On International Women’s Day it seems apt to celebrate the women in our lives both at home and at work. Estate Agency has historically been viewed as a male dominated industry, with just 15% of the workforce in the Property & Construction industry being women*. At Sewell & Gardner we are proud that 2/3 of our team are women and the reason for this is that we genuinely believe that women make great Estate Agents. Over half our Senior Management Team are women, most of whom have worked their way up from junior roles in the business. We are passionate about equal opportunities for men and women and this is something that is clear when you meet the S&G team.
So, on International Women’s Day, I wanted to discuss why I think the women I work with at Sewell & Gardner make such great Estate Agents.
- Empathy is a hugely important trait in Estate Agency as it allows you to fully understand the client’s situation and offer the most helpful and honest advice. Most moves have an emotional driver behind them, and the ability to share this emotion with a client is something I think the women at S&G do very well. ‘Keeping people at the heart of the property market’ is our company vision and empathy is key to this. Empathy also helps to build trust, which leads me nicely onto my next point!
- It is really important to us that that we gain a client’s trust right from the outset. This allows us to build a great relationship with them, so they know we are going to offer them the best advice and support. As property professionals we have a responsibility to guide people through the sales process, using our knowledge and experience to get them the results they desire. It is important that our clients trust us to enable us to do this for them.
- We receive a lot of feedback from clients that they liked that we weren’t ‘too pushy’ or ‘too salesy’. The ability to sell your service to a client without them feeling under pressure is important in Estate Agency as moving house is already a hugely emotional and stressful process. One of our brand values is ‘people first, profit follows’, meaning that the customer is more important to us than the commission. Over half of our business comes from recommendations and I strongly believe that this mindset contributes greatly to that figure.
- They say that when women support each other, great things happen, and this is something that can be seen first-hand in our team. Another of our brand values is ‘winners work in teams’ and although this is phrase often associated with men’s sport, the ladies at Sewell & Gardner embody this, along with the men too!
- Generally, people believe that women make an emotional connection with a home quicker than men do. You will know why you fell in love with your home so being able to easily relay this to your agent will only help them to market your property in the best light, highlighting its best features.
Obviously, all the above qualities are not limited to women, many men possess them to, but when I look around at the women in Sewell & Gardner these are some of the key reasons that I believe they are good estate agents. So, happy International Women’s Day ladies! I am inspired by the strong, talented women that work around me every day and am proud to be part of a team that does ‘choose to challenge’.
Hannah Matthews
Operations Manager
*Property Reporter 2021.