 It's almost time for the Property Show brought to you by privateproperty.co.za. The show is happening from the 27th to the 28th of August 2022 at the Santon Convention Center but also remember you can join from anywhere you are in the world virtually. Tickets are available at thepropertyshow.co.za. Thank you so much for joining us for tonight's episode right here on the Private Property Podcast. My name is Stumi and tonight we are talking how you can be on top of your real estate game as a real estate agent. I am talking training. Thank you so much to Michelle Taylor Rebel for joining us. Michelle is from TaylorMadeTraining. Michelle, good evening and thank you so much for joining us. Good evening, Dumi. Thank you for having me. It's an absolute pleasure. So let's talk about your journey. You have been in this industry for a little bit over 10 years now and tell us what prompted you to start TaylorMadeTraining and why it's such a passion for you to train real estate agents. Well, I've actually been in the industry for 18 years in total and I felt that once I'd reached the top of my game it was kind of a want to give back something to the industry. And what I saw in my time working in real estate that there were some really good candidates that would come into the industry who had great prospects at being really successful agents but unfortunately due to a lack of training and knowledge to be imparted upon them left the industry feeling very unsuccessful. And that doesn't give one a good feeling. And I felt that there was this gap and need specifically for soft skill training because let's be honest real estate doesn't come out of a textbook. You know, it's on the job and on the go training that is the difference between being an exceptional estate agent and being an estate agent that just really is survives. Sure. Could you just give us more information in terms of the kind of skill set a real estate agent should have because as you said it's some of the things that it's one of the things rather that you can't really learn from a textbook. It also requires some sort of personality traits, you know, and some sort of, you know, human resources, human intelligence and all of those things. Just talk to us a bit about some of those skills that you think a good real estate agent should have. I think the most important skill is to be good at communication because it's it's a talking business you meeting different kinds of people every single day of your life. And not only just being a good communicator and getting your message across clearly and effectively the bet the even more important skill is how good a listener are you because you know it's not always the said conversation that you need to pay attention to a lot of the times it's what gets left unsaid. Now that can be picked up if you actually listen very closely to what the person is saying and also to be able to read body language because body language always gives a lot more away than what a person actually vocalizes. So for me, those those are two really, really important skills. You know, the race can be learned, but if you're not good at communicating with people, you're definitely going to struggle in this business. No, totally. You want top award for best units of turnover as well as just units for the Chas, a very international from 20 from 2003 to 2010. Can you just tell us more about what this achievement means to you and what it took for you to get to where you are? Well, it's a very interesting story because when I first started there, I was told that, you know, I'm never going to be top, you know, in the first year or the first two years and I always love a challenge. So for myself and the partner that I worked with, the goal was that at the end of year one, we would be number two, but definitely at the end of year number two, we were going to be number one. And obviously it's not only just important to to be number one, but it's also it's about staying there. And the way that the whole thing was calculated, it wasn't just on turnover, but it was also based on number of units. But then it was also calculated back to a commission of seven and a half percent plus back. So you really had to perform really well to become, you know, number one in terms of a top partnership. But as I said, I love a challenge. So for me, it was exciting and it wasn't real estate, wasn't a job. It was something that I absolutely got out of bed every morning and just loved doing. Sure. And, you know, the passion translates even as we are talking now, I can feel that passion come through. And I want you to just talk us through that journey, especially when you were currently a real estate agent. What are some of those things that kept you at number one? Because you said something very profound is like it's not only about getting there. It's also about staying there. So what are some of those things that you did that set you apart from the rest? OK, so I love talking to strangers. I don't know why it was just it's a skill set that I'm really good at. So I used to actually go into the local pick and pay, which luckily enough was in the area I was based in. And I would just start talking to people and meet people. And what I learned to do very early on was when I had a conversation with a person was to go back and write all the details in a notebook. And then for me, walking the streets was a big thing, because people are much more approachable when they actually see a person face to face than kind of doing what I call the cold calling, which, yes, you do have to do in this business. But to me, the face to face approach was much better. The second thing was to look at what could I do to do something for the community to bring them together? So there was a little park that wasn't really used. I approached some of the attorney firms that we we used to support. And I said, come, let's do something for one of the local children's homes in the area. And I said, let's do a charity event Christmas by carols or carols by candlelight. I said, let everybody just even if it was a secondhand toy or gift, bring it together. We'd have raffles, prizes. For me, it was fantastic because I got to meet most of the people that lived in the area that I was working. So they kind of got to know my face and my name. But second of all, they could see that I wasn't just an agent that was out there for the business, but to also give something back to the community, to bring community together and show people that you can also do good whilst doing business. I'd say the other really good skill that I was exceptional at was listening. So when when I used to work with a buyer, I listened very closely to what their needs were. And it's, you know, you kind of got in needs and you've got a once and a lot of people, it's that champagne taste, but be a pocket. So I kind of say to them, OK, well, if I can offer you this, could we trade off with that? So by the time I actually took them out to show them properties, I knew that I had was almost 90 percent sure that they were going to put an offer on one of the properties I was going to show them because I had a really in-depth conversation with them as to exactly what they were looking for and kind of almost fitted their dream home into their reality and also importantly into their budget. Sure. No, thank you so much for that. And we will just come back to that conversation. If you are joining us for the first time, thank you so much. And remember to engage with us on the comment section. Five hundred grand cash is up for grabs. Do you remember to comment, you know, send those green hearts and also ask us personal questions that you feel need to be answered that you might have about anything property related. The winner of yesterday's show will be announced at the end of the show. So make sure make sure that you stay tuned till then. And also remember that tickets for the property for the property show are still up for grabs, so make sure that you engage, engage, engage. Michelle, coming back to our conversation, let's talk a little bit more about some of those achievements that you got when you were still a real estate agent. And tell me about some of your highlights and when how you felt, you know, when you hear your name being called. I mean, this was almost seven years in a row and you are hearing your name being called as the top agent you're in and you're out. How does it feel for you and how does that translate into the training that you give other real estate agents? Jimmy, you may not like my answer so much, but for me, it was never about the accolade. It's what I wanted to achieve for myself. I came from a poor, you know, a very poor childhood, you know, at one stage, my mom and I were homeless. I knew what it was like to starve. And so from a very young age, I made the decision that I was going to become financially independent. So that was a very, very big driving factor for me. Unfortunately, I made a few bad mistakes which cost me financially. So when I went into real estate, for me, it was never going to be a part-time business. It was going to become my career and I was going to be the best that I could be. But I'd have to say one of my highlights or the accolades that I really was very proud of was that I was twice, two years in a row, recognised by the NetBank Property Professional Awards, who only recognised the top one percent of the industry. And it wasn't just about performance and turnover. It was also about the recognition of what were those agents doing to give back to the industry. So it was very tough criteria, you know, that in those days, in that day, I think we had 75,000 agents. And so to be recognised, to be in the top one percent, because I only chose 10 in the entire country, I think for me was one of my biggest highlights. Sure. No, congratulations still on that, because I mean, really, that is a great feat. And as we as we wrap up our conversation, let's talk about some of the skills that you have identified that real estate agents need to get and some of those skills that also you offer at Tailor Made Training. So I think the biggest thing, and that's what I always try to tell agents, especially when I do what I call my rookie training, which is for basically the new entrance into the industry. I always say to them, don't be fooled by the fact that a company has taken you on board, because you're not employed. The only time you become employed is when you start bringing in listings and stock. And when I say stock, I don't mean just anything, I mean good, saleable or lettable stock. That's the day you become employed. So the most important part of this business, well, I call it the 80-20 principle, 20% of an agent's time is going to produce 80% of their results, and it all boils down to one activity, and that's prospecting. Prospecting in this business is absolutely, it's critical, it's key. Without it, you don't get it. Without it, you're not going to be in business. So part of my training is obviously prospecting, closing mandates, because that's very important. Sole-mandated stock is absolutely gold for an agent. And also then closing the deal and negotiating commission, because agents sometimes really, really struggle with that. This job is hard work, it's long hours, it's a lot of effort. And when you get to that final point, the excitement or the nervousness to get this deal signed and sealed, kind of sometimes overwhelms them, and then they start giving away their commission. And I go, you're not in this business to walk away with one or 2%. You need to understand your worth and you need to negotiate, be able to negotiate that worth. Sure, no, thank you so much for that, Michel. You really do need to understand your worth, because there's a lot that goes into doing the work that real estate agents do. Thank you so much for sharing such great knowledge with us and have a good one. Pleasure to meet you, thank you for having me. Thank you, bye. And that is how we wrap up the conversation tonight, talking how you can stay on top of your game if you are a real estate agent. Also, another thing that I promised you at the end of the show is the winner of that 500 grand cash prize. And ladies and gentlemen, drum roll, please, as we put our hands together for Amanda Gavinda. Thank you so much, Amanda, for interacting with us and engaging with us. You can be like Amanda if you have been engaging with us throughout the episode. Thank you so much for sharing your evening with us till we see you again. Same time, same place, have a good one. This year, we're back. In real life and virtual, with content generated in our Metaverse studio, we've designed the exhibition space to replicate the world's most popular property game and added in activities for the whole family, including an indoor park and play area. The game board is divided into four journeys, namely, first time homebuyer's Boulevard, investment avenue, Sellers Street, and Renters Road. Visit thepropertyshow.co.za for more information and to get your tickets today. The property show, 2022, 27th to the 28th of August at the Santan Convention Center. No matter where you are on your property journey, we've gathered the experts.