A Real Estate Career Path Beyond Property Management

We talk with Tyren Liebel from MyRealty Plus about building a long-term real estate career by moving from leasing into business development instead of forcing a move into property management. We break down what the job really looks like day to day, from cold calling and relationship building to handovers, privacy shifts and the tools that will shape BDM work next. 

• Tyren’s entry into real estate and why leasing becomes his foundation 
• What the rental market used to look like and what that teaches new operators 
• Why property management does not suit everyone and how to spot fit early 
• Leasing-to-BDM skills that transfer fast: communication, honesty, trust 
• How we reframe cold calling as problem solving, not pitching 
• Handling rejection, scam awareness, and keeping calls calm 
• Building a handover that protects the property manager and the owner 
• Matching owners to property managers by personality, not just geography 
• Using virtual assistants well by training and setting clear workflows 
• Building referral networks through BNI and becoming more advisory 
• What privacy changes and AI could change in prospecting and screening 

 Tyren Liebel 0413-833-936

Detector Inspector | Safer Homes

This podcast is kindly sponsored by The Associates Co. 

The Associates Co provides fully trained professionals to assist you with scaling your property management department. They are ready to hit the ground running! Once a luxury, VA's are now a staple in every business, whether you are managing 5 properties or 500+

Head over to www.theassociatesco.com

Transcript

Cold Open: Awkward Run-Ins

SPEAKER_00 0:00

Now I'm not going to make it awkward, but you happen to see, like if you happen to lock eyes with people.

SPEAKER_01 0:07

See, I'll always, if that happens, I'll always assert my dominance and go up and say hi. Because it's more awkward to pretend you didn't see each other than to just like go up, say hi, and then it's over and done with.

SPEAKER_00 0:16

See, I don't have a bad bone in my body, so I'll always go and talk to people. Um I actually ran into Dale recently. This was actually like a month ago. Sorry, are you gonna be using them throughout the shoot? Like your bum, no, no, no, no. They just set them off the table. Yeah. Sorry, I'd like to have things in my hands, I'll probably keep it.

SPEAKER_01 0:36

Yeah, you can hold on to the pen. Are you gonna click the pen though?

SPEAKER_00 0:40

I'll probably do it like subconsciously, but no.

SPEAKER_01 0:44

Yeah, do you have a fidget spinner for it?

SPEAKER_00 0:46

No, I'll I'll be alright. Cool. Yeah, I'm ready when you are now, it's all set up. And if you want like uh if you want me to come around 30 minutes when we're 30 minutes in or I don't even know how these things start. But anyway, going back to Dale, super awkward because I live in June Lub. I was like, okay, I'll go play rugby. He plays at June Lub Brothers. I messaged him on LinkedIn like six months ago, never replied to me. So I was like, okay, cool. I know that he like he plays there because he was coaching. So I dropped in to a training session just to go have a look, but then also hopefully run into him and just be like, hey, how you going? The most awkward conversation of my life. He's awkward as it is in general. But you know, when you're trying to engage in a conversation with someone that's giving you like one-word answers or just borderline ignoring you while it's still like just there. So super awkward. Uh didn't really give me much.

SPEAKER_01 1:43

Is he still at exceed?

SPEAKER_00 1:45

Didn't even ask him.

SPEAKER_01 1:47

I was just like, they've taken their staff off the website at PMT. Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 1:51

It's too much to probably do the amount of catfishing that they did with some of their profiles. But yeah, I didn't even ask him. I was just like, oh, how's life? You know, where are you living? That sort of stuff. But yeah, super, super awkward. He could still be dating that girl as well. I don't know. Anyway. All right. So I'm gonna ask you.

SPEAKER_01 2:09

So I'm gonna do a quick intro. Introduce yourself, ask you how you started in real estate, a bit about like leasing to BDM and how that can kind of be a career path for PMs if they're not too sure where to go, or if it's someone in leasing that still loves the industry but doesn't want to go towards the PM side. Yeah, yeah. So I want to talk about that sort of stuff. Yeah, your favorite and least favorite parts of the role, where you might see things going over the next few years, especially around like privacy changes. So like personally, I don't think ID for me is gonna be around much longer. So those sort of things.

SPEAKER_00 2:41

That's an interesting one.

SPEAKER_01 2:41

I'm gonna ask you about call screening. So yeah. And then at the end, I'll ask where people can find you.

SPEAKER_00 2:47

Yeah, look, feel free to uh jump in and ask questions as I'm answering as well. So it's not like just question and then it's a block.

SPEAKER_01 2:55

Yeah, no, it'll be like rambling. I'm just telling you like the con the conversation, but they're just like in dot point, because otherwise I read off and I'll be like, so tell me how you start.

SPEAKER_00 3:05

No, no, that's that's that's a okay. That's a okay. But yeah, I tend to ramble, so you'll just have to edit as you go.

SPEAKER_01 3:14

All right, cool. I think we're ready.

Meet Tyron And His Path

SPEAKER_01 3:27

Welcome to the Art of Property Management podcast. My name is Marissa Reeves. Uh, for those who don't know me, I'm the operations manager at SOCO Realty and at PM Collective. I'm joined today by my friend Tyron from MyRealty Plus. Welcome.

SPEAKER_00 3:41

Thank you, Marissa. Thanks for having me. I appreciate the opportunity to come and uh spend some time and go through a bit of a QA, which is always exciting.

SPEAKER_01 3:48

Yeah. It's um I've known you for a few years now, but I realized recently I don't actually know how you got into real estate. Like I just feel like by the time I met you, you were already in leasing, and it's just kind of a good opportunity to have a chat, find out how you got here.

SPEAKER_00 4:02

Yeah, look, everyone's got a story, one that they're willing to expose and one that they sort of keep a bit surface level. So yeah, it's certainly been a bit of a a ride. We've obviously known each other now for quite a few years. And it certainly seems like these years are coming by, you know, quite quickly. Way too fast. But um yeah, look, it it's it's been an amazing opportunity. I've been in real estate now for ten years.

SPEAKER_01 4:25

Oh wow. I didn't realise it was that long.

SPEAKER_00 4:26

Yeah, yeah, time flies. As you can see, the grays are starting to come through on the head. So that's how I know I've been in it for too long. But yeah, so I entered the industry ten years ago, moving from Country Victoria, place called Bendigo, uh, which is borderline country, but I did live country further to that. But yeah, just moved over from Bendigo uh to Perth, just a bit of a lifestyle change. And at the time I was actually studying my diploma in paramedical science. So that's maybe a bit of a flip of the script. And so yeah, at the time I was doing my diploma, I finished it. And just as life sort of transgresses, I found an opportunity through our friend Aaron Wallace and got a job at Rental Management Australia as my sort of launching platform. So yeah, that's how I sort of started in the the real estate fold over here in Perth.

Moving To Perth And Starting Leasing

SPEAKER_01 5:21

And what role did you start in?

SPEAKER_00 5:22

Yeah, so started in as a leasing manager. So really focused in on coordinating, you know, the the advertising, the home opens, getting properties leased, all the you know, the important things, the right tenants, uh, the right strategies and the likes, and make sure everything was nice and efficient. But back then the market was obviously a lot different to what it is now.

SPEAKER_01 5:44

So Yeah, I was just about to ask that. So what it was 2016?

SPEAKER_00 5:47

Yeah, it would have been 20, well I'll say 2017. Okay. July 2017.

SPEAKER_01 5:52

So that would have been tough then. Were you having to offer like one week's free rent?

SPEAKER_00 5:55

And I do remember those days. They were the the funny ones because you get, you know, some owners offering a free week's rent, and then you get some offering, you know, gift cards. Free TV, dishwashers, you name it, whatever. Totally different time. Get those coming through and you'd go do a home open and you might not get anybody uh inquiring. And those when that's when the rents were low as well. And just to see the sort of shift in the market now, it it's it's crazy. So those sort of coming in nowadays, you know, thinks it's it's easy, but it wasn't always that that easy.

SPEAKER_01 6:31

Yeah, definitely.

Why Property Management Was Not Fit

SPEAKER_01 6:32

And I know that you did have a brief stint as a property manager. Tell me about that. How did that happen? Yeah. Why didn't you enjoy it? How'd you end up back in leasing?

SPEAKER_00 6:41

Yeah, look, property management's it's an interesting one. It's it's a desired taste, I should say. And it's it's not for everybody. Not to say that you can't do it. It's just not enjoyable for me. So yeah, I had a brief stint for a couple of years in the property management space, but just found I like to get out talking, socializing, away from sort of the the constraints of a desk, so to speak. So for me, it was an opportunity to move back into sort of a leasing BDM role and then sort of in the latter part of my stages, committing myself into BDM position. So I think it was a really good stepping stone in terms of experience and just learning the tricks of the trades and just sort of incorporating certain skills and assets along the way, which obviously shapes the way that you know we operate ourselves.

SPEAKER_01 7:35

I think that makes a big difference. If you have a BDM that has actually been on the other side as a property manager, it definitely impacts how you handle things like the handover and even just like the educational side to owners, because you understand if there's a breakdown in communication or education with those owners, you've been on the other side to deal with the consequences. So I think, I mean, personally, I think that all BDMs should have to be a property manager at some point in their career because it just gives you that insight that you you just don't get if you come from BDM in a different industry straight into this. You don't understand the nuances of property management and how much a poor handover can actually impact the property manager for for the entire tenancy or the entire management, really. So it does have a pretty big impact.

SPEAKER_00 8:18

Yeah, look, you're spot on. You know, communication is the cornerstone to anything that we do in life. Uh it's in all industries. And just to sort of go back to what you're saying, it's the importance of education when it comes to relationships, it's understanding. And then it allows you to sort of, you know, walk the walk instead of just talking the talk. So, you know, having all those different aspects to it, understanding sort of strategies, looking at, you know, property through a different lens in terms of what works, what doesn't work, understanding sort of the nuances of the day-to-day property management, investment protection, those sort of things, understanding, you know, it's the upkeep of properties, you know, we're looking at compliances, we're looking at understanding wear and tear, those sort of things. It helps you sort of navigate problems as they come up because you've experienced them and you've seen the solutions, you speak to a host of trades, and it's experienced along the way that really helps you, you know, educate owners as well. And like I said, it's it all culminates into adding an extra chink to the armor when you are dealing with owners because you've done all these different roles. Yeah, and you've been through. Provide you input from different lanes.

SPEAKER_01 9:31

Yeah, definitely. So how long have you been doing BDM now?

SPEAKER_00 9:34

Be at least three years in terms of sole BDM. I was an assistant for a while back, which allowed me to sort of learn the ropes in a bit more sort of you know detail and processing. So yeah, it's three years now as a sole BDM.

SPEAKER_01 9:50

That's gone so quick. That's crazy.

SPEAKER_00 9:52

Yeah, time flies when you're having fun, as they say. So everyone's uh term of fun is always gonna be a little bit different. But you know, it's been it's been great. The people that you get to sort of meet along the way, whether it's clients, whether it's you know, industry affiliates, tenants, whoever, it's it's the stories that come with those. And that's what I enjoy. You know, I mean, I'm a pretty chatty person, so I'm always gonna ask some random questions. But that to me, that's where you get to sort of get the best out of people as well.

The Skills Leasing Teaches Fast

SPEAKER_01 10:22

So I guess that's kind of plays into how leasing can translate into a BDM role. So I I wanted to talk about how I d I think people that start in a leasing role think quite often that the main progression is just straight into property management. But as we've seen with you, that's not always the right fit for people. So I do think that the sort of person that enjoys a leasing role is someone that does really thrive, being on the road, building those relationships, talking to people. So it surprises me. It's not a more natural progression to go from leasing into BDM. Are there anything, like I guess, any particular skills that you had learnt in the leasing side of things that you found really, really helped with that transition into BDM?

SPEAKER_00 11:02

Aaron Powell Yeah, look, at the end of the day, anything is possible. And I I guess it really comes back down to opportunities as well. There's companies out there that don't necessarily have a leasing position, and there are companies that do, the same way that there's companies that have inspection offices and the likes, and others that don't. So it all comes back down to opportunity and you know what an employer is willing to provide to an employee. But for me, the skills that you sort of take from leasing into the VDM realm, for me, probably the real important ones were communication, honesty, and just that trust. And when I say trust, it means you you want to be honest with someone because if you start to hide things, you find yourself in a bit of a pickle. And, you know, that hole digs itself pretty quickly. So for me, it just allows you to be yourself, build authentic relationships, and that comes back down through to honesty. So they're probably the biggest takeaways from me.

SPEAKER_01 11:59

Okay, great. Are there any tips that you would give someone that might be either in a leasing role now or maybe in property management and they're kind of waiting for that next step and they're not too sure, you know, is BDM right for me? Or how do I then learn how to get into that sort of role? Because as you said, not all agencies have the sort of structure that allows people to have this natural progression or to have this as like an option that they can do on the side to start learning. If someone was kind of a little bit stuck, not sure how they want to make that next move, what would you recommend they do?

SPEAKER_00 12:32

Yeah, look, I would always say to someone, if they're ever unsure or if it's something that's sort of crossed their mind or, you know, hit their radar, always reach out to someone that's been doing that role for a while. The same for someone that's gonna jump into sort of sales. Go to have a chat to someone because it's certainly gonna provide an opportunity in terms of what it's actually like. Because we all know you don't quite actually know what's on the other side of the door until you open it. So it it's one of those things. So I would say reach out to someone in the industry, have that conversation, see if it's actually the right fit and what your ambitions are behind it. Because everyone's got different goals, and that's gonna play a big part into how you sort of progress into that role if you do find yourself transitioning into a BDM because you can either be lazy or you can be a go-getter, you can be super proactive, you're there to build relationships. So everyone's gonna operate a little bit differently. So it's important to understand that you've got the right mentality, the right personality to succeed in what you're attempting to do.

SPEAKER_01 13:37

Yeah, it's definitely to be in something like sales or BDM, it takes a certain type of personality. You can't be scared of cold calling, that's for sure.

SPEAKER_00 13:45

Yeah, look, yeah, some days I look in the mirror and I feel like that wasn't a dig at you, by the way. No, no, no, no. I feel like I'm you know Harvey Dent two-faced from Batman. But um, yeah, look, I don't get that reference. Has its days, it's all right. I'm still young in hip. But yeah, look, it it's it can be a tough gig. I'm not gonna lie. Not every day is a win. And that's what people need to understand. Because, you know, there's different sourcing avenues depending on, you know, if you're working independent by yourself as a you know, sole operator, or if you're in a bigger company where you might be sort of hand fed a little bit more. It takes a lot of work. So it's under understanding what your options are available to you and how much effort you're gonna put in. Because, yeah, like we've all been there on those cold cool days, and you can call a hundred people and nobody picks up. And then you get another day where you'll call a hundred people and every single person will pick up. So it's certainly it's not there to discourage you, it's just the way life goes. So yeah, it's just remaining positive. You're there not to sell a service, you're there to problem solve for them. Understand a problem, help them solve it. That's the biggest way I think about it when I'm cold calling.

SPEAKER_01 14:55

So it's a good way to frame

Cold Calling With Honesty And Calm

SPEAKER_01 14:57

it. How do you handle rejection in terms of cold calling? Do you find many people uh harsh on the phone? I'm I'm asking, I've never done any sort of cold calling and don't really have the interest in ever, ever starting. So I'm interested, like, do you find many people are they rude on the phone? I think people are a lot more, I guess, aware of scammers now as well. So do you find that people like how do you how do you handle that if someone is, I guess, rude or frustrated that you're calling them?

SPEAKER_00 15:24

Yeah, look, it it's a tough one. And if you want a real sense of what it feels like, we can go outside and call 20 people and get an honest response. Um but no, look, it there's a different way, a few different ways to look at it. It's how or why are you calling them? Are they sort of a lead? But generally a cold caller is someone that you've gone out of your way to interrupt, so to speak. So you're calling them throughout their day. So whether they're at work, whether you know they're at home, they're retired, whatever it might be, you've got to remember that you're calling them. They didn't call you. So you do get some people that do not have the time of day for it, and they will tell you that. But at the end of the day, it's, you know, I spoke about in a presentation, you attract what you present. So if you present yourself as friendly, understanding, you're there to listen to how they respond. I think that's the biggest thing. Because if they're, you know, a bit narky on the other end of the phone and then you sort of meet them with that, it's not gonna end well. But if you're sort of a little bit understanding and apolog apologetic, you'll generally get over that first hurdle once they do pick up the phone. And that's the biggest challenge. It's once again, you you're always gonna be a salesperson when you cold call, but it's just shifting your mindset. So if you can sort of translate, translate that to someone in that first, you know, three seconds, seven seconds, depending on how quick or slow you talk, that's probably the biggest shift in how a phone call is gonna go with a cold call.

SPEAKER_01 16:55

Okay.

SPEAKER_00 16:56

I told you I ramble.

SPEAKER_01 16:57

So No, no, that was fine. That was good. I guess I want to speak about what your what you'd think would be your least favorite part of the role and then your most favorite part of the role as someone that came from that leasing background. Like I said, some people come into BDM and they've done BDM in other industries. So I I want to, I guess, focus on if you were if you were someone looking to move into a BDM role, is there anything that you wish you knew going into it about parts that you don't or do enjoy?

SPEAKER_00 17:26

Yeah, look, like I said, no two days are going to be the same. And that will also be a direct reflection on the amount of work that you put in and what you do to actually change that for yourself. I think the parts that I really enjoy, or have at least found to continue to enjoy, is the relationship building. Like I said, it's an industry where you want to be a partner in someone's journey. So whether that's through the a client themselves or through building a relationship with an affiliate, it's all about trust. And for me, it's a great opportunity to really connect with people beyond just a surface-level transaction. And there are people out there that just transact very surface level, but I find you're always going to provide a better service or get better engagement if you can actually go above and beyond. Because if you know you get to know them, you get to understand how they do things, why they do things, you can also adjust the way that you sort of manage that person as well. So that's probably one of the biggest enjoyments for me. It's just, you know, getting to know people, building those relationships.

SPEAKER_01 18:34

Aaron Powell Which makes sense. You're a very chatty person, very people person. It's hard to picture like for me to think back and try and picture you as a property manager sitting at a desk. I actually can't.

SPEAKER_00 18:44

Yeah, look, I feel like I always envision those scenes in a movie where someone's, you know, in Wall Street sitting up on a 40-level apartment and just taking a phone call with their sleeves rolled up. That's how I sort of felt. But when you're out and about, you just get to see things, experience things that just you wouldn't get when you're sitting behind a desk. So, you know, part and parcel of the job, it's you get to see different types of properties, meet different types of clients as well, go to nice areas, and then you also get to go to some not so nice areas. And you know, sometimes you've got to convey that to someone in a nice way. But yeah, I think like I said, no days, no two days are the same. It always gives you opportunity to sort of see life through a different lens. So for me, yeah, that's been one of the enjoyments. But to sort of answer your question about what's probably my least favorite part of the job, it can be admin. Like I've never been a huge sort of admin guy. So I can find that you know it can be quite time consuming because you want to make sure that you get everything done right. And yeah, it's it's important that you do. But yeah, admin, it's not fun for me. Otherwise, I would be sitting back behind a desk day to day. So yeah, I'll be real on that one.

Setting Expectations And Nailing Handover

SPEAKER_01 20:03

That kind of leads me to my next question is the handover process. This is probably the biggest pain point for every property management team I've ever spoken to. And I don't know if anyone's ever gotten the process 100% right. So I'm interested to hear about, I guess, your current process with handing over to the property manager, maybe some tips or tricks that you've learned along the way. It's definitely a process that obviously every agency is different. But, you know, where do you draw the line sometimes in terms of does the BDM assist with leasing for new business? How involved are you after the MA is signed? Because then also I guess how you handle that with the owner and the expectations that you can sometimes by accident set with the owner around communication times and things like that can then affect the property manager once it's handed over to them. So yeah, walk me through, I guess, your current handover process.

SPEAKER_00 20:57

Yeah, look, it's a bit of a loaded question on that front there. So once again, every agency is always going to be a little bit different. Every BDM is gonna be a little bit different, depending on sort of their support structure in the business and depending on how involved they actually want to be. So for me, the way I see it, it's when I'm engaging a client, I'm the first point of contact that they have with that company. So first impressions matter. We've heard that in life. So for me, it's about setting a good, you know, service level from the start, and that's those early engagements with you. You're the one that's you know doing the appraisals, you're the one that's helping them get the property set up to perform its best because you've sold a service and you want to deliver on that service as well. So for me, it's really important that clients, especially at My Realty Plus, the way I do it, it's I'm involved in the onboarding, the leasing side of it, and then we'll do a handover to the property management team once we get a tenancy in place, and then the property management side takes on from there. So Going back to your question about, you know, how tricky it can be in terms of shifting from BDM to property management, in terms of handing over the property and the client, it comes back down to communication and, you know, how you work with your fellow colleagues as well. Because it's easier to drop the ball on a few things or sell, you know, an expectation that you can deliver, but then not be delivered by someone else, if that makes sense. So Well, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 22:30

As I mean, as a BDM, that's your that's your sole focus. And it's also your bread and butter. So you're going to give that 100% of your attention because that's the lead that you're currently working on. But of course, for a property manager, it's it's different, and they often will work different hours. So I think that's where the biggest pain point seems to be with people is is Probably the difference in the R.

SPEAKER_00 22:51

There's different you know, you've probably seen it across the board working with various people in the industry. Everyone's different. And that's not to discredit anyone, because some people just do it as a nine-to-five and then others do it because they're passionate about it. They're often the ones sort of are going above and beyond working extra hours, not because someone's asked them to, or not because they're not doing their job within those hours. They just want to go above and beyond because it's the satisfaction they get from it. So I guess it really depends on what type of person that handover is going to. If it's going to someone that's you know proactive and really enjoys their job, the experience is going to match. If it goes to someone that's just a nine to five, doing it to get paycheck to paycheck, the experience is probably going to drop as well. But like you said, it's making sure that the client gets a good experience and that you're actually doing what you you said you're going to do when you're sort of onboarding them as well. Because that's important. You don't want to sell a lie. Because, like I said, you get caught out pretty quickly. So but yeah, in terms of getting that handover process right, it's making sure that you make those introductions sort of early stages so the client themselves know what's coming. And it's not just, hey, I've leased your property. This is your property manager, all the best. I like to also still remain involved behind the scenes. So to a client, if I'm bringing them on, I'll be upfront, up front and honest with them, transparent. I'll be your guide through the whole leasing and you know, tenant placement, and then the property manager will be your point of contact, but I'm always available behind the scenes. And that just comes back down to our service structure at My Realty Plus. It's being available at all times because at the end of the day, they're paying for a service, you want to deliver on that service and you want to be a part of their journey. So for me, yeah, that's probably where we sort of sit in that handover.

SPEAKER_01 24:52

Okay, great. Is there anything specific that you did when you started with your current agency to, I guess, maybe immerse yourself with in in the business and how the property managers work? Because I guess if you're the one out there answering questions to owners, you need to know how they work. You need to know the systems, the portal. Like you you have to understand the product that you're selling. So while you have the property management experience yourself, which would help, is there anything specific that you recommend doing to actually get to know the team and how how they work?

SPEAKER_00 25:23

Yeah, look, I think in any job, it's it is important to get to know the people that you work with because they are your family outside of your actual family. So it's important that because we're all working together, that you do understand how everyone ticks and does things. Because if you don't, the cogs are not gonna match when that engine's running. So, you know, for me, I'm pretty personal guy, personable guy, I should be.

SPEAKER_01 25:47

Very chatty too.

SPEAKER_00 25:48

Uh so we've we've made that abundantly clear. So for me, it's pretty easy to get around, to get to know people I work with. And, you know, it's it's a good thing because you get to learn, you know, about people. It's beyond that surface entry sort of stuff. And you start to really figure out how they operate. And you can often also match personalities with your team. So if you've got a client that's going to match well with this personality, I think that's really important because that's part of the experience. So yeah, for me, it's pretty easy getting to know my uh my team that I work with, because at the end of the day, they are my support team as well. So I like to make myself available. I've always been a pretty approachable person that's willing to go out of my way to help people because at the end of the day, you get back what you put in. So if you go out of your way to do something, you know, what's it called, karma, it what goes around comes around. So that's why I sort of see life and live it a little bit.

SPEAKER_01 26:51

Yeah, 100%.

Portfolio Fit: Personality Over Postcode

SPEAKER_01 26:53

In terms of lead allocation or or property allocation, I think that is a big factor that people kind of overlook now. Something that people have been talking about a lot, and we've been finding this in our office as well, is purely basing the portfolios on the geographic location of the property. But the personality match, like what you said, like that can make such a big difference. So if an owner has multiple properties and they might be spread all the way across Perth, sure it might not make a lot of sense for the one property manager to have them all the time. But if they mesh well, if they understand and have that existing relationship, I think that plays a really big part into it. How do you go in terms of allocating, are you in charge of who the property goes to? What sort of factors come into play when you're making the decision on where that property goes?

SPEAKER_00 27:41

Yeah, look, I will have a certain input in terms of what the client and the property type is like. Um, but ultimately it still needs to fit within the business structure. But it is really important that you know that synergy between the property manager yourself and the client is correct. Because otherwise, if there's a disconnect from the start, it makes it a little bit tricky. And Perth, it's a pretty small market, so to speak, geographically speaking. So, you know, you can get north of the river in half an hour on a good day, south of the river, half an hour on a good day. So in terms of stretching a portfolio, it's pretty easy, but it's understanding that what a client is looking for in a service. You know, because we do get some that are just set and forget. They don't want to hear from you. Yeah, I do want to. You call them during the day and they're just like, why are you calling me?

SPEAKER_01 28:33

Don't even bother me, just send the work order.

SPEAKER_00 28:35

Yeah. And then there's others that stay actively involved. So everyone's got a different reason and what they're looking for in property management. So I think it's understanding what's a good fit for them as much as the trust that they've engaged you. So they need to trust your service and your systems as well. So yeah, it's just one of those things.

SPEAKER_01 28:56

Do

Virtual Assistants As A BDM Tool

SPEAKER_01 28:57

you currently use any virtual assistance?

SPEAKER_00 29:00

No.

SPEAKER_01 29:00

Okay. Thoughts?

SPEAKER_00 29:03

Look, everything has its place. We look at AI, you know, it's got its place. So it really depends on what you're trying to achieve. If you're trying to be efficient at something um or effective at something, and it's about how you implement it. But a tool is as only like a tool is only as good as the user. So that's probably the biggest takeaway. You know, you can have something, but if you don't know how to use it, it's a bit of a waste.

SPEAKER_01 29:33

So Yeah, and I think what people forget when it comes to using virtual assistants is exactly what you've said before. You only get out of it what you put in. So a lot of people don't, they're not willing to put in the time to train them. So they're not going to get much out of them. But I guess from the leasing perspective, the only real involvement you'd have with a virtual assistant would be maybe a bit of assistance on processing the applications. And then if they're approved, putting them in the system. So for BDM, I ask because I'm curious. Currently in our agency, the only real involvement that the VAs have is drafting the management authority and like prepping the onboarding form for the owners for any like extra value ads. I think there's a lot that can be done in terms of like prospecting and assistance on that side. But as a whole, you don't see many BDMs using VAs in their day-to-day.

SPEAKER_00 30:22

Yeah, look, I've spoken to some BDMs that rely heavily on VA activity because it comes back down to what they enjoy doing as part of a BDM and what they see in value in terms of their time. And others just like to stay involved in the whole process. So there's certainly a place and a time for VA activity, and certainly, you know, I probably should engage one for admin-based stuff, given that I don't enjoy it. But those sort of things where you know they just become a bit more formality. I think that's a really good touch point to be able to engage someone to do those little things because it allows you, it frees you up to go do other things as well. And like you touched on, it's prospecting's always a big one, depending on what level of engagement you want them to do in prospecting, if it's helping sort of set up call runs or set up meetings, and then it allows the BDM to, you know, do what they need to do and then go attend those meetings and so forth. So yeah, it's really up to the individual as to how involved they like to be and and what parts of it they enjoy doing. If that makes sense.

SPEAKER_01 31:28

Yeah,

BNI, Referrals, And Becoming Advisory

SPEAKER_01 31:29

I guess around prospecting. So I've just attended your BI this morning. Obviously, you've always been a big fan of B and I. If someone was moving into a BDM role, do you think that it's a good move to straight away go for something as structured as B and I if they're looking at at not necessarily prospecting, but more lead generation and building their referral partners? Or would you say that maybe reaching out to people personally to start with is a bit better and then go for something more structured once they're a bit more established?

SPEAKER_00 31:56

Yeah, look, there's no right or wrong answer. It's really, like I said pr a few times in this podcast, it's what you're trying to achieve out of it, what you're comfortable doing. But you know, comfortable can also be consequential because if you become too comfortable, you don't start putting yourself in positions where you start experiencing different opportunities. So, like you said, I've been in B and I now for four years, and it's a great tool for me, not only in lead generation, but it's the mindset behind that you know, reciprocity. You know, you get back what you give. And it's such a small industry in Perth as well that you know, reputation is one part. So for me, it's it's a great way to build a brand, but it helps you strengthen certain relationships within the industry and similar industries as well. And the value I sort of get out of it is that you get to build these connections with, you know, people in different lanes, such as you know, accountants, mortgage brokers, conveyancers, and the like. So it always gives you a trusted lean point if you've got a question. And it only helps you look a little bit better as well. You know, if you've got a question that a client's asked you, you can say, hey, look, I'll get back to you in two seconds. Because nobody knows all the answers. So for me, a platform like BI or a very similar type of setup, it's a great way to grow yourself in terms of your brand and your business, but it also helps develop skills. You know, you and I spoke very briefly about, you know, public speaking. It's not for everybody, but it is something that you can actually get used to. So it's practice makes perfect as well. You put yourself into an uncomfortable position multiple times and you start to adapt and adjust. So for me, it's been a great, you know, tool in terms of building myself confidence as well, building certain skills that you don't necessarily always see on display, but things are sort of running in the background. So yeah.

SPEAKER_01 34:04

I think it seems to give a pretty well-rounded view of the industry as well. So it was pretty good timing when I came this morning. Obviously, we've had all of the CGT changes, et cetera, from the federal budget. So for me sitting in that room, and that's what a lot of like the accountant and um financial advisors, that's what they were talking about, for you to know that this like if you do have specific questions from an owner, that you do have that well-rounded view that, okay, you might not be the right person to answer it, but you have this whole network behind you that does. So I think that's and this goes for property managers as well, is you might not think that too many of these changes will affect you in your job. But as soon as those owners t uh start to ask you those questions, if you don't know the answer, you need to know who you can go to to find out for them, because that's when you then switch from just maybe like a transactional role to more of an advisory role. And it just yeah, it gives you a more cohesive management, I guess, for the for the property for the owner. So they know that they can actually come to you with those questions. And even if you're not the one to answer it, you have someone else that can.

SPEAKER_00 35:09

Yeah, look, it certainly takes you away from just being a seat, you know, a bum in a chair to actually being an industry expert, so to speak. Because like I said earlier, you want to be a property partner to that client because you want to understand their journey, what their goals are, and once you start to and you'll start to learn things as you go along the way. And you start to listen for certain cues. I think that's the biggest thing. Active listening is probably one of the biggest skills of started learning over time. It's you know, you've got two ears and one mouth. So you can do a lot more with your two ears. But for me, it's as you start to listen for certain things, it helps you understand and then it can help you coordinate from there. Like you said, it's understanding certain elements of what was discussed in the budget the other night, because you know, who didn't ask about the budget today. But you know, you get a bit of a grasp on it, but there's going to be different avenues in which way the budget's gonna affect people. And so, like you said, the accountant um spoke about you know what it means from their point of view, and then you know, the mortgage broker as well. So being able to lean on these sort of professions only arms you in your ability to service the client beyond just a property manager, but actually a property advisor, so to speak.

SPEAKER_01 36:31

Yeah, definitely. In

Privacy Changes, AI, And Social Proof

SPEAKER_01 36:33

terms of prospecting, there's been a lot of talk lately, I guess, around privacy issues. I know that application processing, it's been, I guess, deemed that we're not we're asking information that's not actually necessary to process an application. So I'd say that privacy is definitely a big concern in I guess in the public overall, but in the industry right now, everyone's kind of waiting to see what changes are gonna be made over the next few years. Something like ID for me, those sort of softwares, do you think that they'll still be around in a couple of years?

SPEAKER_00 37:06

It's a little bit of a tough one to answer because it really just depends on how they are going to adjust with the privacy changes because either they're gonna have to look at different ways to obtain that data through consent, so maybe opt-in platforms. Otherwise they just risk you know, risk becoming obsolete. So it's certainly a day and age that we we are heavily technology involved. So I think it is gonna come back down to how they sort of adjust.

SPEAKER_01 37:38

Are there any other changes, I guess, that you can see coming in the not necessarily the PM industry, but for BDM specific with the advancements of AI and everything like that in the next few years, are there any changes that you can kind of think of that you think are gonna become more common?

SPEAKER_00 37:55

Aaron Powell Yeah, look, AI it's it's a pretty powerful tool if if used correctly, and it can also be used quite dangerously as well. So the way technology's it's moving, it's it's moving rapidly, and it's how you use those platforms to your advantage as well. We see how effective social media can be, but it comes back down to social proof as well. It's easy just to plaster something out in social media or Google ads, but if there's no authenticity behind it, then it falls a little bit.

SPEAKER_01 38:26

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 38:27

We we've all been guilty of researching something and then you just get flooded with ads specific to that particular product uh for the next week. Um and it can become a bit frustrating. But I think the way that the market's moving, it's going to be quite reliant on social proof. And that comes back down to social media, advertising, BDMs, you know, projecting themselves authentically as well, and just putting themselves out there and building those honest relationships.

Call Screening Pros, Cons, And Friction

SPEAKER_01 38:59

Have you had many issues lately with call screening? I've I don't have it turned on on my own phone, but I've had a few people complain about it in the office. Is that something that you've had come up?

SPEAKER_00 39:09

Aaron Powell Yeah, it's it's an interesting one. Some days I get it, like every second call, and then other days I get none.

SPEAKER_01 39:16

Aaron Powell Do you ever lie about who you are? I've heard some people say that they're like a celebrity or someone important to try and get through and then you've seen them. Yeah, have you seen those videos?

SPEAKER_00 39:25

And I do enjoy watching those videos because it can be quite comedic and just thinking outside the box. But to me, it's you put yourself in a position of deceit. Yeah. So you want to be a little bit careful. But the challenge I have is I don't have a normal name. So it's not like me calling, hey, it's Adam, and it comes through as Adam, I say, hey, it's Tyron, and then it just presents whatever it wants on the other side of that screen. Or you think you've just said something and then it plays back what you've just said, and it's not nowhere near what you said. So you sort of just give up a little bit, and you know pretty quickly when that phone call just goes straight to voicemail after you've left your core screening sort of So it can't really be trusted. No, no. But obviously it's a very powerful tool for people on the other end of the phone because I've used it myself.

SPEAKER_01 40:22

Because I feel like it's just people avoiding picking up the phone.

SPEAKER_00 40:24

Look, I've found advantage to it if you're sort of super busy and you receive a phone call. Because we've all been guilty of picking up the phone call just out as a cure like a curiosity.

SPEAKER_01 40:37

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 40:38

Not curiosity, but a you know, you want to be convenient to them. You pick it up, you answer, and then you tell the person, sorry, I can't answer it right now. So why did you pick up the phone in the first place? Whereas this call screening then at least it pops up on their phone as a bit of a text as to who's calling, the type of message that they're leaving. So it allows people to sort of understand, okay, I'll call that, I'll answer that now, or I'll call them back. So yeah, it's that's a good way to look at it. It's got its pros and cons to it. But if I'm calling, it's frustrating. Yeah. But if I'm on the other end of the phone, it's it's handy.

Where To Find Tyron

SPEAKER_01 41:12

So hopefully that helps then if anyone is looking at moving into a BDM role, whether they're currently in leasing or property management. Hopefully that's given everyone, I guess, a better overview of how that pipeline can look moving into a role like BDM. Tyron, where can we find you if anyone wants to reach out?

SPEAKER_00 41:31

Depends on the time of the day. Uh you can certainly give me a call at work on my mobile, which is 0413-833-936. It rolls off the tongue because I say it every time when I leave a voicemail. Otherwise, you can get me on Instagram actually. Socials, yeah. Um as the young kids say. So what's the in Instagram handles these days? It's Tyron Liebel property. Otherwise, yeah, just come track me down, grab a coffee. I always love a good old coffee, even though I'm limited now to two a day. I'm on the the green tea kick, so I'll still enjoy a nice cup of coffee as long as it's early in the morning.

SPEAKER_01 42:05

Amazing. All right, thanks so much.

SPEAKER_00 42:06

No, appreciate it. Thank you. Well, time went quick.

SPEAKER_01 42:12

Yeah. And that's bang on four o'clock.

SPEAKER_00 42:16

I told you a ramble because what happened.