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It's not often that
people associate the real estate industry with
culture and the arts, and you may in fact wonder
what these two industries have in common. Well,
in Byron Bay, the answer is simple- Chris Hanley.
Having dominated the real estate market for over
a decade, Chris Hanley is an avid arts lover and
has devoted many years to the growth of the arts
industry in Byron Bay. You may think after all
his hard work Chris would be starting to sit back
and enjoy his success, but if there's one thing
that's clear, it's that Chris is showing no signs
of slowing down. Profile by Lara Martino.
For a man with just one name, Chris Hanley is
certainly a man with many titles. Principal of
Byron Bay First National, Chairman of the Northern
Rivers Writers Centre, teacher, business coach,
writer, father, Chris is needless to say, a very
busy man. So how did this arts student, turned
teacher, turned real estate guru begin his remarkable
journey to success? |
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Click
here to listen to an audio sample
from Chris' Power of the People CD |
"I grew up in Sydney where I completed a Bachelor
of Arts with majors in History and Political Science,"
Chris explains. I then went on to complete a Diploma
of Education and further studies in Australian Literature."
After six years in the tertiary education system, Chris
began teaching at colleges all around Sydney. "I've
always believed education in itself is a very good thing
and that's why I found teaching to be hugely rewarding,"
he says. "However, teaching was not my primary
source of income, it was more something I did because
it gave me great satisfaction."
So to earn his living Chris made a decision that ultimately
marked the beginning of an incredibly successful, 25-year
real estate career. "People often ask me how I
got into real estate, and the answer is very simple.
I saw an ad in the paper and decided to give it a go."
Although his decision to enter real estate may seem
a little unplanned, his efforts that followed certainly
were not. Within the first year Chris was achieving
remarkable sales results and was quickly working his
way towards becoming one of the top players in the industry.
"Real estate is only about two things," Chris
explains.
"It's about getting people to trust that you are
the right person to sell their property and then it's
about finding qualified people to buy the properties.
I guess the key to these two things is forming good
relationships with people and this is something I have
been able to do from a young age."
Deciding it was time for a sea change, Chris moved
to Byron Bay where he continued to excel in the real
estate market. When the opportunity arose to become
a business partner in Margaret Robertson First National
Real Estate, Chris jumped at the chance. "My partner
Margaret (Robertson) was an exceptionally good sales
person and a very inspiring woman, and together we created
a very successful business."
And if you're wondering exactly how successful, the
figures can do the talking. Their company became the
market leader in Byron Bay, a position it still holds
today- some ten years later- with a market share varying
between 30 to 40 percent. "Margaret has since retired
but I still have an exceptionally high calibre of staff
and business partners working with me."
Today, Byron Bay First National has about 32 to 33
per cent market share, meaning every third house in
the town is sold by their company. "The main premise
of our business is ethics and honesty and this is how
we maintain long term client relationships," Chris
explains.
"85 per cent of properties that we sell are for
people we have done business with in the past."
During his rise to become one of the industry's top
business leaders, Chris surprisingly still found time
to pursue his passions for teaching and writing. "Whilst
working in real estate I was also teaching at various
colleges in Byron Bay," he says.
"I've taught a variety of subjects including Australian
literature, history, business communications, auctioneering
and English. I also started a not for profit organisation
called the Northern Rivers Writers Centre, which incorporates
the annual Byron Bay Writer's Festival, a writing centre
and a writing school."
Although the worlds of art and real estate may be seemingly
unrelated, Chris believes his success in real estate
is due to his cultural activities. "When working
in real estate, I believe it's important to have some
other outlet to get satisfaction from," Chris says.
"Real estate has a tendency to gobble people up
hook, line and sinker, and a lot of agents place all
their self worth on whether or not they make a sale...
I believe my success has been due to the fact that real
estate has never been my entire world. I have other
passions, my writing and my teaching, to keep me motivated.
"I strongly believe it is these outside interests
that have allowed me to succeed in real estate and stay
in the industry for 25 years."
The Byron Bay Writer's Festival is now in its 10th
year and continues to attract more and more writers
from around Australia each year. Chris is also busy
growing both his writing centre and writing school both
of which run programs, writing courses and mentorships
for its 700 plus members. All the while, still running
his market-leading real estate company. You may wonder
how Chris stays on top as a one of New South Wales most
successful business leaders. Well, according to Chris,
the answer is people... With a reputation for his amazing
listening skills (which see him recalling past conversations
almost verbatim), Chris has a unique approach to dealing
with people and he is known for his ability to relate
to his staff as a friend first, and employer second.
"In every business that I am involved in, I have
surrounded myself with excellent people whom I genuinely
like."
"One rule of business I have learned is to never
have anybody working for you who you don't like. I engage
with my staff as much as I can, I love talking to them,
helping them out and listening to their stories. As
a result I work with excellent people who are a large
part of my businesses¹ successes."
As a long time teacher and coach of others, Chris also
believes in continually being trained himself. "Once
you're on top in business, you can't stay there. You're
either going to move upwards or downwards."
"The way I move upwards is by constantly studying
and training. My staff and I attend sales courses and
seminars, I work with different training organisations,
I listen to CDs, I read books, all with the aim of improving
my business model. I've always believed in the value
of training and education, and there is so much available
these days, you just have to be willing to learn."
There's no doubt that this willingness to learn has
led Chris to become the highly respected and successful
business leader he is today. As for the future, Chris
will continue believing in and using the "power
of people" to help him make significant contributions
every day to the real estate and arts industries in
Byron Bay.
Click
here to buy Chris’ CD The Power of the People.
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