Pascal Kaeser – dressed in a suit and tie and sporting a well-groomed stubble – is a salesman with heart and soul. For a long time he was sales manager at Big Fashion, head of sales at Visionapartments and in the Globus Group – with the latter for 11 years. Ultimately, he realized that the routines that this job entailed – despite managing 100 employees – no longer challenged him enough. He decided on a change of scenery that brought with it new tasks and a completely new profession: a career as a real estate agent.
A completely normal day
Pascal Kaeser's working day doesn't start particularly early. Because that's the great thing about being a broker: you can spend most of your time freely. Of course, it is still important to develop a certain routine. For him it looks like this: In the morning he gets an overview of the day's upcoming appointments, answers his emails and calls potential customers that he has built up through his network or that have been assigned to him by the in-house call center. He has already developed a system: the order of his telephone calls is strictly defined. Even if he can organize his own time, the availability of customers and interested parties naturally plays an important role: this is best during lunch and evening, which is why you can always find him on the phone at this time.
In the afternoon, Pascal Kaeser goes into field sales: there are customer appointments and visits. That's exactly what he particularly likes about his job – the mix of customer contact, being on the move and getting to know new people and objects. No object exists twice, no customer has exactly the same wishes and requirements or the same character – most of them are open-minded and nice, others are more skeptical and demanding, and very rarely there are those who are uncooperative and difficult. But it is precisely this mix that defines the brokerage business and is the point where the wheat is separated from the chaff: a sales talent knows how to immediately find the right approach to different people, assess them and meet them at the right place. Pascal Kaeser listens to his gut feeling. He quickly notices whether someone is more focused on facts and figures, is primarily interested in the potential end result or whether they like to talk a lot and are looking for personal contact. “This has become second nature to me, so to speak – that’s definitely due to my many years of experience in sales,” he says.
»What I appreciate most is when customers come up to me and thank me – for the service and for their trust.«
Every beginning is difficult
Of course, the job can certainly pose a number of hurdles, especially for career changers. In the trainee phase it takes a lot of effort to go to customers without knowing what to expect. Ultimately, you want to do everything right, but you don't know everything yet. Of course, even experienced real estate agents experience situations that challenge, surprise or even disappoint them. But it is precisely from these situations that you learn and can develop further. However, by far most experiences are positive and enriching – after all, real estate agents help people find a better home. »What I appreciate most is when customers come up to me and thank me – for the service and for their trust.«
The competition never sleeps
What is particularly noticeable in the brokerage profession is that real estate sales is an open and highly competitive market. You don't always get to enjoy an exclusive assignment, but rather share the mandates with other brokers. Of course, the quality of the service you sell is extremely important. But what plays an equally important role in beating out the competition is whether, as a real estate agent, you find the right approach to customers and have the right attitude. One key experience particularly left a mark on Pascal Kaeser: »Some time ago, together with four other real estate agents, I was commissioned to sell a terraced apartment. Little by little, the customer canceled every one of them – everyone except me. When I asked him why he finally signed an exclusive mandate with me, he said that he always felt very well informed and included with me, which was the deciding factor in this decision. This experience shaped me and made me realize how important customer relationships are. This shows that the human factor is and remains absolutely essential in this profession.«
The job of unlimited possibilities?
Working on commission sounds tempting: unlimited income opportunities, personal success, personal responsibility – circumstances that everyone who is interested in becoming a broker dreams of. Pascal Kaeser knows from his own experience that these tempting terms are not just empty words, but actually correspond to reality. Only – nothing falls into your lap. Success in real estate sales requires hard work, a high level of motivation and, above all, one thing: iron discipline. »Sometimes there are weeks when I get potential customer appointments. Even if I have already planned a lot of other appointments, it is possible that I will work very long hours to record all the advertisements and take care of the administration. Nothing comes from nothing – but from a lot of effort there is even more return!
Tackle new challenges
Although Pascal Kaeser originally withdrew from sales management in order to work independently and autonomously, he has decided to take on a management role again and is constantly expanding his team. This makes his everyday life even more interesting and varied, but of course also brings with it new responsibilities. In the future, he will spend a little less time in the field and more time coaching his employees. But one thing is certain for Pascal Kaeser: As long as customer contact is his passion, he will continue to be found there – with his customers.
Would you also like to immerse yourself in the world of real estate brokerage? Then do it now Career test and find out whether you have the sales talent, the hard work and the perseverance!
