Ray White's Unite 2020 brings Western Australia together

MORE than 100 Ray White Group members from across Western Australia today descended on the Perth Convention and Exhibition Center for Unite 2020.

Hosted across capital cities by Australasia’s biggest real estate group, the Unite 2020 program would provide a new and improved training format for salespeople and property managers.

The sessions were designed to help its agents navigate and adapt to current market conditions.

Ray White WA CEO Mark Whiteman (pictured above) said being united, coming together and pushing hard, was what made an organisation great.

"I'm so proud of how you've all worked over the past five and a half years. We're clear leaders here in Western Australia and that's something I'm enormously proud of," Mr Whiteman said.

"We need to be the hunter, not the hunted in this market, and we need to continue pushing harder in everything we do.

"I want to highlight that the integration between our state team and our national crew has never been stronger than it is right now.

"The brand has never looked better than it looks now and that's a great testament to the marketing team. If we're not consistent - we're not united as a brand.

"The year has begun and there's some great stuff in front of us. There's more we need to achieve and more we have to do. A big thank you to you all."

Keynote speaker and a former captain in the SAS Mark Wales (pictured above) told members the key to high performance jobs was to have a positive mindset around the things you can control.

"There are lots of things in the professional world you can’t control or have an influence over so it’s better to focus on connectivity, health and upskilling," Mr Wales said.

"You have less time in business and in life than you think so choose a big goal that’s exciting for you and aim for that.

"Make sure you keep yourself sharp. By keeping yourself skilled and increasing your abilities and capabilities you’ll always be ready for the next challenge.

"You do need to accept that you’re going to get hurt and fail along the way but the key is to accept this and know that it’s totally fine. Who dares wins."

Ray White's Head of Performance Adam Downes showed the finer points of the Pulse dashboard which enables agents to track their own individual performance against the broader network.

Mr Downes said the group had built a platform whereby all agents can track their performance in real time and strive to reach their goals and potential.

Mr Downes and Ray White New Farm Principal Matt Lancashire (pictured above) then sat down to discuss how best to reach your audience and the importance of print marketing.

"It took me nine months to get my first sale but the light bulb moment for me was when a Sydney agent told me there were three things I needed to do," Mr Lancashire said.

"You need to dominate print advertising, you need to become an auction agent, and you need to work hard to outwork your competition.

"I made a decision to go big in print advertising, to be number one in my newspaper. The techniques from 1979 are the same techniques we should be using today.

"I know print advertising works because 20 per cent of the clients I have on the market today I have no relationship with - so they've come from seeing me and my property in the newspaper."

Ray White Head of Marketing Lisa Pennell (pictured above) and Communications and Customer Experience Manager Natalie Hortz explained how it was their job to service members.

"You're our clients - everything we do needs to make you more effective and free up more of your time so you can do what you do best - list and sell," Ms Pennell said.

"Looking at our marketing campaigns, we've actually seen a high-profile brand do something very similar to the Great Australian Dream, this shows we're breaking out of our category.

"We want to create fun and energy around our brand and we're hoping this will lead to listings down the track."

"Ray White is different to other real estate groups and we aim to show through our campaigns that we're a progressive brand," Ms Hortz said.

"Video in particular is such a cool and exciting space. By 2021, 80 per cent of the internet will be dominated by video."

Ray White WA CEO Mark Whiteman then sat down with Ray White Rockingham Baldivis Principal Elsie Corby (pictured above) to talk through ultimate skill sets for listing presentations.

"The phone rings like it does now because of all the hard work I put in years ago - handing out pamphlets eight hours a day - seven days a week," Ms Corby said.

"It's all about prospect, prospect, and prospect some more. Whatever you think in your head, you can act out. You need to be confident and believe you're the best agent.

"If someone needs an appraisal done that day, no matter how busy I am, I'll fit it into my day to make it as easy as possible for the seller.

"I wouldn’t say every appraisal is the same - I read the body language first. Every circumstance is different, sometimes it’s sad, sometimes it’s happy.

"More times than not, I sit down with them and ask them why they're selling. If I'm going to sell their property, they need to trust me.

"I often use stories when talking to sellers, and as they're true, I deliver them with enthusiasm so people listen more. Anybody can be successful in real estate - it's just about your work ethic."

"I use stories lot when talking to sellers, and because they're true, I deliver them with enthusiasm so people listen more. Anybody can be successful in real estate. It's just about your work ethic."

Ray White Head of Growth Mark McLeod (pictured above) took the full house through how the group wanted to make environments that made it harder to fail.

"Every tool that we've built in the last 10 years is about getting you into contact with and connecting you with the customer," Mr McLeod said.

"You have enough tools to be unbelievably successful - it's all about how you react to adversity - nothing happens in your safe/comfort zone.

""The fear zone is where people are concerned about what other people think The people who are going to win are those who expand how they connect with their customers.

"When you look at who'll be around in 10 years time - it'll be the individuals who take advantage of getting closer to the customer."

Ray White Unite 2020 was well received by members who had traveled from all over Western Australia - with a number of highlights featuring throughout the day.

"I found what Mark Wales spoke about so interesting. I now know to stay positive when your boundaries are tested," said Ray White City Residential (Perth) Sales Executive Natalie Hatton.

"The interview with Matt Lancashire was so real. The key is to keep things simple, get noticed, and invest in yourself," said Ray White Inner North Agent Helen Bond.

"Listening to Mark Wales and his story was a highlight. The key takeaway was to work on making my listing presentation sharper," said Ray White North Quays Principal Scott Langley.