Australia's Top Agents: What’s Their Hidden Code?

We reveal what Australia’s top real estate agents have in common and why their results stay strong even when the market turns. 

• McGrath awards night reflections and why a tighter format works 
• The market splitting into confident operators and agents who are struggling 
• Common traits across top agents: confidence, integrity, humility and zero spruik 
• Listening skills, product knowledge and preparation as competitive advantages 
• Work ethic, team standards and a constant drive to improve 
• Consistency over decades and what it really takes to stay on top 
• Why disciplined process beats relying on flair or charisma 
• Rugby league as a metaphor for business resilience 
• What top auction agents do differently: buyer work and over-communication 
• How to deliver tough price feedback without losing the vendor 

Transcript

Welcome And Awards Night Highlights

Tom Panos 0:00

Tom Panos, John McGrath, Troy Malcolm, Million Dollar Agent, the podcast. We're back again. Good to see you and hear you, gentlemen. How are you going?

John McGrath 0:09

Very well, Tommy. Good to be here, Troy.

Troy Malcolm 0:12

Very good. Good afternoon.

Tom Panos 0:14

So before I forget, firstly, John, Troy, I went to my first real estate awards night in many years. Last week. And actually, it's only about a few minutes from where I'm sort of sitting in my car right now, and you held it at um uh what's that venue called? I should know it. La Montage. La Montage, just behind uh Likeheart. And before I forget, John, I've got to tell you, I've heard a lot of one country welcomes, but yours was the best I've ever, ever heard. You actually gave it education and you gave it context. Um, and it was very, very interesting. And in fact, I took your speech that you'd uh had in writing and I'd given it to one of uh my daughters who is very, very interested in Aboriginal culture. But moving on from that, I just gotta say, guys, what a nice event.

John McGrath 1:11

We sort of invited you because we'd love to have you there, but I didn't expect because I know your schedule is jam-packed, but we're we're delighted you came and I know you made a lot of people's night by being there, so thanks.

Tom Panos 1:21

Well, well, John, I've got to tell you, I don't get a lot of awards night because many, many years ago I had a run of them and they'd finish at like one in the morning. You'd be sitting there for four hours hearing name after name after name, and it wasn't enjoyable. But it appears you've now this little template. It's done in an hour and a half, and then people can do what they want to do. But I want to touch on that night, like I know the volume that a lot of your agents write, because a lot of them I've got relationships with, a lot of them are in my black belt program, and a lot of them are actually friends of mine. So most of the people that were in the top 10 would, if they ran a real estate office, if they had their own real estate office, right? Um those the figures that they write are significantly higher than what you know a good real estate office would write across Australia and New Zealand. And I thought it would be really good to spend a bit of time looking at that code of those people. I mean, some of them we we we we know the Matt Steinways and the Alex Jordan. By the way, Alex Jordan got number one again, didn't he?

John McGrath 2:28

Yeah, he did again. It's hard to get to the top, it's much harder to stay at the top. He did an extraordinary job.

Tom Panos 2:34

And what a beautiful speech. He actually, what a humble guy. He said, I don't know whether I'll be up here again, right? That is that just shows the sign and the humility of a guy who's just won and hasn't sat there and said, Oh, I'll make it 10 in a row here. No, no. This guy said he's I'm gonna enjoy it because I'm not quite sure we got some really good competitors. This could be the last time I'm actually up here. Do you remember him saying that, John?

John McGrath 2:59

Yeah, I do. It either leads very humble or he's about to leave. But I think it's the first one knowing AJ. No, he's uh he's a champion. And I know today, Tommy, you were keen to sort of just touch on some of the people in that top 10 to try and get a few insights, and then we're also going to go Troy around the grounds and look at who else. Obviously, not every of the top agents in Australia works with us. We've got a um our fair share, but um yeah, what makes because we're the three of us are fortunate that we actually get to we know most of them well and we get to work with them, and sometimes we've coached them. And at time you've coached quite a few. So it'd be good to share some of our insights for

A Market That Splits Agents

John McGrath 3:38

people that are out there aspiring to be them or to have their results. So um, you want to start with our top guys?

Tom Panos 3:45

And yeah, I wouldn't I wouldn't mind starting, and I'm particularly John looking for if we can. We'll we'll look at the McGrath and then we'll look at some of the other people. I'll throw a few names up there, and we'll I want to see if there's a code, if there's a recipe, if there's this common denominator that people can go off and say, well, we know that that's tried and tested. It works. Um, and I can tell you why it's important because at the moment, gentlemen, I think the real estate industry in Australia is actually getting divided into two groups. One group that's sort of saying, what the hell's going on here? Interest rates, budgets, noise, wars. And there's another group that are saying, hey, this could be that opportunity I need to actually elevate myself because all of a sudden, my ability to win listings based on process and not overpricing, it matters. My ability to be able to articulate what vendors really need to hear, not what they like to hear, matters. And all of a sudden, we're seeing these agents that have had good strategies in working with buyers and good strategies in, you know, um working in building personal brands. They're all those people seen that. Phil Harris said to me, Tom, I'm embracing this. I'm getting other agents that are saying it's fine. But then on the other hand, guys, I've got to tell you, there are a group of real estate agents that are sitting on seek.com. We've got to accept that.

John McGrath 5:09

Yeah, I agree. I'm I was talking to a guy today that's thinking of joining us, and I think probably will join us. And he said, Oh, it's not a good time though. That's my only problem. And I said, Why do you say that? Uh he said, the market's a bit soggy, a bit soft. And I said, to be quite honest, half the industry is hiding in a cave, shivering. Half the half of the other half are not sure whether they're going to survive. And the really sharp ones are walking into listing presentations with confidence and a plan and a process and a wad of buyers, you know, ready to go. And I think it's, you know, this is a dangerous time to be sort of uncertain about uh whether or not, you know, you're going to make it.

Tom Panos 5:51

This is the well, gentlemen, if I I'll just say this Alex Jordan, Tarun from Strathville, Peter Chauncey from the North, Maddie Steinway from uh Central Coast, Antonio Doughy from Brisbane. If I say to you, those five people, if you could

What Top Ten Agents Share

Tom Panos 6:05

think of one, two or three qualities that sum up what these five people are about, confidence is one of them. I just thought about that. I looked at every one of those there gives you a feeling of it's going to be okay, right? They they leave you with with confidence. What else, Troy? What else, John?

John McGrath 6:24

Uh, let me just unpack a couple of Alex Jordan. Um, ultimate, you know, if you're looking for a couple of words, the ultimate professional, uh listener. He's a great listener. He listens better than anyone else in the country. And when he speaks, it's thoughtful and he absolutely nails his recommendations. Yeah, confidence for sure, and that's commonality, Troy. Uh, Alex Jordan, product knowledge, extraordinary. Um, team, extraordinary. He's he's built and retained and grown with a terrific team over the years. But I think the thing is, he's the antithesis of the snake oil salesman. He's not a fast-talking, you know, sort of exaggerating bullshit artist, which a lot of agents that do okay are. He's a slow-talking, great listener. That when he says something, you better listen because it's going to actually be a very sharp comment. True, have I missed anything?

Troy Malcolm 7:26

John, he has an appetite to always be getting better as well. When you think about Alex, he's the first person to sign into a weekly webinar with us. He's the first person to sign up to attend Eric. If there's a leadership event, he's always there. He's well educated. If he doesn't know the answer to something, he he makes sure that he goes and finds that. And I think that he's instilled that with his team as well. Um, I've worked closely with them over the years, and that team is just the way that they conduct themselves. You're right, professionalism to the next level, but also the way that they just constantly strive to improve their processes is outstanding. You know, if we could all aspire to be like Alex and his team and be a very pretty

John McGrath 8:09

The other thing, Tom, I know when he lists property, he puts an extraordinary amount of thought and effort into the preparation and presentation of the property before it hits the market. Um, he will walk into beautiful homes and make them more beautiful. Yep. So um I'm sorry if I'm echoing there. I'm not sure if it's me, but there is a bit of an echo, so I hope it's not driving everyone crazy. Um Tirun Sethi finished number two and not far off, AJ, in fact, very close. Um Work ethic 24-7. I've never met anyone in 40 years who works harder and harder, not just in hours, but harder for his clients than anyone else. Extraordinary work ethic. Um, not what you'd call a natural-born, charismatic kind of, he's just uh he he's got extraordinary product knowledge. Um he plays the long game. I went to his first couple of years anniversaries of opening the business, Tom, and the people I met there, you'd there were some family members, but the most of the people you'd swear they're his family or his cheer squad. His clients, once they've done business with him, they absolutely love him. They know he's got their back. Uh, they know he's available 24-7, they know he never stops working to try and get their result. And I think you know, you'd have to say work ethic is extraordinary, Troy, with I think to Room.

Troy Malcolm 9:39

Yeah, agreed. Yeah, John, and even watching him uh at the auctions that I do with him, he's so personable with both buyers and sellers. He has an intimate knowledge about what they need and what they're looking for and guides them. He doesn't just go and say, let's just buy it. He actually tells them about the benefits and resells and really engages with his clients. Um, again, outstanding.

John McGrath 10:03

Yeah, Tony Iodality is an interesting one, Tommy. I don't know how well you know Tony, but um incredible energy, powerful, exuberant energy, uh, terrific confidence, terrific competence, um, great charisma. Great charisma. He is a wonderful people person, which is interesting because behind closed doors he's quite a shy kind of guy in a lot of ways, a bit like Matt Steinweight. But in front of a crowd or in front of an individual one-on-one, he has uh terrific people skills of connecting. Um, and yeah, what we're saying here about applies going to apply to all of them. I'm just talking about what do I think are the the obvious strengths. Um, yeah, I I would say energy is Tony's Tony's great. And Pete Chauncey, I mean, he's been our in our top five for probably the last 15 years. Every year, I mean, he must average six million a year every year for 15 years. When it comes to consistency, he'd be right up there and the best in the country, you know, alongside people like uh Alex Phillips and so forth. Pete Chauncey, um, no bullshit, straight down the line. What you see is what you get. A man of immense integrity, again, all of them. Um, not a spruker. That that's the interesting thing, Tommy. None of these guys are sprukers, and you do see a bit of that, and and uh it's a pity because a lot of agents think, oh, you've got to exaggerate and you've got to no, you you don't, you just be authentic and you tell it the way it is, and that's a real commonality. So Pete Chaucy was selling uh mattresses and beds when we met him, and he joined us early on, and since then he's never looked back. His his career, not because of us, because of him. He he he's been literally our top three to five for almost his entire career. But again, if you met him, you'd say just what a down-to-worth. Humility across all of these guys is is a big factor. But uh, yeah, Pete Chauncey, uh, just down to Matt Steinway. Well, a lot of people listening this probably almost know him as well as we know him because if you follow him on his social media, you get to know him pretty well because that's about as raw and authentic. Uh, he really exposes who he is and how he does stuff to the world. But I would say with Matt and Tom, you should chime in on this one because you know him as well as I know him. I think he has he has an extraordinary presence when he's with someone. He uh has um impeccable integrity again. Um great energy, um, mindset, I would say, Tom. Like, yeah, he his mindset of positivity, of you know, takes control and gets the job done, but he's he has an incredible mindset. You'll never hear a negative um word or or a pessimistic view on life or on the sale of a property. He's always incredibly positive in his outlook, Tom.

Tom Panos 13:09

Yeah, I think um actually I was just thinking about it, John, where you're saying he's he I've never I've I've never ever ever heard him sort of go off and slag or being critical of someone, but he did he did do that about a specific politician, but that's another story. I think the whole world's that politician he did it the other day. But I've got to tell you, I think Matt Steinwaite has learned a very important formula and he lives it, and that is the way you feel is the way you show up. So he's got this obsession on making sure that he's feeling clear, that he's feeling light, that he because he's an illuminator. In fact, every one of those people that we just went through, when they walk into a room, call it charisma, call it illumination, but you feel energy. It's the same kind of energy you it's invisible, you can't see it, like the wind, but you can feel it. They've all got it. And the other thing that you that and the other thing about Steinweight that is really, really, really clear about him is that guy, like he does not exaggerate. None of these guys, actually, none of them are sprukers. Actually, that's a good point. They're not sprukers. Like, when things aren't good, right, they describe them as they are. When things aren't bad, they describe them as that they are. They they say what you say, John, which is tell the damn truth. And a lot of the times for many people, it's refreshing

Work Ethic And Credibility At Scale

Tom Panos 14:35

because they're used to not getting it that often. Um, but let's talk about Alex Phillips. I mean, when you see all these people at ARIC, we we know who they are, and a lot of them aren't in the McGraw network. You look at Alex Phillips, what do you think, gentlemen, is the thing that separates him? Because he's been like so dominant now for nearly two decades. Steinweight's been dominant for three to four decades.

John McGrath 14:59

Yeah. Uh Alex's uh success secrets, in my opinion, are again incredible. Well, work ethic. He's, you know, 12, 14 hours a day, never off the phone. He would probably make more calls, make and receive more, not probably, I'm sure he would make and receive more calls than anyone in the country in our industry. He is constantly on the phone from 7 a.m. till 7 p.m., pretty much seven days a week. Um work ethic for sure, energy for sure and confidence for sure. He he walks into every listing with an expectation that they will be signing with him, and that's the best decision uh for them. So he he exudes a great confidence. Um, yeah, product knowledge is extraordinary. Uh, I would say that's for him. I want to raise it.

Tom Panos 15:53

What about Shannon? Shannon, I mean, all these guys, even these two guys, even though they're not in your network, you know them. They worked for you. John, they worked well, not for you, they worked in your company. Shannon did, and so so did uh Alex Phillips. What about Shannon?

John McGrath 16:08

Uh well now we're talking extraordinary. Now we're talking he's uh he's he's one of the best. I mean, he's up. Uh he hasn't he doesn't do the numbers of an Alex Jordan or a Matt Steinwade or a Pete Chauncey, but he's up there, in my opinion. Shannon Shannon chooses probably a slightly more balanced lifestyle than many others, but that doesn't mean he doesn't work hard. It just means he's he probably doesn't do the the 12-hour days, seven days a week as some of the others do. But he's an extraordinary, he's he's a thinking man's real estate agent, highly intelligent, uh like Alex Jordan, incredible listener. Uh, when he speaks and says something, you better listen. Uh, terrific fella, zero sprue, zero percent sprue. Well, it's all it's all substance and quality information. Um, calls a spade a shovel in terms of he won't he won't you know uh sugarcoat a market, he'll tell you the way it is, uh, where it's at, where your property sits in it. Um he's quite forensic the way he approaches the job of selling. Um everyone, everyone really, everyone really likes him, not because, you know, you know, you've got an Alex Jordan that's got an incredible charisma about him. Uh Shannon Shannon's and Shannon does have great personality and charisma too, but I think uh when it comes to him, uh it's just that credibility factor is extraordinary. And I would say he's one of the top agents I've seen in the last 40 years.

Tom Panos 17:40

You'd Michael, John, did Michael Palier work at McGraths at any stage?

John McGrath 17:45

Yeah, yeah. He started his career with us, and um Michael Pallier is he's he's right up there as well. He'd be in the top 10 over the last 40 years that I've seen. Um Michael Pallier's um again incredible at asking questions. He's got terrific questions. So he probes deeply, uh, he listens to the answers, he provides sound recommendations. I mean, a lot of people say, hey, this bloke we heard writes double-digit $10, $12 million, which he does. How can he do that? Well, where's the where's the X factor? Well, I'm not sure with Palio, it's all about X factor. I think it's all about credibility, um, respect, humility, um, preparation, uh, product knowledge. Um he he came, Tom, you you probably know this, but he used to be a motor mechanic for Rolls-Royce and he used to catch a train. He lived in Wollingall, he caught a train to Sydney every day to be mechanic for Rolls-Royce. Then a job came up as the salesman for Rolls-Royce and he put his hand up. I'm sure there would be plenty of people at Rolls-Royce that would have sort of sniggered thinking, oh, he's a bloody mechanic. He got the job and he became the number one Rolls-Royce car salesman in Australia. He then went to Sanderson Motors Mercedes. He was the number one Mercedes salesman in Australia. He then joined us, and he, I don't think he's ever been number one in Australia, but he's been number two in Austral and two and three in Australia several times. Um, terrific fella, terrific fella, um, integrity plus. Yeah, I mean, yeah, he's uh he's sort of uh he he and he's got a unique style, and those that have met him and and know about him will know what I'm talking about. He's just got a very unique, he is who he is. If you like it, good. If you don't like it, good. He doesn't change for anyone or anything. He's not overawed. Um by and he sells some of the best properties in the country. But uh yeah, no, I think he would be. I'm just thinking, you know, that the in the top five or ten that I've seen in 40 years, for sure Palier, for sure, Shannon Whitney, Alex Jordan, probably number one uh for sure. Maddie Steinway's in there in the top half a dozen. Alex Phillips has to be extraordinary. I mean, these are people that and it's not just in Australia, you go worldwide, they there would be no one

Consistency Plus Rising Female Leaders

John McGrath 20:10

on the planet that would match these guys. Certainly would be any better than these guys.

Tom Panos 20:15

What about when we go when we go further afield and we look at, you know, around the you know, the country, James Tostavan or a Vivian Yap? We haven't touched on a lot of our incredible female agents because a lot of great female agents in the last decade. I mean, we've had them in our industry, but we see them at ARIC all the time. What do you what what what are your views on like a Tostavan and uh and a Vivian Yap? What do you see in them?

John McGrath 20:39

James Tostavan, um, work ethic, energy, um, process, incredible process, like you know, uh outbound prospecting second to none. Just uh consistency over not just a year or three, over several decades, consistency, energy, outbound prospecting, proactivity. I'm just pulling these off the top of my head, Troy, but they're they're the sort of it's often the best cup feeling when you just sort of think on my But do you want to add it?

Tom Panos 21:09

You know, Troy, you know all these people. Um, anything else do you want to add?

Troy Malcolm 21:14

I I I think I think it's that desire to always improve. Like I I'm thinking back, John. I can't remember when any of those team people that we have on this podcast at ARIC in our company at McGraw have had a bad year. They've all the consistency and just that constant pursuit to improve their skill and their craft. It just I can't remember a time where they're like, oh, that they've dropped off their numbers. It just doesn't happen. So I think that's from an overarching point of view, I think that's the standout for everything. It's they're top of mind and they're present and they're just delivering consistent results regardless of market conditions.

John McGrath 21:52

Yeah, and that's really important. Tommy, it's just it's it's it's very hard to get to the top, man. Like this is a competitive. Industry to get to the top, but to stay at the top, like to, you know, to and to write a million dollars is very, very hard. To write two or three million dollars, you puts you in the top agents in the world. Some of these guys have been writing ten million dollars for a decade, uh, or the best part of a decade. So um, yeah, I mean, I'm I I'm just so I'm I'm so proud of them all. You mentioned Vivian Yap, I mean, from Perth. Vivian, spoke at Eric, she's extraordinary for sure. Tracy Dixon is in the same uh same level. Uh she's it works with us in Hunters Hill, extraordinary. Uh, I think it's um Sarah Hackett up in Brisbane. Sarah. Yeah. Sarah Hackett, yeah, one of the best agents in the country. So there, you know, and and I'm sure I've offended so many people because you know, we you all three of us know so many. Unbelievable. I'm gonna get off this podcast to say, oh gone, I I should have thought but I mean Phil Harris, you mentioned before. Yeah. Phil Harris was in the goat category uh from Adelaide. Um we got Josh Hart starting to rise. He got our number one number of trickers.

Tom Panos 23:04

Oh, I was Johnny. I when I saw his name as a nomination, he actually won the award, sorry. He saw it and he came up on stage. I still, Johnny, so I've had a history, I've had a history with Josh that goes many years. In fact, John, if you can remember, we met him together that day at um at Surrey Hills. But before I before we finish off today, I'm gonna read out a text message that I read out today in Newcastle. It was one from you, John, about rugby league. And then what ensured is that people said, hang on a second, that's not relevant to rugby league. That's relevant for this current market at the moment. So I got asked today at Love in Newcastle

Sport As A Process Metaphor

Tom Panos 23:48

by someone that knows that I love the Tigers. He said, mate, what's happened to the Tigers? I said, I don't know. I said, I've been away. And I go, but I can tell you what John thinks has happened to the Tigers. And I read out, I'm gonna read, are you comfortable if I read out that text message, John?

John McGrath 24:02

Yeah, it's true. So John sent me a text saying, What do you reckon's gone wrong with the tigers? The wheels have fallen off. So this was I I see this is just my response.

Tom Panos 24:09

And this is his response. John's ridden back and says, I think it's a combination of things. There have been a few distractions, like Louai going to PG, then to Parramatta, but I think they're a confidence team at the moment. They're like Souths. They play a creative brand of football as opposed to Penrith or Roosters, discipline style. When things go right, they're winning, whereas their confidence is sky high. But when things aren't going their way, um, man, the wheels can fall off and they start losing because they don't have a discipline style of game to fall back on. Um, and John, when I mentioned this text message in front of 40 people, one of the people said, Well, that's exactly what's happening in real estate right now. Those of us that are going back to the basics of great forensic buyer work, sitting there and talking to their vendors at least every 48 hours. Those that have got a listing presentation that's back to basics, they're not winging it. And those that are actually having a plan every day to look for sellers and sellers that are going to sell, not just these overpriced. So essentially, what you sort of said there is the great people and the great teams go back to basics because they know that that process will serve them well.

John McGrath 25:29

And even Tom, you know, it's because it's a metaphor of sport and business, I think it's very similar. You know, even a team like Penrith or the Roosters, they can be down 20 points at half time. But because they've got a process and they're well drilled and they practice it and their mindsets in place, they'll often recover those 20 points and still win the second half. Whereas a lot of teams, and again, I'll use your team and my team, South and Bright uh and Tigers as an example because they they lack a bit of that discipline and process. When the wheels start falling off, they fall off for good. So, yeah, I think it is a good metaphor for sport and for business. You need a process. Now, that doesn't mean a process has to be robotic. You know, a process you can add flair to a process, but you have to be adding it to a process, whereas a lot of people rely on flair or charisma um as as their strategy and process, and it just doesn't work. So anyway, look, it was fun going through those people. I mean, congratulations to each and every one of them. And uh, it was uh great just thinking about them. Um, and uh, we should do a bit more of that as we go on a bit, Tommy.

Tom Panos 26:34

Yeah, absolutely. And um, Troy, one final thing before we leave. Apart from running your franchise there in the northern beaches, you're extensively across Sydney with your auctions. Um can I ask Troy, when you look at your best auction agents that you're getting results from, Tarun's one of those, you just mentioned.

Auction Agents Who Still Win

Tom Panos 26:55

What are you seeing these auction agents that, you know, a lot of people are saying, oh no, auctions are gone, it's not happening, investors have gone, blah, blah, blah. What are you seeing the best auction agents have as common denominators?

Troy Malcolm 27:08

Two things, Tom and John. First of all, um 24-7 feedback to their clients, their vendors, making sure they understand what the market is doing every step of the way. So being over the top with their communication, uh, you can't give too much communication. And then, second part is they're they're doing forensic buy work, like you said. They're getting back to the basics and making sure that they're available to answer the questions. They're making sure they have all the information that the buyers could possibly want before a campaign commences. And then they're making sure that they can the buyer can get through the property whenever they want, whether that's the scheduled open time, whether that's a private appointment, whether that's multiple times throughout the campaign. And they're making sure they're giving them the information that shows the value of the property is great buying right now. And I think that those two elements are definitely what the best auction agents are doing. They're doing a lot of work to get the outcome that maybe six or twelve months ago they didn't have to do.

Tom Panos 28:06

And I've got it, and then I sat just before this phone call about two hours ago. I sat in a vendor meeting, and you won't believe it. It was my my mate has given um a property in the Blue Mountains to your franchisees, Matt and Susie. Where are they? Are they in Lura?

John McGrath 28:28

Lura. Yeah, yeah, Blue Mountains. Uh Matt and Scale, beautiful people.

Tom Panos 28:32

So Steve asked, Steve asked me, he said, Tom, can you sit on this phone call, you know, with me? I said, of course I can. And I know and I know Matt and Susie, uh, and they were there. I was at you, they were there on Thursday night. I saw him there as well on Thursday night. But I've got to say, I looked, I I looked at how Matt was approaching the price conversation. And I've got to tell you, my mate, like every

Pricing Truth Without Losing Trust

Tom Panos 28:58

vendor, he's chasing big money. But Matt sort of actually went clear, precise, and said the thing that I think felt uncomfortable, but had to be said. And I think a lot of real estate people at the moment have to get a lot better at delivering bad news in a positive way. Because if they're going to sugarcoat things and say, oh, it'll be fine, things will churn, and you'll get your price. He didn't say that. He said, listen, this is the numbers that it's really happening at, guys. And there was a pause, and there was, you could feel uncomfortability in it. But a lot of the times these conversations need to be had, John.

John McGrath 29:38

Uh look, totally. That that's this thing that's separating everyone at the moment. The agents that know their product knowledge and are prepared to communicate it with conviction, versus the agents that don't know the product knowledge, or they know it, but they're too fearful of upsetting a client and they're just passing stuff in and it's being withdrawn and the agents.

Tom Panos 29:59

And and and and and and not only that, let me add a little more context to it. At the end of that, we hung up. My friend rings me five minutes later, and you know what he said, Tom. What it is what it is. What can I do? It is what it is. So you'd be very, very a lot of times people are afraid, Troy and John, to actually say what needs to be said. But I think clients actually value what they need to do to get unstuck from being a stuck situation. They value that.

John McGrath 30:29

Yeah, and they give you their property because they want it sold, not because they want it not sold and passed in. And agents forget that. Um, if anyone enters the market now, they'd be well aware it's not as good as it was last year and they want a result. So let's give it to

Key Takeaways And Next Week

John McGrath 30:45

them. All right.

Tom Panos 30:45

All right. Troy, John, thank you so much. We'll see you all next week for another uh copy or another, geez, I can't even say that properly, for another episode of Million Dollar Agents.

Troy Malcolm 30:58

See you guys. Thanks, John. Thanks, Tom. See you guys.