Daniel Wright has worked in real estate franchising for the past 15 years. He invested in his own franchise business seven years ago and hasn’t looked back. 

Daniel and business partner Bianca Keleher operate their franchise out of Chelsea, Melbourne and its reach spans the city’s Bayside area

DECIDING ON THE BRAND

When the opportunity to invest in a hockingstuart franchise arose, Daniel and Bianca welcomed it with open arms. 

“For Bianca and I, the decision [to invest in hockingstuart] was simple – there were no other hockingstuart agencies between Frankston and Mentone and we were always scared that if a hockingstuart office opened up in Chelsea we’d be toast. As the saying goes, if you can’t beat them, join them!”

While familiarity with the model influenced Daniel’s decision to invest in a franchise rather than an independent real estate business, the notion of franchisor support also played a part.

“For Bianca and I, becoming part of the hockingstuart brand meant functions like marketing and training could be largely managed by head office, allowing us to focus on what we do best – property sales and leasing,” he explains.

“I always viewed hockingstuart as a sophisticated brand with strong recognition and expertise in the Melbourne metro market, but what really appealed to us was its extensive marketing capabilities with the likes of Red Magazine, on top of extensive listing spaces and in online, local and metro news outlets.”

THE DAY TO DAY

While he is director of the business, Daniel is still very much involved in the selling of properties and he generally hands the sales side of things.

“An average day could include anything from listing properties and meeting with vendors to appraising houses, pre-auction meetings and managing staff. And on the weekends, it’s all about the auctions,” he says.

Bianca, on the other hand, is responsible for the administration, accounting and property management side of the business.

“Her role is to manage office procedures and improve efficiency, whereas I am more focused on securing listings, optimising sales results, motivating the sales team and nurturing vendor relationships. We complement each other and the result is a well run business,” Daniel explains.

TRAINING

Daniel was surprised by the quality of both initial and ongoing training on offer at hockingstuart. “There’s such depth to their training that it doesn’t matter what level you are at or what areas you want to develop, they’ve got you covered,” he says.

He uses the company’s auctioneer training program as an example: “It’s an extensive 10 week course that is compulsory for every agent who wants to auction for the group.

“Having not done anything similar under previous franchises, we have really noticed the difference and have excelled in selling under the hammer ever since.”

In addition, Daniel describes the company’s directors’ conference as “invaluable”.

“It’s the perfect opportunity to mingle, throw ideas around and share experiences with successful colleagues. The value of peer-to-peer learning is a big benefit of being a part of the hockingstuart franchise,” he explains.

LOCAL AREA MARKETING

Daniel has lived in Chelsea all his life, and is passionate about his local community. “We’re a major sponsor of the Bonbeach Football and Netball Club and the Chelsea Football and Netball,” he says. 

“Having played for both the footy club myself, I’m also on the committee. We also sponsor the Carrum Cricket Club, as well as local primary schools, Carrum Primary and Kingston Primary. At the end of the day, the local Chelsea community is the foundation of our business.”

GOALS

Daniel and Bianca’s business goals are very much intertwined with the needs of their customers and employees.

“Improving customer service is an ongoing priority because its what really defines our business against competitors,” Daniel says.

“Maintaining a positive work environment is another key priority. We’re proud that our average period of tenure is five years, which is really high for the real estate industry. We place a high value on finding ways to keep staff motivated.”