As the residential director for Bayleys Real Estate, Johnny Sinclair spends his days helping the company’s 270-plus agents reach their goals. He has a night out on the town with an old school mate to thank for making the switch to property.
What did you do before real estate?
I worked for Ansett New Zealand as the production manager for their inflight magazines. I was the one who pulled everything together, made sure the deadlines were met and it got printed on time and on the planes on time. With a colleague, I was also dealing with advertising agencies, doing the TV and radio commercials.
Why did you move to real estate?
Start your property search
I’ve been best mates with Mike Bayley, Bayley’s managing director, since we were 12 and I also know his family very well. We’d gone out one night about 20 years ago and the next morning I woke up on his couch and there were all these property marketing magazines on the coffee table. I knew a lot about magazines, obviously, so I was interested in them, and Mike said it just so happened they were looking for a marketing manager, was I interested? The rest is history. I did have to go through the whole interview process but that is how I made the move and I have never regretted it. I like being part of a family business and the way the Bayleys run it. I worked in marketing for Bayleys for years and then I felt like I had done my thing and it was time for something new. From there I went into management and I love dealing with our salespeople, helping them to grow and achieve successful outcomes. It is incredibly rewarding.
What’s a typical day like for you?
No two days are alike – I could be in Kerikeri or the Coromandel one day talking to our salespeople there or I could be at auction rooms or a client function. I’m kind of a roving hillbilly and that’s what I love about it. My role at the moment involves a lot of business planning and aligning all the franchises together to make sure we have a cohesive business plan. It’s so exciting for me seeing our salespeople being able to achieve their goals. I love catching up with people a year after they’ve implemented a plan on how to grow their business and they tell me, “Hey Johnny, I’ve achieved this much commission and it means I’ve been able to do such and such with my family." That’s what gets me up in the morning.
What makes a good real estate salesperson?
Being a good communicator. The very best people in this industry are those who can communicate well with clients and buyers so that they make the right decision about buying and selling. They don’t do a hard sell, they educate people so that they are making their decision based on facts. At the moment, in a hot market, pretty much anyone can sell a property. But did they get the best possible outcome for their clients? You can’t cut corners, even in a buoyant market. You’re dealing with people’s biggest asset.
What’s your advice to anyone thinking about getting into real estate?
I think it should be a consideration of any young person, and they should remember that it is not just about selling. The whole property sector is vast and there are opportunities for every make-up of person. There are roles for marketers, PR people, IT people, property managers, you name it. And you can transition to sales from other roles in the business if that’s what you want. There is a lot of support for people these days because we know we are only as good as our people. We’re finding that those who dip their toes in the property industry are blown away by the potential to have a great career.
Are you seeing more younger people getting into property?
Definitely. I’ve just done an interview with a young woman in her first year out of college. She wants to get into property so she is going to start with a reception and admin job and do her real estate papers, then she will go through the process to become a salesperson. We still have a way to go to catch up to Australia. Their average age of salespeople is something like 29. You do often find that salespeople have done another career first then found their way into real estate, which is great, but I really do think more younger people should consider it as their first option. It is such a dynamic industry and you can be very successful at it, whatever part you want to get into.
2020 turned out to be a great year for real estate agents. Did you see that coming?
Absolutely not. If someone had said [the incredibly buoyant market] would be a possibility I wouldn’t have believed them. It’s been a real rollercoaster ride because you have seen both sides – industries that are doing really well but then others that are really feeling the heat. My wife is in hospitality, with her own catering firm, so I have seen how tough it can be for some industries. In fact, people who’ve come out of industries like hospitality can do really well in real estate because it’s all people-focused. Flight attendants make good salespeople and travel agents are really good at the admin stuff. We’ve had people come in from those industries and they are doing well.
How have your experiences of buying and selling homes been?
Good. In fact we’ve recently sold our house on Waiheke and just bought a home in Mission Bay. We lived on Waiheke for eight years and absolutely loved it. We wanted to bring our kids Lulu, Poppy and Lochie up somewhere with a rural, community feeling and Waiheke was ideal for that. But we’ve moved back to the city for schooling and found the perfect place. So going through the process myself, I’ve gained an even greater appreciation for how hard salespeople work. There is a lot of work that goes on behind the scenes.
What do you do with your time away from real estate?
It’s all about family, and spending time with the kids. We’re a very active family, and thankfully they love doing what I love, which is anything to do with the water. I’ve been in love with boating since I was 14 and now I am lucky enough to have my own launch. It’s a real thrill for me that my kids get to experience boating and swimming and diving like I did. It’s a great way to grow up.
