In Buying Property, Eastern Suburbs, Interiors, Real Estate Agents

Mastering The Sales Process

Posted on August 14, 2017

Selling out on multi-million dollar developments in Sydney’s prime locations is all in a day’s work for D’Leanne Lewis, a sales agent at the top of her game.

D’Leanne Lewis is one of Sydney’s top five agents working in boutique property development. As a Principal at Laing & Simmons Double Bay and Bondi Beach, she’s ensured the success of projects including Bord de L’Eau in Rose Bay and Double Bay’s Le Papillon. She sold the entire Cascata project in Bellevue Hill in two weekends, and Rose Bay’s Artius in six weeks – at the highest rate per square metre in Rose Bay. She also sold Epoque at Randwick in 6 weeks for the highest rate per square metre in Randwick.

The right agent is fundamental

When it comes to off-the-plan boutique developments, D’Leanne says the key to sales success is getting the fundamentals right: agent, pricing, comparables, market knowledge and marketing.

“They’re all easy to make mistakes on,” she observes.

“Employing the wrong agent will lead to the wrong pricing, which will result in to a misdirected marketing plan. It’s a snowball effect. If you make a mistake with the agent, it can be diabolically negative for the developers. The agent is the keeper of local market intelligence and pricing.”

Styling by Lawless & Meyerson

You’re creating a brand within a competitive marketplace

“I know we’ve established a compelling brand when buyers begin to enquire about the development by its brand name, rather than the street address. That’s when it’s clear we’re making an impact in the market.”

According to D’Leanne, understanding the value of a strong brand in generating interest and conversion is rare amongst residential sales agents: “Whilst there are many talented people achieving outstanding results for freestanding homes and individual apartments, the brand piece that must be wrapped around the multi-unit development is a rare skill, acquired only through experience.”

A successful brand will touch a nerve with the potential buyer who has vision for a way-of-life; an aspiration that encompasses not only the qualities of a home but also a particular lifestyle associated with the area. The creative agency must have a clear grasp of the location and its bragging points.

Take buyers on a journey

D’Leanne involves herself passionately with a project from the start, working alongside developers and creative agencies to establish a brand that inspires buyers within the particular demographic. No detail is too small for her as she understands that “the devil is in the detail” and it is of utmost importance to get it all right from the outset.

“Today’s multi-channel approach means potential buyers will encounter the brand in all sorts of places: from local print media to Google retargeting banners” she explains. “Every experience they have with the brand will be driving to a contact action, be it a website form or an agent’s mobile number and in each instance the integrity of the development’s unique offering must be retained.

“The buyer must be wrapped up in a
process that, at each point, sees them
increasingly attached to the brand.”

Floor plans have to be perfect, the flow and aesthetic of the sales brochure is critical and this brand experience should be reflected through all touch points, from local print media, email database blasts, signboards and website, all the way through to the display suite where most deposits are taken.”

“Certainly, the reinforcement of this brand experience has had a significant impact on the results we’ve been able to achieve for our developers.

“The hardest thing with an off the plan development is to get people to feel the “emotion” of it; the excitement that the architect and designers feel. You have to have confidence in their vision,” D’Leanne says. “Because you are the person who’s going to be expressing that to the buyers. You’ve got to know your product, inside and out.”

“You only get one chance
to make the right impression”

“Set a launch date and hit it,” says D’Leanne. Having the right marketing materials in place before buyers enter the picture is crucial.

“A strong registration of interest campaign must drive buyers to a beautifully presented display on a predetermined launch date, where you get your first runs on the board.”

Everything must be geared towards the display suite launch which creates a sense of urgency
and an opportunity for agents to connect and engage.”

Critical are the details: CGIs, finalised brochures, schedule of finishes, schedule of appliances and sanitary ware. Well constructed information about the developer and the architect supports the buyer in making an informed decision.”

When it comes to the methods involved in boutique development sales, D’Leanne says every agent and every project is different. Her own process is tried and tested and she’s sticking to it, but says she won’t be sharing her trade secrets any time soon.

“Your process should be the same each time, and that comes down to discipline and experience. But then I tailor a program to suit every developer and every site. The fundamentals are the same, but no one site is the same. You have to tailor a program to suit the characteristics and demographic of each site in order to achieve the optimal outcome.”

D’Leanne has been named the Real Estate Institute of Australia’s Australian Residential Salesperson of the Year and won the Real Estate Institute of NSW Award for Excellence in Auction Marketing. She’s been honoured three times as NSW Residential Salesperson of the Year.

To discuss your sales strategy, contact D’Leanne on 0419 676 667

Some of D’Leanne Lewis noteable past projects include:

BORD DE L’EAU
Rose Bay (highest rate per sqm in Rose Bay)

CASCATA
Bellevue Hill (highest rate per sqm in Bellevue Hill)

BELL AIR
45-49 Bellevue Road, Bellevue Hill

53 & 57 Suttie Road
Double Bay (highest price paid for a semi in Double Bay)

THE ZEEHAN
Dover Heights (highest rate per sqm for Dover Heights)

LE PAPILLON
Patterson Street, Double Bay (highest rate per sqm for Double Bay)

EPOQUE
Higgs St, Randwick (highest rate per sqm for Randwick)

ARTIUS
Rose Bay

ONE O NINE
Stanmore