Supplier advice Archives - The Negotiator The essential site for residential agents Wed, 18 Oct 2023 10:36:03 +0000 en-GB hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.4.3 If you don’t love admin, you should read this https://thenegotiator.co.uk/if-you-dont-love-admin-you-should-read-this/ https://thenegotiator.co.uk/if-you-dont-love-admin-you-should-read-this/#respond Tue, 22 Aug 2023 15:47:00 +0000 https://thenegotiator.co.uk/?p=146932 The Acquaint CRM software platform frees you up to do the jobs that really drive the business. Founder and CEO, Grant Jaquest reviews the ‘Swiss Army knife’ of agency software.

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The new generation AcquaintCRM

 

Ask yourself this question: did you get into the property business because you love administration work? Chances are, that’s not why you joined the business. It’s far more likely that your reasons were because you enjoy working with and helping people, because you are entrepreneurial, and you want to be able to control your own earning potential. And, very likely, because you like the flexibility of not being chained to a desk all day.

So, why do you find yourself drowning in a sea of paperwork or systems that don’t integrate properly? Because it goes with the territory? Well, it doesn’t. Not anymore. The days of manual, labour-intensive, paperbased admin and poorly designed software in estate and letting agencies are gone.

If paperwork is your thing, you might want to skip the next bit

Instead of tying up staff doing repetitive, and now needless admin tasks, why not put all your focus on developing your business instead? Which is probably what you enjoy most – and what you’re best at.

Grant Jaquest - Acquaint CRM - image

Grant Jaquest

If all this strikes a chord, you need to check out a software solution that was designed specifically for the needs of estate and lettings agencies. With more than 800 very satisfied agencies already using the system, Acquaint CRM is the all-in-one software solution, whether for a single user, multiple users, multiple branches or even franchise models.

The days of manual, labour-intensive, paper-based admin and poor software are gone.

By streamlining all admin processes, Acquaint CRM allows you to focus on what generates revenue for you. As Ben Giles, Founder and Manging Director of Balloon Letting Company in Bristol, puts it: “I have used the Acquaint Software for over two years. The software is very intuitive and is particularly easy to use on front end functions which save my team an enormous amount of time. The Acquaint team are always friendly, responsive and eager to help on the rare occasions we need them and they’re always quick to deal with any issues as they arise. Importantly they also listen to feedback and release regular patches that help to update the system with the bespoke needs of business and I’m sure others.”

User-friendly software and telephone support in Oxfordshire…with real people

The customer service aspect is a real differentiator for the team at Acquaint CRM. Instead of dealing with a bot or an outsourced call centre on a different continent, Acquaint CRM’s customer support team is fully in-house, in Wallingford in Oxfordshire.

Every team member has a minimum of three years’ experience of the Acquaint system, and their standard is to answer every call within three rings. It’s a classic case of combining leading-edge software innovation with good, old-fashioned customer service.

Ed Simpson, co-owner of Ashdown Marks in Chelsea, agrees: “We’ve been using Acquaint CRM for the last 4 years and are a very satisfied client. We find that Acquaint CRM is easy to use and has all of the features and integrations that our business needs. Furthermore, the Acquaint CRM team completes regular product updates adding new features and functionality at no additional costs to our business. The Acquaint CRM team is so easy to contact, they answer calls very quickly and a friendly and knowledgeable person listens to us and always resolves our issues there and then on the call.”

It’s like a Swiss army knife with everything an agency needs

Acquaint CRM handles all your sales and lettings. You list the properties you have – with no limits on the number of photographs.

You can also attach floor plans, virtual tours, audio guides, even energy performance certificates. You can match applicants and properties and send all the details by email, text message or post. You can also store all your contacts in one place with Acquaint and quickly produce letters and emails, file correspondence and notes and even send text messages with new information and reminders.

Acquaint CRM also helps you manage the properties on your books. You can easily and quickly set up tenancies and maintain them.

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Digital touchpoints https://thenegotiator.co.uk/digital-touchpoints/ https://thenegotiator.co.uk/digital-touchpoints/#respond Mon, 29 May 2023 15:20:20 +0000 https://thenegotiator.co.uk/?p=139962 Facing the tricky months ahead, how can an agent both maximise time while boosting community exposure? Think digital...

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InTouchDisplay digital window display image

 

So, what’s next for the housing market? Is it stalling or falling? But the bigger question remains, what can be done to navigate the trickier months ahead? While sales continue, albeit at a slower pace and lesser volume, time becomes an ever more precious commodity for over-stretched agents who now find themselves endlessly going the extra mile to get deals across the line. Now, more than ever, there’s a pressing need to use every tool at your disposal to maximise time whilst boosting community exposure.

It instantly highlights your expertise and gives the opportunity to be the authoritative voice.”

Steve Blackaller - InTouch - imageAs a former agent, Steve Blackaller, Sales Manager from digital display experts, Intouch instantly relates to the frustrations of agents who are run ragged whilst striving to deliver. “Engaging in labour-intensive, old-school tasks like daily updates of window card displays, while trying to market the agency and its expertise to the wider community – at a time completions are taking longer and sales are more demanding – it can be overwhelming.”

Labour-intensive tasks like daily updates of window card displays, while trying to market the agency – at a time sales are more demanding – can be overwhelming. Steve Blackaller InTouch Display.

“It’s undoubtedly why we’ve seen a marked shift towards agents completely digitising their entire window display. Cutting out the daily admin and delivering a clean, clear window that not only elevates individual properties but allows the agent to put their brand front and centre in the community. It instantly highlights your expertise and gives the opportunity to become the authoritative voice for your local catchment.”

Digital transformation

James Niknejad Osborne Heath imageThat’s what attracted James Niknejad of sales and lettings agent, Osborne Heath, to Intouch Display. Earlier this year, the multi-award-winning agency, that has offices covering Berkshire and Surrey, digitally transformed all of its branch window displays, as well as inserting large-scale internal touchscreens to enhance the customer journey. He commented, “Front-of-house, multiple non-touch displays are incredibly eye-catching and deliver consistent brand messaging across our entire network. Coupled with automatically updated listings, the whole package requires minimal time involvement from our team. Internally, the interactive screens also offer a unique opportunity to show prospective vendors and buyers how well a property is presented for sale.”

It’s not just the ultra-high bright screens, which are visible in all sunlight conditions, it’s the ease that we generate and upload content across our entire network. James Niknejad Osborne Heath.”

As its network grows, this multi-branch independent is constantly looking at ways to increase time efficiency while streamlining service delivery without losing local advantage. Niknejad added, “Intouch Display offered an excellent solution. It’s not just the ultra-high bright screens, which are visible in all sunlight conditions, it’s the ease that we generate and upload content across our entire network. Add to that the support of Intouch’s experienced in-house graphic design service, we can effortlessly generate bespoke promotional material.”

“We initially trialled digital window displays with another provider and were disappointed with the impact they had, the unreliability, how fiddly they were to use, plus the support service. Having moved to Intouch earlier in the year, they’ve transformed our digital offering and crucially, saved time.”

Becoming the digital doyenne of the local market is essential. Establishing your position as the go-to agent by building trust and demonstrating expertise should be a priority to cut through the negative noise. While the market is slowing, there is still opportunity with downsizers and those affected by the cost-of-living crisis who are reversing the race-for-space created during the pandemic. Along with those stuck in the middle and desperate to upsize after being priced out of the market for the last couple of years.

While some agents will turn to social media to speak to these groups, the extra layer of daily admin only serves to increase the already weighty burden of tasks resting on agents’ shoulders.

Bespoke display solutions

That’s where digital displays come into their own. Intouch, offer bespoke touch and non-touch display solutions that instantly improve your visual impact on the high street. Your business stands out night and day thanks to its ultra-bright screens and bespoke content software. Elevating your presence and offering a 24/7 conversation with the high street.

Intouch provides software and hardware with incredible flexibility. It’s not a “one size fits all” solution. From fully managed software, that updates daily to software management tools giving more control to the agent, there is a fully flexible solution to suit. The system can also incorporate virtual and video tours and integrate all agency CRM providers. As part of the package, Intouch includes a complementary graphics design service. Great to promote your USPs.

To request a demo or discuss how you can benefit from an Intouch digital screen solution, contact Steve Blackaller at
info@intouchdisplay.co.uk
or call 01934 670 014
www.intouchdisplay.co.uk.

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You need to know the UBO https://thenegotiator.co.uk/you-need-to-know-the-ubo/ https://thenegotiator.co.uk/you-need-to-know-the-ubo/#respond Sun, 26 Mar 2023 05:54:06 +0000 https://thenegotiator.co.uk/?p=136512 Martin Cheek, Managing Director of AML specialists, SmartSearch, says Ultimate Beneficial Owner checks have never been more important for the UK property market.

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London housing imageFour in ten foreign entities that own UK property have failed to register their Ultimate Beneficial Owner to Companies House by the February 6th deadline, and anti-money laundering experts SmartSearch is urging estate agents to take compliance into their own hands.

Six months ago, in response to the increasing problem of corrupt individuals buying UK real estate through foreign entities – the UK Government introduced a new register of Overseas Entities. The register, which requires all foreign entities that own property in the UK to register their Ultimate Beneficial Owner (UBO), was brought in to boost transparency within the property sector by exposing the ownership structures of offshore firms that have bought real estate in the UK.

Estate agents need to take responsibility for identifying UBOs.

However, of the 32,440 foreign firms that own UK property, just 19,510 had registered by the deadline and, with a huge number of sanctions still in place against Russian nationals, as AML experts here at SmartSearch, we’re warning estate agents to remain highly suspicious of any offshore firms trying to buy or sell property in the UK.

While owning UK property through a foreign entity is not illegal, it does allow the UBO to hide not only their identity but also their funds, and this system can – and is – widely abused by criminals and corrupt elites. This is because, anyone who has gained their wealth illegally is able to set up an anonymous shell company, offshore, transfer those ill-gotten gains into it, and then buy a UK property through it with that dirty money.

Register of interests

So, to try and stop this, the UK Government decided to insist that UBOs were declared for all foreign entities that buy UK property, but a huge number have failed to comply. The Government is threatening serious legal and financial action against those that have failed and while that will kick start those with nothing to hide into action, those that are hiding illegal activity will not voluntarily offer that information, leaving the property market highly vulnerable.

SmartSearch logoSmartSearch welcomes the new register as a vital tool in the fight against money laundering within the UK property market, as it enables estate agents to quickly and easily identify the corporate structure behind those businesses buying UK property and they can then run their due diligence and screening checks to ascertain the risk, if any, that business and UBO poses. But four in ten foreign firms have failed to declare their beneficial owners and while some will be legitimate businesses that have simply missed the deadline, we know from past investigations – like the Panama Papers – that there will be a sizeable number that are refusing to declare because they have something to hide.

At SmartSearch, we’re we warning estate agents and other property firms that due to this mass-scale non-compliance, they will need to take the responsibility of identifying the UBOs of those firms that have not registered, into their own hands. Owning a property through an offshore firm is perfectly legal, but as I explained earlier, the structure enables UBOs to hide both their identities and their funds, making them the perfect vehicle for tax avoidance and money laundering.

Businesses that are legitimately owned and legitimately funded should have no problem in registering and providing their UBO information, meaning that those that don’t must have something to hide. At best, they are hiding immoral activity, at worst, illegal, but whatever it is, it needs to be identified.

UBO checking system

Our system can quickly and accurately identify UBOs using Experian’s Ultimate Beneficial Owner database. We can identify any individuals within the corporate structure with over 10% of the total shares or voting rights, and if any are also directors, we’ll flag that status separately. We also list any other companies in the structure which have a share in the business, meaning you can get the full picture, no matter how complicated the structure of the business is.

Then, once a UBO has been successfully identified, users can then carry out a full AML check on that individual or entity – including sanctions screening and customer due diligence – to make sure they don’t raise any compliance flags.

Government determination

The Government has pledged to come down hard on the foreign entities that have failed to register with Companies House, with Business Minister Lord Callanan warning that there is “nowhere for the criminals and corrupt elites to hide” and that the Government will be “using all the tools at our disposal, including fines and restrictions, to crack down on foreign companies who have not complied”. And while we welcome the fact there are serious consequences for those that have failed to register, it doesn’t help those estate agents that need to check businesses now.

To find out more about how SmartSearch can help you with identifying Ultimate Beneficial Owners, visit www.smartsearch.com

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It’s good to talk! https://thenegotiator.co.uk/its-good-to-talk-2/ https://thenegotiator.co.uk/its-good-to-talk-2/#respond Fri, 14 Oct 2022 07:47:39 +0000 https://thenegotiator.co.uk/?p=128539 Michael Booth of Coadjute says better cooperation between estate agents and conveyancers is the key to improving property transactions.

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Coadjute report image

They say it’s good to talk and the old adage certainly applies to the property market. Good communication should be at the heart of every aspect of property market activity but unfortunately it’s not always the case.

Michael Booth - Coadjute - image

Michael Booth

As reported by The Negotiator, Coadjute research confirmed what most people in the industry would have privately conceded – better communication and cooperation is needed between estate agents and conveyancers to secure better outcomes all round. Our ‘Working Better Together’ report reveals both estate agents (36 per cent) and conveyancers (27 per cent) believe improving how they communicate, and working together is a top priority to improving the homebuying process.

Bridging the gap

Home-buying remains a singularly opaque and protracted process which is compounding matters. It can be difficult to navigate a way through a property transaction because it requires professionals from many different fields to work closely together to achieve one thing – to help clients secure their dream homes.

We need to act, as a matter of urgency before things get even worse.

When I left estate agency four years ago, despite many attempts to improve collaboration and information-sharing across the property market, the average completion time was around 12 weeks. It is now around 18 weeks, so we need to act as a matter of urgency before things get even worse.

And having worked as an estate agent, I have first-hand, frontline knowledge of those frustrations hampering people across the industry who want nothing more than to do the job to the best of their ability and help people move homes.

Transparency

Both estate agents and conveyancers lament the lack of transparency – neither party knowing exactly what each other are doing – which leads some to make presumptions. I have seen a tendency for some to operate in their own bubbles – through no fault of their own – and they need a helping hand to work better together with greater transparency.

An appetite for change

Thankfully, there is a common appetite to make some changes, with our findings showing both sides are optimistic relationships can be improved and working better together is key to a brighter future. Building positive and long-lasting client relationships remains the overriding focus for estate agents and conveyancers alike and there is a sense we are all connecting the dots in understanding good client relationships can become exemplar if we all work better together.

One perhaps surprising result came around the hope for the future. We found 72% of those with 15-plus years of experience are most optimistic about the future of the relationship, compared with only a quarter of those with less than five years’ experience. It is comforting to see the stalwarts remain committed and positive, but perhaps we need to be thinking about the new generation and how we can empower them to lead the change that’s needed.

A role for technology

Where does technology fit in supporting this change?

We can all see the property market is undergoing significant change and our research tells us that new technology is already starting to strengthen ties, with almost three quarters of estate agents and conveyancers saying technology has had a positive impact on their working relationship.

This is why Coadjute offers a solution to a seemingly eternal problem, relieving the constant chasing for information, unnecessary admin and security risk of linking emails to files.

There is clearly plenty of work to do but healthy attitudes towards change combined with the utmost professionalism, show the property market is moving in the right direction.

You can read our report here…

Michael Booth is Senior Business Development Manager at Coadjute.

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How estate agencies can truly differentiate from their competitors https://thenegotiator.co.uk/how-estate-agencies-can-truly-differentiate-from-their-competitors/ https://thenegotiator.co.uk/how-estate-agencies-can-truly-differentiate-from-their-competitors/#respond Sat, 05 Mar 2022 07:01:05 +0000 https://thenegotiator.co.uk/?p=116801 Acaboom offers a market appraisal toolkit that helps agents create impactful digital presentations and proposals that give undisputable reasons to select an agent – regardless of fees. Here, CEO Brian Farrell discusses the importance of differentiation.

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Standing out from the crowd

One of the first things we do when onboarding a new client is a “discovery session” where we look to learn everything there is to know about their agencies’ unique offering and, quite specifically, the reasons a homeowner should choose them over a competitor.

Now, one could be forgiven for thinking that any agent should have a well-rehearsed, company approved elevator pitch at hand whenever needed, but the reality is it’s not easy to do (even though a valuer could be trying to deliver their message several times each day).

The discovery call drills into the company’s history, ethos, team, processes and tools used to deliver the service, along with a competitor analysis to look at their strengths and weaknesses too.

Once that’s all on the table, we can start to piece together what are the clients’ strongest USP’s and how these are best put forward, so they truly help win the instruction and at the best fee. Simply, a strong differentiator is way to ensure a valuer really stands out from the crowd and is not doing/saying the same things as the competition.

What’s important is to not only identify the USP’s but to ensure each is not just a statement – e.g. ‘we sell the most properties’, or ‘our customer service is excellent’ – because every agent will likely be saying something similar. The key is to evidence what’s said and back up any claims made. As the saying goes, “That which can be asserted without evidence, can be dismissed without evidence.”

Some agents may be a step ahead in what they offer– but only the very best are using proper presentation to ensure they are remembered…”

This different method of talking about the service starts to create a compelling story for the valuer to tell, and from this narrative our copywriters can work their magic, with designers creating images or gifs to help bring each of these differentiators to life.

Some agents may be a step ahead in what they offer– but only the very best are using proper presentation to ensure they are remembered, and many still rely on verbal communication alone. Images are critical, and the Pictorial (or Picture) Superiority Effect has been long studied showing how much better we are at remembering and recognizing information presented visually. It’s even more helpful when other decision-makers, who were not met, need to understand a proposal without an agent there in front of them. From a business owner or senior manager perspective, it also gives confidence that complete uniformity of key sales messages is being achieved across all valuers and every market appraisal.

There will always be a challenge in the property sector to overcome. Whatever the issue of the moment – the best guarantee an agent has to succeed is visually show firm, evidenced reasons to choose you over another agent. Fail to do so and you will always be a step behind, or only win based on price – a race to the bottom best avoided.”

Find out more about differentiation and Acaboom here.

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Those who can… https://thenegotiator.co.uk/those-who-can/ https://thenegotiator.co.uk/those-who-can/#respond Fri, 04 Mar 2022 08:18:30 +0000 https://thenegotiator.co.uk/?p=116790 "What have we learned from the curve balls that life can throw us?" asks Chief Kerfuffler, Simon Whale. The answer is that training will make us more versatile, agile and successful.

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If we asked you five years ago what disaster planning for businesses might look like, you’d be forgiven for telling us that the worst outcome to plan for might be flooding, or in business things like data outages, power cuts, and if the phone lines go down for a few hours.

It’s fair to say that none of us planned to become school teachers, short-order chefs, or remote workers. Remote working and flexibility were some of the buzzwords that we may have been sure that we were ready for but these past couple of years have shown us that, as businesses of any size, when we have to, we are capable of working true flexibility into our previously rigid set-ups. We can provide truly remote working. We have managed to grow and adapt quite admirably, and the estate agency industry can rightly claim more than a bit of pride for its response in the aftermath of the pandemic.

Over time, we have also shown ourselves capable of caring more. We have begun to focus more on the importance of mental wellbeing, and we are starting to invest in ourselves and our mindset.

In short, we have come a long way in a short time, and we know the value of having a team that is ready for anything. But are we truly ready for anything?

As any sports coach will tell you a sense of readiness doesn’t come easily and that the one thing that guarantees a team’s ability to succeed in the face of a few curve balls is training.

Industry trainer Stephen Brown, interviewing prominent organisational psychologist, Damian Hughes, discovered that sometimes the difference between good and great is all about mindset and training.

“When you look at top athletes of a certain level, the physical differences are relatively minor and don’t necessarily account for their success. The athletes who outperform most of their peer group and demonstrate themselves to be truly exceptional comes down to mindset and training. The same can be said about our businesses.”

In the past, there were many reasons why training wasn’t always our priority. Some of it was complacency and some of it was down to costs, both in terms of the level of investment of time and money.

Luckily, that doesn’t need to be the case anymore, along with great efficiencies of working remotely came the ability to deliver great training at a distance.

Online learning platforms such as Kerfuffle Kampus now mean that you can access and participate in training from wherever you are on the planet, as long as you have an internet connection.

Online learning platforms such as Kerfuffle Kampus now mean that you can access and participate in training from wherever you are on the planet…”

Gone is the dilemma of choosing between losing members of staff as they travel across the country to receive training. You might also have previously worried about taking the time out or losing your entire team in one go by inviting a trainer to run a session in-house.

Instead, Kampus allows you to train for as long as you like, whenever you like. You can choose to train at quieter times of the day, in the evenings or weekends if you are really conscientious!

The costs of learning are now so minimal that there is no excuse for any forward-thinking businesses not to invest in training for their staff. It’s the golden age of learning and team development, and we’ve shown that so much can be achieved when we are properly equipped and prepared for whatever life or the market might throw at us.

Estate Agency is an industry that is perfectly suited for training – there are plenty of set-piece scenarios that we all encounter at every stage of the marketing and moving process. It makes sense to practice these set-pieces time and time again, exploring which bits of scripts or dialogue help. When does the follow-up come? How can we streamline our processes? How do we make every pound spent on marketing stretch further? How do we deliver truly excellent customer service?

All these questions can be answered in easily digestible, learnable behaviours that come through practice and training.

And when it comes to your choice of trainers, we are truly privileged in our industry to have an excellent range of time-tested experts who have honed their skills out there on the front lines of estate agency, through their own hard-won experience. That adage of “Those who can, do; those who can’t, teach” couldn’t be further from the truth. In our industry, those who can, lead from the front and share their experience with like-minded agents.

Choosing the right trainer is also important. Shaping the future of your business through training means that you will need a trainer whose learning style, personality, and approach is best suited to you and your team.

That adage of “Those who can, do; those who can’t, teach” couldn’t be further from the truth.”

With Kerfuffle Kampus we are constantly updating our Netflix-style, on-demand training platform with engaging and relevant training courses from a broad selection of the industry’s finest trainers. Kampus gives you and your team the ability to gauge which of the trainers’ approaches you prefer and the opportunity to get to know them and work with them further.

Whatever the future holds for us, we know that it’s worth planning for, worth training for, and worth investing in ourselves and our businesses. Those who do, will succeed.

Have you tried Kerfuffle Kampus? To find out how Kampus can support your agency’s training needs, get in touch with our Agent Success Manager, Carly: https://members.kerfuffle.com/carly

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You’re hired! https://thenegotiator.co.uk/youre-hired/ https://thenegotiator.co.uk/youre-hired/#respond Mon, 07 Feb 2022 10:13:17 +0000 https://thenegotiator.co.uk/?p=114826 Looking for new, well-trained staff to power your agency in 2022, without the recruitment costs? Then take on an apprentice, says Chris Stoker-Jones, of Catch22.

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Link to Advertising Feature

The benefits of having an apprentice within your business
Link to Advertising Feature

Chris Stoker-Jones

At Catch22 we are experts in delivering Housing & Property Management Apprenticeships, having trained over 200 housing professionals in the last twelve months alone!

If your business has experienced growth, and you are planning for further upturns in business, then recruiting apprentices into your workforce is a fantastic way to bring in fresh ideas, energy and diversity. Apprenticeships are an excellent alternative career route to the traditional form of higher education, candidates are interested in gaining new knowledge, skills and behaviours while they train within the industry and increase their experience.

Not only do you gain a trainee, but your business will also be entitled to £1000 per trainee…

Seventy-eight per cent of employers said that apprentices helped boost productivity, and three-quarters of employers stated that their product or service improved through the help of apprentices in their workforce. The investment in apprenticeships generate enthusiastic new team members, can increase staff loyalty, and upskill existing team members.

FREE Recruitment Service

Here at Catch22, we understand that recruiting staff can drain you of time and resource, so let us take that burden from your shoulders with our FREE recruitment service. Following confirmation of the job description, we will advertise your apprenticeship vacancy and hold screening calls with applicants prior to handing over a shortlist of recommended candidates. Let Catch22 be the Recruitment Agency for your future talent pool.

Cost of an apprenticeship

Evaluating the cost of apprenticeships is vital for your business

  • If you are a business with a pay bill of over £3m p.a., then you will be paying into the Apprenticeship Levy.
  • If you are not using this on Apprenticeship training, then you are basically handing this back to the Treasury. If you are an SME, the Government will pay at least 95% of the cost of the training. From as little as £200 you could pay for an apprenticeship for one of your team.
Why not try before you buy and get one of our trainees to support you with 70 hours of work experience?

Traineeships are a fantastic opportunity to recruit new staff members and train them whilst they complete voluntary hours at no cost to your business. Employers can gain new talent for their organisation whilst the trainees train for free, this allows the employer a chance to see if they’re a right fit for the company and the trainee to learn new skills.

Catch22 are looking for companies to develop training opportunities for young people across London. If your business is looking to support young people to help them gain experience, skills and expertise in your field of work then Catch22 Traineeships could be the answer. Not only do you gain a trainee, but your business will also be entitled to £1000 per trainee that completes their programme.

Traineeships are developed together with the employer and young person to allow a timetable and rota that benefits all. Each trainee must complete a minimum of 70 hours with the company and an exit interview to complete their programme.

Employer Incentives

There are employer incentives available for both routes:

  • For each trainee you host, you can claim an employer incentive of £1000 when a work experience placement of over 70 hours has been completed
  • For an apprentice the employer incentives is in place up until 31st January 2022. If you recruit an apprentice aged between 16 -18, you receive £4000, or £3000 for apprentices aged 19+. This is also eligible for any staff member with a contracted start date from 1st October 2021, who enrols onto an apprenticeship programme.

If you would like to have an informal chat around how Catch22 Apprenticeships can help your business, drop us an email at apprenticeship@catch-22.org.uk and one of the team will get back in touch right away.

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Consumer choice should be at the heart of every transaction https://thenegotiator.co.uk/consumer-choice-should-be-at-the-heart-of-every-transaction/ https://thenegotiator.co.uk/consumer-choice-should-be-at-the-heart-of-every-transaction/#respond Tue, 21 Dec 2021 14:32:40 +0000 https://thenegotiator.co.uk/?p=113332 The Negotiator talks to the two men behind property services group, iamproperty and the UK’s largest online residential auctioneer, iamsold – Jamie Cooke and Ben Ridgway.

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In recent months, record figures and reports by NAVA Propertymark of a shortage in auctioneers and the sector not able to keep up with demand has taken much of the sector by surprise. Jamie Cooke and Ben Ridgway, the founders of iamproperty, pioneered the Modern Method of Auction with iamsold in 2009, to bring more choice to the market. iamsold, part of the iamproperty Group, is now the UK’s largest online residential auctioneer and 11 years later, the pair are still campaigning to ensure all clients are offered a choice when it comes to selling and buying properties. We caught up with them to get their views on the future of auction and Private Treaty property sales.

With all the recent positive press surrounding MMoA, it must be a great to see auction break into the mainstream in a big way?

JC: When we launched our iamsold offering, it was because we knew there was a gap in the market. We wholeheartedly believe that consumers deserve choice when it comes to buying and selling their property and agents should be empowered to give them that choice. It may seem sudden to the market, but we’ve been on
a consistent upwards trajectory, and it has only been accelerated by recent events and shifting consumer behaviour.

What do you think has been behind the recent popularity of auction?

BR: In the last 10 years, tech has enabled fundamental changes in our purchasing behaviour and created new levels of trust. Everyone’s circumstances are different, but most people want instant results, speed, and optionality. You look at online shopping, applying for jobs, online education and so on, so much of our lives are conducted online. In our sector, it started with the property portals and their huge success, showing that by embracing tech you can make efficiencies and create a better experience for both agents and clients. The move to online during lockdown drove agents and clients to embrace digital methods and acted as a forceful nudge for a sector that needs to continue to develop modern ways of doing things.

JC: On top of that, the Stamp Duty Land Tax (SDLT) holiday put a deadline on everyone’s desired completion timeframes and led to an explosion of demand for auction. It was one of the only ways where buyers and sellers could guarantee to meet those deadlines as it offers a fixed 56-day timescale*. It provided a solution for many, with speed and transparency at the core.

Should everyone consider auction, given the timescales for Private Treaty transactions?

JC: The goal has never been about turning the property market on its head and making auction the only method of sale available. It’s about choice. Consumers are finding auction organically and more and more agents are adding it to their service offering. It’s now up to the sector to look at a way to standardise the approach for all consumers to find the method of sale best for them. Understanding circumstances and priorities should be embedded within the onboarding process for every client, with agents then recommending a method of sale based on what the client is telling them.

The goal has never been about turning the property market on its head. It’s about choice.’

We’ve done some early analysis of this with agents who use the ‘Method of Sale Audit’ function within iamproperty movebutler and 46 per cent of clients were recommended for auction as an option based on their circumstances. When you consider that auction still only accounts for 2-3 per cent of UK property sales, it indicates that there are a lot of people out there who aren’t being given enough information or being given the right choices aligned to their circumstances.

So Private Treaty isn’t on its way out?

BR: Absolutely not far from it, but that’s not to say it isn’t in need of modernisation. The current completion timescales are unsustainable. As is the pressure on agents and conveyancers who are struggling with huge workloads and outdated processes. Offering clients more choice in their method of sale and making efficiencies in the Private Treaty process are not mutually exclusive. Just as tech can enable buyers to find and bid on a home and complete in 56-days with MMoA, proptech can also help agents to speed up the Private Treaty process for their clients, help them to stay AML compliant and reduce their risk of sanction and automate admin to save time.

By embracing tech you can make efficiencies and create a better experience.’

Within the conveyancing module of iamproperty movebutler, our solicitor panel comparison tool puts the consumer at the heart of that decision by allowing them to choose a solicitor based on their needs, whether they’re looking for speed, the highest-rated, or the cheapest, acknowledging that not everyone is driven by the same motivations.

The industry is changing rapidly and choice and experience should always be at the heart of that change. We are on a mission to modernise the home moving process for everyone and bring much needed speed to the sector no matter what method of sale a client chooses.

Find out more about MMoA and end-to-end moving platform, iamproperty movebutler at iamproperty.com.

*based on iamsold average completion times for standard property types.

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