Simon Gates on becoming the most useful person to follow for UK agents, closing the gap between idea and execution, doubling down on what works, and his controversial view that most agents charge too much.

Personal DevelopmentSales and NegotiationMarketing and Brand

EP 15 · Russell Quirk

Always Have a Plan B

Property commentator Russell Quirk on the collapse of his online agency eMoov, rebuilding with Proper PR, why failure is the path to success, the case for the self-employed agent who keeps most of the fee, and why you cannot digitise empathy.

EntrepreneurshipEstate AgencyMarketing and Brand

Quotes

Always have a plan B.

Russell Quirk · 14:55

Ross: Optionality is oxygen. Build the alternative before you need to breathe it.

Stop making excuses on fees and do something about it. Stop blaming everybody else.

Russell Quirk · 41:08

Ross: The fee debate ends when the service argument is won. That is the whole of Worth Every Penny.

If you're on seventy percent of the fee, you're financially bought in. So you're going to be better.

Russell Quirk · 45:06

Ross: Ownership of the outcome changes the standard of the work. Our Partner Agent model is built on exactly this.

You cannot digitise empathy.

Russell Quirk · 1:00:08

Ross: The most defensible skill in the industry costs nothing to practise.

The highest performers might not have the best ideas, but the gap between idea and execution is minuscule.

Simon Gates · 09:42

Ross: Ideas are abundant. Execution is the scarce asset. Shrink the gap.

Consistency is a form of marketing.

Simon Gates · 22:12

Ross: Showing up on schedule is a promise kept in public. That builds trust faster than any advert.

Controversial opinion: most estate agents charge too much.

Simon Gates · 36:32

Ross: Simon and I are making the same point here. A fee is only too high when the worth beneath it has not been built or sold.