Wednesday 27 January 2016

Compliance, think a little closer

As we rounded out the end of 2015 I took the opportunity to review our services, the needs of the industry and elements of the consumer world that would greatly impact that of our clients in 2016. I knew that by doing this the adjustments required to our business plan would be clear.  And so they were.

Whilst as a result of this planning, there are many exciting things happening for REAL+ this year, (you’ll see those as we move through the next few months), there is something that cannot wait, every day caries risk. Compliance!

I am not talking about compliance of the Office of Fair Trading kind, the one where no matter how prepared you are you still shiver as the officers inspect your business. (I get the same feeling as I am pulled over for a Random Breath Test, even if I haven’t had a drink in a week).  

The compliance I speak of is Property Compliance, and not just Smoke Alarms.  Most businesses now have a smoke alarm management program in place, and I urge you to check yours, and even if it is there check its being followed and your properties are compliant. I think you will be surprised what  you find.  

The question I pose for you today is on the side of Blind Cord Safety, Pool Compliance and Safety Switch’s. I’ve attended inspections with some of the offices we work with and observed the Property Managers going through the process of assessing these things themselves, whilst on the face of it we all have a basic understanding of what is required, heaven forbid something was to happen, this “practical knowledge” would hold little worth, or I’d suggest that to be the case.

All of this became pretty real for me recently. Over the Christmas Break as I looked over to see my two year old “playing” with the blind cords at the Holiday home we had rented, my heart skipped a beat and needless to say I was grateful for the cord brackets in place. I could not imagine what would have happened if they weren’t there. 60 seconds is not a long time to have your eye off a toddler, but a long time to be without breath.

On another note, last week in the office as I held my laptop power cord there came an almighty explosion, sparks larger than I thought possible from such a small device, turned to singing of my hands and as you can image a scream and a jump reflective of an Olympic high jump record.  Fortunately the surge controller took over and the office electrics shut down minimising the potential affects.

I’m keeping clear of pools for a while I think… 

As I spoke with our Service Partner Ian from 1300Compliance on Monday, he shared more stories that hadn’t ended up so well. One of my mandates is to ensure none of us become a party to a BBQ story, you know the one…. Friends around a BBQ can be heard recounting events, “If they had only had the process in place”, “if they had only had blind cords brackets”, “why didn’t they get it checked”, “for $99 as if you wouldn’t”, if only…..


Ian’s team are off to look at my investment properties, and whilst he is checking the Smoke Alarm he’ll check the Safety Switch and Blind cords, maybe I’m one of the easier landlords, I’ve told him to just install the blinds cords as needed, for $5 a cord… I think it’s worth it – don’t you. 

Fiona 
Real+

Wednesday 20 January 2016

Do you rely too much on email?

Technology is a wonderful tool that has allowed us to become smarter about how we work and save us more time than ever before. No longer do we have to use carrier pigeons, snail mail and telegrams to communicate as we moved into the age of technology and were blessed in the last 20 years with the wondrous invention of email.

While this technology has rapidly developed, so too has our reliance upon it and the question has to be asked, have we become a little too reliant on it? One of the single biggest complaints that rings true is that of communication or lack thereof. If may be that a call hasn’t been returned, an email is too short or a message has been misconstrued.

We are seeing a generation flowing into the workforce, who in many instances have no idea how to address an envelope or type an actual letter. A generation who have learnt to communicate via mediums such as text messages and social media and where it is socially acceptable to send a message to your peers that looks something like ‘R U OK bae? 🌹😢🐱🍓

As a species we are highly social and should never underestimate the power of physical or emotional contact. So how can we encourage our teams to incorporate more effective communication into their roles as Property Managers? Simply:

  •         Encourage them to pick up the phone and make a call rather than email. 
While email is fantastic, not all of our client base are of the techno generation, and even those who are still have the ability to misconstrue what is written in an email. It is often much easier to bury our heads in the sand when it comes to emails and try and ignore it. Not to mention that it’s so very easy to become lazy and send back a one line answer to a question that may require further detail.


  •          In many cases, one email can turn into twenty as both the sender and receiver try to get their point across, which can sometimes result in having to pick up the phone and make the call anyway. 


  •          Have your team ask themselves or even document how much time they are wasting playing email ping pong when the matter could potentially have been resolved in one ten minute phone call


  •          Encourage teams to also talk to each other or bring up issues in meetings rather than emailing the whole team for trivial matters. This can sometimes see the same email with replies bouncing around for days on end and reducing productivity levels. You might also like to use programs like Asana which allow for projects and team conversations.


  •          Make sure that they are recording the comments from the conversation in your software. This one is a must! This call can then be followed up with an email to confirm to the client what was discussed



So the next time you are about to hit send on that email, think again. Could a quick phone call save you or your team some time?

Heidi Walkinshaw 
Real+

Wednesday 13 January 2016

Want to know 1 sure fire way to maximise you new business success this year?

We live in a world of instant gratification. In moments I can look anything up via the magic of google, I can order a product to be delivered to my door - within 3 hours, I can research a holiday, I can tack and monitor packages, I can transfer money online instantly when I find myself short at the checkout. Heck, I can now even just speak to my phone I do not even have to do the heavy lifting of typing thanks to my little friend Siri.

What does this mean for many of us? I’ve found that it means in business, that we are constantly looking for the quick win, the client that is ready to go and sign up with us this moment, the phone call conversation that will instantly turn into the appraisal, the letterbox drop that instantly generates the call. I see time and time again BDM’s losing interest after a initial attempt, I admit, I have been guilty of this too.

What needs to shift in order to maximise your chances of new business success? We need to shift the mindset from that of Instant Gratification to that of a Long Term Gain game. Success in this game is a marathon, not a sprint. The most successful business’ I work with take a long term approach to their client nurture and relationship building and a high priority to the care of their data. Recognising that the follow up and ongoing contact with all landlord prospects is as much a key component to success as the ready-made walk in investor - eager to sign up here and now.

Your follow up systems and strategies must be on point, you must have them working for you with thorough notes, reminders and database categories.  Remembering that it can take several conversations, offerings and ongoing nurture to build a relationship with a prospective client - so they trust you want to use you. Much like building a friendship or relationship it takes time.

Your marketing plan must be strategically planned in advance across a combination of mediums and media, with the notion it can take up to 7 or more communication messages for someone to know you and be interested to want to get to know more about what you do.
Most importantly, the mindset of yourself and your team needs to shift to that big picture thinking that will support the long term goals of the business. It can be scary to think of the number of potential future client’s for your business that are never contacted again as they are not ready right now. But, if we can shift the mindset from Instant Gratification to Long Term Gain and recognise the future benefits of keeping in contact to yourself and the business, we can really maximise your chances of new business success this year, and the next, and the next.....

If you or your business needs support or guidance don’t hesitate to get in touch. 



Hermione Gardiner
Real+

Wednesday 6 January 2016

What would you like to Start, Stop and Continue in 2016?

Welcome to a brand new year and all of the good intentions that it brings! There’s something about the mindset of a New Year ringing in. The smell of those shiny new date digits like a brand new car to drive or a fresh canvas right at our fingertips, with the vision to design our year to be whatever we want it to be.

Best of all, it can be just that, a year to design the life that you want. Yes, life will throw you some curveballs along the way; it’s how you choose to react to those curveballs that will help to define your choices and impact your year.

Some things to think about getting started are the Stop, Start, Continue methods. While you are setting up those goals for the year ahead have a think about:

Stop – What are you going to stop doing this year to make your work and personal life even better than ever?

Maybe it’s having a daily coffee or for me, that 3pm mid-afternoon chocolate bar as my colleagues can attest too. It could be that you might choose to stop looking at your emails and replying at ridiculous times or spend less time on your phone. Or it could be that negative energy that you throw out into the universe with every phone call and email that you receive. Remember the law of attraction, that ‘like attracts like’ and the more negative energy you project, the more you are likely to be surrounded by.

Start - What would you like to start doing this year to make it your best year yet?

This one is for all of those good intentions and I highly recommend writing all of this down. It could be that you would like to begin a fitness regime, run a marathon or bring in 100 new managements! It could be that you would like to start some new training to upskill (at Real+, we can help you with this one) or you may like to get your portfolio so ship shape that you can take a stress free holiday and relax.

Continue – what would you like to continue doing?

Have a look at your current methods and processes. Are they steering you on the path to success and keeping you happy? If they are, then these are the things in your life to continue. You may like to make a few tweaks here and there, iron out any bugs and supercharge those processes just to ensure that should there be any hurdles along the way you will clear them with ease.

A new year, like a new day is a chance to start again. You have the choice to curl back up under those nice warm covers or jump out of bed and grab the day with both hands and run with it.


Have a great 2016 and here’s hoping it’s your best year yet!

Heidi Walkinshaw 
Real+