Sapphire Summer 2015

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SapphireDILIGENCE - EMPATHY - LOYALTY - INITIATIVE - PROFESSIONALISM

SAPPHIRE AWARDS FOR EXCELLENCE 2014

AND THE WINNERS ARE...

ROBE

RTS

REAL

EST

ATE

Summer 2015

CELEBRATING THE PAST, BUILDING THE FUTURE

YEARSsince 1865

Sapphire | 2Diligence | Empathy | Loyalty | Initiative | Professionalism

“To be recognised by both industry andmarket place as thepremier real estateagency in Tasmania”

That’s our mission

WelcomeWelcome to the latest edition of ‘Sapphire’ Roberts Real Estate’s vibrant and exciting inhouse magazine. Summer has arrived and it is a fantastic time of year to be enjoying all that is best about our terrific island state. As everyone prepares for the festive season our dedicated team of real estate professionals continue to deliver the best possible outcomes for all our clients and customers. The broad success they achieve was recently celebrated in Launceston when our statewide team convened for our annual ‘Sapphire Awards’ in Launceston. This year we shared some remarkable success stories and celebrated as a group the fantastic results that our Property Sales Consultants, Property Portfolio Managers and Administrators have achieved in both a group and individual level. In this edition we have some terrific images of this special event for you to enjoy, as well as all award recipients of the ‘Sapphire Awards for Excellence’, ‘Centurion Awards’ and ‘Ruralco Outstanding Achievement Awards’. We also provide an article on the ‘Roberts Real Estate 2014/2015 Training Calendar’ which details the exciting training and educational courses available to our team for this financial year. We interview Belle Parker from our Glenorchy Office who was recently awarded a ‘Sapphire Award forExcellence’ for ‘Property Sales Consultant of the Year’. Belle provides an insight into her business, her outstanding reputation and the value of community. In addition to this we have all the latest news from around our exciting business via ‘Network News’, plus an article on the value of customer service – one of the most important and rewarding aspects of our industry. We also bring you some photos from the recent birthday party celebrations held at our Wynyard Office as it turned 30 years old – a very special milestone for this very successful and community-minded operation. Please enjoy your copy of ‘Sapphire’ and thank you again for all your efforts.Enjoy Ed.

Contents4 Sapphire Awards

10 Service with a smile

13 Training Calendar

14 Belle Parker

13 Happy Bday Wynyard

17 Network News

Sapphire | 3Diligence | Empathy | Loyalty | Initiative | Professionalism

That’s our mission

Roberts Real Estate recently hosted its annual ‘Sapphire Awards’ for 2014 at Launceston Country Club Casino with representatives from across all three streams of our business – property sales, property management and real estate administration. These awards are an excellent opportunity to showcase Tasmania’s premier real estate agency with over 150 team

members attending from across the state together with a number of inter-state guests who joined us to celebrate our business and the individuals within it. It is a very special event with some great food and some great company and a once-a-year chance to recognise and reward our best individual performers for the year through their contribution to financial performance and the provision of exceptional levels of

service to all our customers and clients. We would like to thank our sponsors who enabled us to host such a great and successful event. A very special thank you to realestate.com.au who were once more our Gold Sponsor for this event and their ongoing support to our business.

SAPPHIRE AWARDS

Gold Sapphire Award for Excellence

Pursuit of Excellence

Sapphire Award for Excellence

Pursuit of Excellence

Gold CenturionFinancial & Growth Performance

Silver CenturionFinancial & Growth Performance

Bronze CenturionFinancial & Growth Performance

2014

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Belle Parker Glenorchy

RE Sales Consultant

Kathy Freeman Orford - Branch Manager

RE Sales Consultant

Todd Stevenson Hobart

RE Sales Consultant

Natalie Hyland Glenorchy

Property Portfolio Manager

Tim Barrett Burnie

RE Sales Consultant

Kathy Freeman Branch Manager/RE Sales

Consultant - Orford Ruralco Sales

Achievement Award

Todd Stevenson RE Sales Consultant

HobartRuralco Sales

Achievement Award

Tim Barrett RE Sales Consultant

BurnieRuralco Sales

Achievement Award

Natalie Hyland Property Portfolio Manager

GlenorchyRuralco OutstandingContribution Award

Belle Parker RE Sales Consultant

GlenorchyRuralco Sales

Achievement Award

Kylie Muir Shearwater

Property Manager of the Year

Corinne Price Shearwater

Gold Sapphire of the Year

Belle Parker Glenorchy

Sales Consultant of the Year

Tracey Bowerman Hobart

Administrator of the Year

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Kim CrawfordSorell

RE Sales Consultant

Kylie Muir Shearwater


Molly SheehanQueenstown


Dennis KingSheffield

RE Sales Consultant

Carolyn DuttonDevonport

RE Sales Consultant

Frederic GuilbertUlverstone

RE Sales Consultant

SAPPHIRE AWARDSSILVER CENTURION

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Raymond BuitenhuisUlverstone

North West Sales Manager

Shelley Bentley New Norfolk


Sharon Ling Ulverstone


Stephen Sutton New Norfolk

RE Sales Consultant

Isabelle Guilbert Ulverstone

RE Sales Consultant

Julie Casey Longford


Keryn Swinden Wynyard

RE Sales Consultant

Gerald Davies Sheffield

RE Sales Consultant

Dallas JoinerGlenorchy

RE Sales Consultant

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Debbie Eaves Burnie

Portfolio Manager

John Price Shearwater

RE Sales Consultant

Julie Cawthorn New Norfolk


Maria Zarb Wynyard


Angela Burns Launceston

Department ManagerProperty Management

Corinne Price Shearwater

RE Manager/Sales Consultant

SAPPHIRE AWARDSBRONZE CENTURION

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John Barwick Hobart

Commercial Sales and Leasing Manager

Merryn Wilson Launceston


Peter Stackhouse Western Junction

TRP Sales Consultant

Suzanne Hede Sorell

RE Sales Consultant

Dennis Wragg Wynyard

RE Sales Consultant

Elaine Whittle Launceston


Jeff Cairns Longford

RE Sales Consultant

Martin O’Bryne Western Junction

State Rural Sales Manager

Tim Wright Exeter (Tamar Valley)


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Roberts Real Estate DelorainePeter Cooper - RE Sales ConsultantKaty Haberle - Administration

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SERVICE WITH A SMILE

What is customer service?

Or better still, what is good customer

service? Customer service is all

customer correspondence – it’s how

you and your staff answer telephone

calls, emails and letters; it’s the way

customers are treated when they

avail themselves of our products

and services; the way complaints are

handled and problems are resolved.

Customer service is the appearance

of the premises, the material on

display and every employee; the

overall impression the customer

has of the company’s employees,

products and services, and even

the way staff members talk about

the business to family, friends and

neighbours. From little things, big

business grows and it is honest to say

that there is room for improvement in

every business whether big or small.

The best thing for us is to model our

business on how we as individuals

would want to be treated as a

customer and develop systems to

introduce those practices into our

organisation. It might be, for example,

the way we answer the telephone.

Make sure it’s the same each time

it rings, no matter who answers.

Create a system so that there are no

discrepancies. This creates uniformity,

and a service that our customers and

clients can come to rely on and trust.

It is important that we never lose sight

of our customers and clients – always

pay them the attention and the

respect that they deserve. It is simple

things like avoiding the phone ringing

more than three times that make a

difference.

When speaking to a customer, forget

whatever else you are doing and

focus completely on them.

If you do need to finish something

before speaking with your customer,

ask if it’s OK to put them on hold for a

moment but make sure you don’t test

their patience by keeping them on

hold for too long.

Always under-promise and over-

deliver! Apply this rule to every aspect

of your business and give yourself a

competitive edge by aiming to return

calls, emails and faxes within minutes

rather than hours. Remember that our

customers and clients need to feel

respected and valued and nothing

is more important to our business.

Customers don’t come equipped with

functioning crystal balls, so be sure

to keep them informed with every

step of the fulfilment process. Always

confirm their needs and requirements

and if you suspect a delay let the client

know immediately. Always follow up to

ensure they are satisfied with service

delivery and that all their queries/

concerns have been addressed.

If there’s a problem, or they have a

complaint, resolve it.

When you make a mistake, correct

it without delay, and don’t ever be

too proud to say you are sorry. It is

important that we value all business

and constantly show our customers

how much we appreciate them.

This does not take you a lot of time,

but it can pay big dividends for your

business.

Write thank you notes, send small

gifts, host an annual customer-

appreciation event, get to know each

customer and client so that you can

send congratulatory notes or cards for

special events, and reward those who

refer new clients. Customer service is

one of the easiest and most valuable

thinags we do – both on a professional

and personal basis. It is something

all of us can deliver on each and

every day of the week and it is one

of the most enjoyable aspects of our

industry.

“Always under promise and over deliver!”

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ROBERTS REAL ESTATE

TRAINING CALENDAR

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Kim Norris - Property Portfolio Manager - SorellRuth Malcolm - Department Manager Southern Property Management

Roberts Real Estate has always placed a strong emphasis on the professional development of all its team members.There is no denying that skilled andprofessional team members provide us with a decisive dvantage in the market place and, beyond remuneration, there is no better way for our business to demonstrate our loyalty and commitment to you all. This is in turn reflected by increased engagement, improved retention, dedication to our business goals, and is an important element in advancing even further our reputation as an employer of choice.Regular training and learningopportunities is an investment that will help team members to prosper and develop their careers while giving our business a highly skilled workforce and a competitive advantage. By investing in your professional development weare able to provide superior levels of customer service, better work safety practices and increased efficiency and effectiveness – remaining competitive is the key to sustainable business.Team members who receive targeted training often achieve improvements in communication skills, professionalism, conscientiousness, creativity andinnovation. People enjoy learning when the material is relevant to their interests and many will be eager to apply their new skills and knowledge in practical situations. Training is also a perfect opportunity for managers to get toknow their teams better, and for team members to develop stronger working relationships with colleagues. Roberts Real Estate is providing 12 dedicated courses to all team members across a diverse

improve their work practices and infrastructure to stay competitive in such a emanding industry and it is of vital importance that we manage the implementation of new technology, work practices and business strategies to ensure a benchmark for future recruitment and quality assurance practices. Well-trained and valued employees lead to a positive and productive workplace that engenders a supportive environment where staff are trained and valued. This is the end game. The Roberts Real Estate Training Calendar for 2014-2015 has now been issued across our statewide network and we encourage all team members to participate in those courses they believe would be of benefit to them. If you wish to participate in one of the courses available simply complete the registration form on the back and email it to Lee Erskine (Corporate Support Officer) at [email protected].

“You get the best effort from others not by lighting a fire beneath them, but by building a fire within.”

are activelyengaged in the field or at your respective branch locations. range of subject material and will enable you to further develop your competencies such as leadership, teambuilding, sales and negotiation skills, and communication skills together with much more. This will equip you for success whether you Your individual success is of paramount importance. Businesses must continually

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L to R - Maria Dick - REA Support Officer, Lee Erskine - Corporate Support, Sharon McCall - State Contracts/Payroll Administration

BELLE PARKER AKA ‘MAMMA BEAR’

Life is always hectic for Belle Parker – not that she is complaining. Having been with Roberts Real Estate for 14 years there is an energy to Belle that is growing stronger by the day – no better demonstrated than her being awarded the ‘Sapphire Award for Excellence for Property Sales Consultant of the Year 2014’. ‘Sapphire’ recently caught up with Belle to learn more about this dynamic real estate professional. Belle Parker started with Roberts Real Estate as a personal assistant to senior management learning everything she could about office administration and real estate in general. Before long Belle was promoted to Office Manager and later became Sales Manager for our Brighton Office selling from Bridgewater to Oatlands and everywhere in between. The Brighton shire is still her core suburb as she lives in the area and is well known to the local community and is a terrific contributor of her time in that regard. Belle is now based at our successful Glenorchy office and is enjoying great success in the Northern Suburbs of Hobart.Belle loves spending her spare time with her family and her very supportive and understanding husband. Belle believes that a supportive family environmentis a really important ingredient to her success. Belle enjoys a

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bit of trout fishing, camping at her shack at Orford. She loves to entertain at home with big breakfasts and BBQ’s – relaxing with family, friends and all her animals. She is happiest on the ride on mower and following her beloved Sydney Swans during the footy season. Belle is also legendary for the size and value of the gifts she provides to her customers and clients when she sells property – something she enthralls in and loves to be part of. Her empathy, sincerity and tireless work ethic will continue to be an inspiration to everyone.What do you like about RobertsReal Estate? “The name, the brand and the

people at the Glenorchy branch where I am affectionately known as ‘Mamma Bear’. Together with our fantastic administrators (who are the bosses really!) and the property management team, every day is an adventure – always plenty of good times.” Why is customer service important to you? “As agents we play a massive part in changing peoples’ lives, helping them move and building

their future memories. Our clients are the reason we are here. It is important to give the job 100% and achieve nothing, than give nothing and get the same result.”How do you make your customers smile? “Be yourself and keep smiling at them, keep them happy and they will come back for more. I have made lifelong friends through my work and I have been invited to attend in clients’ birthdays, christenings, house warming parties and even weddings!” Do you have a favorite story? “There are so many stories and I like to refer to them all as

adventures. I have rescued a lot of animals in my job and the majority of them have ended up at my house (just ask my husband). Every day is different and I will find myself in suit and high heels one day, jeans and Blundstone boots the next.”What’s the best property youhave sold? “That’s easy. There was a property that I sold at Rosetta which was a standard 3 bedroom, 2 storey home

with garage and rumpus room under. But is means so much more to me. This lovely family keeps coming back to Roberts Real Estate and I have now sold properties for their children also. The friendships created are very rewarding and one of the great joys of what I do.” Any advice you would give a potential sales consultant?“Yes….. be yourself! If you don’t know the answer to a question, always find out and let them know. Follow up and most importantly - listen. Treat people the way you would like to be treated and remember Rome wasn’t built in a day.”

Belle’s TrophyCabinet

• Ruralco Service Award 2012 • 2013 Roberts Real Estate

‘Laurel’

• Roberts Real Estate ‘Plaudit’ - Conscientious Performance of Duties June/July 2013

• Roberts Real Estate ‘Silver Centurion’ 2012-2013

• Roberts Real Estate ‘Gold Centurion’ 2013-2014

• Roberts Real Estate Sapphire Award for Excellence -

Community Service Award 2013

• Roberts Real Estate Sapphire Award for Excellence –

Property Sales Consultant of the Year 2014

• Ruralco Outstanding Achievement

Award 2014

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Happy birthday Wynyard! Our team at Roberts Real Estate recently celebrated a fantastic milestone when the office turned 30 years old. This was a significant event for Roberts Real Estate with the team at Wynyard joined by colleagues from around the State who travelled to help celebrate the day. It was a great opportunity also to thank the local community for their support for Roberts Real Estate over the years. There was prominent advertising conducted in the lead up to the event and invitations were sent to local businesses and to past and present vendors and purchasers asking them to join us for the occasion. Community and local business presence was very good and the day was thoroughly enjoyed by all with around 50 people attending the event. The birthday cake was a sight to behold! Amongst the activities conducted was a competition to guess how many keys were contained in a large jar placed at reception and we can now confirm there were a total of 342 keys in the jar. The winner was Jessie Leno who guessed 348. She received a dinner voucher to a local restaurant. Another highlight was the colouring competition with over a hundred entries received from local school children.

The competition was divided into 3 categories with first place in each category receiving a gift voucher to Toy World and second place movie ticket. The winners and runner-ups in each category were:3 – 5 Years - Izzy Holland and Harry Pearce6 – 8 Years - Shanyssa Faber and Jacob F9 – 12 Years - Emily Stacey and Layla Chappell

A special thank you to Louise McNeair for assisting us in judging the competition. A fun day for all and again we wish the team at Roberts Real Estate Wynyard many happy returns and even more success into the future. Well done.

CELEBRATION

30 YEARWYNYARD

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Sapphire goes global

Sapphire Gazette is continuing its

worldwide travels and is quickly

building up frequent flyer miles as

it continues to be photographed in

unexpected places. Robyn Midgley

(Administration Launceston Real

Estate) recently visited the United

States and took this snap while

crossing the iconic Brooklyn

Bridge.

After accidently losing the

Sapphire Gazette on the other

side of the bridge, Robyn hopes

whoever picked it up enjoyed

some light reading! With summer

and the holiday season upon us,

remember to take a photo of you

reading your copy of ‘Sapphire’ if

you find yourself in strange or exotic

location. Please feel free to send

your photo and location to Lee

Erskine (Corporate Support Person)

at... [email protected]

The annual Cup Cake day was held in August to raise funds for the RSPCA. Robyn Midgley (Administration Launceston Real Estate) and Danielle Jackson (Property Portfolio Assistant Launceston) both worked well to ensure this event was a successful one, not to mention tasting great! Robyn and Danielle (pictured left to right with the finished cupcakes for sale) were inundated with orders all meticulously decorated keepingthe animal theme and raised over$2,220.00. Robyn let ‘Sapphire’ know it was a great success and could take her until Cupcake day next year to fully recover from

the day, while the rest of us are planning our orders for next year. Well done ladies!

Nothing half-baked about Robyn and Danni!

We love seeing our team memberslarger than life and out and about.Recently one of our staff membershad to look twice when following abus around Burnie – looking backat her was Maria Zarb our awardwinning Property Portfolio Manager from Wynyard. She had to remind herself not to wave at Maria!

‘Uptown girl’ –Maria Zarb

NETWORK NEWS

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Our Queenstown branch shivered through one of its coldest days for the year as snow fell across the town making for a very wintry scene. Molly Sheehan (Property Portfolio

Manager), Wendy Van Balen (Sales Consultant) and Leila Prowse (Administration) were photographed outside our office, smiling and open for business!

NETWORK NEWS

A new vehicle “wrapped” by the “Sign Guys” has been received by Kim Norris (Property Portfolio Manager Sorell). Delivery of the Roberts Real Estate branded vehicles continues and these vehicles are very conspicuous in their local areas with our clear branding and contact details. Kim will be servicing Sorell and the Orford/Triabunna area.

Another ‘motor’ for the fleet

Queenstown feels the cold

Onya Julie! We would like to congratulate JulieCawthorn (Property Portfolio Manager – New Norfolk) who was recently awarded a Ruralco Service Award for 25 years valuable service. Julie is pictured here with her award and surrounded by the rest of the team from Southern Property Management. L-R Ruth Malcolm (Department Manager, Southern

Property Management), Vicki Taylor (Trust

Administrator), Anne Ackroyd (State Manager Property

Management), Julie Cawthorn (Portfolio Manager

New Norfolk), Krystle McGuiness (Portfolio Manager

Hobart), Sophie Dare (Portfolio Manager Hobart/

Kingston), Kim Norris (Portfolio Manager Sorell), Natalie

Hyland (Portfolio Manager Glenorchy), Shelley Bentley

(Portfolio Manager New Norfolk).

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Advocate Newspaperadvertising event Roberts Real Estate branches along the North West Coast were guests at the recent ‘Advocate Newspaper Advertising’ event, a fun evening hosted by the Advocate to thank local advertisers for their support. The theme this year was everything France, with a trip to Paris donated as

the major a prize. Although the local Roberts Real Estate team did their best ‘Moulin Rouge’ they missed out on the holiday. There is always next year! TOP L-R: Nicole Pearson (Department Manager North West Property Management) Isabelle Guilbert (Sales Consultant Ulverstone) Dennis Wragg (Sales Consultant Wynyard) Kerryn Swinden (Sales Consultant Wynyard), Hayley Goodwin (Portfolio Manager Devonport), Maria Zarb

(Portfolio Manager Wynyard), Frederic Guilbert (Sales Consultant Ulverstone), Veronica Wright (Administration Wynyard), Sharon Ling (Portfolio Manager Ulverstone), Dionne Hunt (Sales Consultant Wynyard), AlyciaBennett (Administration Burnie) Debbie Eaves (Portfolio Manager Burnie) and Tim Barrett (Sales Consultant Burnie).

Kylie Muir (Property Portfolio Manager Shearwater) had completed a good part of the day when it was noticed there appeared to be an issue withher uniform. Kylie was somewhatembarrassed when she realised she had been wearing her vest inside out! Look closely.

One of those days...

Comment has been made that thisis arguably the best looking emailsignature from around our statewideteam at present. Both Paul and Leigh from Roberts Real Estate Bicheno/Swansea have struck a pose that would do Mel Gibson and Danny Glover proud. The hard-boiled, die-hard detective look and stance would make a great movie poster and Bruce Willis may have some competition on his hands.

“Go ahead punk,make my day...”

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As you relish the goodies, decorate every nook andcorner of your home and enjoy the get-togethers...

May the joy and festivities continue to radiate inyour lives, long after Christmas is gone.

MERRY CHRISTMASand a Happy New Year! To all our valued clients,

customers and team members Statewide

THANK YOU!

CELEBRATING THE PAST, BUILDING THE FUTURE

YEARSsince 1865

Documents

Sapphire Summer 2015