The period since my last newsletter has been manic in business terms with record month following record month in terms of workload and number of clients worked with.
I have undertaken and have planned a number of training courses covering Consumer Protection and Money Laundering Regulations. In the last quarter of 2016 over 160 delegates will attend a number of programmes.
I am delighted to have been working with LonRes on some of these programmes and the take up from their members has been significant, demonstrating the clear desire from agents to comply with this challenging legislation. The 4th Money Laundering Directive is out for consultation as I write and, once introduced in June 2017, will inevitably impose even greater requirements on agents and others in terms of compliance.
The last quarter of a year is always a time when those businesses that do so, plan their business for the year ahead. I am always amazed at how few businesses enter a year with a clear plan and seemingly just drift from day to day, hoping that things will be OK!
Needless to say, in my experience, it is those businesses with clear plans and a commitment to implementing, monitoring and reviewing them, that tend to succeed and those that drift along with the ebb and flow of the market that are less succesful.
Business planning is a great opportunity to engage with and involve staff and help build teamwork and commitment.
As I write I am in the process of producing content for two agency websites and have completed two others in recent weeks. Relevant, punchy content that captures what a business is about and gets the message across succinctly is vital and can help generate traffic and business.
Two of my clients have engaged me on a programme of mentoring with their managers. We meet regularly and I am helping them grow in their roles both as estate agents but also as leaders of people and their businesses. This is producing immediate dividends and is being well received by the attendees who are becoming more confident and competent with every session.
In the autumn I set up a conveyancing panel for one of my multi office estate agency clients, the sixth time I have done this over recent years and they are now benefiting from improved communication, faster transactions and an additional income stream. The lawyers are benefiting from increased volumes of business and improved communication too.
I often work with clients on developing exit strategies for them and I am currently doing so for two businesses. In addition I am currently negotiating the sale of a surveying practice.
In September I chaired the LFS Conveyancing Conference which was held in Birmingham and the awards evening saw the fruits of both mine and my fellow judges judging efforts when the prestigious “gongs” were dished out!
In October I judged entries for two categories at the IBP Journalism Awards and will be attending the awards dinner in London on December 1st.
Also in October I attended the University College of Estate Management Property lunch in London which saw Ros Kerslake pick up the main property award.
October 25th saw the annual Incorporated Society of Valuers and Auctioneers Past Presidents lunch at the Army & Navy Club in Pall Mall. I am proud to be the chairman (gaffer) of this club and delighted that we managed to get nine attendees to the event. The ISVA merged with RICS in 2000 and so there have been no new members since that time and the only way out of the club is unfortunately feet first! This year we had a minute's silence for two Past Presidents who are no longer with us - Vincent Kenneally and John Mervyn Phillips.
November 1st saw me attend the Negotiator Awards in London where both Integra and my other business interest, traceWise, were finalists in separate supplier of the year categories. Unfortunately neither of us were winners but got honourable mentions in despatches. It was however a good evening and a great opportunity to catch up with the great and good from across the industry.
In October I started working with ARPM outsourced lettings solutions who provide a full range of lettings property management services specifically aimed at small estate agents who wish to grow their businesses. I am providing mentoring services and helping with their business development plans.
Finally, I have recently upgraded our email presentation using Growthtrack. Integra emails now have branding that closely matches our website and provides professional imagery that can be viewed across all platforms.
Michael S Day MBA FRICS FNAEA