Bob Voss from Barfoot and Thompson is one of our New Zealand Changed Agents Award 2018 finalists. This former swim champion shares how juggling a busy family life, all the while growing, was the biggest challenge of his life.

Bob Voss knows the definition of busy more than most.

"With two kids under two, it was late night wake-ups, interrupted sleep, managing a business, trying to stay fit, but also trying to put my family commitments in the diary first before anything else," he explained.

As a real estate agent trying to lift his game, Mr Voss had to find a strategy that worked for him.

"Because I am very time poor with a young family at home, I had to make the hours at work count. I cut out all the unproductive work and focused on the dollar producing activities," he said. "I set a structure in my business of what time I start work and when I get home (always home 5-7pm weekdays). I have since spent the same or less hours at work but got a lot more out of the hours."

Mr Voss said It was Josh Phegan's training that gave him a better understanding of setting schedules for the days ahead.

"I focused on getting on the phones early, booking appointments with clients and getting face-to-face. I pretty much cut out social media, e-marketing, letterbox drops and put all my energy into building and working my database," Mr Voss shared.

By doing this, he almost doubled the number of his transactions. "I felt a lot more in control at work and built a steady, solid pipeline of potential sellers. I also gained a lot more referrals by being genuine and adding value to people's lives. I felt as if I was progressing the customer rather than harassing them," he said.

Key to Mr Voss' success is always putting the client first.

"I try to act as if every client was a family member of mine. How can I best help the client sitting in front of me, regardless of fees or business?"

Mr Voss represented New Zealand at three world swimming championships and was a New Zealand record holder. He believes he has trained himself to have great discipline, work ethic, and focus and has used these traits in his real estate business.

"I think I'm very patient and empathetic, which helps when it comes to understanding buyers' and sellers' stressful situations," he said. Most importantly, building a successful business is about building a life and legacy for his two little girls.

"I'm not doing it just for myself; I want to grow our family's wealth, so my kids can have the ability to pursue their opportunities in life with my financial backing."