18 | Richard Loader People, marketing key to growth Bayleys Whanganui has increased market share in residential sales and added Property Management to the portfolio of offerings. Whanganui: Bayleys Whanganui REGIONAL DEVELOPMENT Strong investment in people and marketing has proven to be a successful growth strategy for Bayleys Whanganui and Ruapehu, since John Bartley bought the franchise four years ago. Adopting a progressive approach to business development, John and his team have significantly increased market share in residential sales, and added Property Management to the business’s portfolio of offerings. “When I took the business over there was a sales staff of fourteen, and through a progressive approach we’ve grown that to a team of fifty,” says John. “The business had a strong commercial base and a reasonably strong rural base, but our residential sector was pretty weak, with 4% market share. As of today, we’re holding around 30% market share, which is great growth. In terms of transactions, the biggest area volume wise, is residential sales, especially over the last few years.” Recognising that investment in people was a key to growth, John took a two-prong approach — looking at the talent already working in the business, as well as searching for new blood to bring into the industry. “We provided better coaching and development of our people, but we also supported them by providing extra administrative resources that freed them up to get more lead-generation time and more face-to-face time with clients. That has enabled them to flourish and grow as Bayleys’ agents.” When looking for new talent to join the team, John had a blanket rule of not approaching existing agents from competitive companies. “I’m a strong believer in growing people from scratch who want to join the industry, and providing them with the right support. We looked for people with customer service, marketing and sales skills, and started them in administration roles, enabling them to do their real estate agent’s ticket and training. They start off as an employee for twelve months and then move into a commission-based sales role, with further support. This period enables them to enter the industry and get an understanding of what is involved in the background including the administrative processes, the systems and the culture of the company.” John says while one or two decided the industry wasn’t for them, about 22 have gone through the progressive process over the last four years, with very good results in terms of their personal success and business growth. A considered approach to marketing during challenging times has also worked very well for John and his team. “During the first COVID lockdown in 2020 we increased our marketing spend quite significantly, and nearly doubled what we would spend on print and digital advertising to increase awareness of the brand and also our people. We’re doing the same now where all the talk is about a declining market.” Through the recent acquisition of another business, Bayley’s Whanganui now manages about 450 properties, primarily residential. Property management can be very demanding on the team doing it, and again John has provided support by way of enhanced systems and processes to streamline the work. He says the next phase in the journey will be to grow that part of the business further, particularly by developing the management of commercial property. The introduction of two mortgage brokers contracting to Bayleys Whanganui over the last year has added to their service offering, helping people into houses or commercial property in a time of spiralling interest rates. “We’re finding that more people, whether or not they are first home buyers, are turning to the expertise and knowledge of mortgage brokers. These people have about thirty different lending options to choose from, not just the main banks.” Looking further ahead, John says the Ruapehu and Whanganui markets are very different from each other, with different short and medium term outlooks. “Ruapehu has had a massive increase in real estate pricing, and there’s still a good vibe and opportunity. But the market and region is influenced by the tourism sector and operators. We might see more properties come on the market that have been holiday homes, which could have an impact. Whanganui has had lots of growth in terms of pricing over the last four years. There are improvements in the city centre, there are industrial parks, more businesses investing in Whanganui, with people coming back home.” Proudly working alongside the Bayleys team. WWW.THOMPSONPLUMBING.CO.NZ | 06 345 0924 Proudly keeping Whanganui businesses spotless since 1998 Your local cleaning service 021 800 694 hello@kennedyscleaning.co.nz www.kennedyscleaning.co.nz
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