Monday –
As a rule I try to have an admin day at the beginning and the end of the week. A chance to catch my breath, see what has happened over the weekend and lay out the rest of the week before I jump in the car. This week that meant starting the day by getting feedback from on the market sellers about viewings that took place over the weekend. What did they think of the buyers? Were they a good fit for the setting or are there concerns or things they raised that we need to respond to or supply information for? I then go to the other side, contacting the buyers involved and getting their feedback and thoughts, seeing if there are objections or concerns that we need to overcome and feeding that back to the sellers. Positive feedback all round this week, which is always nice to hear.
This week I also had a couple of teams meetings with owners who have already been valued, catching up on the tweaks and suggestions that came out of the free valuation and report that can add value to the business and profit in the short term. I always love these meetings as not only does it give me an opportunity to catch up and see how things are progressing, it is also great to see owners get to grips with understanding their business value and how small changes can have a large impact. There was a slight detour in conversation as we were interrupted by my dog who was snoring so loud that he could be heard at the other end! The meeting overran as we shared pictures of our pooches and discussed having furry workmates and the fun it brings!
Tuesday –
I have a meeting about 150 miles away, but that’s not until this evening, so I spend the morning speaking with new buyers and getting them registered. All our buyers must agree to our confidentiality terms and then have a conversation with me prior to receiving any specific setting details. This gives me a chance to get to know them, their background and situation, and find out what they are looking for. It means that when I send them settings, they know that it matches what they have asked for and I’m not sending over details for settings that don’t work for them. It also allows me to speak with vendors about who I’m sending information to, the type of buyer they are and what they want from a setting. I may at this stage also direct buyers to other resources or services, such as a finance broker to answer questions about what they can afford, or online resources to get to know the sector and start familiarising themselves with the process of buying a setting.
Once the calls are made it’s time to head off. One of the great things about my job is I go all over the country and get to meet new people and see new areas everyday. I grab my in car phone list to make sure I’m using the time productively and head up the motorway. The meeting is at 6.30pm, as the owner wants to be able to take their time and talk openly about the business. I find evening meetings are often more relaxed as there aren’t time pressures and you can discuss the setting, the valuation and answer questions or concerns without staff knocking at the door. It’s a late night, I get home about 11pm, but a good productive day!
Wednesday –
Today I have two meetings, one mid-morning about 100 miles south of where I live and another late afternoon about 100 miles north. I wave at my house as I drive back past. Most of the drive back I’m on the phone organising viewings for the next few days and into the weekend. I’m back at a reasonable hour and spend an hour catching up on emails and valuation modelling.
Thursday –
Today I’m in the office doing some filming for our new Added Value video series. Short two minute videos tackling all manner of subjects designed to give quick easy tips for day to day running of a Day Nursery. It’s exciting to see an idea come together and we finish the day with 20 segments filmed. A bit of editing and they can start rolling out on a weekly basis in a couple of weeks to our subscribers and across the social media platforms.
Friday –
A day at home today, and the tidy up portion of the week. I spend the time confirming viewings for the weekend and early next week and updating sellers on the marketing that has happened this week. This means going through who has had the information, who has said yes and wants to view or has viewed and made an offer. We also discuss who has said no and more crucially, why they have said no. Is it something we can’t change such as location of the setting, or is it a query with the figures, the set up or the price, something that we can discuss, review and possibly amend?
A slight detour in the planned day as a buyer calls me panicking, they can’t find the setting they are viewing. Twenty minutes later having poured over google maps and giving step by step directions, he arrives safe and sound.
I then move onto valuation modelling, and reporting, aiming to get all the owners I’ve seen this week a confirmed figure and a report to browse over the weekend.
Lastly, I follow up on some fresh valuation enquiries and book another appointment for next week. I check my diary and make sure I have researched the meetings already booked for the following week and reviewed any information the owners have already supplied.
Then one last check of the email and it’s time to close the laptop.
There will be calls and messages over the weekend as viewings take place and buyers and sellers give initial feedback, (or call to tell me they are lost!), so the phone is always by my side, but the weekend is here, and the plan is for a night out with friends and a chilled down Sunday ready to start again on Monday!
Look out for the video series coming soon. An ongoing series of short positive videos aimed at ‘Adding Value’ to the setting.
If you would like to receive our new video series and other resources straight to your email, contact us at hello@owenfroebel.co.uk and we will add you to our mailing list.
