Simplicity remains the key to excellence

LR - Ray White NSW | ACT chief auctioneer Alex Pattaro, Ray White Group chairman Brian White and Ray White NSW | ACT CEO Tim Snell.

The Sydney Cricket Ground played host to more than 600 Ray White members today who came together to be inspired at the premier state’s kick off launch event called Engage.

Ray White Chairman Brian White welcomed all the members to the hallowed cricket ground. “You are all part of the Ray White family, and we are in it together,” he said.

“I am the third generation leader of a family owned and led business which is so rare and we are still getting stronger.

“We started as a small business and now we are the market leader across Australia and New Zealand by a healthy margin.

“We were established in a tiny tin shed in regional Australia where my grandfather painted his name on the side of the shed, Ray White Auctioneer. It is still there on display.

“My father used to say auctioneering is the most important thing we do. When people ask us how did my family achieve it all, we achieved it through marketing and auctioneering,”

“We now call one in every four auctions across the country, and no one compares to our share and it's built on consistency and the proof is in our commitment,” Mr White said.

“We have now trademarked the phrase, Competition Creators, as when we create competition for our owners then wonderful things happen to the price.

“This is our phrase, we are the competition creators, and I love it when I hear our members using the phrase every day.”

Ray White Head of Strategy (Real Estate) Mark McLeod (pictured above) said there was no reason why 2023 couldn’t be the group’s best year yet.

“It’s a choice. You can choose to make 2023 your best year ever. Each and everyone of you lean on the market and now it’s giving you an excuse - ‘I’m not doing well because the market is not doing as well’,” Mr McLeod said.

“I guarantee if you are telling yourself that this is going to be your worst year, then it will be.

“There is enough stock turnover for everyone in this room to have their best year and everyone of you knows what to do, so this should be your best year.

“You will need to make fundamental, structural changes this year and there is only one lever you can pull to make those changes and your hands are firmly on it because you know what to do.

“You have no control over the market but what you do have control over is that if your market is down 10 per cent then you do 10 per cent more calls and so on.”

“2023 is 100 per cent in your control. Pull the volume lever and stop talking to people about the market.”

Ray White NSW | ACT CEO Tim Snell (pictured above) spoke about the importance for conviction and courage in the current market.

“When we know what we stand for, decisions become easy. We need to do the work and be careful that we don’t concede to a marketplace that doesn’t exist yet,” Mr Snell said.

“The good times made many of us complacent, it's a silent killer. But we need to remember the fundamentals.

“Simplicity remains the key to excellence and is at the core of our strategy.”

Ray White are the competition creators. Mr Snell said this was the key to getting confidence back into the market.

“We need to understand that our job is to create confidence in the market,” he said.

“It’s how we become truly relevant in our marketplaces.”

Top owner David Walker of Ray White Upper North Shore, opened his first business in 2014 and his growth trajectory has seen his business grow to become the most successful group inside the Ray White Group internationally.

“Good people come first. It’s about getting the right people to specialise in their markets. As a business we are going to be stronger together. The number one value in our business is respect and having fun,” Mr Walker said.

“I am so very proud of all my team and we embrace them all to be the very best version of themselves.” The three keys to listing and selling are getting your team structure right and your listing presentation.

Ray White Touma Group principal Charles Touma (pictured above) spoke about turning market share into listing share. Mr Touma has been the number one selling agent in Redfern since 2007 holding consistently in excess of 30 per cent market share.

He’s a local of the area and identifies with the ongoing potential of these districts and surrounds like no one else. His vast local client base is a testament to a dedication to local market advocacy. He explained his process to gaining bespoke understanding of a core market place and how to use this to create and close listing opportunities with energy, process and passion.

“My standard is one of excellence. I make 200 calls a day, I practise kindness, I only eat one cheat meal a week, I practise a state of flow and I read the Daily Stoic. I get up at 345am and I will do whatever I can to put myself in the best position to win business today. My energy has to be great.

“Also market knowledge is key and even at 20 years old I went to every single open home in my area and tried to predict the price. Some 99 per cent of owners want the best price and they want the least stress. I never ever put my clients in a box and I always give them hope.” He says he plans his entire year out at the start of every year.

“If you control your mind, you control your emotions, if you control your emotions, you control your actions. If you control your actions, you control the outcome. We are in the energy business.”

We’re so often humbled by some incredible stories of our members who have overcome

enormous hurdles to achieve remarkable success. These stories inspire us. They remind us that the most important ingredients to achievement are determination and commitment, and how our industry so wonderfully rewards such effort. They make us so proud to be part of the same group.

Bianca Denham, Ray White Head of Performance and Recognition, facilitated a panel of members who shared their personal stories. All of them were unique and powerfully compelling.

Julie Gauci, Principal of Ray White Culburra Beach, Anthony Roumanous, sales consultant of Ray White Bankstown and Amanda Bonnici, Principal of Ray White Shellharbour City shared their stories with members.

Ms Bonnici, a breast cancer survivor, is well known as one of the hardest working volume agents in the group.

Mr Roumanous said everyone in his team has clarity around what they are doing. “I am doing more appraisals than ever, that is my focus for 2023, and to hold five open homes a week per property.”

Ms Gauci reminded everyone to keep auctioning, particularly when the market is tough.”I made a commitment when I started in sales to listen to those who know who. I will keep running the process, regardless of how I feel some days.”

Ray White NSW | ACT chief auctioneer and MC, Alex Pattaro (pictured above), reminded everyone present how fortunate they are to be part of the Ray White family.

“One thing that no doubt inspires us all is that each and every member here has another member sitting next to them, supporting them and allowing us to all move forward together,” Mr Pattaro said.

Travelling down from Brisbane to speak at Engage 2023, Ray White North Lakes’ Ryan Suhle is the youngest agent in Ray White to qualify for the group’s highest recognition level, Chairman’s Elite. Mr Suhle is part of the one per cent of top performers at Ray White.

While his parents are both in the industry, he said he had never planned to get into real estate.

“I watched it from the outside but had no interest in following my parents. It was an accident that I popped into the family office but it was the best thing that ever happened,” Mr Suhle said.

“Knowing the market, growing up in the area and literally knowing every home and being able to deliver facts that are informative made a big difference to people and helped me succeed.”