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Marcel Arendsen played in the youth selection of a well-known top club at a young age. When a famous former international broke his ankle on the field, his dream of playing at the highest level went up in smoke. The path to success was not immediately clear for the 18-year-old Marcel until his cousin had Jan Brecheisen's wife in the hairdresser's chair. Her husband was looking for staff. Marcel started as an intern at Brecheisen Real Estate Agents, where his winning mentality quickly came in handy. In his own unique way, he managed to make a name for himself in real estate.
First steps in the real estate agent world
During his internship at Brecheisen Real Estate Agents, the sitting director suddenly left. Marcel was still an intern at the time but was trusted to run the real estate agency. He did so for a few months. Then he made a move to Molenbeek Real Estate Agents, where he was offered a job. Shortly after the move, Jan Brecheisen asked if he wanted to come back.
Brecheisen offered significantly more than he was earning at the time, but Marcel wasn't focused on money. He stayed where he was. When Brecheisen kept insisting, Marcel jokingly said, "I'll come back if I get a BMW M3." When Brecheisen agreed to this - much to Marcel's surprise - Marcel returned to work at Brecheisen Real Estate Agents. About that BMW M3, he now says: 'Everyone had an opinion about that M3. But I did so well from that moment on that it all didn't matter anymore.'
'I learned that by being different, you can be very successful'
At Brecheisen, he brought in four to five new clients per week. He used the Utrecht newspaper, which at the time was full of ads from people selling their houses themselves. He scheduled a viewing with them and asked why they wanted to sell the house themselves. 'I then suggested a contest: who sells the house best? I learned there that by being different, you can be very successful.'
The acquisition of the real estate agency
At the age of 23, Marcel was told that he could run the real estate agency together with a colleague. Later, he took over the real estate agency in three steps, together with eight partners from the office. 'I was very ambitious and kept telling Brecheisen that I wanted shares. He said I should make an offer. I had been calculating for two years, and when I made the offer, Jan Brecheisen immediately said "Yes!". Then you know you've paid too much.'
'One nice car is fun, but two are useless'
'Now I laugh about it because if I hadn't done it then, I wouldn't be sitting here now. And the year of the takeover was the best year up to that point. Fortunately, we're doing even better now. But money doesn't interest me. I see everything as a game. I want to be at the top of the rankings in real estate. But if you play the game well, the money will come naturally. I want to be able to buy a nice car and a good steak. But more money doesn't make me happier.'
In 2008, some of the co-shareholders left. Marcel worked day and night at the time; he put all his energy into the real estate agency. 'I started every day at 7:30 and worked until 01:00 or 04:00 at night. Often without eating, and then I would eat everything at night when I came home. I weighed 128 kilos during that period.' When Marcel ended up in the hospital with pneumonia at one point, he called the office. 'They had sold everything, but brought in no new houses. I jumped out of bed and got several homes for sale that same evening.'
The success formula of the real estate agency
Even as a young real estate agent, Marcel made the agreement with his colleague to always tell the truth. It bothered him that he sometimes caught other real estate agents telling half-truths. 'They didn't lie, but it also wasn't the whole truth that was being told.' Marcel wanted to do this differently. He wanted to build a good and sustainable network of relationships that could truly trust him.
That honesty meant in the early years that he often didn't get the assignments. 'But now, thirty years later, we're gray, bald, fat, and worn out, and everyone comes to us. There is no project in the city that we don't do or haven't been involved in. That's due to that honesty. They know we're not easy, but that we do fight for our clients. And if I'm wrong, I'll work for you for free for the whole year.'
'We are not hard sellers, but people who want a pat on the back'
For Marcel and his team, it all revolves around customer satisfaction. 'We are not hard sellers, but people who want a pat on the back. Who want to please the customer.' He jokes: 'Actually, we all have a kind of inferiority complex, you could say. Apparently, I hire those people too. We all have the same 'handicap,' but it works. By pleasing the customer, he speaks well of you, and unconsciously we stand out because of it.'
For example, Marcel was involved in the acquisition of a portfolio a while ago. The talks lasted several days. Ultimately, it turned out that they had overlooked something, which led to significant additional costs. Those additional costs were initially shared by the buyer and seller. But Marcel decided to also take on a portion of the costs. He said to the seller: "I was there too, I was also asleep. Together in, together out."
'I run my team like Ajax'
A strong and motivated team as a basis for growth
About how he runs his team, he says: 'I run my team like Ajax, as a team. When you came onto the field there, you had to go hand in hand, with the shirt tucked in. Nothing more shameful than that, as a tough guy at the time. But that coach had a purpose. Hand in hand as comrades you stand strong. I want that atmosphere in the office too. Where others need a year to implement something, I do it in three days. Because I walk as the captain in the team, leading by example, the team naturally follows.'
To motivate his team, he measures the entire company every two weeks at the office. They measure things like: the number of introductory meetings, the number of new assignments, the number of viewings leading to a sale, the number of people referred to a mortgage, the number of purchases, etc.
'Fight for the ball'
'We do all this openly. This is how I motivate my people. There are (team) bonuses on it, so everyone can earn well. My people all earn more than the market. I also take them on vacation annually. We really have a dream team now!
According to him, the salary is already there if you want to work hard for it. Marcel says about this: 'For example, I introduced that after every twenty-minute viewing, we have a 'bank conversation' of twenty minutes. A good real estate agent sells 3 houses a month, while he does 180 viewings. So he 'can' get 177 more out of it.'
'If you maintain good customer contact, you will grow automatically'
'In the bank conversation, we ask people what they think of the house. During the conversation, you show who you are as a real estate agent. By their body language, you often already see at the door that they are not going to buy the house. You then check if you can sell them something else: a purchase order, a mortgage, or the sale of the old house. If you maintain good customer contact, you will grow automatically. You can always earn more, but you have to stay on top of it and follow up.'
When asked if he runs his office differently now than in the early days, Marcel answers: 'The only thing I've started doing is giving my staff more freedom. I used to be the chairman of every meeting. I always think I'm just as young as the rest, but when I join such a meeting, they no longer go against me. I don't want that; I want them to come up with ideas themselves. Then you have more support. That's why I give them more freedom. This allows me to do better what I'm good at. I used to spend 80% of my time managing and 20% on what I was good at. Now I manage 10% and do 90% of what I'm good at.' The team does the rest.
Future vision
His vision for the future is simple. 'I believe in: do well what you are good at. I will no longer seek to open new branches. We prefer to focus on the offices that are doing well; we also have the most fun there. What I do, I want to win. Clients must want us because we are the best. Our first priority is the client.'
'You'd better fight with each other than against each other'
In addition, Marcel is in talks with good real estate agents and entrepreneurs. 'If someone can do something well, I sit down with them and give them something in return. I always ask, and I don't look up to anyone. I raise my children that way too. It takes you the furthest. You'd better fight with each other than against each other.'
Regarding current market developments, he says: 'I see now that project development is stalling. Investment real estate is stagnating because Hugo de Jonge is going to lower the rent. Now that the market is turning, you need to give more clarity to the buyer about why they can afford something. That's why I work with a mathematical bureau that makes predictions in the housing market. I started with this six years ago. By making long time series, we can sell it for more. It's a very honest model. By being creative, unique, and taking more risks in the project, I want to conquer that market.'
'Soon our customers will no longer call'
He also keeps an eye on other developments - outside the housing market. For example, his daughter made him realize that social media is playing an increasingly significant role and that the new generation behaves differently. 'My daughter knows everyone, wherever she goes. Social media plays a big role in that. I try to learn from that. I notice, for example, that the new generation doesn't call. My daughter just doesn't answer her phone. Soon our customers will also no longer call. That's why I've hired an intern of my daughter's age, who can fully adjust the marketing. You have to keep daring to invest.'
This interview is part of an interview series with the key players in the real estate agency and housing market. A new interview appears every month. Tips on who we should interview next? Email us at info@mijnverkoopmakelaar.nl
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