Ray White's Ignite19 lights up Queensland

MORE than 700 Ray White Queensland members filled Brisbane’s new Howard Smith Wharves venue today as Australasia’s most successful real estate business launched Ignite19, a fresh national training series featuring powerful interviews and specialist sessions with top performers.

There was not a seat to be had in the room as sales agents and property managers were encouraged to live a life beyond fear and adapt to change.

"Standing here, this really is something special,” Ray White Group managing director Dan White said on-stage as he welcomed the attendees to the event.

“And how good it is that we're here at the start of the year, to learn, to listen and to share stories and to ensure that 2019 is the best year we've ever had. I'm so proud to welcome so many members."

One highlight of the day was this morning’s keynote address by Gold Coast-based professional big wave surfer Mark Mathews (pictured above).

The three-time Oakley Big Wave Award winner held the crowd captivated and drew their applause as he spoke of how he’d made a living achieving the unfathomable in the face of death and danger.

“Everything I speak about is always about high performance, how can you perform at a higher level than what you do already?” he said.

“Usually the biggest roadblock to that is fear. You have to go through a process of change to become better at what you’re doing and that change is inherently scary for everyone, so change is usually the biggest roadblock to performance.”

Mr Mathews told the crowd he wasn’t born fearless, and was terrified of the ocean as a young boy.

“Performance is always your level of ability and level of motivation,” he explained.

“So the level of ability you have and how much motivation you have to implement that ability, and then how much motivation you have to get better at that ability - it’s always that combination. Usually the most stressful things in your life, once mastered, become the most fulfilling.”

Mathews is planning a comeback following a wipeout on the New South Wales south coast in late 2016 which almost cost him his leg and ability to surf again.

“The most important thing to dealing with fear is that you have to want it more than you fear it,” he said.

“You’ve got to want the success and fulfilling moments in life, more than you fear it.”

Mr Mathews is now heading to Victoria where tomorrow he’ll share his story and wisdom with 700 of our Ray White Victoria/Tasmania agents at Melbourne’s Ignite19.

“I want them to be inspired to go out and push their limits, beyond certain things that may be holding them back at the moment,” he said.

“I want them to go and take themselves on. And have a shift in perspective too, to a grateful perspective as I believe when you start the day in that mindframe, it gives you energy to do better that day.”

Ray White Queensland CEO Tony Warland (pictured above) spoke sincerely of network members in Townsville, where flooding continues as hundreds wait for waters to recede.

“Dan mentioned earlier about our members in Townsville, and I’m really very proud of the work they’re doing there,” Mr Warland said.

“While they’re struggling with their own situations with roads closed off, no electricity and some are sleeping in their offices, they’re actually on their game and in contact with their tenants and landlords and property owners wanting to know what’s going on.”

Organising the mammoth national series has been a huge undertaking, headed up by Ray White Group’s Head of Performance Management Adam Downes (pictured above) who said Ignite19 was about offering invigorating and entertaining consistent training to sales agents and property managers.

“The theme of Ignite19 is adapting to change and adapting to the current conditions of the market,” Mr Downes said.

“We’re using a couple of case studies from elite agents who’ve changed their businesses to adapt to the market, and interviewing those elite sales people to upskill our sales people and property managers with the fundamentals, skills and insights into what they have to do to be successful. We’re hoping they can take away some real life practical tips from what our best sales agents are doing, to implement into their businesses.”

Ray White Bridgeman Downs sales agent Sonya Treloar (pictured above) told the agents to always use tools like Ray White’s Concierge service to remain “dollar productive” during the day.

“Work out quickly what you spend your time on. If you are on your phone during the day, you are not being dollar productive. Be mindful of where you spend your time. I call my mobile phone a ‘time thief’, so stay focused and don’t answer personal messages until the end of the day,” said Ms Treloar, who sold 134 properties in the last 12 months.

Originally from Bundaberg Ms Treloar, who has only been selling real estate for only eight years, had a standing start.

“In the first three days, I said to my husband “I cannot do it” but I stuck with it,” she said, and went on to achieve elite status in her first 12 months.

Melbourne-based Ashley Weston (pictured above), principal of Ray White Frankston, said his office knew auctions worked in all markets.

“We used to have a 90 per cent clearance rate at auction in 2016 and the last six months it has halved, no doubt about it, but we still find auctions are a superior way to clear stock for our vendors than private sales,” he said.

Ray White Queensland’s biannual Ignite2019 event was a resounding success according to attendees, who ended the day better equipped to address the challenges of performing in a transitioning market.

"For me, it was about you don't have to be the hardest working person, but you do need to surround yourself with a good team, stay consistent, and be committed to your goals,” Ray White Bulimba sales and marketing professional Summer Mitchell (pictured above) said.

While Ray White Ipswich principal Warren Ramsey was impressed by the level of valuable information packed into the six-hour program.

"I don't think there's been a time where I've got so much out of a state-based event, ever,” Mr Ramsey said.

“One thing I particularly took away was the market is related to your particular little base in Queensland. It's not an Australian market it's your market."

Mr Mathews was an obvious crowd favourite.

"It was great listening to Mark Mathews and how he spoke about fear, it put fear in to perspective and how real estate agents can overcome that,” Ray White Commercial Gold Coast’s Jared Johnson said.

“The case study was also great,” Mr Johnson’s colleague Lachlan Marshall said.

“Hearing the story of how a business can be going through the roof then hit near rock bottom, and how you can bounce back from that."

Ignite19 is being rolled out across the majority of capital cities in the first quarter of 2019, with Melbourne to host the event tomorrow before it moves to South Australia on Thursday, followed by Western Australia (February 12) and New South Wales (March 14).