Do you have what it takes to succeed in estate agency?

ACHANCE meeting six years ago has led to a successful change of career for estate agent director Stephen Ryan. Stephen was manager of a bed store when he walked in to Gibbs Gillespie’s Uxbridge and spotted a familiar face behind a desk.

He had gone in looking to sell his property but after a chat with his friend he began buying into the idea that a career selling houses could be ideal for him.

He has since gone on to become one of the award winning estate agent’s most successful branch directors, consistently hitting sales targets with 2015 being a record year for his office.

Stephen, a father of two, said: “Since leaving school I’d always worked in traditional retail and had spent several years working for carpet, furniture and bed stores.

“There was just something about estate agency that appealed to me and

RECORD SALES:

Stephen Ryan is one of Gibbs Gillespie’s most successful branch directors. made me want to give it a go. As soon as I started I thought to myself this is the career for me.

“I love that every day brings new challenges and a chance to meet and help people. Being out and about a lot of the time is something that wasn’t an option working from a shop.”

Stephen feels that his previous experience has helped him become successful.

He added: “My background in retail sales has served me really well.We were taught that you had one mouth and two ears for a reason and that it was vital that you listened to the customer more than you talked.

“By listening you can find out what the customer really wants and then you can go about helping them. It’s the same approach I adopt to my work now.”

Stephen is now in charge of a team of 11 and he shares his philosophy on customer service with them.

“It’s really important that you are proactive in this business.

“You can’t wait for the phone to ring and that’s why I always make a point of taking as many notes as possible after an initial meeting with a potential customer.

“I encourage all my team to do this because then you can follow up in the future and keep in touch to see if the prospective client needs any help with something.

“Estate agency for me is a business built on listening, working hard and establishing good long-term relationships with people.”

Stephen works at Gibbs Gillespie’s Ruislip Manor Office in Victoria Road, Ruislip, Middlesex.