Marty Ritchie | Agent of Excellence Interview

Marty Ritchie | Harcourts Paremata, Wellington
Agent of Excellence FY2020

We caught up with one of our Agents of Excellence, Marty Ritchie, to discuss his first sales role, the best professional advice he's received and more. 

What are your morning rituals?

First thing in the morning, the alarm goes off at 5.40 am, and I get my son out of bed. We jump on the treadmills, then alternate on the rowing machine. I've found it's a great way to start the day; it's also been great for my sons' fitness, and it's helped me to achieve some pretty big days.

What was your first-ever sales job?

As a kid, I lived in Blenheim, and I worked for a guy called Gary Bignall selling cherries at the Nelson A n P show. I'd get paid $50 for a whole day which was big money as a young guy. That was great for getting an understanding of how you get people to buy something.

What is the best piece of professional advice you've been given?

Probably the best piece of advice is from my mother. She had an incredible work ethic. When we were fruit picking as kids, she would do four trays to our one. She instilled in us this ethic, showing that there's no substitute for hard work.

Who inspires you?

Eliot Falconer has been our leader and business owner for some time. He's been great at looking at what we want to achieve in our personal lives as the driver for our hard work when we are business planning. We look up to him, and he's a guy you want to work for.

What do you love about being a real estate agent?

I love that it doesn't feel like a job. If you find something that's hard work, but you love doing it, and it doesn't feel like a job, then you've cracked it. There's a saying, "find a job you love doing, and you'll never have to work another day in your life". To me, real estate is just helping people, and if you have a genuine love for helping people and for people, then this is the coolest job in the world.

What is your biggest career fail?

There's no real career fail moment,  but I guess when you strive really hard for something, and then you come second.

What is your favourite thing about working with realestate.co.nz?

The calibre of the enquiry we get is at another level compared to your competitors. I believe the product is superior, for example, you can have more photography.

For me, it's a no-brainer. It's not a hard sell. The first thing I learned years ago is that if you don't believe in something, then you can't sell it. I am a huge advocate, and it's all because you guys do what you say you're going to do. If there is ever a problem, I give you a call, and it's sorted straight away. It's been a true partnership.