EPM: Productivity

  • How to make the most of your meetings

    The modern day workplace meeting is vastly different from days gone by.

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  • The opposing challenges of differentiation and automation: Brock Fisher

    When your business looks the same from the outside as your competitors, you are failing to establish a unique value proposition and a point of difference. This is a problem, and often misused automation tools are to blame. Brock Fisher explains how to use proptech to stand out in the crowd.

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  • Property Manager tips – working from home

    Property Manager tips – working from home transcript Hi, I’m Michelle Rigg. I’m the general manager at Rentwest Solutions. We’re a property management company in Perth WA. I want to talk with property managers about just getting ready and preparing properly for working from home, as most of you are now. It is a little bit different in these times…

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  • Reboot for results

    With the new year fast approaching, now is the perfect time to reboot your property management business. Here’s how you can reconnect, review, redevelop, redefine and readjust your business’s vision, targets and goals so that you can achieve even better results in 2020. RECONNECT WITH YOUR ‘WHY’ Reconnecting with your ‘why’ allows you to reignite…

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  • Standing out from the crowd

    Being a property manager, leader or a business owner might seem overwhelming at times. There is so much competing information, content and choices to be made. It can be hard to know where to start and what to prioritise to get the best outcomes, stay relevant and keep our clients happy. There are five key areas we need to consider…

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  • Two things that grew rent rolls this year (and one that didn’t!)

    The end of the year is the perfect time to examine what worked and what didn’t when it comes to growing rent rolls. I worked closely with owners in the start-up stage of growing their rent rolls (pre-200 properties), and it was clear two things made a significant difference in growth over the past 12 months. Interestingly, there was one…

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  • How to know when to go

    It’s a question most employees and many employers will consider at some stage in their careers. Change, as they say, is inevitable. Perhaps you have lost the passion for your job. Maybe you’re in a rut or find yourself heading in a different direction to the business. Then again, you may just want a new challenge. Before you make the…

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  • From property manager to trusted adviser

    Traditionally the role of a property manager has been administrative and task focused, which often results in clients perceiving them as low value. There are several reasons why, and it’s an important part of the conversation. We need to understand what we need to change to become more relationship focussed, with an emphasis on trust and wealth creation. This is…

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  • work life balance

    Are you working to live or living to work?

    More and more Australians are going above and beyond in the workplace, and the real estate industry is far from immune. Kate Strickland ponders the big question of inner guilt and fostering the work/life balance. 

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  • Business auditor reveals the 7 most frequent failures by Australian organisations

    A leading global risk management provider has revealed the most common reasons why organisations fail to meet the goals they set. SAI Global is a trusted global leader in risk management solutions through its standards, assurance and training offerings across more than 130 countries. Over the years they’ve audited thousands of organisations – from the ASX top 200 to SMEs.…

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  • Business game plan

    Firstly, yes: a business plan is important and can help greatly, but a business plan has no hope without belief and action. Having the belief and intention of mind is what creates success, writing it down is just a reminder. So giving yourself a clear reminder of what you want to achieve in the form of a hard copy plan…

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  • Is your workflow just a checklist in disguise?

    At conferences I’ve been hearing words like “workflows”, “automation” and “AI” being thrown around. Understanding the nuances is key to making the right decisions for the future of your business. For this reason, let’s further investigate the use of the word “workflow”. Great technology is the difference between a simple digital checklist and automated workflows. Checklists assume property management is…

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  • Seven steps to maximise energy in your team

    As I step into my 16th year of property management, I am blown away by the development we have seen in the system and support space. We are in an era where PM efficiencies are a hot topic and communication isn’t just important, it is expected of every team member across the rent roll. However, I am just as surprised…

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  • Ask the PM Coach: Strike rate

    Increasingly, our market is seeing out of area investors, many of whom I never get the chance to meet before they select a managing agent. How can I increase my strike rate? Great question. First up, be the area expert. Consistently provide value, add information and ensure you have secured multiple contact methods for keeping in touch. Once it comes…

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  • 9 tips for becoming a stronger BDM: Tara Bradbury

    If I could narrow it down to one simple formula that would show you how to be a successful BDM, would you follow the steps? It comes down to three simple words: ‘be seriously interested’ in what you can do for others. I guarantee that reviewing these nine key areas will change the way you approach your BDM role in…

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  • Investing in you: Jo-Ann Oliveri

    Personal investment is a committed act to a four-step cycle of goal setting, training selection, training attendance and training implementation. Follow these four steps to make the personal investment a helpful habit in 2019: 1. GOAL SETTING The first step in the personal investment cycle is to list your goals, preferably towards the start of the year. Consider your role…

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  • property management

    Spark Joy: Natalie Hastings

    Summer holidays – so far as they exist for property managers – are good for two things: enjoying long days on the beach, and air-conditioned nights bingeing Netflix.

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  • 5 ways property management needs to change

    The 2018 Voice of Australian Property Management report found that property management is suffering from a high level of disillusionment and defection from the industry, with the bulk of those employed in the sector passive about their roles. Here’s what needs to change in 2019: 1 How we work needs to change The data revealed that while most property managers…

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  • How to stop feeling out of control

    Firstly, if you or your team are feeling stressed and overwhelmed, you are not alone. As someone who has worked in the industry for more than 30 years, I know this concern has been shared often by many principals and property management team members across the nation. The role of a property manager is extremely complex. The diversity of the…

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  • How to position your business for success with outsourcing

    Rebecca Halton As the CEO of LJ Hooker City Residential in Perth, Rebecca has a lot on her plate. Leading two offices and a sizeable rent roll in a fairly tough market, efficiency and cost-effectiveness were two of the top concerns for Rebecca’s business. She now has five staff members from Beepo working across both her offices. “We have three staff…

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  • How to get your property management team in peak performance

    It may seem like an outdated process to some, but conducting regular performance reviews across the property management department is a sure-fire way to motivate and reward your staff while driving the bottom line. WHY DO AN ANNUAL PERFORMANCE REVIEW? Clarity A performance review can be a great opportunity to get some one-on-one feedback from your employees and understand what their…

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  • How to build an effective workflow (and why you need one)

    There are a growing number of digital tools that can help a property manager improve workflow to drive efficiency. However, as property managers we have a tendency to want to complicate processes, which can result in clunky workflow and long nights of eating dinner at our computer. Over the years I’ve spent a lot of time auditing property managers and…

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  • How healthy is your PM department?

    Cough, cough. Splutter and sneeze. It’s not only your property managers who need to up their dose of Vitamin C and ensure they get their flu jab this season. Unbeknownst to you, your property management department may be in less than tip-top shape. A sickly rent roll may be underperforming for many reasons, potentially losing you money each month, causing…

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  • Rik Rushton: Make Your Move

    IT’S THE END OF MOVING DAY AND THEY’RE EXHAUSTED. Their backs are aching, their stomach rumbles with hunger and the only thing pounding harder than their sore feet is their throbbing heads. What they wouldn’t give for a hot shower, a glass of wine and an early night in with a movie. What if you, as your clients’ trusted real…

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  • PropertyTree: It’s about Time

    Time. Don’t you wish you had more of it? Everyone’s time is limited. It doesn’t matter who you are or what you do; we all have the same number of hours and minutes in our day, and it’s a constant battle against the clock to get everything done. Unless you have PropertyTree. The team at Rockend is committed to helping property managers…

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  • 2018: Your Best Year

    With almost two decades’ experience at the coalface, I will admit that I didn’t always do things right. There have been a lot of learning curves along the way. On my very first day on the job, I was given an empty desk and a phone, and that was it. I didn’t know the first thing about managing a property, and…

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  • CVS2BVS: A New Operating System for Your Brain

    Nobody likes being ‘wrong’ due to the negative feelings we tend to associate with it. But doesn’t need to be that way – if only your brain could see things differently and move you toward a more positive scenario – would it make you more productive? Do you remember the sting of embarrassment, shame, or anger the day you were…

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  • Are the riches in the niches?

    Our industry’s past was all about the big-brand dominance of real estate generalists – those one-stop-shops that offered everything from commercial property management to private sales, owners corporation management to holiday letting. The future of real estate is about developing a reputation for excellence in a specific niche. Your property management department may already have begun the process of specialisation,…

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  • 10 Ways to Reclaim One Hour per Day

    TIME IS THE great equalising currency of all people, of all nations, across all ages. How we value and spend time is the critical difference between those who achieve their goals and those of us who may be really busy, but getting nowhere. Looking at how we spend time and the output we are actually achieving from our energy spent…

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  • Camera Snaps and Cling Wraps – 10 Clever Ways to Help Your Tenants ‘Hack’ Moving Day

    Recently Direct Connect ran a ‘moving hacks’ competition on NovaFM to encourage people to share their top tips and tricks for moving house, with the winner receiving payment of their electricity bills for a year. While everyone understands the reality of moving is never simple, Direct Connect have been doing their bit to help make it easier by sharing information,…

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  • R U OK?

    Don’t just ignore stress, anxiety and depression – a little question to a friend or colleague may start a vital conversation about mental health, says Fiona Blayney. You’ll be getting the impression that a few things have my heightened attention at the moment if you’ve been reading my most recent words. I’m not sure if it has something to do…

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  • How to Decide What You Want In Life

    The reason most people don’t accomplish much or have much in their lives is because they haven’t decided what they want. Top body language experts Allan and Barbara Pease outline a proven way to do just with an extract from their new book, The Answer. Most people struggle with questions such as ‘How do you define success?’; ‘Who do I want to…

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  • Communication Changes Your Destination

    Did you know that it can take as little as seven seconds for someone to make a judgement about you based on influences and experiences in their lives to date? Warren Tate explains why you need to be conscious of the impression you are leaving. The moment a stranger sees you, his or her brain is making millions of assumptions and…

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  • Tune Up Your Engine Room For 2017

    When was the last time you gave your property management department a compete service checkup? Is it in the best shape to help you achieve your goals for 2017? Heidi Walkinshaw of Real+ takes a look at some of the key areas that might be in need of a tune up. When we set out our goals at the beginning…

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  • productivity time clock

    Increase Your Productivity with a Single Focus: Penelope Valentine

    Multitasking and following never-ending to-do lists might pose the biggest obstacles to being productive and achieving your goals. Property management is complex in that there are so many moving parts. You may always start the day with the best intentions to get so much done, but at the end you check your to-do list and it’s hardly shrunk. In fact,…

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