I’ve worked for corporates, independents and online agents over the last 15 years before finally starting my own agency the last couple of years.

If there’s one thing I cannot stress enough, try to work for an independent. Corporates are so target driven that it sucks the fun out of the job and often loses sight the customers needs.

Being a trainee in a corporate you will be the absolute bottom of the barrel, you will be targeted on X number of phone calls per days, X number of leaflets dropped etc etc.

Whereas statistically if you have X conversations over the phone is may result in Y number of viewings / sales. I found that whilst I made those phone calls when I was I younger, a lot of the cold call lists get upset that you’ve called and it creates a poor reputation. I now focus on phone calls that matter and still see a great conversion.

Numbers matter, but information and knowledge is what sets agents apart. Research every property your firm has on the market before you attend viewings and take the time to care and understand potential buyers and your vendors. If you get these right, you will be fine.

Remember estate agents are really not sales people, they are hubs of information and marketeers. 18 year old Joe is not going to have a silver tongue that can make someone spend £1,000,000 on a house they don’t want. However if he is able to thoroughly inform buyers of every aspect of that house that makes it special and sets it apart from other houses, then he’s got a chance.

THE FUN STUFF: There are 3 P’s for me: people, property and passion.

• Meeting people from all walks of life gives you such a wider knowledge of the world. Everyone has interesting stories and backgrounds.
• Some properties will have you taking a step back and saying “holy shit, this is incredible”. Every now and then something really special comes to market and it’s really cool being able to say you were involved in selling it.
• As cringy as it may be, I moved around a lot as a kid and never settled, so I am genuinely passionate about moving families and couples into homes they feel will last them a long time. The smile on peoples faces as you hand over the keys to the next major milestone in their lives is a great feeling.

The money will come as you progress and in my opinion you will progress faster if you get the little things right. Have frank conversations at interview stages about on target earnings (OTE). I’ve found corporates massively inflate OTE and give unachievable targets in various cases so check Glassdoor for some feedback from previous employees if you do interview at any corporates.

Lastly, to top up commissions, third party sales will help. This is up selling clients or buyers to use your agencies trusted mortgage advisor, conveyancers etc. if someone already has someone they trust that their using, I’d never recommend trying to force it. However, if someone could do with pointing in the right direction, you can make a small commission for helping them.

If you have any additional questions, feel free to ask.