A friend of mine was an international public speaker. To break the ice on stage, whenever he introduced himself, he would say:

"I'm the number two speaker in the world!"

People would laugh - a little uncomfortably at first. Then he'd go on to explain why he claimed the number two spot - because apparently, 427 of his competitors were already claiming to be number one...

It's a great joke. But there's a serious point hiding beneath it. If everyone is claiming to be the best, then surely nobody is?

And nowhere is this more obvious than in estate agency. The public are constantly being told about the agent who won (paid for?!), the latest awards. The latest "number one" agent. The best agent in the area. The market leader. The award-winning team. The five-star service. The list goes on - any label that can be thought of to cover up for a lack of trust.

The core problem in all of this is...

"Best" according to whom? What is the benchmark? Who decides who meets it? And, more importantly, what actually makes one agent better than another?

It's important to ask because we've created an industry where the person with thirty years of in the trenches experience can be competing against someone who joined the industry three weeks ago...yet the consumer is expected to choose between them based largely on a valuation and a fee.

That's madness!

Imagine doing that with a surgeon. Imagine choosing your brain surgeon because they were £500 cheaper than the other one. You wouldn't - would you??

Because you understand that expertise matters. Judgement matters. Experience matters. Outcomes matter.

Yet when it comes to selling the most expensive asset most people will ever own, we've somehow convinced ourselves that estate agents are interchangeable.

And the profession itself has created and exacerbated this problem. Collectively, it has commoditised the true professional. It's reduced decades of experience to a percentage. Reduced expertise to a sky high valuation and a 26-week sole selling rights agreement. Reduced reputation to a collection of online reviews. Reduced differentiation to a logo or picture on a For Sale board.

And now the profession is left wondering why consumers don't trust it, why fees are on the floor, and why suppliers are taking advantage.

Don't get me wrong, there are some extraordinary professionals working within estate agency. I've met them and I've worked with them. I've seen what they can do and the difference they can make to people's lives.

One agent (I don't yet know) achieves approximately a 87% completion rate on the properties he sells. That's exceptional in a sector where the average is closer to 50%.

But even that raises an interesting question: What could someone like that achieve if they stopped competing as a commodity?

What happens when someone with that level of capability decides they aren't going to be compared on fee anymore because the consumer considers them interchangeable? What happens when they stop trying to become the "best estate agent"? What happens when they decide to become something else entirely?

That's where the Maverick journey begins.

Because being a Property Maverick isn't about claiming to be the best. It's about becoming impossible to compare - and the difference is more than just nice-sounding words.

Let's think about what an estate agent actually does. They help people sell what may be the most valuable asset they will ever own. They directly influence how much money that person ultimately receives which impacts how much they can afford when it comes to buying their next home.

They influence how much that person pays which directly affects where that family will live for the next twenty years. They deal with people's hopes, their dreams, their finances and their futures.

It's a huge responsibility when we stop and think about it and I honestly don't know many other professions which carry such a large impact on people's futures.

And yet the trade bodies, industry associations and all working within the sector have allowed the profession to become a complete commodity.

Something selected from a list on a price comparison website. Something compared on price as though all value being offered is identical. Something judged by who will table the highest valuation whilst also accepting the lowest fee.

That isn't professionalism - it's commoditisation.

And I don't believe the answer is another award, another badge, or another "number one" claim. Strangely, I also don't think the answer lies in another "game-changing" technology platform or government intervention via industry qualifications.

After wrestling with the challenge of low consumer trust amplified by the sectors own pursuit of commoditising itself, the inescapable conclusion I have arrived at is we have to fundamentally change what it means to be a good estate agent.

That's what The Maverick Movement is designed to do. Create a more trusted identity for professionals who want something more, whilst keeping the bad actors - who undermine everyone - firmly out.

That identity extends beyond just a different label - it comes with providing more knowledge; greater accountability; more collaboration with great professionals who help people to move home; increased transparency in the journey itself; and ultimately more professionalism.

The reward that comes from higher standards? Increased fees, increased profits, less stress, more deal certainty and happier clients who trust you above all else - and who will recommend you to others.

Being a Maverick isn't about standing above everyone else. It's about standing for something. For the consumer. For your profession. For your colleagues. And for the future of the industry.

It means working alongside the best conveyancers rather than treating them as another obstacle to getting paid. It means sharing best practice rather than guarding mediocre ways of doing things. It means collaborating with other Maverick professionals because you all have the same objective:

Get the client safely to completion.

It also means drawing a line. Because the good professionals should not have to carry the reputation of the bad actors as they are currently doing.

The people who mislead, the ones who cut corners, those who put their own interests ahead of their clients and the people who have contributed to the public's distrust of an entire profession. These people should never be allowed to define everyone else within an industry.

The Mavericks should. And that means creating a community where excellence becomes the expectation. Where great professionals can learn from one another. Where the best ideas spread. Where consumers can immediately recognise the difference. Where expertise is rewarded and valued. And where professionalism finally means something again.

Here's a couple of questions I've leave you to ponder:

"What would the best possible estate agent look like?"

And then: "Why aren't we building them?"

That's the opportunity as I see it for our profession. Not another award. Not another league table. Not another loose claim of being number one.

Something much bigger.

A profession where the very best practitioners are so far removed from the commodity model that comparing them on price becomes completely absurd. A profession where good people are paid what they're worth. A profession where bad actors are no longer allowed to define everybody else. A profession where estate agents and conveyancers work together rather than against each other.

And ultimately... A profession that the public can trust again.

That's the journey from estate agent to Property Maverick.

And perhaps the greatest irony of all is this: The best commodity isn't the cheapest one - It's the one you can't compare.

If you're ready to stop being a commodity and finally claim what you're worth, head over to The Maverick Movement website - there's a short application form to complete and then we'll be in touch to discuss next steps:

https://themaverickmovement.co.uk

Originally published on LinkedIn.