Everything In The Garden Smelling Of Roses.

Everything in the garden, smelling of roses.

The insular view that all is well within the estate agency sector - because "I surround myself with great agents."

To which I apparently rudely responded with " poor character judgement?"

Said half in jest, half seriously, it provoked a hissy fit from someone that should know better.

Someone that has experienced agency, presumably both good and bad, in helping to launch the ill-fated PurpleBricks debacle in the U.S.A together with area manager and senior branch manager positions with high street corporate.

The germ of this alarmingly petty conversation was my original share on LinkedIn of a Forbes article that asked us to appreciate the benefits of being "kind" as opposed to being "nice."

I had said that, in my view, some agents were guilty of insincerity when trying to be "nice" and that vendors could spot the in-authenticity.

It provoked other comments, both in support and against.

An Us vs. Them scenario where some felt they were blameless and that any criticism of the industry as a whole was unfounded.  Others felt that there was considerable room for improvement in an industry ranked bottom three in the Veracity Index of Trusted Professions.

It got me thinking.

Of some agents that have been brainwashed into believing nothing matters other than their success.  However it is achieved.  The culture at PurpleBricks under M & K Bruce would seem in no small part to be responsible for that worldview.  Those agents won't admit to it but a crashing indifference to anything other than the K.P.I.

So in hindsight it was hardly surprising that this now co-founder of yet another mediocre self-employed agency model should base her views on past experience and culture.

Follow the systems and achieve the same results - except that it doesn't always work that way.

It's perfectly feasible to recruit agents with promise after promise. It's perfectly feasible to manipulate the people that are most susceptible (homeowners), but eventually, it catches up with them.  The sort of Agency where founders hope that they have made their money before it does.  Finally catch up with them.

So although this experienced agency founder disagreed with my overview that the industry needs to sharpen its image, what we didn't get from her was a logical explanation of why change isn't needed. Just affirmation that because it doesn't exist in her world, it doesn't exist.

And that's how this Agency will turn out. A collection of uncaring agents that mirror the culture that rewards them.

"You have to be exceedingly deliberate with how you spend your time and with whom."  - Nicolas Cole.

I've seen it at PurpleBricks. At Keller Williams. Others and now, here it is again.

The indifferent face of U.K estate agency.

Where "nice", whether genuine or not, is perfectly adequate to convince and convert.  Where "kind", because it might effect the bottom line, doesn't enter the conversation.

Previously a connection on LinkedIn, but now blocked because this particular 'snowflake' hadn't the capacity to entertain opinions other than her own.

Us vs. Them.

Choose your side.

Thanks, as always, for reading.

Chris.

www.andsothestorybegan.co.uk

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