EweMove has strongly defended its letter-writing campaign to poach other agents’ staff in their own workplaces, saying that it is proud of doing things differently and of being a “Marmite” brand.
It has also pointed out that its letter-writing drive mirrors recruitment campaigns run through the trade press, including EYE.
The campaign has so far sent out nearly 20,000 letters. It specifically targets other firms’ employees in their current offices that EweMove could recruit as new franchisees.
The boss of an agency who opened a letter meant for his staff described it as “unashamed”.
The letter is in the form of a six-page document from EweMove ‘head shepherd’ Nick Neill, which starts with the words “Calling entrepreneurial employees”.
The letter goes on: “I believe a partnership with EweMove gives you a one-time opportunity not only to safeguard your future, but also to build your own estate agency business and take control of your destiny.
“You won’t be the first estate agent employee to make the jump.”
The letter lays out the £1,995 cost of becoming a franchisee plus the ongoing £1,000 monthly licence fee.
The letter also spells out that anyone responding to the letter can do so confidentially: “We can call you during the evening or at weekends so there’s no risk of your boss or colleagues finding out.”
One agency to have received the letter is Normie & Co, in Manchester – where the boss opened it.
Director David Mintz described the letter as “unashamed” and “an extremely bold move, which smacks of total desperation”.
He said: “I would assume that they haven’t been successful in attracting reps/franchisees.
“They seem to be slashing the upfront entry costs to very little, but then again it attracts the kind of person that might rather like the idea working from their bedroom in their pyjamas. Either way they are unlikely to find new recruits here at Normie & Co.”
A spokesperson for EweMove said that the recruitment campaign directly targeting other agency’s staff in their offices had been started last year.
It had proved very successful and the decision made to re-run it.
She said that EweMove was a bit like Marmite – not everyone would like it, and some employers might find its letter-writing recruitment campaign unpalatable.
However, the campaign was proving successful in signing up new franchisees.
She went on: “EweMove has and always will be a brand that doesn’t appeal to everyone and we’re unapologetically proud of that fact.
“Our approach to marketing to agents personally is no different than our approach by e-shot through Property Industry Eye, Estate Agent Today and the Negotiator’s databases. It’s just a hard copy version of this marketing.
“And it’s no different than an estate agent writing to a vendor who has a house on the market with another agent.
“No agent likes it, but it happens across the industry and if the customer is happy and the agent is doing a great job, then there should be nothing to worry about.
“We live in a marketing world that’s hugely competitive and people are poached all the time by recruitment agents and via LinkedIn.
“There are many estate agents currently feeling disillusioned and on the look-out for other opportunities.
“But if estate agents are perfectly satisfied where they are now, the letter won’t have any impact on them and they won’t leave.”
Wouldn’t be surprised if those who huff and puff most about this are quite happily touting their competitors’ instructions by leaflet and door knock.
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If I had any member of staff on our team who aspired to work for Ewe move, they’d be more than free to leave frankly. We tend to do things the right way and won’t compromise on our levels of professionalism or service.
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Oh, please…..I would ensure every staff member gets a copy of the letter, stick it on each desk – and if any leave as a result… it has saved you the hassle of getting rid of the wrong person down the line.
Your best staff are the ones who cannot even be tempted by your closest High Street competitor…
In fact, what a ****** good hint for the staff you don’t want…. I might keep a copy of the next “Are Ewe Stupid” letter to desk drop once a week on the “wrong” staff members.
Anyway…. anyone ever actually seen a EM For Sale sign? let alone a Sold one!
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“Anyway…. anyone ever actually seen a EM For Sale sign? let alone a Sold one!”
One of the former.
None of the latter.
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Anybody got a copy of the letter to look at? Just interested to see what it says.
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To be fair to them at least they are trying to recruit people with some agency experience as opposed to the normal Jeff and Ada, retired couple from Weymouth in Dorset, who with Jeffs modest payout out on retirement from the stationary supply company he worked for and with a weeks training, suddenly became estate agents.
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Agent V, if you give your contact details to Rosalind I’ll ask Nick Neal, the EweMove MD to send her the letter.
EweMove is a full service agency, working on no sale no fee basis, with no sole selling right lock-in, so we either sell the properties we list, and have happy customers as a result, or we don’t eat.
It’s a national brand, but we are not everywhere (yet!).
Our experience with recruiting experienced estate agents over the last year is that they massively out-perform non-estate agent recruits from the “get go”. Who would have thought it!!
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So how do you help get the business for the franchisees, apart from targeting other agent’s properties that are already on the market? What do you do that is different? Happy to talk in private if needed.
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Happy to chat AgentV. Send me an email to nick@ewemove.com and I’ll call you….
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I’m obviously burnt out and on the unemployable heap as I didn’t get a letter.
I feel so down !
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@ PropertyPaddy Don’t worry too much about feeling neglected and burnt out. This company even has the audacity to try to recruit “entrepreneurs” from within fellow subsidiaries of The Property Franchise Group!
You couldn’t make it up. Baaaad move!
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This surely breaks the BPRs? I received one and it will be discussed at length with Propertymark. I totally agree with the sentiment that if employees are happy in their work, they are very unlikely to pay two grand to take a franchise and to pay a monthly licence fee and a percentage of every sale to another company. If they were really unhappy, and actually entrepreneurs, they would set up themselves and save these ridiculous costs. I imagine the dross that does float to EweMove with be totally successful…in failure! Additionally, I am pretty sure EweMove are not aware that a decent agent will have all mail opened by a director and/or senior manager to meet best practice on client money handling.
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Discuss it with Propertymark… a lot of good that will do!!
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Well, it is encouraging to read these comments, which shows there is a great deal of passion among the commentators for their industry and High Street businesses which is great, but is this passion blinding some to the reality?
So what is the reality? We listed over 4,500 properties last year which was double the year before and is likely to be doubled again this year. We COMPLETED (not Sold STC) on over 70% of them – much higher than the UK average of 50%. And we take around 60 days on average from sale agreed to completion, but better than the 16-18 weeks reported for the industry as a whole.
We sell properties for more money on average than High Street or On-Line competitors, c98-99% compared to the UK average of 96-97%, so we deliver a better outcome for our vendors.
And we’re No1 on Trustpilot which demonstrates that our on the ground service delivery is better than anyone else.
Oh – and our NPS is +40. The better agents among us who focus on customer feedback and NPS report around +25 as being excellent. So another direct comparison showing how well we perform when measured objectively against our industry cousins.
How about rentals? Our average tenancy is 48 months, compared to around 22 months on average for the UK which delivers better value to Landlords as the costs of churn is much less. And we have happy tenants too who we don’t badger consistently with renewal fees that drives churn, costs and void periods. This isn’t crazy it’s just good customer service and good business. Bring on the tenant fee ban I say!!
So no doubt, the doubters and naysayers who frequently comment here will pick apart these comments and write their views based on assumptions rather than fact, but if anyone does want to know more details about how we outperform everyone else, you can contact me any time – you know where we are!
And if we’re not active in your area yet (hence some may not have seen a board in their local area) we will be soon.
So to the letter – if your employees are happy in their role they won’t respond to it. If they are not, they will. We then assess if they’re good enough to join our flock!
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“We sell properties for more money on average than High Street or On-Line competitors, c98-99%…”
Just looking at your ‘branches’, in order they are listed on Zoopla
Basingstoke ‘branch’ – 104 properties – TWENTY SEVEN of them (26%) have been REDUCED by a figure in excess of 2% from initial listing.
Beeston/Long Eaton – 53 properties – THREE (5.7%) of those reduced by 2%+
Beverley – 64 properties – ELEVEN (17.2%) have been dropped by more than two percent
Chelmsford – three properties – one of them (33.3%) reduced by 2%+
Cleckheaton – THANK GOODNESS – NEITHER of their two listings have been reduced! (neither are SSTC either, mind you – so I guess there’s time yet for at least 50% to face the dreaded drop…)
Corby – 47 properties – three of those (6.4%) reduced by more than 2%
Croydon – FOUR properties – HALF OF WHICH have been reduced by 2%+
et cetera… et cetera… et cetera…
Do us all a favour – please explain how you can claim your stated “average”, given the above sample?
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Just to follow on…
Those that might want to accuse me of being ‘selective’ in my choice of “branches” – which I suppose I actually was being… seeing as it was the first seven on the list of 109 – I’ve analysed them all.
There are 94 “branches” that are showing any current “Residential for sale” listings on Zoopla.
There are 1516 listings in total between those “branches”
Of those, 323 – or 21.3% – have been reduced by a figure of 2.1% or more from its’ original listing price.
That’s a higher percentage than the original sample, which showed 17%. Oh, dear.
Whether you “Like” it or not – you can’t deny the scores on the doors.
And it makes my question – still awaiting a response from Mr Head_shepherd#2 – a little more difficult to answer than it was an hour or so ago.
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HANG ON…
There were 109 “branches” yesterday
There are 107 “Branches” today.
Your flock sewerly isn’t being chopped, Mr Head_Shepherd#2?
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“So what is the reality? We listed over 4,500 properties last year which was double the year before and is likely to be doubled again this year. We COMPLETED (not Sold STC) on over 70% of them – much higher than the UK average of 50%.”
Feel free, Mr Head_Shepherd#2, to send a list of each and every one of those listings to EYE – and I will personally check every single one of them and confirm the findings to anyone other than me who actually gives a rat’s @ss about the figures you are spouting.
That’s “passion for the industry” for ya!
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Love it – if you really do give a rat’s @ss and are so very keen to audit our performance figures (and I do rate your enthusiasm for this forum), then come and see me at the Sheep Pen and I’ll show you
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Thanks for the invite but I’m allergic to sheep5h!t and have a nasty reaction whenever wool is pulled over my eyes – so I’ll stay away.
But the offer of the info is welcomed. I’m delighed – but slightly daunted… sometimes my rat’s @ss writes cheques that cost me a lot of time and effort – that you agree to my scrutinisation and look forward to receiving it via EYE.
4500 or so listings will take me a while to get through – but I’m sure it will be worthwhile in the end!
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I just got this letter today. It was addressed to my company, not any employee (whose names they could have easily got from the website team bio). If this is the effort and attention to detail you put in, neither my business or employees have anything to worry about. Keep up the poor effort.
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I can understand an agent that doesn’t tout (like Normie’s) would get the hump. I don’t see it as any different to recruiters calling round to agents on their mobiles, except this is being done straight to the face rather than with a dagger behind closed doors!
Good luck to them! (and no I don’t work for them or any other listing agent/hybrid)
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The letter (what’s not to like with the boldness of it!)….
I’m Nick Neill the Managing Director and Head Shepherd at EweMove Sales and Lettings.
Your office may have received a letter from me this week, it arrived in a bright green envelope. The letter offers entrepreneurial estate agents the opportunity to increase their earnings and establish their own estate agency business for just £1,995 +VAT.
I’ve had a lot of feedback…
…and I’d like to personally apologise to every estate agent who received the letter.
We’ve been flooded with enquiries on our website and the phones have been red hot, we’ve quite simply been overwhelmed by the response.
Not just from ambitious agents looking to further their careers, but also from switched on agency owners who can see that the future is in 24/7 hybrid solutions. They understand that the cost savings which come from our award-winning proposition could have a dramatic impact on their bottom line.
And because of the level of enquiries we’ve just not been able to get back to everyone…
So I’d like to offer my sincerest apologies if you’ve not heard from us yet.
Please bear with us and I promise that one of our friendly team will get back to you soon.
Just to be clear, you can enquire, request a franchise pack, or attend an online discovery presentation and there’s no obligation to press ahead whatsoever and all enquiries are completely confidential.
Best wishes
Nick Neill
Managing Director
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Had the emails had the letter – apologising because you are too busy too respond? Not busy enough to pre-plan a marketing campaign. I think someone read a cheap American sales manual recently.
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