Elite Agent - The Edit

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New from Elite Agent: One hard market question at a time. Hosted by Samantha McLean, this time with co-host Chris Hanley OAM, The Edit brings together experienced real estate leaders and operators for practical, honest and sometimes uncomfortable conversations about what it takes to lead, grow and perform in a difficult market. From culture and recruitment to pricing, marketing, property management and trust, each episode stays with the question people are circling – and leaves you with something more useful than a slogan.

Episodes

  1. 2d ago

    The five reasons we lie and Dom Thurbon on telling the truth

    You can't lie your way into orbit. Read the full article → https://eliteagent.com/dom-thurbon-five-reasons-we-lie-the-edit/ Author Dom Thurbon joins Samantha McLean and Chris Hanley OAM on Track 08 of The Edit to talk about his new book, To Be Honest, and why telling the truth is something you have to learn to do well. Dom tells the story of the Domino's CEO who stood up in front of the whole company and said the pizza tasted terrible, then walks through the three kinds of truth we all trade in – and the one leaders avoid. Chris names leadership as real estate's version of that pizza, and the two of them role-play what to say to a vendor when another agent has promised a price the evidence won't support. In this episode: • The Domino's turnaround that started with one honest sentence. • Them truth, we truth and me truth – and why change stalls until a leader says "I". • The five reasons we lie, according to the research. • Lying without consequences, and the 70% of people who share a headline without reading the article. • Go first – how to teach younger agents to tell the truth. • Role play – what to say when "Larry the liar" has quoted higher. • How much hope is too much in a listing presentation. • What to say when a junior tells you a decision is hurting clients. • Talking honestly to a team worried about falling income. Dom Thurbon's new book is To Be Honest. The Edit is Elite Agent's real estate mixtape, hosted by Samantha McLean and her co-hosts. Explore the series at https://eliteagent.com/topics/elite-agent-tv/the-edit/Chapters 00:00:00 Truth Is a Skill 00:00:38 Welcome to The Edit 00:01:48 Why Dom Wrote To Be Honest 00:03:31 The Domino's Turnaround 00:05:59 What Is Real Estate's Sh*t Pizza? 00:08:13 Them Truth, We Truth, Me Truth 00:10:38 Why Leaders Find It Hard to Change 00:13:16 Why We Lie 00:18:00 Lying Without Consequences 00:19:26 Teaching Young Agents to Tell the Truth 00:21:05 We Share Before We Check 00:23:54 Role Play – Larry the Liar 00:26:05 Would It Survive the Kitchen Table? 00:30:03 Truth Is a Skill You Can Learn 00:32:06 The Truth Is Hard 00:33:48 Can Truth Be Taught? 00:36:37 When a Junior Tells You You're Wrong 00:39:33 Talking to a Team About Falling Income 00:41:51 Closing

    The five reasons we lie and Dom Thurbon on telling the truth

  2. Oct 30

    Power with, not power over – Lisa Pennell on leadership beyond labels

    What happens when you get to the top and there's no one left to ask? Read the full article → https://eliteagent.com/lisa-pennell-leadership-beyond-labels-the-edit/ Barry Plant CEO Lisa Pennell joins Samantha McLean and Chris Hanley on Track 07 of The Edit, with John Cunningham staying on for the first half, to talk about leadership, bias and the behaviour an industry chooses to walk past. Lisa explains why she thinks the conversation about women in leadership keeps missing the point, what "power with, not power over" looks like across a network of around 65 offices, and why she stopped a rebrand that was already halfway done. Chris makes the case that the industry isn't looking after its young men either, and asks what it tells them when the people with the worst behaviour write the biggest GCI. In this episode: • Why Lisa would rather talk about capability and experience than quotas. • The Harvard bias test that surprised her, and the blind spots we all carry. • Why a leader saying "I don't know" is a show of strength. • Calm on the surface, busy underneath – leading when the market wobbles. • What nobody tells you about the CEO seat, and who Lisa talks to. • Chris on young men, role models and the behaviour you walk past. • Lisa's advice for leaders feeling the pressure right now – don't panic, but don't stand still. Lisa Pennell has been CEO of Barry Plant for three and a half years. The Edit is Elite Agent's real estate mixtape, hosted by Samantha McLean and her co-hosts. Explore the series at https://eliteagent.com/topics/elite-agent-tv/the-edit/ Chapters 00:00:00 Power With, Not Power Over 00:00:30 Welcome to The Edit 00:02:04 Places Where Women Want to Stay 00:04:03 Leadership Beyond Gender 00:06:05 Unconscious Bias and Blind Spots 00:08:34 Barry Plant at a Glance 00:09:46 What Excellent Leadership Looks Like 00:11:51 Mistakes, Recovery and Calm 00:15:55 The Leader Under the Microscope 00:16:37 Lonely at the Top 00:18:49 The Early Days and the Rebrand 00:20:36 Winning People Over Through Change 00:23:37 Advice for the Next Generation 00:24:47 Twice as Hard to Be Half as Good 00:26:17 Are We Looking After Young Men? 00:29:31 Act on Bad Behaviour Now 00:32:51 Don't Panic, Don't Stand Still

    Power with, not power over – Lisa Pennell on leadership beyond labels

  3. Oct 16

    Can you teach trust? John Cunningham on hiring good people

    You can teach someone to sell. Can you teach them to be trustworthy? Read the full article → https://eliteagent.com/john-cunningham-trust-hiring-good-people-the-edit/ John Cunningham joins Samantha McLean and Chris Hanley on Track 06 of The Edit to discuss the people you recruit, the culture you build and the choices you make when the pressure rises. John explains why a million-dollar GCI goal is only the start of a recruitment conversation, what he looks for beyond rehearsed interview answers and why he asks candidates to think about the life they want to lead. Chris challenges the idea that there is only one personality type that succeeds in real estate, and makes the case for recruiting people who give to the team. In this episode: Can trustworthiness be developed, and what foundation has to be there first? Why clients need guidance when they are unsure what to do next. John's OIC rule – observation, initiative and creativity. The business-and-life-plan conversation that reveals more than a GCI target. Givers, takers and the effect a new hire has on the whole team. What to look for when matching a good person to the right role. John is managing director and co-founder of Cunninghams on Sydney's Northern Beaches. The Edit is Elite Agent's real estate mixtape, hosted by Samantha McLean and her co-hosts. Explore the series at https://eliteagent.com/topics/elite-agent-tv/the-edit/ Chapters 00:00:00 Can You Teach Trust? 00:00:51 Why Trust Matters 00:03:30 Character and Trustworthiness 00:08:34 Fear, Pressure and Leadership 00:12:21 Guiding Clients Through a Changing Market 00:15:55 Good People Get Great Results 00:18:09 Observation, Initiative and Creativity 00:19:00 The Recruitment Interview and Business Plan 00:22:44 Beyond a Million Dollars in GCI 00:25:28 Givers, Takers and Team Culture 00:28:57 Trust Before Objection Handling 00:31:49 The Right Person for the Right Role 00:34:14 Closing

    Can you teach trust? John Cunningham on hiring good people

  4. Sep 25

    Why good people stay: Andrew McCann on culture and the panic hire

    What are good people actually staying for when listings are thin? In Track 05 of The Edit, Samantha McLean and Chris Hanley speak with Andrew McCann, CEO of Jellis Craig, about why recruitment and retention begin long before a vacancy appears. Andrew explains how leaders shape culture through the standards they set, the people they recognise and the conversations they are prepared to have. Jellis Craig has grown to 45 Victorian offices and 1,200 people. Andrew shares what that scale has taught him about belonging, development, community investment and staying calm when talented people leave. Key ideas: • Why good people rarely leave for commission splits alone • How recognition and development help people see a future in the business • What to do when someone misses the standard without turning every mistake into a disciplinary event • Why panic hiring on different terms can damage a team • How to promote from within and cover the next 90 days after key departures • Chris’s case for stay interviews – and for letting the next leader emerge Featuring Andrew McCann, Samantha McLean and Chris Hanley. Chapters 00:00:00 Introduction: Why Good People Stay 00:00:44 Meet Andrew McCann: The CEO Behind Jellis Craig's Growth 00:03:36 Good Humans First: The Jellis Craig Culture Philosophy 00:05:07 People Join Leaders and Leave Leaders 00:06:29 Not Everything Matters, But Everyone Matters 00:09:30 Culture Is Led: Setting Standards That Trickle Down 00:15:12 Community as Responsibility: The Jellis Craig Foundation 00:18:13 The CEO Seat: Lessons from Three Years of Leadership 00:23:01 Forgiveness and standards 00:25:56 Training Beyond the Silver Bullet 00:28:34 The Panic Hire: Why Calm Beats Desperation 00:30:45 Stay interviews before exit interviews

    Why good people stay: Andrew McCann on culture and the panic hire

  5. Sep 18

    When no one’s watching: Stavros Ambatzidis on real community investment

    Would you still give back if no one was watching? For real estate businesses, community support can be easy to talk about. The harder question is what you're prepared to do when there's no spotlight, no lead and no immediate return. In Track 04 of The Edit, Samantha McLean and Chris Hanley sit down with Stavros Ambatzidis, co-founder and chairman of OBrien Real Estate, to explore what meaningful community investment looks like in practice. From raising more than $1 million for motor neurone disease to packing school backpacks and helping local families, Stavros shares how giving became part of the way his business operates. This is a conversation about participation, personal responsibility and building a culture where small acts of service matter. Key topics include: • Why community support starts with responsibility to the people who support your business • The three ways to contribute: money, fundraising and hands-on help • What changes when your team participates instead of simply sponsoring • How OBrien moved from a foundation to a more responsive community program • Why goodwill isn't an invoice—and values shouldn't depend on the market • The small, practical step any agent can take to help someone today Featuring Stavros Ambatzidis, Samantha McLean and Chris Hanley. A grounded conversation about purpose, generosity and the influence real estate agents have in their communities. Next track: More hard truths from the people doing the work that works. Chapters 00:00:00 Introduction: Would You Still Do It If No One's Watching? 00:00:45 Meet Stavros Ambatzidis: The Man Behind O'Brien's Community Mission 00:02:27 Real Estate Agents Are Not Rock Stars: Understanding Our True Role 00:03:55 What Does Good Community Investment Actually Look Like? 00:06:04 Buyer, seller, community: a different measure of success 00:08:25 The O'Brien Foundation: From MND to Local Impact 00:10:51 The Three Forms of Community Contribution: Money, Fundraising, and Toil 00:12:11 Getting on the Other Side of the Counter: The Power of Participation 00:14:42 What Goes Through You When You Give: The Inside Game 00:20:11 Community as an Operating System, Not a Marketing Strategy 00:20:32 From Foundation to Community Program: Removing Red Tape to Help Faster 00:27:35 The $2 Coin Principle: Small Acts, Big Impact 00:28:36 Can You Teach People to Give? Culture vs. Systems 00:33:39 Final Advice: Would You Still Do It If No One's Watching? 00:35:06 The power real estate agents don't realise they have

    When no one’s watching: Stavros Ambatzidis on real community investment

  6. Sep 4

    How to Build an AI-Ready Real Estate Listing

    Marketing is an investment, not an expense. Most agents still pitch photos and a floor plan, then wonder why vendors push back on price. Buyers expect more information than ever, and AI is starting to read listings before a human does. That gap is costing more than campaigns. It is costing trust, listings and the next appraisal. In Track 03 of The Edit, Samantha McLean is joined by Alexandra Warren, Country Manager Australia at Diakrit. Alexandra has spent more than two decades championing immersive property marketing, and Diakrit recently partnered with Stone Real Estate on independent consumer research with buyers and vendors who had bought or sold in the previous six months. The results challenge some of the industry's most stubborn myths. This conversation unpacks what buyers and vendors actually expect, why 58% of vendors say marketing strategy plays a critical role in who they list with, and what it means to be AI-ready when the machine reads your listing before the buyer does. They get into why holding information back no longer works, how virtual tours move buyers through the funnel, and what a complete listing looks like when search is conversational, not filtered. Key topics include: why one in four buyers point to poor marketing as their biggest frustration the myth that vendors won't pay for better content reframing marketing from cost to investment in the listing presentation what an AI-ready listing actually needs – photos, floor plans, virtual tours, video and structured copy why your current listing is auditioning for your next appraisal how the best agents use immersive content to nurture databases and capture early buyer interest the risks of AI-generated content and where to draw the line This is practical, research-backed and immediately usable. Featuring Samantha McLean and Alexandra Warren. Download the Diakrit Consumer Research 2026 report: https://elite.ag/diakrit-report-yt Read the research write-up on Elite Agent: https://eliteagent.com/diakrit-consumer-research-what-buyers-vendors-value/ More tracks from The Edit: https://eliteagent.com/topics/elite-agent-tv/the-edit/ Subscribe so you don't miss the next track. Next track: More insight from the people building the tools and systems that help agents stand out. Chapters 00:00:00 Introduction: What Buyers and Vendors Actually Expect 00:01:30 Meet Alex Warren: Championing Immersive Property Marketing 00:03:49 The Research Mission: Myth-Busting Property Marketing 00:05:48 Myth Number One: Vendors Won't Pay for Marketing 00:06:51 Myth Number Two: Virtual Tours Are Dead 00:10:02 Poor Marketing: The Buyer's Biggest Pain Point 00:12:30 The Marketing Strategy Conversation: Words That Win Listings 00:16:37 Your Current Listing Is Auditioning for Your Next Appraisal 00:19:00 AI-Ready Listings: What the Machine Needs to See 00:22:03 The AI-Ready Checklist: Actionable Content Strategy 00:23:59 Creative Lead Capture: Using Content Before Listings Go Live 00:25:51 AI Content Gone Wrong: Setting Guardrails 00:27:42 Final Advice: Change the Narrative from Expense to Investment

    How to Build an AI-Ready Real Estate Listing

  7. Aug 27

    The #1 Leadership Mistake Real Estate Agencies Make | Fiona Blayney

    Who's actually teaching your people right now? Most agencies say development matters. Very few have someone inside the business whose actual job is to make the people better. In a difficult market, that gap stops being theoretical and starts showing up in the numbers. In Track 02 of The Edit, Samantha McLean and Chris Hanley are joined by Fiona Blayney, founder of Real Plus and one of the most experienced coaches in Australian real estate. Over 25 years, Fiona has worked under the bonnet of nearly every high performing business in the country, across property management, sales, leadership and culture. This conversation goes deep on what coaching actually is, who's doing it inside agencies, and why most people confuse information with technique. They unpack the difference between being managed and being developed, why conflict escalates in email and de-escalates on the phone, and what it takes to build one culture across sales and property management instead of two. Key topics include: • what defines a real coach versus someone with a title • the two-email rule and why talking solves conflict faster • why leadership in real estate is a lot like parenting • the risk of AI slop replacing personal service • how the best agencies teach communication by example • why being in the room matters more than any webinar This is practical, unfiltered and necessary. Featuring Samantha McLean, Chris Hanley and Fiona Blayney. Next track: More hard truths from the people doing the work that works. Chapters 00:00:00 Introduction: Who's Teaching Your People? 00:00:43 Meet Fiona Blaney: Under the Bonnet of Real Estate Businesses 00:03:16 The Coaching Crisis: Titles Without Training 00:08:55 What Is a Coach Really? Defining True Coaching 00:13:42 Consultative Coaching: Blending Experience with Development 00:14:57 Culture: The Fish Rots From the Head 00:19:08 Leadership as Parenting: Real Estate's Ground Truth 00:23:41 The Communication Crisis: Email, Text, and Conflict 00:25:55 AI and Automation: The Oprah Effect 00:33:53 The Two Email Rule: Pick Up the Phone 00:35:17 PM1 Conference: Learning in the Room 00:37:26 Investing in Your Team: The Value of Development

    The #1 Leadership Mistake Real Estate Agencies Make | Fiona Blayney

  8. Aug 20

    Hope is not a strategy: Chris Hanley on trust, truth and moving stock

    The market is hard. Chris Hanley’s First National Byron Bay business has just had its best year. In Track 01 of The Edit – Elite Agent’s real estate mixtape – Samantha McLean and Chris get past the easy answers. They talk about why charm and swagger are not enough, how trust becomes operational currency, what headwind markets expose inside agencies, and the daily discipline of listing, educating vendors and moving stock. Chris shares lessons from more than four decades in real estate, including: • why hope is not a strategy • the three markets: headwind, tailwind and no wind • why agents should talk 20% and listen 80% • the 11 questions for hard vendor conversations • three things principals should do in the next 90 days The Edit is practical, honest and occasionally uncomfortable – a mixtape of the voices and hard-earned wisdom worth paying attention to. Featuring Samantha McLean and Chris Hanley. Next track: Fiona Blayney on what a hard market exposes inside your team. Chapters 00:00:00 Introduction: The Edit Podcast Launch 00:01:47 Meet Chris Hanley: The Wise Man of Real Estate 00:03:53 Ground Rules: Refusing to Walk Past the Truth 00:05:39 The Three Markets: Headwind, Tailwind, No Wind 00:08:47 Trust: The Currency of Real Estate 00:12:21 The Housing Crisis and Industry Exclusion 00:15:13 Inside Real Estate Businesses: Fear and Chaos 00:16:25 This Market Isn't About Charm: Skills That Matter Now 00:17:22 GFC Lessons: Surviving When Markets Halve 00:18:39 The 11 Questions: Tools for Difficult Conversations 00:21:26 Listening, Talking, and Asking Questions 00:24:17 Who's Really Selling in This Market 00:26:19 The Cream Rises: Understanding Market Transactions 00:27:15 The Science of Price Adjustments 00:28:04 90-Day Action Plan for Principals 00:29:46 Managing Emotions: The Turbulence is Normal 00:31:16 Wrap Up and Next Episode Preview

    Hope is not a strategy: Chris Hanley on trust, truth and moving stock
  • 8 Episodes

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New from Elite Agent: One hard market question at a time. Hosted by Samantha McLean, this time with co-host Chris Hanley OAM, The Edit brings together experienced real estate leaders and operators for practical, honest and sometimes uncomfortable conversations about what it takes to lead, grow and perform in a difficult market. From culture and recruitment to pricing, marketing, property management and trust, each episode stays with the question people are circling – and leaves you with something more useful than a slogan.

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