Estate agent coaching: is that a thing?

You could argue that coaching and consulting and are one in the same thing, but I think the difference lies – as with so many things – in perception.

Consulting, rightly or wrongly, does come with an image of stuffy corporate meeting rooms drumming up entirely new operational practices and management structures for organisations that contract them. There’s a sort of standoffish reputation of outsiders coming in to a company and declaring that that half the workforce need to be fired and that everything must change. Employees are very often concerned when they are told a consultancy firm has been asked to come in and review their work practices – there is the sense of being spied on, of being found out for being inefficient, of being a waste of space. It’s not something people are renowned for looking forward to.

Coaching, on the other hand, comes with a far more friendly and inclusive vibe. It’s seen as a more personal experience, far less formal than the consulting label and, I would say, far more encouraging: more “yes you can” than “that’s all wrong”. Coaching is often in response to a direct request from the person being coached. They look forward to the experience because they’ve asked for it out of their own curiosity around how they could improve the performance of their business. They feel encouraged and supported from the start; not scared of being told they are rubbish.

If you are reading this, it’s very likely you are not rubbish. Your conscious enquiry into taking your business further by enlisting some outside support puts you among only a small number of estate agents that will actually make that call. Most are wrapped up, quite understandably, in being very busy and trying to make a living. So congratulations if you’ve managed to step outside of that for a moment to see what else is possible for your business.

Have you thought about how you’d like your estate agency to look 12 months from now? What would you like to accomplish? Why not take 5 minutes now to write down some achievements that would truly inspire you. Be specific: 15% market share? 50% more sales? double the annual income? increased commission rate by 0.25% or 0.5%? or 1%? average sale price up by 15% through higher value instructions? Forget how you’ll get there; simply think about being there. What’s it like? Feeling inspired?

This is what coaching is about: identifying your dream scenario and supporting you in living it.