Opening The Gates

Call Directions Contact the business

Opening The Gates Opening The Gates offers consultancy services for estate agents to help them grow their business�

25/10/2026

Between Christmas and New Year 2022, I said the words we've all said...

"I'm never drinking again."
And then I actually didn't.

I went right through to my birthday in January 2024 without a drink.
I didn't have a problem.
I just knew I wanted to do something big with my career, and I felt alcohol could hold me back.

In the first month, I quit my job and started Opening the Gates.
Professionally and personally, I was in a brilliant place.

I went back to it.
And there's definitely a drinking culture in this industry, especially at events.
Sometimes it takes me a few days to recover.

So if I'm asked which one decision would make the biggest difference to my life long term, honestly?
Stopping again.

Have you ever had a break from drinking?
How did you find it?

22/10/2026

Completion rates

Same market, same stock, same buyers.
One agent completes eight in ten.
Another completes five.

That gap isn't luck.
I promise you it's not.

I'm not going to teach anyone to suck eggs here.
We all know getting a property under offer is only half the job.
But it's amazing how many agents still treat sale agreed like the finish line.

The agents at the top have a process, and it starts long before the offer.

Pricing it properly.
Marketing it well.
Managing buyer

Then really getting stuck into sales progression, staying on top of the chain and the solicitors, and spotting the risks before they turn into a fall-through.

If your completion rate is lower than you'd like, that's where I'd look first.
Not at the market.

Have a look at your own numbers this week.
Which camp are you in?

20/10/2026

Who shaped my values

I learned more in two or three years working for Sam Hunter than in the dozen years before that.

I came from a very corporate, very formal side of estate agency.
Polite, respectful, all "Dear Sir or Madam" and "Mr Smith".

Sam flipped that on its head.
Talk to people the way you'd message your mum.

You wouldn't write "Dear Mother, what is for dinner this evening?"
You'd say "hey mum, how you doing?"

Sounds simple.
It changed how I communicate with everyone, and I still use it every single day.

Personally, it's my parents and grandparents.
They gave me everything growing up, and the lesson was always the same.

Work hard, treat people well, and you'll go a long way.

Who shaped the way you work?
Give them a shout-out below.

18/10/2026

Books that changed how I think

Five books that changed how I think, ranked blind.
And I still got one of them wrong.

Atomic Habits had to be number one.
Not a week goes by where I don't recommend it to someone, and when I look at the best agents and business owners I've worked with, it's their habits that set them apart.

Alchemy came in second.
Rory Sutherland makes you think differently about marketing like nobody else.

Then $100M Offers, Never Split the Difference and, right at the bottom, Diary of a CEO. Good book, bit overhyped for me.

My regret?
Chris Voss at four.
The language in that book helped me negotiate better offers for my sellers and better fees for my business.
It deserved higher.

Which book would make your top five?

Drop it in the comments.
I'm always after a recommendation.

15/10/2026

Prime property

Not every instruction is worth the same.
The numbers on this one genuinely surprised me.

When I say prime, I mean properties at £500k and above.
They're a small share of the homes agents list, but a huge share of the fees earned across the industry.

That should make every agent stop and think about where their energy goes.

I'm not saying ignore everything under £500k.
I'm saying stop chasing market share for the sake of it and be deliberate about where you spend your week.

And the agents doing well at the top end don't get there through volume.

They build relationships.
Solicitors, wealth managers, past clients.
The people who'll quietly recommend you for years.
Long-term trust, not a quick win.

Is your time going where your fees come from?
Worth a think.

13/10/2026

They say never meet your heroes, I'm glad I ignored that one.

I found the High Performance podcast at the start of 2020, right as the pandemic hit and I'd just changed jobs.
I was a bit lost, if I'm honest, and listening to it really helped.

Then I got coached by Damian in Manchester.
Asked him to come on my podcast for episode 100. He said yes, and I genuinely thought it'd never happen.

One follow-up email later, it did.
But the bit that's stuck with me came two years after that.

I'm at one of his book signings, not sure he'll have a clue who I am, and he says hello to me by name.

That's the lesson.
Remembering people costs nothing and means everything.

Who's someone you've met who did that for you?

11/10/2026

Biggest regret

I didn't get my first passport until I was 24.

Before that, I'd been abroad twice.
A school trip to France and a holiday in Majorca with my parents.
That's it.

So when I'm asked about my biggest regret, it's not travelling sooner.
All the trips and lads' holidays I missed out on.

I'm making up for it now, and I want to do loads more.

The other one is how I left my estate agency job.
I sent my boss an email saying I quit.
Arguably a cowardly way to do it.
But I respected him so much that I knew if I sat in front of him, I'd never leave.

I don't regret going.
I regret how I went.

What's the one thing you wish you'd started sooner?

08/10/2026

Competing on price

Most agents aren't competing on price because they have to.
They're doing it because nobody's ever taught them another way.

It's the default.
Not a decision.
And it quietly costs them every single month.

But here's what I've learned from the best agents I work with.

Higher fees aren't about walking into a valuation and saying a number confidently. They're about having a brand, a service and an experience that makes that number feel fair.

And you can't do it halfway.

Dipping a toe into the premium end while you keep doing everything else the same rarely works.
If you're going to move up market, you have to commit to it properly.

Are you competing on price by choice or by default?
Worth a proper think.

06/10/2026

What kind of kid I was

Every school report I ever got said the same thing.
"Lots of potential, could try harder."

I reckon a fair few estate agents had that one too.

The other thing I always got was parents telling my mum and dad how polite I was. Pleases and thank yous, every time.
And honestly, that's got me further in life than almost anything else.

As a kid I was competitive, playing every sport going.
Curious, the type who had to figure out the next level of a computer game.

I spent far too many hours on Championship Manager winning trophies with Liverpool.
And stubborn.

If I didn't want to do something, I wasn't doing it.
My parents had their work cut out.

Turns out not much has changed.

What did your school report say about you?
Be honest.

04/10/2026

Biggest valuation mistakes

The valuation is the moment that matters most.
And it's where I see agents undo everything they've worked for.

Not through arrogance.
Usually through nerves.
Talking too much.
Avoiding the difficult pricing conversation.
Telling the seller what they want to hear instead of what they need to know.

The problem is that winning an instruction at the wrong price feels like a win.
It isn't.

What happens at that appointment sets the tone for everything that follows and a bad start is very hard to recover from.

Get the valuation right and the rest of the job becomes significantly easier.

Worth thinking about.

Address

46 Goldsmith Drive
Milton Keynes
MK168RS

Opening Hours

Monday 9am - 5pm
Tuesday 9am - 5pm
Wednesday 9am - 5pm
Thursday 9am - 5pm
Friday 9am - 5pm

Telephone

+447834376959

Website

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when Opening The Gates posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Contact The Business

Send a message to Opening The Gates:

Shortcuts

Share

Category