Connect 2018 shines on day one

THE biggest event in Ray White Group’s history has launched with an enormous day of learning and networking between some of the country’s most inspiring leaders.

Day one of the Connect 2018 conference on the Gold Coast was a celebration of the group’s greatest strength - a connectivity of more than 1000 Ray White and Loan Market offices across Australasia.

The nation’s second longest-serving prime minister John Howard (pictured below) today opened the event with his thoughts on leadership.

“I like speaking to gatherings like this where there’s a remarkable collection of small and not so small business owners who create their own destiny,” Mr Howard said to the group’s 2500 agents and brokers from all over Australia, Indonesia and New Zealand.

“I believe in competitive capitalists who believe in a free enterprise system where you get to keep a decent return from your hard work.”

Ray White Group Director Dan White and Loan Market CEO Sam White drove home the message of going ‘further together’ when they stepped up on stage.

“We’re all here together sharing a common bond of being part of something that started 116 years ago in the humblest beginnings in regional Australia,” Dan White said (pictured above).

“We’re all people who want to achieve. If we want to keep improving, adapt to change and provide more value to our clients, we need to work together.”

Australian billionaire Manny Stul, the CEO of Moose Toys a struggling company he bought in 2000, inspired with his story of survival from a refugee camp to one of the world’s top entrepreneurs with $1B in turnover each year.

“I came from nothing and went through huge adversity but obviously my good looks helped,” Mr Stul chuckled during an interview on stage with Brian White (pictured above).

“Really high calibre people are not motivated by money, they are motivated by job satisfaction and respect. Money is a byproduct and you need to do other things to motivate people.”

Co-founder and CEO of data-powered growth platform Ailo, Ben White (pictured above), discussed how algorithm-powered approaches can change the way we think about our roles, careers and business.

“Algorithms help you go from spreadsheet view to conversation view with your customers,” he said.

He stressed that the future is now and the tools are available to us to change how we learn and interact with our customers, to support success.

A series of Ray White breakout sessions during the afternoon covered a range of hot topics, from the secrets to maintaining elite performance to winning with an auction culture.

In Everlasting Elites, four of Ray White’s most consistent Elite Performers shared how they'd reached great heights year after year, and how they overcame the challenges of building teams.

“We are in the attitude and energy game. Mindset and discipline – it’s the bridge between goals and accomplishment,” Ray White Double Bay’s Gavin Rubinstein said.

In Win with an Auction Culture, Ray White Ascot principal Dwight Ferguson said auctions override any market changes.

“Your job is to bring buyers to the table on game day,” he said.

“Auctions are the best way to create competition and if you sold a house for a list price I believe you probably undersold it as you may not have gotten the market price.”

The Leadership panel featured three of Ray White’s finest leaders sharing stories which inspired all in the room.

Ray White Remuera director Megan Jaffe said her business had a program of continuous innovation every day.

“There are so many great ideas coming through and we have a collaborative commitment,” she said.

"We hire for attitude and it’s easy to see someone who would be a good fit. All our new starters are recommended by our staff that meet daily. You can spot a great person a mile off.”

One of the final breakout sessions of the day featured Ray White Growth CEO Mark McLeod and National Technology Manager Jason Alford discussing the office of the future.

The pair dived into the impact of technology evolution on the industry and drew attention to the critical importance of traditional values such as trust, integrity and honesty.

Following tonight’s Ray White and Loan Market International Awards, P!nk drummer Mark Schulman will keep the party atmosphere pumping when he kicks off day two at Connect 2018.

Mr Schulman features on an impressive list of superstar speakers tomorrow which includes champion cyclist Anna Meares, Storyful CEO Sharb Farjami, exciting entrepreneur Holly Ransom, biomedical engineer and inventor Dr Jordan Nguyen, and renowned portrait photographer Platon.