Sales agent rebrands lettings business - Franchising the natural choice!
Haydn Yemm now franchise owner of Martin and Co Rugby has been in the property industry for 25 years starting as a junior negotiator. Haydn worked his way up, becoming a branch manager at the age of 22 and finally a senior partner.
The company had two offices with financial services, lettings and surveyors. Leaving there in March 2004, Haydn was head hunted and became UK Sales Manager for Fine and Country, a licensed brand for independent agents to use to boost their exposure and presence in the middle / upper end of the property market.
In January 2005 Haydn set up Complete Estate Agents. In 2008 the business was hit by the dreaded recession. Seeing the sales market diminish at a rapid rate with existing vendors unable to sell becoming landlords the economy forced Haydn into the lettings market. With a sales negotiator working in the office with letting experience, Complete Estate Agents then developed a lettings packaging to existing clients and a handful of landlords with property portfolios. They hit the ground running with a landlord who passed over 5 properties.Within 12 months the lettings department had approximately 75 properties fully managed.
With the business growing at an astonishing rate, expert industry help was needed with regards to marketing, the website, staffing and the endless legislation involved with lettings. Haydn looked at the option of franchising, wanting to be part of a group and share best business practises with like-minded business colleagues was at the top of his list. The support of a national brand was required to continue rather than go it alone and fail. This is where he turned to Martin and Co. Martin and Co provided the systems and processes that would fit into the existing business and achieve results.
In February 2009 the lettings department of Complete Estates was rebranded as Martin and Co Rugby. The office currently has approximately 200 managed in their portfolio. Martin and Co were a major part in achieving these figures. The brand aided in securing a landlord with a portfolio of 37 managed properties from one of the major competitors. Over the last 2 years five estate agents / lettings companies have gone out of business in Rugby. All of these have been down the fact that they did not react to the transition from sales to lettings quick enough.Martin and Co Rugby continue to grow and hope to have achieved 250 managed lets by August 2012 with theaimto be the Letting agent of choice in Rugby alongside Complete Estates which is back to 20+ sales per month.