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Matthew Sullivan
Having a personal assistant (PA) has been labelled as “absolutely critical” to maintaining a high performance rate and ongoing success, yet more than half of agents do not have one or want one, new research has found.
In a recent Real Estate Business straw poll, 51.6 per cent of the 279 respondents claimed agents can find success without the help of a PA, which led one prominent South Australian real estate professional to question what success meant to most agents.
“If you want to be successful in this industry you really need a PA, because you are just going to hit a point in your career where you can’t move forward on your own,” multi-award winning sales agent and principal of Klemich Real Estate, Matt Smith said.
“Agents which are earning $300,000 to $400,000 in commission alone are certainly doing well, but if you want to hit that next level in your career and clear $600,000 to $1 million plus, you simply won’t make it on your own.”
After bringing on a PA to assist him with all pre-launch activity and post-sale administration, Mr Smith has gone from strength-to-strength, recently being awarded the Real Estate Institute of SA (REISA) Salesperson of the Year in 2011.
“My PA allows me to do what I do best, which is appraise, list and sell property. That is my job and that is my focus,” Mr Smith told Real Estate Business.
“I physically cannot list and sell the same quantity of real estate without my PA, it really is that simple.”
Agents and principals looking to bring on a PA need to ensure they have the right person for the job because the wrong person will quickly create more work.
“You need to find somebody that is honest, trustworthy and hardworking, but more importantly someone you can get along with, and who is on the same page as you,” said Amber Werchon, director and principal of Amber Werchon Property in Mooloolaba and Caloundra, Queensland.
“I prefer someone that is determined and career driven, with a passion for property. While I do want someone that will stick around, I understand that they will want to move into their own role.
“The training and knowledge that you give to your PA is priceless, so find somebody that is willing to stick with you, not necessarily in the role, but somebody that you can really depend on and will stay with the business.”
PAs can also evole into excellent real estate sales representatives, a point made in Real Estate Business magazine in October this year by Todd Hadley, national franchise services consultant at PRDnationwide. He told Real Estate Business that training a new PA to become a sales representative was one of the best ways to bring someone into the industry.
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