“Reflection and review enables the long-term improvement of all habits because it makes you aware of your mistakes and helps you consider possible paths for improvement.” So says James Clear, author of one of the very best books I personally have ever read – Atomic Habits.
So what has that go to do with any estate agent conferences?
And…
Why don’t more estate agents attend these gatherings?
I’m really keen to know because either I’m wasting my time by attending these events (and of course that’s entirely possible!) or many, many agents are missing out on so much opportunity for reflection and long term improvement.
I recently attended the two-day day eXp conference in Birmingham and what an event it was! Yes, I know I’m biased because I’m an “eXper” but really… WOW!!
Now I’ve been doing this job for well over 40 years but I learnt a huge number of new things at this conference, relearnt some old things I had forgotten and had many of my views challenged.
There was the usual array of speakers from the sporting world sharing their inspirational stories, presentations from various business experts, an economist – even my own brother Jason Bradbury put in an appearance explaining what we could expect from A.I. in the months and years ahead. However, my absolute favourite contributions (no disrespect little brother!) were from fellow estate agents sharing not just their insights but also their stories of success and probably more importantly, failures.
All of the speakers taught me something but it was the actual real life fellow estate agents that really taught me the most. They were easy to relate to and obviously were able to base their suggestions on front line experience even though they were not operating in my geographical area or sometimes even this country. Perhaps it is this element of relatability that made their contributions so compelling.
Which brings me to one of the most popular reasons given to me as to why so (relatively) small numbers of agents attend the wide range of estate agency conferences held across the UK…
“What can a successful sports person, entrepreneur from another industry, economist, A.I or social media expert really teach me about being a more successful estate agent?”
Frankly words (almost) fail me when I hear this objection and I’m reminded of the quote attributed to John McPhee: “If you have to ask that question, you wouldn’t understand the answer.” Depressing as it is, that statement is probably true but really… if that is your view and a reason for not attending you need to have a talk with yourself!”
The next most popular reason/excuse for non-attendance is time. The notion that an estate agent is SO busy and has such a crammed diary that they are unable to attend is one I simply do not accept but perhaps I am not busy enough myself!
Most, though not all of these events are arranged months in advance allowing plenty of time for diary management and planning. In any event, in today’s ultra-connected world it’s perfectly possible to continue most estate agency activities whilst not being physically in your usual place of work, so I really do find this concern unfounded.
May I suggest that any potential delegates using this excuse seek out a conference that offers a speaker on time management!
And finally, the (in my opinion) least credible reason given for non-attendance – cost. By which I assume people really mean value as I assume that they actually do have the money but choose to spend it on other things that they consider more important to their business.
If they really do not have the money and have been established for at least a year, I would respectfully suggest that they need to reflect on their situation. Ironically, their need for help and support is probably greater than those who are prepared to make what is normally a relatively small investment in themselves.
In my experience, the costs for most of these events/conferences range from zero (there are many events from organisations like Property Academy that have NO CHARGE at all) through to perhaps £500. Yes there are travel costs and perhaps a night in a hotel/Airbnb but hey… compared to many similar events around the globe which can cost 3 or 4 times as much, I would suggest that a UK estate agency conference is actually cheap (perhaps it’s too cheap?).
I have no empirical evidence for this, but certainly from what I have seen and hear about, agents in other countries appear to be much more disposed to attend even if they pay a lot more money. Interestingly, of course many (even most) of the agents abroad are self-employed and have to pay for the tickets themselves as opposed to being given a ticket by an employer… go figure!
I’ve barely mentioned the other “soft” advantages of attending a UK estate agency conference apart from hearing the wisdom of the speakers, though there are plenty of them. There’s normally an exhibition with a wide range of suppliers eager to share their ideas and explain their services. This is not only another business opportunity but as I understand it, most of these events would not be financially viable without the financial support provided by these firms. It strikes me as an extremely efficient use of time to catch up with current suppliers and communicate with potential new ones.
Of course, there’s the usual networking opportunities, much under rated by many but clearly it’s got to be a huge advantage to meet other agents in a formal or informal setting and to simply listen and share ideas.
And finally – these events are normally REALLY GOOD FUN! Yes I know it sounds shallow but couldn’t we all do with a little more fun in our lives?
So there we are, I hope you can understand my surprise and bemusement as to why more UK estate agents do not attend these events. I am REALLY interested in your answers to my question…
Why don’t more estate agents attend these gatherings?
P.S. If you have never attended a conference, why not break the habit of a lifetime and book in to the forthcoming Kerfuffle Conference on Thursday at the Iconic Wembley Stadium? It has a truly stellar line up of speakers, a sold out exhibition, plenty of fellow estate agents eager to share their perspectives and of course the fantastic Simon Whale, so there’s bound to be plenty of fun!
Wembley prepares to host Kerfuffle Conference 2025
