A return to selling has helped one Rockhampton principal double his annual transactions by stepping away from the demands of running an agency and refocusing on what drives performance: time with buyers and sellers.
After stepping away from running an entire agency, one Rockhampton principal has returned to selling and reshaped his business around specialisation, delegation, and more time focused on buyers and sellers.
According to Todd Brandon, principal at The Agency, the strategy change has delivered a significant productivity shift.
He said that by splitting the sales process between specialists, using technology and outsourcing to free up time, he completed 120 sales in the past 12 months, more than doubling his business.
In comparison, Brandon completed about 50 sales while managing a business of about 40 people.
Brandon said running an agency had left him juggling staff, profitability, agent splits, and property management issues, often pulling him away from selling.
“You just get distracted by doing all the other things.”
In a regional market such as Rockhampton, he said, it can be difficult for a principal to step away from selling altogether.
“To be able to go from 50 sales to a hundred plus sales makes a huge difference,” Brandon said.
“And if you’re running a business in Rockhampton, you need to sell to be able to make a profit.”
Splitting roles to improve performance
Brandon’s move back into sales has led him to take a more specialised approach, separating the work involved in a property transaction rather than trying to do everything himself.
Previously handling most of the work, Brandon said he now focuses on vendor strategy and negotiation, working alongside a buyer specialist and a seller specialist who bring properties to market and support vendors.
Additionally, he said The Agency supports the team through administrative and compliance work, allowing the agents to focus on selling.
Brandon said the approach reflected the different skills required throughout a transaction, from prospecting and marketing through to open homes, compliance and negotiation.
“The more expertise you have around dealing with a particular thing, the better you are at the craft.”
According to Brandon, the split also helps each team member focus on their strengths.
Brandon said he added the most value in negotiations, difficult conversations, and securing the best possible vendor price, rather than compliance and administration.
“I know that I’m not very good at the compliance things and organising but having the negotiations and the tough conversations and making sure we extract every dollar, that’s my skill set.”
The seller specialist, Jess, prepares properties for market and guides vendors through the process, giving them dedicated support before a property is listed.
“That’s where Jess really excels. But it’s again, giving her the time and the space to just focus on that and not having to worry about what happens after the sale sign goes up.”
The division of responsibilities has helped Brandon lift his annual sales while the team has completed around 800 sales over the past five years.
Time is the silver bullet
According to Brandon, time has been the biggest factor behind his improved performance, allowing him to spend more of the day working directly with buyers and sellers.
“Time is the silver bullet,” Brandon said. He said agents should first identify which parts of their business work well, determine what they can delegate, and what technology can handle, rather than trying to manage every task themselves.
“What you should do is you should craft out what is working, and then you should try and get other people to do that as much as possible so that you’re only left talking to buyers and sellers.”
Similarly, Brandon said technology should be used only to add value and give agents more time to focus on transactions.
“How do you leverage technology? Well, if it will give you more time to talk to buyers and sellers, you should use it. The only thing that is important is talking to buyers and sellers.”
The same applies to outsourcing and virtual assistants, which can handle tasks that don’t require an agent’s direct involvement.
His team, for example, uses external support for database management.
“That’s why virtual assistants or outsourcing some of your work is a really good idea.
“The silver bullet is to find a way to give yourself more time.”
The agency model supporting sales
To free up more time, he said being part of the right network made a difference.
Since joining The Agency three years ago, he has been able to focus on running his sales operation while the business handles much of the back-end work that comes with running an agency.
That includes compliance, trust account management, keeping solicitors up to date, and managing the staff responsible for those functions.
“It’s unique in that, they provide a service, whereas a franchise may provide a brand; we’ve been through the independent model, the franchise model, and now I’m using this corporate model where the back-end support is entirely done for you as a leader within the business.”
The support also allowed Brandon to run his operation on his own terms, rather than having to follow a standardised process.
“We don’t necessarily have to be channelled down into the process that the agent at the Sunshine Coast uses. So that flexibility and the support and the consistency is very strong from the agency.”
Having worked with the same support partner since joining, Brandon said the relationship had built a strong understanding of how his business operates and what it needs.
The Agency’s Altitude group adds another layer of support, bringing high-performing agents together to share ideas and discuss what is working across different markets.
“When you get that calibre of people that are all just laser-focused on selling homes, that’s what the agency really delivers, is sales professionals, I think,” Brandon said.