Founded in Hamburg, known throughout the world. The Engel & Völkers brand is not only a term in the property sector throughout Germany, but also throughout the world. Internationalism not only shapes the company’s image, but also the cooperation between estate agents. The franchise system allows more than 10,000 people to cooperate across country borders in the network and to benefit from market insights and mutual professional support. Therefore, customers can be confidently referred to qualified estate agents in other regions and countries. This opportunity for internal referrals makes Engel & Völkers stand out from its competitors and ensures that its discerning customers are looked after in a comprehensive professional manner. Exchanges between different locations, both national and international, are encouraged by the company’s head office and are supported by internal large-scale events, such as E&V days or exchange events.
At this point we want to present a prime example of estate agents’ profitable networking. Markus Weber, office manager at the Engel & Völkers shop in Gera, explains in an interview why the Engel & Völkers international estate agent network is so valuable and how he even uses his personal foreign trips for networking meetings with local shops and industry offices.
In my eyes, travelling and establishing a network are the best investments in addition to property. I am building my internal network at Engel & Völkers which includes estate agents, shop managers and licence partners whom I’ve met on joint training sessions, for example, and I visit their shops and offices if the opportunity arises. A brief, friendly hello with a small gift from my region, if necessary, leaves a good impression.
Also travelling is one of my favourite hobbies. I go away a lot, at least twice a year outside of Europe and as well as that I also go on city breaks and hiking trips.
Since Engel & Völkers is internationally represented, there are wonderful opportunities for networking! Shortly I am planning a trip to the west coast of America where I have planned to visit a few offices.
No, my motivation is both professional and personal. I think it’s good to meet and get to know fascinating people. Business exchanges can open a lot of doors, including many that you hadn’t expected.
Right at the beginning I noticed that in this respect Engel & Völkers provides opportunities which are unique in the property sector. This was especially clear to me at the E&V Day last year in Wiesbaden. The international network was really highlighted there, also by the management board. When I planned my next trip, I first found out where there were Engel & Völkers shops.
The network also provides an incredible amount of opportunities. Information and experience can be shared on a small scale. For example, I am still in contact with a couple of colleagues whom I met on the internal sales training. It is always interesting to hear and to share similar experiences from different regions. For example, once I had a sales customer in Gera who was also looking for a buyer for his second home in Chemnitz. Chemnitz is obviously outside of my area but I could transfer the customer via the Engel & Völkers network directly to the shop in Chemnitz who looked after him brilliantly. So the customer was happy. That’s a bonus provided by Engel & Völkers. You can and in my opinion should make use of it.
From the middle of May, Mr Weber will be reporting on his trip to the west coast of America on his Instagram account. Follow him on his trip!
