It is extremely easy in practice; find people you want to do business with or who influence those who you want to do business with and talk about whatever they’re talking about. Continue reading

One of the problems with property being considered such a good long term investment is that people become obsessed with stats and house price trends and knowing when is a good or bad time to buy. This factor has become almost a national obsession during the last few years and coupled with the newspapers ability to find contrasting good/bad news on an almost daily basis could have people forgetting the real reasons why we buy a home – to live in it! In response to this, American real estate agent Coldwell Banker have produced a fantastic television advert about the... Continue reading

How to make a Presentation When I coach presentation skills my summary is: 1. Have a very clear idea of what you want people to think, feel and do as a consequence of your presentation. 2. Summarise the key points/messages... Continue reading

The second half of leadership The second half of my 5k run each morning always requires more effort than the first. Indeed, I hardly think about feeling tired at all until sometime after I've past the halfway post which I... Continue reading

"5 a day" I've been working with several clients on the ridiculously simple, yet highly effective "5 a day" strategy and reports are that the results are spectacular. Here's how it works: Firstly, identify an activity that if done every... Continue reading

“Words are all we have.” I’m indebted to Colin Blundell, the finest teacher I’ve ever known, for introducing me to many concepts and in particular helping me to understand better the power of language. “Words are all we have” said... Continue reading

Charitable business Over 100 estate agents played football at Wembley yesterday in the Estate Agency Foundation (EAF Charity) Property World Cup. On the same day Northfields, the winners of the competition, were also sponsoring Pittshanger’s “Party in the Park” where... Continue reading

Multiple-I’s I’ve been taking careful note of my “I’s” – or the parts of my personality that are present in different circumstances, following several years of selecting specific “I’s” for various situations. For example, if I’m coaching a client on... Continue reading

Right now I'm going to buy a car. I've had my current one for six years, the longest I've gone without changing as a consequence of two things. Firstly I felt it was inappropriate to get a new car in... Continue reading

Focus on your strengths A principle of my coaching work is to encourage people to focus on their strengths rather than wasting energy attempting to correct their weaknesses. After all, if you're 30, 40 or 50 something and you've always... Continue reading

It's good to talk...and listen Increasingly it's become the norm for people to have their mobiles and PDAs switched on during meetings and to then answer calls and emails once they have finished talking. Rudest of all are the people... Continue reading

As the deadline for entering The Lettings Agency of the Year Awards in association with The Sunday Times & The Times fast approaches*, (I thought I’d get a quick plug in early), I’ve been pondering their value and the reason... Continue reading

No Show v Show No I bet several papers are writing a piece for tomorrow highlighting the cost to business of the cold snap, (indeed Surrey County Council for one, should give businesses a year's rates rebate as a token... Continue reading

EXTRA-ordinary I've been reminded of the futility of seeking something "unique" to differentiate a business when the basics are not being done brilliantly well. Many companies ask me to help them find something that will knock out the competition when... Continue reading

Why should I instruct you? One of the first questions I ask a new estate agency client is “if I was a home owner, please tell me why I should instruct you rather than another estate agent?” The answers are... Continue reading

The sweet smell of success by Peter Knight I read how the internet almost went into meltdown following 5.2 million views on You Tube for the latest commercial for Old Spice. “Old Spice” I thought, my granddad used to smell... Continue reading

I am not a number Completely out of the blue, 02 sent me a text the other day offering me a 40% discount at a Hilton hotel. Barclays also sent me one saying that if I'm stranded abroad (I was... Continue reading

We have recently produced the ‘win an iPad’ campaign for Goodfellows estate agents. The purpose was to promote their 20th Anniversary as well as providing customers with the opportunity of winning their very own iPad. All they needed to do was instruct Goodfellows to provide a market appraisal on their home and they would automatically be entered into the free prize draw. The campaign consisted of a number of marketing initiatives including on-line marketing, advertising and direct mail. If you think a tactical campaign would benefit your business, contact us today on 01372 372372 to find out more. Continue reading

There's always a choice Steven Covey recommended me to read Victor Frankl's excellent book "Man's search for meaning" and twice this week its most powerful message has crept back into my mind - whatever the circumstances we always have options... Continue reading

One in a thousand...for one in a million Last Sunday my friend Sean Newman was hit by a truck at 70mph as he cycled across America raising money for cancer charities. The pictures tell the story better than any words... Continue reading

The Green (eyed) Monster Foxtons bashing continues unabated - yesterday’s twitter pages exclaimed outrage that they have won Gold for Best Property Management in The Lettings Agency of the Year Awards in association with The Times and The Sunday Times... Continue reading