Hard work brings reward
Dedication pays off for a Palmerston North real estate sales consultant.
She’s sold everything from vacuum cleaners to lawn mowers, but it’s selling property that has brought Palmerston North real estate sales consultant Angela Martin the most success.
Angela, who has worked at LJ Hooker for almost 9 years, won a top award at the national LJ Hooker annual awards ceremony in Auckland. She was presented with the Best Business Growth award based on the number of properties sold. This equated to an outstanding 32 per cent growth in sales over 12 months.
Angela also made it into the top 20 out of 500 real estate sales consultants in New Zealand, coming in at number 11.
From the start Angela has been committed to her career in real estate and after her first year in the job she was in the top 15 per cent of salespeople in Australasia for LJ Hooker. She then made it into the multi-million dollar club gaining a spot in the top 7 per cent but last year made it into the 500 Club, the top 2.5 per cent.
Angela says these milestones haven’t been easy to achieve as she has been competing against Auckland sales people who are dealing with properties with an average price of $1 million.
‘‘The key is hard work and going the extra mile,’’ says Angela.
It was while Angela was at home with her youngest daughter that she sat her real estate papers. While the papers teach prospective sales people all the technicalities, they don’t teach a person how to sell.
‘‘You are either a natural salesperson or you are not. I’d always had a big interest in houses and selling real estate was something I had always wanted to do. I had always been in sales, except I did stop for a few years and did office work but that didn’t excite me.’’
Once Angela gained her qualifications she began looking at real estate companies.
‘‘I had always liked LJ Hooker, it’s a strong brand and all the agents in Palmerston North have been here for a long time.’’
It’s a decision that has worked out well for Angela.
‘‘I’m very lucky as I have a very supportive sales manager in Steve Allen. Good support is very important’’
Angela also says she has been very lucky to have the strong support of her husband Jody.
‘‘Looking after my vendors is my top priority and it’s a seven day a week job. Jody keeps things going at home. He’s been my support person behind the scenes. I always say I can sell but I can’t cook. I wouldn’t be able to do this without Jody’s support.’’
Angela attributes her success to building great relationships with clients and believes in offering a personal service.
‘‘The key is looking after your clients. I have built up some really good long-term relationships with my clients and I do try to give back when I can in different ways.’’
Angela says real estate is a great field to get into and encourages others to become involved.
‘‘It’s a great job to get into but you have to want to work hard and to have passion and believe in yourself.
‘‘People don’t always realise the value of using an experienced real estate agent. Through their experience they can add thousands of dollars to the end result.’’
While things aren’t easy in the current market with a chronic lack of listings Angela believes it’s important to maintain a good attitude.
‘‘It’s a great time of year to get on the market before the traditional spring rush.’’