The Shared Principles of Fitness and Property Sales

As we close the chapter on 2022 and usher in the new year, it is estimated that 60% of us will set new year’s resolutions.

Experts also estimate how many of us will fail to stick to our resolutions.  However, I can’t share this figure with you, as my new year’s resolution is to always stay optimistic!

Jokes aside, it is believed that the most popular new year’s resolution is to improve our own fitness.  This makes a lot of sense to me – as getting fitter leads to a myriad of physical and mental health benefits.  Afterall, who doesn’t want to look and feel better?

Recently, it occurred to me that the foundational principles behind achieving success in property sales, also apply to improving your fitness.  For those who are interested, I will share my thoughts with you below.

Principle 1: Consistency is Key

To truly reap the benefits of being fitter, you need to be exercising regularly, on a consistent basis.

Undertaking three weeks of intensive, Olympic level exercise in January isn’t particularly worthwhile, if you follow it up by spending the rest of the year skipping the majority of your workout sessions, in order to stay at home eating chocolate ice-cream in front of the TV.

And no, getting up from the couch to walk to the fridge-freezer for a refill of snacks does not count as cardiovascular exercise! Trust me, I’ve already checked this with my personal trainer!

Similarly, consistency is also key in property sales.

As an estate agent, I put a huge amount of effort and time into launching a property onto the sales market.  I really go all out with professional photography, presenter led video tours, blog posts, paid advertising on social media, you name it!

I almost work my fingers to the bone from ringing and writing to numerous potential home buyers for hours on end each day, until I find the right buyer, and my vendors receive and accept an offer.

Where many other estate agents go wrong, is that they similarly start the sales process with great enthusiasm and hard work, but once an offer has been made and accepted, they take their foot off the gas.  They then turn their attention to other listings, and don’t prioritise the progression of your sale.

However, the sales progression stage (which lasts from an offer being accepted, to the transaction formally completing with funds being transferred and keys being collected) is just as important as the initial marketing, if not more so!

During this stage of the process, I am working equally as hard for my clients, as I did during the initial marketing.  I am consistently liaising with solicitors, mortgage brokers, surveyors, other estate agents, and everyone involved in the transaction.  This way I can troubleshoot arising issues, and ensure they don’t become larger issues further down the line, which delay, or even collapse the sale.

If a sale falls through, because an estate agent didn’t properly manage the sales progression, then ultimately all of the work which was put into the initial marketing was a waste of time.  For success in property sales, an estate agent needs to work with great care and diligence, consistently throughout the entire process.

Principle 2: Variety Maximises Results

When you’re trying to improve your fitness, and put on muscle, you will rely on a process called Hypertrophy.  This is essentially the process of muscle stimulation and repair, which leads to increased strength and stamina.

Many fitness experts believe that variety, and a multi-faceted approach, is key for hypertrophy. 

To maximise results, you need to stimulate each muscle in a variety of different ways, rather than just concentrating on one particular exercise per muscle group. You can do this through adding different exercises into your workout plan, or through changing the angles, rep ranges, or tempo of an exercise.

So if you want large biceps, rather than spending an entire one hour session doing standard bicep curls, you should add in other exercises which target the same muscle group, such as pull-ups, chin-ups, hammer curls, concentration curls, and seated incline curls.

In many ways, it’s the same in property sales.

As an estate agent, I could simply put your house on the property portals such as Rightmove and Zoopla, and just put my feet up, waiting for a potential buyers to contact me.  But that approach is not going to maximise results, it is not the optimal way to find the best buyer, who is willing to pay the highest price, as quickly as possible.

That’s why my marketing is hugely varied. Of course I list my properties on portals such as Rightmove, Zoopla, and Hunters.com, but that is just the first step!

I will write blog articles and create engaging posts about your property, which I will share with my growing social media following.  I will work with one of the top digital marketing agencies and Hunters inhouse graphic designers, to create individual digital adverts for your property, which we pay to promote on Facebook, Instagram and Google – utilising artificial intelligence and machine learning to track down your perfect buyers.  I will spend hours calling and writing to potential buyers, to inform them of your property.

But marketing is not just about utilising technology, it is about personal connections.  I attend networking events.  I’m part of the local groups.  I make it a habit to speak to as many people when I’m out and about, as possible.  If there’s someone out there who might be interested in your home, I will be the one to find them!

By having such a varied marketing strategy, I am well placed to provide the best results for my clients.