Winning in business is not a sometime thing, it’s an all-time thing. Business is the greatest sport in the world. You get to assemble the best team, go head-to-head with great competitors and come out victorious.
Competition makes you better, and striving to be a role model makes you even better, as it forces you to re-imagine what you do, when you do it, and why it matters.
As we enter the Spring selling season, it’s a phenomenal time to hit refresh and re-imagine what’s possible.
Getting Back Your Business Mojo
Nothing happens in business until the first sale is made. The first sale that’s made every day is booking an appointment. All the great turnarounds in our intense coaching have the following similarities:
1. They set a super clear, simple, motivating goal, i.e. the number of listings or sales in the next 30 days.
2. They focus the first 45 minutes of every business day on creating more opportunities. Write a list at 3 pm of 10 great people to call, so when you walk into the office tomorrow morning, you’ve got a call list with intent. You could be chasing buyers around a new campaign, calling sellers about a just-sold result or past clients for their annual check-ups.
3. First, get busy, then get good. First, book lots of appointments, from buyer appointments to market appraisals, and then, as you get better, book more listing appointments more often. If you’re busy, you’re better on the phone and more likely to be in the zone.
4. Focus on booking three appointments per day. Once you hit the magic three and do it for a sustained 20 business days, you can’t help but be successful.
The formula exposes your team's lack of systems or people. We find that some days are just chaos, from sales meetings to admin, and the excuses never end. What it teaches you is, on your clear days, you’ve got to run at your goals.
Timelines
September, October, November — they all seem the same. Not true. Once we hit the first week of November, just past the Melbourne Cup, it's the psychological shift to listing your last campaigns for this year, and moving to listing as many as possible for the start of next year. The goal is to launch as many properties as possible, so by the second weekend of January, you’re back to your full momentum on open homes.
It's better to sell in September and early October than to be left on the market in late November. It’s a phenomenal time to sell. Mid-December sales are tough. We often find sales results in early September are much stronger than in late November. There is a much bigger buyer pool with fewer competing homes.
Pick your narrative and go all in. You can fight the advice, or you can take it on board. Be on when the markets are open, work ahead of the conditions of the day, and really read into the data. Your photographer will show you the graph. Most agents don’t need to move the Christmas tree in the photo shoots, because there aren’t that many photo shoots in December.
Write up a T-chart. 2025 on one side, 2026 on the other.
As you prospect, who’s keen to do something this year? And who’s eager to do something next year? Is it about when they sell, or when they settle? Know the difference between genuine, timeless, and delay tactics.
As you prospect, who’s keen to do something this year? And who’s eager to do something next year? Is it about when they sell, or when they settle? Know the difference between genuine, timeless, and delay tactics.
Quality Of Data
First, we build, then we work with data. The challenge is you’re swimming in data. First-party data - the people who gave you their names at the open - is the highest form. They came to you, and they willingly gave you their information. Now it’s up to you to do something about it.
Upgrade, and be really good at the moment.
'Have you bought locally before?'
It’s a game-changing question at the open. If they say yes, you’ve just met a seller. If they say No, then they are open to areas and are discovering the location where price and value meet.
'What are your plans with the existing when you buy the next?'
Sell it, there’s a seller.
Lease it, there’s a PM lead.
Super easy to do, also easy not to do.
Enrich data, but make sure you create a defined customer experience. Every buyer gets an SMS prior to the open with a link to the listing. If they forward the link to family and friends, and then those people click on the link and view the property, they’ll get retargeted by your social ads, if you have that as a part of the marketing schedule.
Now you’ve got the subject property in front of influencers in the purchasing decision. It’s about knowing what you do, when you do it, and why it matters that separates the great from the good.
Strength Of Relationships
The hardest thing to win against is a relationship between the client and another agent. The easiest thing to build is a relationship with a seller.
To build relationships fast, be relevant, let that relevancy drive the frequency of communications, then be consistent in your actions.
To leverage fast:
Call every market appraisal you’ve completed this year.
How many need to find something to buy before they’d sell?
How many need to sell before they can buy?
How many would consider doing something this year?
How many are there, and which type of seller, i.e., job relocation versus downsizer?
If you called every one of them, what would you say? Here’s a simple four-question formula:
1. How have things progressed?
2. What are the next steps for you?
3. How can I help?
4. If I had a buyer, could I mention your place, or should I sell them something else?
Most agents are keen to give the seller a price. I’m keen to find out why they would sell if they did. The bigger the problem, the faster people move.
Great Buyer Work
As markets shift, so too must you. Owner expectations climb with every rate cut, and buyers' borrowing capacity increases until prices rise. Any benefit of borrowing capacity gains will soon be lost as prices increase over time.
As soon as you list a property, think what similar campaigns your agency has sold in the last 12 months? Get on the phone and call every single buyer.
'Did you still have an appetite to purchase?
If so, what would it take to get you to come and see Jones St?'
Simple, fast, fun and highly effective dialogue.
Re-vitalise Existing Campaigns
As new homes hit the market, your existing sellers can be left wanting. What’s happening on my campaign, and why am I not sold? If you feel a campaign has lost its mojo, it’s time to meet with the owners and hit refresh. It's better to do this before the flood of new listings towards the end of the year.
There are choices, from marketing to sale methods to pricing. Consider all the options and decide what’s best given the market conditions of the day.
Marketing Is A Choice.
The way you market anything is how you market everything. Static content is in trouble. We are obsessed with video. The average Australian is struggling to walk from one room to the next in their house without watching some form of short-form video.
It’s time to go all in. One long-form video for all the portals.
Then 4 x 8-12 second reels.
Launching Soon.
Open this weekend.
Auction this week.
Now sold.
Add them to your campaign timeline, so the right videos hit at the right time to drive buyer interest in your campaigns.
Positioning
The way you market property determines the future properties you get to sell. Buyers are sellers, and sellers are buyers. Make sure you have the best photos, videos and styling. Consumers will pay for a home where everything is already done for them. Get good at helping your sellers prepare before they come to market. Don’t let buyers turn a $1,200 painting touch-up into a $40,000 expense in their mind.
Chasing Growth
It’s a big 12 weeks from September to the end of November. Pace yourself. Set clear time out and away from the game. Take the first week of November off. This will allow you to come back with full energy for the final 5 weeks of the year. It’s also the psychological circuit breaker to start your prospecting and listing for 2026.
Whether it’s increasing your fee, your average sale price, or the volume of transactions you do, prospecting is your strategic competitive advantage. The better the relationship, the less you compete on fees.
Drive your average sale price by prospecting in higher price points, and build a business with trade-ins to increase your volume of transactions.
Classic Objections
As markets get competitive, the classic objections return.
Timing
Is it about when you sell or when you settle?
If I could get you a longer settlement, what would you do?
Would you consider a sale with a lease-back in play?
Is there a price you would sell at and move immediately?
Fee
If the customer can’t see the difference, they won’t pay the difference.
Demonstrate your value. Show them the three reasons why other sellers have chosen you in the past. Make it real and relevant.
They have to know, like, and respect you before they can use you.
Offer them two different fees to choose from. Make sure it’s in writing.
Buy Before You Sell
'How would you like to handle it? What would happen if we did this? Let’s get you photographed, order your legal documentation and get everything we need done as though you were going to sell. Then let’s put it to the side and park it. Then we’ll continue our search to find what you want. The moment you find what you want, we can launch yours, get 3 or 4 buyers through, get you a great offer, so then you can proceed confidently on the one you’d like to buy. Would you be open to that?' It’s about creating options, providing a pathway, ensuring safety and minimising risk so sellers feel confident about transacting.
This is the best time of year in any real estate practice. Every day from here, there’s more sunlight. The weather improves, the mood shifts, and the momentum builds. This is the time for focused effort and energy.
Remove the distractions, go all in on great work, and make this a Spring selling season to remember.
