City buildings at sunriise

How to Understand the Importance of Winning in Commercial Real Estate Brokerage

On By John HighmanIn Commercial Real Estate Agency Practice, Commercial Real Estate Brokerage, Prospecting Commercial Real EstateLeave a comment

In commercial real estate brokerage there are many different ways to attract listings and clients. Importantly, or leave your strategies should be honed and developed over time so that you are winning more business in a positive and relevant way. (NB – you can get our commercial real estate brokerage course for free right here)

There are always plenty of competitors chasing the same clients in the same properties in a location, and particularly within your territory. For that very reason, you do need to have some definite and deliberate winning based strategies to help you grow your market share over time.

Market Indicators

Understand the variables of your real estate business, and particularly so for the location. Look at what can and will happen over the foreseeable future with the following categories of new business and property activity:

– client property requirements
– economic indicators
– property performance
– tenant enquiry
– buyer enquiry

The supply and the demand for property within your location will always change, and you need to adjust to that over time. Look at the indicators and adjust your prospecting and marketing efforts accordingly.

In this audio program, John Highman talks about the important skills of attitude and activity as part of winning new business in commercial property today. Learn the special skills to develop a winning attitude as a broker or an agent.

high rise buildings

Why Attention to Detail is So Important in Commercial Property Management Today

On By John HighmanIn Commercial Real Estate BrokerageLeave a comment

In commercial property management today, there are many pressures and activities to consider on a daily basis across the tenancy mix, existing landlord requirements and targets, the property, and the investment requirements of the various stakeholders.  (NB – you can get our commercial property management tips right here)

 

Given those critical facts, property managers are typically very busy on a daily basis, and as a consequence they can easily be distracted into the events of the moment.  An ‘out of control’ property manager is a ‘disaster waiting to happen’ both for the client and the brokerage.  That is why attention to detail is so important in the role and for  each individual property manager.

 

Control all the Facts

 

Attention to detail in all of the property management disciplines is hard to maintain but will help control the issues and the events.

 

So what can you do here? When it comes to ‘attention to detail’, some things are more important than others for property managers and landlords. 

 

What Should You Monitor?

 

So what are the property performance issues that should be optimized and controlled in this detailed way? Try some of these for starters:

 

  1. Lease documentation – the leases that you have now in the property will support and direct the rental cash flow in different ways. Those leases have to be tracked so that all the elements of occupancy are correct and actioned.  Most of those leases will be different in some respects, so do a full and comprehensive lease review by reading the documents ‘end to end’. Take notes of critical issues as you do that.
  2. Tenant negotiations – understand the existing and upcoming tenant lease negotiations. Gather your required information well in advance so that you can start the negotiations in a timely and relevant way.
  3. Tenant placement – don’t just put a tenant into a vacant shop. Make sure that it is the right retail tenant that offers the right merchandise for the location.  Match the tenant into the tenant mix.
  4. Rental cash flow – understand the rental types that match the landlords lease strategies and the current market conditions. Be ready to negotiate those rents as market conditions allow.
  5. Arrears management – watch your arrears in a regular way. Don’t let them get out of control.  Develop arrears strategies for any tenants that are worth keeping in the property for the longer term.
  6. Maintenance management – establish a property maintenance plan and budget for the property so that most of the associated costs are kept within the cash flow capabilities of the property.
  7. Budget performance – this involves both income and expenditure. Set the budget with due regard to incomes, leases, tenants, and local area supply and demand.
  8. Vacancy factors – you will have vacancies to contend with, so allow for that fact in your property budget. Local area supply and demand will impact your leasing and vacancy alternatives.  Watch the trends in the local area.
  9. Property investment targets – the client will have targets and those targets should be at the center of your lease negotiations, tenant choices, market rental considerations, and expenditure planning.
  10. Critical dates – watch the dates in your leases, and the relationships that those leases have to each other in a ‘timing perspective’. You don’t want too much volatility in lease dates and expiry dates in the one property.
city buildings at sunrise

The Many Direct Benefits of Cold Calling in Commercial Real Estate Brokerage

On By John HighmanIn Commercial Real Estate Agent Career, Commercial Real Estate Brokerage, Commercial Real Estate Marketing Agent, Commercial Real Estate TrainingLeave a comment

When you really understand the commercial real estate market and the brokerage activities in your location, you will fully appreciate that you should be talking to lots of local people in a regular and ongoing way.   The database that you create from the people that you know and talk to regularly will be your pipeline of new business in so many different ways.  (NB – You can get our free commercial real estate course right here)

Whilst some listings will come to you because of the brokerage that you work for, most of the high quality listings will be a direct result of your personal effort and ongoing contact with property owners, investors, and business leaders. 

In those 3 categories of people you will find commissions, listings, and a good degree of property pain.  So how do you get this important business activity underway?  You make lots of cold calls in a regular and ongoing way.

Cold Calling Benefits

The principle and main benefits of cold calling can be best described in this way:

  1. Building you personal profile
  2. Finding new people that need property help locally
  3. Tracking property changes locally
  4. Finding new listings
  5. Keeping up to date with market trends

All of these things fit quite specifically into the business of commercial real estate brokerage.  If you are looking to improve your career in commercial real estate, then look to the strategies and skills in cold calling.  Learn how to make more professional business calls every day in a relevant and logical way across property and business segments in your town or city.

In this audio program, John Highman talks about the real benefits of cold calling and why you could consider it as an important part of your real estate model.

Learn the real and relevant skills behind making more prospecting calls in a positive way each and every working day.

 

 

sales 3

How to Set Clear and Correct Priorities in Commercial Property Sales

On By John HighmanIn Commercial Real Estate Agent Audio, Commercial Real Estate Brokerage, Commercial Real Estate Sales AgentLeave a comment

When you work in commercial property sales you will soon know the pressures of the day, the listings that you work with, your clients, and the prevailing property market.  There are lots of things that can distract or divert you into many different activities.  That diversion can lead to a loss of listing opportunity and ultimately commissions.

(NB – You can get our free commercial real estate tips and ideas right here)

In investment sales your main focus should always be on:

  • Prospecting for new business
  • Database management
  • Clients currently served
  • Listings on your books now
  • Marketing activities
  • Taking inquiries
  • Inspections of listings
  • Negotiations of property offers
  • Documentation of listings, sales, and contracts
  • Commissions
  • Followup of transactions

You could add other items to this list given your location and client base.  The fact of the matter is that you will always be busy in commercial real estate brokerage.  There are plenty of things to do.  Systems and factors of focus will help you get through the working day and the week.  Always track your progress in what you are doing, so you can see where improvements are required.

In this audio program, John Highman talks about setting the right priorities in your real estate business and how that will help you with sales and listing results.

high rise buildings

How to Undertake Routine Inspections in Commercial Property Management

On By John HighmanIn Commercial Property Management Agent, Commercial Property ManagerLeave a comment

The idea of inspecting every property in your commercial real estate portfolio can be a bid daunting given that there are plenty of things to look at and investigate as part of the inspection.  The greater the number of properties that you have to manage, the bigger the process of review and documentation.  (NB – you can get our free commercial real estate course for brokers right here)

When you have lots of tenants in occupancy, the whole equation of inspection becomes more complex given that many tenants are in occupation and they all run different businesses.  So the inspection process has to be comprehensive and records need to be kept.  The property manager or the center manager has to implement the property inspection process regularly and in a detailed way.

In this audio program, John Highman talks about the routine inspection process that is all important in the commercial and retail properties under management.

 

city buildings

Get Permanent Results with the Commercial Real Estate Brokerage Fundamentals

On By John HighmanIn Commercial Real Estate Agency Practice, Commercial Real Estate Brokerage, Commercial Real Estate Sales Agent

In commercial real estate brokerage, you can do plenty of things to grow your market share and your client list. That being said, you can also do far too many things and lose focus.

It is always best to remain diligent and persistent at a personal level to a few special processes that can drive your business forward.  (NB – you can get our free commercial real estate course here)

 

Simple is Good

 

Keep your business and your efforts simple and direct; that’s the secret to getting anywhere in the industry.  Action is very powerful if it is deliberately directed into the things that really matter; they are usually clients, properties, marketing, inspections, and negotiations.  Nothing else has priority in our industry.

 

So what are the things that really matter in the industry, and what are the fundamentals to take you forward? Put yourself into your property business and market yourself accordingly.

Each and every working day, connect with new people, qualify them for the location and their interest in property, and then stay connected for the longer term.  Put yourself into the property market; the relationships that you build are really important in so many different ways.

 

Use the Marketing Tools Available

 

Use the different tools of communication that you have available both online and off-line so that you can grow a profile of professionalism and market coverage. Most agents and brokers take an ordinary approach to communication today; you can do better than that. Use the marketing tools that are available at your fingertips and within your brokerage.

 

You are the point of difference that can drive more real estate opportunity over time. There are plenty of other agents and brokers in the location all chasing the same properties and clients. Your relevance and professionalism will be the factors of importance to take you forward as a top agent or broker.

 

Be Different but Relevant

 

Build some points of difference into your professional services, so that you can stand out as the agent of choice for the location. The clients that we serve understand the value of a highly skilled agent or broker with deep and meaningful market coverage. Clients will usually choose their agent or broker on that basis.

 

Here are some ideas to help you build your business from the essential and required fundamentals:

 

  1. Database growth – at a personal level, you should be building your database each and every day. You cannot and should not delegate the process. Talk to new and fresh people as part of your prospecting model, and then into the detail into your database records. Build your business on local area information and personal contact.
  2. Local area marketing – become a specialist for the location and market every exclusive listing comprehensively on that basis. When you have some listings to work with, you have plenty of reasons to talk to other people in a meaningful way. Use your listings to open the doors of opportunity and communication across the local area.
  3. Connecting with people – there are always plenty of people to connect with locally across the different industry segments. Deliberately research and communicate with business owners, investors, tenants, and property developers. The process of research takes time and effort, so you will need a segment of your day devoted to the required research.
  4. Understanding the property market – look at the factors of change in your area with a focus on listings, prices, and rentals. Understand the future supply and demand for the location, and also track the levels of inquiry for the area.
  5. Refining your professional skills – certain skills are more important than others in commercial real estate today. Put some real effort into marketing, presentation skills, and listing skills, so that you can move most of your listings to negotiation and closure. Every broker and agent should be practicing their skills in a regular and ongoing way. The industry is competitive, and yet the rewards are many. Position yourself for the best properties and the best clients through constant and ongoing practice.
  6. Building your relevance for the location – the clients that you serve understand the value of a top agent who understands the area and the property types. Build your relevance for the location so that you understand the streets, the buildings, and the levels of recent inquiry. When you understand what is happening locally, you can convert your listings more successfully and directly. Exclusivity is also a lot easier when you understand your location in a comprehensive way.
  7. Marketing properties – the properties that we list today can be promoted comprehensively both online and off-line. Look at the tools available to you when it comes to marketing, and then match those tools into the best methods of sale or lease as the case may be.

 

A successful transaction will usually be the end result of a carefully constructed marketing campaign directed at a target audience. That strategy requires effort and money. Always seek vendor paid marketing funds as part of your listing processes.

 

So the message here is that you cannot and should not complicate your real estate business as a broker or an agent. Simplify your prospecting and client contact processes. Market yourself deeply into a location as the industry specialist that the people are looking for.

city at night

Commercial Real Estate Brokers – Refresh and Rehabilitate Old Listings

On By John HighmanIn Commercial Real Estate Agent, Commercial Real Estate Agent Audio, Commercial Real Estate Training

In commercial real estate brokerage, you will  always have some listings that just do not move or create the enquiry expected.  That can usually be for any of a combination of reasons such as:

  • Market conditions
  • Competing properties
  • Lack of targeted enquiry
  • Seasonal market pressures
  • Price or rent over market

Those listings invariably stay on the market for a long time; they have to be re-positioned and or rehabilitated. The client should be part of that process.  Ultimately the client wants a result. (NB – you can get our specialized commercial real estate broker course right here)

Those clients that fail to adjust to market circumstances deserve what they get (or fail to get).  The best clients will always listen to market circumstances and allow their agent to refresh the property and push on with other marketing and pricing ideas.

A Brokers Job

Our job is to match the strengths of the property listing into the market conditions and make things happen.  It is also our job to resolve the weaknesses that may be present in the property so results can happen with inquiries, inspections, or offers.  There are some real skills to be tuned and developed there.

In this audio program, John Highman talks about the ways that you can and should approach those difficult commercial property listings to get better results.