The number one skill in estate agency is coachability

In a recent episode of The Home Stretch, CEO of The Guild of Property Professionals, Iain McKenzie is joined by Founder of the Property Academy and EA Masters, Peter Knight, who speaks about his over 40 years of experience within the property sector and what he thinks the key traits are to be successful. 

Starting his career as a negotiator in 1979, Knight worked his way up the ranks, working as a sales manager at Barratt Homes and eventually becoming a director at Jackson Property Services. In present day, he is the Founder of the Property Academy, Best Estate Agent Guide and EA Masters, having worked with, mentored, and inspired many within the sector over the span of his career. 

“I have worked in the sector for many years and through my experience and what I have seen I believe that the most important trait an agent needs to have to be successful is coachability. In other words, they are prepared to adapt and learn new and different things. This was true when I started and perhaps even more so now,” says Knight. “I would say the second most important characteristic for success is to be savvy, and the third is curiosity. Estate agency is about people and will always be about people, and I think being curious about people and what is going on is a trait that can be powerful. Work ethic is another arrow in the quiver of success, and perhaps the final one is confidence that comes from success and being able to draw on that and utilise it. These are the attributes I look for in people today and I would like to think that I had some of them in the early stages of my career.”

In response McKenzie says that there is another trait he would add to the list, which is a self-learner. “I have spoken to agents who find certain aspects of job such as valuations mundane, and my question to them is what is your conversion rate? Because if you are winning instructions, great, let them be mundane, but if you are not winning instructions you need to self-learn and do something different,” he adds. 

Agreeing, Knight says he believes continuous learning is imperative. “It is people’s preparedness to adapt and change, hence why I say coachability is such an important aspect.”

Knight and McKenzie go on to discuss several other elements around what agents could be doing to better themselves and increase their number of successful instruction wins, which includes a story about Knight renting out his Wimbledon home to Roger Federer and what he learnt from the habits of arguably one of the best players to step onto the court. 

To hear this conversation in full, visit The Home Stretch podcast.