In a word: ‘time’…
And where time is a factor, so too is patience – a trait that all successful developers must master. Not because one has to sit back and wait for things to happen – but rather, because of the scale and complexity of the undertaking – and of course the various market forces that must be navigated along the way.
The process for bringing this edition together was in some ways similar to developing and selling a real estate project off the plan. First there was the design concept, then the approvals process, followed by the sales process and finally the build, which involved the orchestration of varied interests and schedules.
The process was a complex and often haphazard one that took the shape of multiple coffees, breakfasts, phone calls to executive assistants and one rather amusing group email chat outlining the wardrobe requirements for the shoot.
“I won’t divulge too much on that, suffice to say that there was mention of exotic swimwear somewhere along the way and various other suggestions that we ultimately thought best to ignore on the day… much to my relief.”
So, while the process might have unfolded at a slightly slower pace than I perhaps had hoped for, it was important to me to have fun along the way and begin some new relationships with remarkable individuals – and if we had to wait a little longer to achieve the result, then so be it.
It seems that patience is a pervasive theme at the moment in the world of project marketing. The industry as a whole is having to practice a little more of it than we have for some time.
And while there is good opportunity in the market, sales timelines are being adjusted to more realistic buyer activity thanks to various forces: from APRA’s activity, to the dampening of international investor demand and even sensationalist media to some degree. But in this crazy new world of instant gratification, sometimes it’s good to slow down; to not getting everything we want exactly when we want it.
We need time to reassess and reset. We need to be challenged by a market that says, “hold on a minute. We don’t want a future of unimaginative cookie cutter living spaces. We’ll stop buying those for a while now, thank you.”
To which our response can only be to better ourselves and the product we produce if we are to survive and thrive. Patience, as they say, is a virtue – and given the quality of content we’ve been able to procure for this edition, I’d have to agree. The time spent with each of our featured developers was a master class in the disciplines of development and sales.
Their insight and industry knowledge is second to none – but perhaps more impressive and interesting are the ‘soft skills’ that each posesses. The enthusiasm, street smarts, charm, dogged determination and sheer grit required to operate at these levels is remarkable – and to see this kind of success coupled with genuine humility proves, once and for all, that nice guys can, in fact, finish first.
