“Reflection and review enables the long-term improvement of all habits because it makes you aware of your mistakes and helps you consider possible paths for improvement.” So says James Clear, author of one of the very best books I personally have ever read – Atomic Habits.
So what has that go to do with any estate agent conferences?
And…
Why don’t more estate agents attend these gatherings?
I’m really keen to know because either I’m wasting my time by attending these events (and of course that’s entirely possible!) or many, many agents are missing out on so much opportunity for reflection and long term improvement.
I recently attended the two-day day eXp conference in Birmingham and what an event it was! Yes, I know I’m biased because I’m an “eXper” but really… WOW!!
Now I’ve been doing this job for well over 40 years but I learnt a huge number of new things at this conference, relearnt some old things I had forgotten and had many of my views challenged.
There was the usual array of speakers from the sporting world sharing their inspirational stories, presentations from various business experts, an economist – even my own brother Jason Bradbury put in an appearance explaining what we could expect from A.I. in the months and years ahead. However, my absolute favourite contributions (no disrespect little brother!) were from fellow estate agents sharing not just their insights but also their stories of success and probably more importantly, failures.
All of the speakers taught me something but it was the actual real life fellow estate agents that really taught me the most. They were easy to relate to and obviously were able to base their suggestions on front line experience even though they were not operating in my geographical area or sometimes even this country. Perhaps it is this element of relatability that made their contributions so compelling.
Which brings me to one of the most popular reasons given to me as to why so (relatively) small numbers of agents attend the wide range of estate agency conferences held across the UK…
“What can a successful sports person, entrepreneur from another industry, economist, A.I or social media expert really teach me about being a more successful estate agent?”
Frankly words (almost) fail me when I hear this objection and I’m reminded of the quote attributed to John McPhee: “If you have to ask that question, you wouldn’t understand the answer.” Depressing as it is, that statement is probably true but really… if that is your view and a reason for not attending you need to have a talk with yourself!”
The next most popular reason/excuse for non-attendance is time. The notion that an estate agent is SO busy and has such a crammed diary that they are unable to attend is one I simply do not accept but perhaps I am not busy enough myself!
Most, though not all of these events are arranged months in advance allowing plenty of time for diary management and planning. In any event, in today’s ultra-connected world it’s perfectly possible to continue most estate agency activities whilst not being physically in your usual place of work, so I really do find this concern unfounded.
May I suggest that any potential delegates using this excuse seek out a conference that offers a speaker on time management!
And finally, the (in my opinion) least credible reason given for non-attendance – cost. By which I assume people really mean value as I assume that they actually do have the money but choose to spend it on other things that they consider more important to their business.
If they really do not have the money and have been established for at least a year, I would respectfully suggest that they need to reflect on their situation. Ironically, their need for help and support is probably greater than those who are prepared to make what is normally a relatively small investment in themselves.
In my experience, the costs for most of these events/conferences range from zero (there are many events from organisations like Property Academy that have NO CHARGE at all) through to perhaps £500. Yes there are travel costs and perhaps a night in a hotel/Airbnb but hey… compared to many similar events around the globe which can cost 3 or 4 times as much, I would suggest that a UK estate agency conference is actually cheap (perhaps it’s too cheap?).
I have no empirical evidence for this, but certainly from what I have seen and hear about, agents in other countries appear to be much more disposed to attend even if they pay a lot more money. Interestingly, of course many (even most) of the agents abroad are self-employed and have to pay for the tickets themselves as opposed to being given a ticket by an employer… go figure!
I’ve barely mentioned the other “soft” advantages of attending a UK estate agency conference apart from hearing the wisdom of the speakers, though there are plenty of them. There’s normally an exhibition with a wide range of suppliers eager to share their ideas and explain their services. This is not only another business opportunity but as I understand it, most of these events would not be financially viable without the financial support provided by these firms. It strikes me as an extremely efficient use of time to catch up with current suppliers and communicate with potential new ones.
Of course, there’s the usual networking opportunities, much under rated by many but clearly it’s got to be a huge advantage to meet other agents in a formal or informal setting and to simply listen and share ideas.
And finally – these events are normally REALLY GOOD FUN! Yes I know it sounds shallow but couldn’t we all do with a little more fun in our lives?
So there we are, I hope you can understand my surprise and bemusement as to why more UK estate agents do not attend these events. I am REALLY interested in your answers to my question…
Why don’t more estate agents attend these gatherings?
P.S. If you have never attended a conference, why not break the habit of a lifetime and book in to the forthcoming Kerfuffle Conference on Thursday at the Iconic Wembley Stadium? It has a truly stellar line up of speakers, a sold out exhibition, plenty of fellow estate agents eager to share their perspectives and of course the fantastic Simon Whale, so there’s bound to be plenty of fun!
Most of these awards shows are fixed. Who pays the most in ad spend wins
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That’s an utter nonsense, it’s either ill informed or delusional or both. At least for the main ones The Neg, The ESTA’s and EA Masters.
I’ve been lucky enough to have been involved over the years with all three and they’re utterly dedicated to trying to ensure they get the best agents winning. You might critique the individual methodology but the idea you can ‘buy an award’ with any of them is ridiculous.
As a final point it’s interesting that the vast majority of people who complain are also the agents never stand a chance of winning, nothing wrong with being unremarkable but to whinge is just sour grapes.
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These conferences are not cheap to attend + time out of office +train fares +++ and they are all quite ‘sameeeee’
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Definitely think the cost things a big factor . Especially when you factor in the transport and hotels , the ticket price is often one of the smaller elements of cost .
Cost of living crisis everywhere
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The alternative view is that the agents who don’t attend fall behind, which makes it easier for the rest of us.
A win is a win, in my opinion.
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Too much PropTech not enough progress.
Agents are fatigued at the lack of real innovation. The only “innovation” on offer appears designed to support the overvaluing epidemic that’s made the industry so poorly (low fees, slow or no transactions).
If the return on investment of time and cost of attending conferences was really there, they’d be sold out.
But (eXp excepted) most events are just sales junkets for sponsors and don’t put agents first.
At the 2018 Neg conference, David thingamyjig from Rightmove lettings and Jon Notley of eprop services sat on stage both saying “nothing has changed in agency in 10 years”.
It still hasn’t. And until more agents have the courage and skill to win sellable instructions without overvaluing, it will keep getting worse.
I hope to help sellers find those courageous agents more easily.
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Well said.
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Because they are too busy listing and selling houses to attend events where Agents are in the main, just blowing smoke up each other’s a***s. Ridiculous article as ever from this bloke
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Too busy to learn? self employed agents do not blow smoke anywhere – they have to succeed to pay their bills. Or they go bust. Please refresh your attitude – it is nonsense.
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for the same reason as this story.
Waffle, waffle.
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Totally agree with you Irish. A waffle story from someone who clearly has too much time on his hands looking at his pipeline and available stock. Sounds like he would turn up to the opening of an envelope.
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Wow.
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Couldn’t agree more Simon , plenty talk the talk about training and development but don’t deliver on much of that promise with their teams.
As ever it’s the 80/20 rule so it’s important not to generalise but the Australians have an absolute thirst for self improvement as witnessed by the likes of 5,000 people + doing AREC there and believe me they’re paying a lot more than £500.
What’s interesting there is that much of the time it’s staff at the coal face that pay the ticket price themselves again maybe reflecting the difference in our models & indeed attitude . It is indicative of a changing ethos that so many of the people attending these events are increasingly personal/hybrid agents , is that causing the massive increase in market share for those guys because of the mindset.
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And thanks for the mention Simon but unfortunately we sold out so only the standby waiting list now
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Some industries link the brilliant content, up to date information and industry innovations found at most of these property events to a Continuous Professional Development (CPD) module. Therefore attendance becomes relevant to keep up to date, network and to ensure you meet any necessary CPD targets for the year. Worth considering?
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