“Five Minute Interview” with Michael Robson, Chief Executive, Andrews & Partners
Michael Robson is Chief Executive of Andrews & Partners, the estate agent with a heart founded to fund three charitable trusts. Michael has 35 years in the industry and has been Chief Executive since the age of 36. Michael is also a trustee for the Estate Agency Foundation which is supported by The Digital Property Group.
He takes the hot seat for this month’s five-minute interview.
How and why did you get involved with the Estate Agency Foundation?
I have quite a long history with trusts and foundations and so I was aware of the positive partnership that can be formed. As we all know, estate agents tend to come across relatively poorly in the media – we’re not thought of as being as professional as, say, a lawyer or surveyor. If estate agents could realise what a fantastic opportunity there is to redress that balance by contributing to charity, I think in time the media would pick up on the contribution rather than focusing on the negative reputation.
Is Andrews different to other estate agents?
Andrews is still a commercial outfit that competes just like everyone else and has to make a profit, so in that respect, no. But I do think that, due to our unique heritage, we hold some very strong values: integrity, transparency, straightforwardness, reliability, caring. I would be confident that, if you spoke to any of our staff and asked them what we were like as a company, they would use these words. I would be really disappointed if they didn’t.
What has been the biggest impact of the credit crunch on your business?
There is no doubt that 2008 was awful, the most difficult year I’ve ever seen. The worst thing was letting 150 staff go, although we were able to redeploy 40 of them into lettings and management.
On the positive side, it has led to us being a leaner and more efficient organisation. We’ve had to work much, much harder, and be sharper and more competitive. We’ve learnt that we have to treat customers better, and work harder to retain them.
What is your view on licensing of estate agents?
I would support it, and I always have supported it. I don’t think there’s anything to fear from it. There is a need for estate agents to up their professional competency. I think it does worry people that just anybody could open up an estate agency tomorrow, with no experience. You need more training to be a driving instructor than you do to be an estate agent. And when you think what clients are asking you to do and how much we charge them for it, I think they have a right to demand that the industry is regulated.
What does the future hold for estate agents?
We’ve got a lot of challenges ahead. Anyone who thinks the world is going to be the same in five years’ time has a lot of thinking to do. We’re living in a digital age, and you have to learn to adapt very quickly. People expect more and different things now – they won’t be satisfied with a flog-it-and-forget-it mentality.
What’s next for Andrews & Partners?
We’re in a unique position in the league table as we’re neither a huge corporation nor a tiny firm. For us, the most important thing to focus on now is improving market share and continuing our steady growth. We have a very good reputation as a middle-market business but we have to learn how to attract vendors with houses between £500,000 and £1 million.
What did you do before being an agent?
I was a mechanical engineer with the Dowty Group – I did a five-year student apprenticeship with them. At that time, during the 1970s, it was dominated by disputes between the management and the unions. I didn’t want to spend my time on strike, I wanted to work. I longed to be in a more people-orientated business and to shine as an individual, which is difficult to do in the engineering world, but is something I can do in this business.
Massive thanks to Michael for taking time out of his very busy schedule to answer our questions.
This is a regular feature, so if you would like to be interviewed for the TDPG Newsletter, please contact camilla.andersen@tdpg.com
