Jo Bourne on leaving 24 years of corporate agency, leading with people first, the power of the pre-call before the valuation, and why cutting training is the first mistake agents make.

Leadership and ManagementEstate AgencyPersonal Development

EP 7 · Graham Lock

Why Independents Win

Graham Lock on building the Federation of Independent Agents, why collaboration beats competition, lead sharing across the network, and how agents get recommended by AI search.

Estate AgencyLeadership and ManagementTechnology and AI

EP 14 · Simon Thomas

Target Exchanges, Not Billing

Simon Thomas of Montpellier Legal on growing a conveyancing firm to 100 staff in five years, targeting lawyers on exchanges rather than billing, patient capital, and why the public undervalues how hard agents work.

EntrepreneurshipEstate AgencyLeadership and Management

Quotes

We target our lawyers not on billing. We target them on getting exchanges through.

Simon Thomas · 20:53

Ross: Measure the outcome the client feels, and behaviour follows.

The work will come to you if you build quality. Build capacity, then fill it.

Simon Thomas · 05:14

Ross: Quality is the best sales team a firm can hire.

Imagine from day one that you're the big company, so growth is a natural pain, not a surprise.

Simon Thomas · 34:26

Ross: Decide like the business you intend to become. Growing pains beat growing surprises.

People before property, people before profits. Get your people right and the rest follows.

Jo Bourne · 04:59

Ross: Get the people right and the numbers stop needing rescuing.

They think if I train my team they might leave. They'll leave anyway if you don't develop them.

Jo Bourne · 33:01

Ross: The bigger risk is a team you never developed. Invest anyway.

Are we going to valuations, or are we going for instructions? It's mindset.

Jo Bourne · 36:16

Ross: Walk in for the instruction. The mindset shows before you speak.

We don't shake hands, we hug. Because we're not competing, we're happy to share.

Graham Lock · 08:13

Ross: Collaboration is a competitive advantage the lone wolves cannot copy.

The incumbents who sit and wait to see what everyone else does, that's a dangerous game now.

Graham Lock · 05:57

Ross: Waiting to see what everyone else does is now the riskiest strategy available.

At some point the FIA closes the doors. It becomes a waiting list, and you cherry-pick the best.

Graham Lock · 09:14

Ross: Scarcity works for networks too. Standards create the queue.