Daniel Robinson can clearly remember the moment when he knew he loved helping people in his real estate career.
A local family on the Mornington Peninsula had tragically lost their home in a fire and were not insured.
Mr Robinson offered to help the family sell the property and do it for free to help them get back on their feet.
“I couldn’t stand on the rubble of their home and not sell it for a fee,” Mr Robinson said.
“To me, that is far more impactful on people than maybe putting a sign up at the local footy club.”
Mr Robinson operates on the Mornington Peninsula, predominantly in the Frankston council zone out to Langwarrin.
He got his start in the industry after his family bought some property in Mount Martha.
As a young man he saw an opportunity and approached a franchise in Mount Martha about a traineeship.
“They said no on a number of occasions,” he said.
“Then they called me and gave me a three-month opportunity
“I said to that company that this wouldn’t be a three-month arrangement, I would prove myself.”
These days, Mr Robinson is known for his hyper-focused approach to his chosen area.
“I’m very willing to say to the clientele that if I can’t have a positive influence on their campaign, I won’t work with them,” he said.
“That’s where I think a lot of agents go wrong.
“They say yes to properties here, there and everywhere.
“They get caught in this scenario where they don’t actually know what’s great about those areas.”
Mr Robinson’s focus on Langwarrin has allowed him to become an area expert, which has benefited both his clients and his business.
“The buyers know that I’m hyper-focused on that suburb,” he said.
“They actually come to me regularly for advice, even on properties they’re purchasing through other estate agents
“I feel like we have more influence than just the sales we do.
“We have more influence on the marketplace because of that focus.”
After more than a decade with the same real estate company, he was looking for a way to take his business to the next level while staying true to himself.
Mr Robinson joined Area Specialist 12 months ago after watching the company’s progressive approach to real estate for some time.
“I think the real estate industry is evidently changing from bricks and mortar businesses being in one suburb, then the next suburb, then the next suburb,” he said.
“Why not just have great individuals running their own businesses together?”
This hyper-local approach aligns perfectly with the Area Specialist model, which Mr Robinson said allows agents to retain more of their commission and invest it back into their business.
“We return more, which means we can invest more back into property campaigns, great marketing, innovation, all of these kinds of things,” he said.
In the 12 months since joining Area Specialist, Mr Robinson has transacted 50 sales and increased his overall sale price.
“In the last six months in my area, no singular agent has sold as many million-dollar properties as I have,” he said.
“And we’re in an area which has a median sale price of under a million.”
Mr Robinson attributes this success to his willingness to invest in high-value marketing campaigns and his ability to back up his strategies with analytics and previous successes.
“We are not nervous about saying we are more expensive than our competitors,” he said.
“We can back it up by analytics or successful campaigns previously.
“Success leaves clues.
“Why would we not replicate what others have done if it works?”
Area Specialist is a real estate platform for top-performing agents, providing the systems, tools and technology they need to create, grow and power their business. For more information visit beyourboss.com.au