DIAMOND'S ARE THIS GIRLS BEST FRIEND

DIAMOND’S ARE THIS GIRLS BEST FRIEND

Not content with only diamonds, Kate Butler of Kloof recently topped her Diamond Achiever status with Top Consultant for 2015/16, at the Wakefields annual awards.

The question is, are property consultants born or made? Probably both, and although they often come from a wide range of other careers, that’s not what happened to Kate Butler, Wakefields' Top Consultant for 2015/16.

Kate's initial interest in property was entirely personal....yet, looking back, it's quite revealing as to her personality, attitude to life, and professionalism. She smiles, "I wrote the Estate Agent's Board exam in 2007 solely with the idea of improving my knowledge about property for our own personal investment purposes. But while I was training and mixing with agents from different agencies, I decided that if - a BIG if - I ever became a property consultant, I'd only work in the Upper Highway area, and only for Wakefields."

Life has a way of turning things around...and shortly after passing her board exam, Kate bumped into a friend who was working as a sales consultant at Wakefields' Kloof office: "I found myself quizzing her about the job, and before long, she'd introduced me to the Kloof manager, and I was choosing a desk! I rationalised it though - my youngest child still had two years to go at Junior School, and I thought, perfect, I'll start off slowly and get stuck in once he was a boarder at high school." She laughs, "Well, that didn’t happen. I made two sales, almost simultaneously, in the first three months, and that was it. I was in."

Kate was 48, a rookie agent...with two sales under her belt: "I absolutely loved it, meeting people and learning something new every day. Our inhouse training was, apart from enormous fun, so stimulating, and it's hard to beat the satisfaction which comes from being instrumental in creating a Happy Buyer, Happy Seller scenario." She adds, "Of course, that’s also the most challenging part, often with a great deal of emotion involved - massive decisions, large sums of money, and the largest asset most people will own."

For Kate, the environment in which she works is crucial, and she considers herself fortunate to be in what she calls "a happy office (sometimes very, very jovial...). Really it is. We work well together, and most importantly, we show each other respect. I honestly believe I wouldn't have reached this point without the support of my colleagues here and in other branches...and having a wonderfully patient manager is a big plus...he's very tolerant of all our sob stories!" Kate says it's important to balance being a good team player, while being in an industry where you are effectively managing your own business: "Competitiveness within a sales environment is inevitable, but it's about how you deal with it. The old maxim of What Goes Around Comes Around is always in play. 

"If I think of the qualities required to be successful in this industry, I'd say first and foremost, honesty - clients must feel they can trust their agent - empathy, be a good listener, and - very importantly - (that's me coming from a medical profession),  professionalism."

Kate defines professionalism in a number of ways, and aside from manner, dress, reliability and knowledge, she lists appropriate skills like being really adept at the use of digital tools and technology. 

"On a more personal level, I think what one learns to do as time goes by, is how to deal with disappointment - a sale, a person, a situation. It’s never easy, but you need to learn how to handle it without compromising your own personality and who you are. It’s part of any service industry, and I am so much stronger than I was when I first started - my confidence has grown substantially, and that of course, comes with knowledge and experience. 

At Wakefields, keeping abreast of the property market isn't optional. We are compelled to attend regular lectures on the legal, financial, tax and other aspects. Just when you think you know it all, up pops a new scenario...and you need to be fully cognisant of everything. 

"If I was asked to give advice to newcomers what constitutes success, I would say, understand that it is not a part-time job, nor is it that fantasy world of 'easy money'. Sacrifices have to be made, but if you are serious about making this a successful career, it's immensely satisfying, hugely rewarding...and so much fun and excitement. No two days, actually, minutes, are the same! You need to be extremely organised - buyers and sellers expect instant, dedicated service - and you need to know that, although you can't and won’t please everybody all the time, you can certainly give it 150 percent! 

"And even though I concluded my first two sales very early on, I was bewildered as to why everyone was congratulating me - I soon learnt that some agents don't make a sale for six or more months! You have to be resilient and determined. And you need a sense of humour!  I could write a book about amusing incidents - not all printable!

Kate has lived in Kloof since 1991, and this December, she’ll have been married to Chris for 30 years - they have three children, Michael 27, Angie 25 and Jeremy 19.  She acknowledges that being married meant she didn't have the extreme financial pressure that so many others are under, but equally, her income helped enormously with the education of their children! "I drive my accountant husband crazy, as I never keep track of my finances. He just has to sort out my annual tax!" Kate adores  the African Bush - "South Africa is in my blood!", and I love reading, playing the piano and guitar. I am looking forward to being able to give time to charity again - working with abandoned babies and the destitute.  

"This industry has been very good to me," she says."But I really love what I do, where I do it, and can’t imagine doing anything else."