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A Queensland executive has highlighted some of the qualities — and the structures — that separate the industry’s highest performers from the rest.
According to Charles Higgins, McGrath’s general manager of company-owned sales in Queensland, it’s a “winning combination” of culture, attitude and experience that separates the highest-performing agents from their peers.
He was reflecting on the 2021 financial year sales tallies that confirmed McGrath’s top five best performers in the Brisbane marketplace: Alex Jordan, Craig Lea, Kelly Qualtrough, Brett Greensill and Reuben Packer-Hill.
It was when he was questioned on the qualities needed to reach “elite” status that Mr Higgins expressed the belief that the profession has entered “a new era of real estate agents”.
“They’re not pushy; they’re sophisticated and professional,” he said.
“They’re seen to have mastered the craft of prospecting, listing, marketing, negotiating and transacting.”
As well as being leaders in their respective marketplaces, Mr Higgins also said they are industry role models — being “generous with their mentoring of those up and coming in the industry”.
But they aren’t the only factors that determine agent success.
“What I notice that drives peak performance is a balanced mix of several factors,” Mr Higgins continued.
He sees cultural alignment, uncompromising service excellence and a shared set of standards as “crucial”, while teamwork, structure in the form of effective business units (EBUs) and clearly defined roles and responsibilities within each team as pertinent also.
Agent specialisation and a hyper-local, team-based approach also comes into play — and so, too, does tailored systems and support to streamline processes, which Mr Higgins said must always be “a top priority”.
“I believe providing the right platform for our elite teams to operate from is imperative to their performance,” he said.
From his perspective, “it’s like professional athletes having the right equipment to train and prepare”.
“And of course, we always emphasise and encourage a healthy work/life integration,” the general manager continued.
Here’s some of the highlights from each agent’s 2021 financial year:
• Covering the New Farm, Newstead and Teneriffe areas, Brett Greensill’s team has sold more than $630 million worth of property since being together.
Having achieved the sale of a $7.35 million riverfront penthouse in Newstead this year, Mr Greensill has attributed some of his success to client reviews that “give us feedback on our professionalism, sophisticated negotiation skills and the effectiveness of our high-quality marketing”.
• For Kelly Qualtrough, it’s the incorporation of various tech solutions in her business that has helped her team to excel.
The Brisbane Hills District specialist credit streamlined systems for allowing them “to take on more clients than ever”.
With a business that’s become heavily referral-based, Ms Qualtrough transacted 94 sales for the financial year with a value of more than $65 million, and reportedly holds 30 per cent market share in her area.
- Reuben Packer-Hill and his team cover the western suburbs of Brisbane and have “always been defined as high-energy real estate professionals”.
Despite the team boasting an average age of just 32, they’ve negotiated more than $400 million in property sales, with Mr Packer-Hill highlighting their deliverance of “dynamic ideas, innovation and enthusiasm — and yet we maintain a strong integrity”.
- For Craig Lea, his team’s culture is all about “bringing great energy to what we do”.
He has illustrated them as “a long-standing, cohesive unit, each uniquely effective” — and reports an average sale price around the $1 million mark.
According to Alex Jordan, being a top-performing agent is more than just a label.
“I think what ultimately differentiates a good agent from an elite agent is the agent’s ability to maximise the perceived value of a property,” he argued.
He credits negotiation skills and experience in using sales and market statistics as a vital aspect of defending the value of a property, and therefore, directly impacting the eventual price that can be achieved.
“In my experience, the seller’s choice of agent can easily influence the eventual sale price of their property by at least 5 to 10 per cent,” he concluded.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Grace Ormsby
Grace is a journalist across Momentum property and investment brands. Grace joined Momentum Media in 2018, bringing with her a Bachelor of Laws and a Bachelor of Communication (Journalism) from the University of Newcastle. She’s passionate about delivering easy to digest information and content relevant to her key audiences and stakeholders.
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