and I had fun with it. I always smile, I was never a robot and I made lots of calls. You do more appraisals and you win. So many people in real estate actively avoid the phone. But as Mark always said: ‘frequency builds trust’. The more frequently you check in with people, the better chance you have of making the listing. Trust is always important in prospecting. I have always only been interested in developing a bond of trust with prospective sellers, and I never minded if it was in 1-2-3-4-5 years before they were ready to sell. Most of the time I win uncontested listings.

“I am genuinely interested in building trust and I have only ever wanted to get to know my sellers. Service people and build trust.

Gavin Rubinstein calls himself “the highest paid telemarketer in the country”.

Mark McLeod said that most people don't understand that the industry actually requires no actual skill. “Skill is highly overrated. Just pick up the phone. Curbside appraisals are not worth anything, you have to get to the dining room table,” Mr McLeod said.

“SMEs run on energy and Gavin knows that if he feels his energy is slipping, he checks himself and jumps on it.”

Mr Rubinstein said he’s obsessed with learning about energy management. “And I understand how important it is. Work out what drives your energy. It’s all connected. I would be ruthless in cutting people if they drained my energy. I have also disabled my Instagram account right now, which is something I have never done, because it’s too negative at the moment.

“This business is a momentum business and many people get too discouraged from the losses, the highs are exhilarating and the depths of depression can all happen inside an hour.

“Get back to basics, all the time, there is no silver bullet. Go straight back to the core as it will hold you in good stead today.”

The ex-Macquarie Banker, Ray White Canberra chairman Ben Faulks (pictured left with Mr White) has devoted his business to being best in market. Ray White Canberra was recently awarded the number one international auction office in the Ray White Group for the last financial year. Mr Faulks was joined by Ray White Group Managing Director Dan White as the two explored leadership and how to make a long lasting impact at the scale they both do.

“People come into issues with preset ideas, maybe they don’t want to take risks or spend money. These conversations can be awful and nothing gets decided but as leaders how do we challenge this?,” Mr White asked.

“If you say that won’t work or don’t do that, one - they will doubt if they are right and two - they are never going to come up with another idea again. How do we encourage people to come forward with ideas? We are risking creativity if we shut them down.”

Andrew Crowell (pictured above), the head of Wellbeing and Personal Excellence at the Brisbane Lions, spoke to the members about being best in market.

Several years ago a survey conducted by the AFL rated the Brisbane Lions one of the worst organisations for culture; years later they now sit atop the list. This has also led to on the field performance.

“We are just so proud of the team even though we lost a Grand Final by four points. But we have reflected on where we started seven years ago when we were losing by 130 pts. We have come so far and the team is so connected and resilient they are disappointed but optimistic and another opportunity to grow as a team. We leave our egos at the door, and we view everyone as a star.”

Real estate was a second career for Ray White head of performance and recognition Bianca Denham (pictured above), who spent her twenties looking for success in London’s competitive music scene. She made the decision to “hang up her microphone” and returned to Australia in her early thirties. She fell into real estate as an agent in South Australia and what attracted her to the industry was the clear recipe for success.

“Today we are talking about best in market practices to create sales growth and I do sometimes wonder why there aren't more highly successful real estate agents,” she said.

“The recipe for growth in real estate sales is simple. The first piece is data, which is having a set of people you can talk to, second is your pipeline, a list of future sellers you can get business from, third is marketing, we need to have a strong marketing pillar and fourth is stock management, how we process stock out and finally team development.

“This is the blueprint. If you have each one of these pillars in your business working correctly then growth is inevitable.”

The journey and transition from private treaty to auction is often met with challenges. Queensland Chief Auctioneer Gavin Croft (pictured above), explores the hurdles, pressure points and challenges agents face as they transition to an auction focused business.

“What happens when supply and demand changes in this market? How will you handle it? Don’t be at the mercy of the market. Auctions provide auctions of transparency that buyers deserve. Auctions drive profile and future listing opportunities. Auctions change behaviour and positively impact market share. Auctions are about making good decisions.”

Ray White Property Management BDE Kate Stewart sat down with the winners of Ray White Queensland’s coveted Property Manager of the Year award Rachael Curtis, Danielle Antonello and Kristy Hass (pictured above with Ms Stewart). They dove into their journeys, exploring the dedication and strategies that propelled them to the top.

CEO of REIQ, Antonia Mercorella (pictured above right) also spoke to Ms Stewart on industry professionalism and the advancement of best practice standards.

“Understanding the different types of relationships with different stakeholders is so important. How you deal with your clients, internally with the people in your office, prospective tenants and the community at large,” Ms Mercorella said.

“It’s important that the standard you hold yourself to is consistent across all those relationships. People expect consistency.

“There is no point in having an outstanding property manager in your office and then the experience that follows once a client has been engaged does not match what the property manager told them, that’s when you’ve lost them.”

Ray White Ascot Elite performer Oliver Jonker (pictured above) said being best in market meant consistency to him.

“Best in market to me is all about consistency - consistently helping someone, consistent market share and having signboards in my marketplace,” Mr Jonker said.

“If you’re best in market, you’ve got some momentum behind you and you’re a good example for others to look at to grow themselves.”

Ray White Sunnybank Hills selling principal George Yang (pictured above) said his biggest takeaway from the day was from Gavin Rubinstein.

“What Gavin said about getting back to basics, just sticking with it no matter how busy you get because that’s what’s going to keep the business growing,” he said.

“Best in market means market knowledge, service within the market and presence as an agency and a team which is something we strive for.”