KPI Soup

Stringent Key Performance Indicators KPI’s are the preserve of the most corporate of corporates and this is especially true of estate agency.

Any agent that has worked at any level in corporate estate agency knows all too well how KPI’s rule the roost.

A relentless, blind passion for numbers on a spreadsheet that seem to occupy every waking hour that branch managers, regional directors and managing directors have available. More time is spent ‘measuring’ their employees’ work than actually doing the work.

Surely a career should be more enjoyable than adding figures into a computer until stupid o’clock?”

I’m not suggesting that performance measurement is not important. However, there are a number of examples that are beyond the pale’ and place overt pressure on individual agents to not only upsell services and to perform to internal metrics that are not always optimal for clients, but are also not aligned with the best interests of the client.

Here are some examples of the corporate KPI’s that should be consigned to the bin of common sense to ensure better staff morale and healthier client relationships’.

Listing targets and bonuses for listers – not sales

This backwards metric simply encourages over-valuation, not a successful completion for the client.? Sellers are not interested in mere listings – rather a happy move in the timescale that they desire. Corporates that focus on the listing ‘at any cost’ know that they are often misleading the client in order to achieve such at the volume that the business insists.

In-house Conveyancing targets

Conveyancing profit is a major P&L item for the large corporate agencies.

Yet I worry that the thirst for commission has been prioritised over the quality of service provided – again a deal at any cost.

We’ve all heard, especially recently, of the consequences of relying too heavily on the conveyancer for income. When it goes wrong it has far reaching consequences on reputation.

Mortgage income – appointments, sign-ups and completions targeted heavily

The financial dependence of corporates on mortgage brokers and lenders is still significant -But unhealthy.

Remember those cases where agency giants were brought to task for insisting that a buyer uses their mortgage service, unlawfully?

Promoting uncompetitive mortgage and insurance products is rife and buyers get hoodwinked all the time. Some corporates even insist that buyers see the in-house mortgage broker ‘whether they want to or not’. Not exactly ‘customer friendly’ is it?”.??

Market Share ‘prowess’ – those bloody pie charts!!!

Come on, really? Who does it matter to apart from the boss’s ego that for five minutes you had more listings than competitor A, B and C on Rightmove?

Do agencies truly believe that absolute listing volume is more important than fee or should be achieved at the expense of it? Or that over-valued stock is ok if you have lots of it versus your peers?”

Sales meetings that start at 8.30am – or else

Mentioning no names, but there’s a rumour that one corporate agency has CCTV cameras directed at managers’ offices to check that they have started their morning meetings on time. I’ll leave that right here with no further comment necessary.

Time on the phone

Yes, it’s a thing. I know of more than one online agent that targets phone call duration.

Frankly, when this industry starts to commoditise and control the length of a negotiator’s phone conversation, we have meandered into a very dark place.

As the self-employed model expands, we believe that regimental targets and ‘performance traps’ should become a remnant of an industry that is being left behind.

What do you think about the excessive KPI culture?