Aussie Liverpool is part of the Top 10 Franchise Brokerages 2016.
7 AUSSIE
LIVERPOOL
Setting strategies has helped Mark Burton’s experienced brokers evolve into top performers
Aussie Liverpool owner Mark Burton can recall the moment the brokerage got into its stride: at a team meeting when they discussed how they’d get to the next level. For years the brokerage was “an average performer”, says Burton. It’s easy to forget that just a couple of years ago NSW’s housing market was not nearly so buoyant. Building the brokerage was a gradual process. “We put in strategies: marketing, customer retention, customer calls; we got better at asking for referrals, working our leads – not just one thing, many things,” Burton says.
The brokerage changed, but the personnel did not. Burton, who opened the brokerage in 1999, points to brokers Shareek Mohammed and Evelyn Burton, who have both been with the brokerage for 10 years. Aided by the changes in the Aussie Liverpool’s organisation, both have stepped up in the past year, becoming high-performers, with Mohammed clinching the No. 52 spot in MPA’s 2015 Top 100 Brokers.
Burton’s team still serves a broad range of clients, and he wants to keep it that way. “Because the cycle changes so often, we’ve decided not to dig in on any particular group.”
Recent restrictions on investor lending by APRA and the banks have appeared to prove him right: while other brokerages have suff ered, at Aussie Liverpool “we haven’t noticed a drop-off in volume”, he says.
The longevity and experience of Burton’s team is a great advantage. “We’re a great big brains trust with over 100 years’ experience, so there’s very few scenarios somebody doesn’t know how to fix.”
Having a veteran team does present some challenges, however. The brokerage has benefi ted from Aussie’s opt-in digital marketing service, Burton explains. “We’re all dinosaurs when it comes to social media: we’re not good at it, and we’re not really interested in it to that degree, except as a business tool. We’ve got some twentysomethings at head offi ce for whom it’s all bread-andbutter stuff , so we outsource.”
Furthermore, the brokerage is still looking to expand, but Burton is fi nding that his veteran brokers have more than enough leads from existing sources. “The guys have been with me so long, they don’t go out knocking on doors; they don’t need to.” Therefore he’s currently in discussion about hiring new brokers with the appetite to go out and chase brand-new business.
Whoever joins Aussie Liverpool will have some excellent role models. “I don’t think we do anything particularly special,” Burton concludes. “Shareek is a gun when it comes to asking for referrals, and following up his leads and calling his database; that’s why he’s a Top 100 Broker … he’s persistent and consistent.”
LIVERPOOLSetting strategies has helped Mark Burton’s experienced brokers evolve into top performers
Aussie Liverpool owner Mark Burton can recall the moment the brokerage got into its stride: at a team meeting when they discussed how they’d get to the next level. For years the brokerage was “an average performer”, says Burton. It’s easy to forget that just a couple of years ago NSW’s housing market was not nearly so buoyant. Building the brokerage was a gradual process. “We put in strategies: marketing, customer retention, customer calls; we got better at asking for referrals, working our leads – not just one thing, many things,” Burton says.
The brokerage changed, but the personnel did not. Burton, who opened the brokerage in 1999, points to brokers Shareek Mohammed and Evelyn Burton, who have both been with the brokerage for 10 years. Aided by the changes in the Aussie Liverpool’s organisation, both have stepped up in the past year, becoming high-performers, with Mohammed clinching the No. 52 spot in MPA’s 2015 Top 100 Brokers.
Burton’s team still serves a broad range of clients, and he wants to keep it that way. “Because the cycle changes so often, we’ve decided not to dig in on any particular group.”
Recent restrictions on investor lending by APRA and the banks have appeared to prove him right: while other brokerages have suff ered, at Aussie Liverpool “we haven’t noticed a drop-off in volume”, he says.
The longevity and experience of Burton’s team is a great advantage. “We’re a great big brains trust with over 100 years’ experience, so there’s very few scenarios somebody doesn’t know how to fix.”
Having a veteran team does present some challenges, however. The brokerage has benefi ted from Aussie’s opt-in digital marketing service, Burton explains. “We’re all dinosaurs when it comes to social media: we’re not good at it, and we’re not really interested in it to that degree, except as a business tool. We’ve got some twentysomethings at head offi ce for whom it’s all bread-andbutter stuff , so we outsource.”
Furthermore, the brokerage is still looking to expand, but Burton is fi nding that his veteran brokers have more than enough leads from existing sources. “The guys have been with me so long, they don’t go out knocking on doors; they don’t need to.” Therefore he’s currently in discussion about hiring new brokers with the appetite to go out and chase brand-new business.
Whoever joins Aussie Liverpool will have some excellent role models. “I don’t think we do anything particularly special,” Burton concludes. “Shareek is a gun when it comes to asking for referrals, and following up his leads and calling his database; that’s why he’s a Top 100 Broker … he’s persistent and consistent.”
