Spring Estate Agents Operations Manager Studies NLP & High Performace Organisations

Over the last couple of weeks I have attended two training opportunities, provided by Business Link and local business development company Budding Futures. It was great to be informed about topics that really made me think about our company and my input as operations manager and also meet some like minded people.

Jessica Matthews Spring Estate Agents Operations Manager.

The first event I attended was a seminar titled “Developing a High Performance Organisation” this event was provided by Business Link and was at the KC Stadium. I found this seminar extremely interesting and could really relate the topics to our own business. The whole idea is that a high development organisation stems from the attitude that those involved are goal orientated. “Goal first, process second!” What is important is to provide colleagues with strong goals, but also the flexibility to make choices whilst trying to achieve those goals, rather then being held back by procedures.

In the seminar we discussed that often size can work against excellence and as a company grows it is more difficult to avoid structure stifling productivity. I like to think one of the things we do provide at Spring is use initiative and entrepreneurial spirit which hopefully results in high performance/service. The difference between a good performing organisation and one which is high performing is all in the little things. It is important to stop and keep asking ourselves, are we servicing our clients above and beyond?

The following week I went along to the new Albermarle Music Centre in Hull which is next to St Stephen’s. Here I took part in a seminar about Neuro Linguistic Processes (NLP) which was conducted by Helen Bissett from Budding Futures. This may sound extremely complicated but in a nutshell NLP is looking at the philosophy for personal success and how we can re-frame and model our thoughts. Currently the most famous user of NLP techniques at their highest level would be Derren Brown. He uses techniques which allow people to re-programme how they think about something in order to change an experience of a future event.

I am not sure that it is always possible to train your mind to go against natural instinct although I definitely think there is something to this. What was interesting to note was that typically we operate with selective attention and we often only see what we focus upon and miss other things around us. It is therefore important to understand this and try not to lose sight of the bigger picture.

I thoroughly enjoyed both events, although very different both in content and the way in which the material was delivered, I found them both extremely informative. The NLP seminar was especially enjoyable, I got involved in some great activities and I met some very interesting people. Special mention also goes to Life & Fork who provided a fantastic buffet lunch.

Spring Estate Agents Managing Director Govind Manocha said "This was a fantastic opportunity to facilitate some high quality free training and introduce my colleague to some new though provoking concepts. I believe she found this training hugely beneficial and resulted in some very interesting discussions within the office".

Zoopla.co.uk Launches National TV Advertising Campaign.

Leading property website, Zoopla.co.uk, has today launched its first national TV advertising campaign which will include a number of prime-time slots across ITV, Channel 4, Channel 5 and the Sky digital channels. The initial campaign will run for five weeks to the end of September and is part of an extensive multi-million pound TV, print and digital campaign to run over the coming months.

The new TV campaign will tap into the nation's obsession with the property market and is designed to increase Zoopla.co.uk brand awareness and drive even greater performance for its member estate agents. 87% of adults will see the TV ad at least once during the initial five-week period and the TV campaign will supplement the ongoing print and digital advertising activities undertaken by Zoopla.co.uk.

Spring Estate Agents Managing Director Govind Manocha said "We have been involved with Zoopla right from the early days and are very impressed with its content, functionality and back end technology. We liked this portal so much that we decided to upgrade to a premier subscription with Zoopla giving us maximum exposure on all the partner web sites".

Spring Estate Agents Heads To London To Meet The Queen Of Social Media.

Spring Estate Agents have been selected to be part of an invited audience of small business owners to attend a one off event 'Sharing the Secrets of Social Media' on Thursday 2nd September at the Sheraton Hotel, Park Lane, London



This filmed one-off event is intended for anyone determined to embrace social media to grow their businesses, and will be hosted by Smarta.com founder and social media evangelist Shaa Wasmund.

Shaa will share her experiences and tips for using social media to engage new customers and outline how you can do the same. In particular, Shaa will share:

Why social media has the power to change the way we do everything·
Why every road leads to Twitter.
How to get it spectacularly right... and wrong·
How she won a deal worth more than £500,000 within weeks of using Twitter·
Twitter and beyond - what can Facebook, LinkedIn, Foursquare and YouTube do for you.
How to convert customers into fans and fans into customers·
Why social media, contrary to what the doubters say, is for EVERY business·
How to develop a social media strategy that will work for your business.

Spring Estate Agents Managing Director Govind Manocha said "I am delighted that we have been invited to attend this one off event. I have had the pleasure to attend a couple of business link training courses hosted by Shaa and on both occasions were blown away by her energy, knowledge and passion for the subject of 'social media'. As a company we are still very much at the start of our social media journey, so to have such guidance from a true master at this stage will be truly invaluable".

The Sawmill Townhomes Are Now Open!

Spring Estate Agents are pleased to announce that the eagerly anticipated Town homes at the Sawmill Development on George Street are now officially open. Please call Spring on 01482 225525 to book an appointment.

Spring Estate Agents Managing Director Govind Manocha said "The Town homes at the Sawmill represent a standard that has never been seen before in Hull and we are delighted to represent such a prestigious development. I would personally encourage anyone looking for a city centre residence to visit the Town homes, as I am sure you will not be disappointed". Visit: http://www.thesawmillhull.co.uk/ or Tel: Spring Estate Agents on 01482 225525 to book an appointment.

Spring Estate Agents Invited To Watch Hull FC vs Salford City Reds At The KC.

To mark the end of Hull Business Week, Spring Estate Agents were invited to watch Hull FC vs Salford City Reds at the KC Stadium.

The evening began with pre-match drinks & a singer providing entertainment in the stadium’s Circle Restaurant.



Director of Hull FC, James Rule took to the stage to welcome us all & guests were even given the opportunity to win a P&O mini cruise from the team’s sponsors. After enjoying a fantastic three course meal, James Rule returned to the stage with Hull FC player Mark O’Meley to provide a pre-match analysis for guests, after a fantastic win against St Helen’s the week before, it was clear that the team were very confident for the game ahead. At this point children from two local primary schools were invited to the stage. They had been enjoying a tour of the stadium & were now given the chance to win some signed merchandise from the team, before going on to watch the match & meet the players.

I thought it was fantastic how much the team wanted to get local children involved & interested in the sport, they were all clearly having a fantastic time.

We went out to the stadium to take our seats just as the players were coming onto the pitch. Hull FC scored the first try & the game ended with another Hull FC home game victory, scoring 34-12 against the Salford City Reds.



The evening ended after returning to the Circle Restaurant for post match drinks & Hull FC coach Richard Agar alongside the games man of the match Jordan Tansey providing us a post match analysis of the game.

A fantastic evening to end another years great Business Week in Hull, made all the better by Hull FC’s second victory in two weeks.

Blog post by Jessica Matthews (Operations Manager). Spring Estate Agents Ltd. 'Your one stop shop for property in Hull'.

Spring Attends 'Let's Get Ready To Futureproof Event' As Part Of Hull Biz Week.

Business leaders had a treat when inspirational youngsters showcased their entrepreneurial talents as part of Business Week 2010.

The Hull Youth Enterprise and Rotherham Ready partnerships held an event at Hull KR's home at Craven Park, where children from five primary schools ( East Halton Primary, Highland Primary, North Ferriby, Thorpepark and Thorpe Hesley Junior School from Rotherham) presented their enterprise stories to an audience of leading politicians as well as key education and business opinion formers from across the Humber.

At the event delegates also heard from Claire Young, runner up in the BBC series "The Apprentice" in 2008 and an Ambassador for Enterprise UK. Claire Young said: "Enterprise is open to everyone and anyone, and Hull and Rotherham are certainly leading the way in how they work with their primary pupils - I really enjoyed my time in Hull and am honoured to be invited back for November and to help develop a retail challenge with St Stephens Centre and Hull City Council in the near future."Programmes like "Junior Apprentice", "The Apprentice" and "Dragon's Den" have made business and enterprise much more accessible and exciting to young people and hopefully removed some of the common misconceptions."

After their presentations, the children set the adults a task of designing and marketing a t-shirt to promote Business Week 2011 or Global Entrepreneurship Week 2010 with a World Cup theme, which five teams had to present to the "Mini Rottweiler Pit". (Claire Young became known on TV as "The Rottweiler"!).

Neil Hudgell, Chairman of Hull Kingston Rovers presented Paula Harmer the Headteacher of Thorpe Hesley from Rotherham with flowers from the Hull Youth Enterprise Partnership and a cheque for £200 for the school, from the John Cracknell Youth Enterprise Bank, to help them to further develop their enterprising ideas. Neil Hudgell said "Yet again, the young people showed that they are all developing their enterprise skills and they are our future and they are certainly ready to take on the challenges of tomorrow."

The winning team was the Otters and their design will be printed and worn in Global Entrepreneurship Week in November. They donated their prize money to the primary schools that took part in the day to help them develop their enterprising idea.

Spring Estate Agents Managing Director Govind Manocha said "To hear the children talk about their businesses and the steps they had taken was truly inspiring. They also presented with confidence to a packed room which was also very impressive. A big well done to all the schools that took part and I was please we where able to donate our prise back to the schools to help continue this fantastic work"

Apprentice’s eye view of 2010 Hull Business Expo.

Today I went to the Hull Business Expo at the Bonus arena. Before we entered the building there were lots of flags promoting the event and some cars which could be won, so we entered the raffle and took some pictures. As we went into the building there were lots of stalls promoting their businesses which were interesting as I had the chance to meet some interesting people and find out what they were promoting.



The first stall we went to I was introduced to a man and a young girl similar to my age who worked for a company that maintain our printer. This was interesting as I had the chance to learn more about what they did. As we walked round we started talking to lots of different people and took some information from the stalls. At the event there was a lady promoting the apprenticeship scheme for Hull Collage I had the chance to have a chat with her and tell her how my apprenticeship was going which was good. We also bumped into a lady who is a makeup artist and has a company (Hayley SFX) which does special effect makeup which I found interesting.



We also had a chat to a company which makes custom made stationary and equipment for businesses which was interesting as I got to see some of the different things they do and they took our business card and showed us brochures on all the different equipment. We also met a company which provides eco friendly bins for recycling waste we had a chat to them and found more about what they did and the different places they cater for. We had a look round all of the stalls and found that some of them may be useful to us in the future. It was nice to see all the different displays and receive free gifts and chat to the people at the event and I really enjoyed it as it was something new and was defiantly worth going.

Blog post by Samantha Kirkham. Spring Estate Agents apprentice studying for an NVQ in customer service. Spring Estate Agents. Tel 01482 225525

Business Week 2010 Is Well & Truly Underway.

Business Week 2010 is well and truly underway after the official launch this morning at the annual Bondholder's Breakfast meeting at the KC Stadium that was attended by over 200 local business people.

The event was hosted by the truly inspirational Phil Batty from Force 7 & Amanda Hartley from Amanda's Blue Orchid Florists

Philip began Force-7 in May 2006. Force-7 is run solely by 14-24 year olds and works with businesses and organisations to enable them to more effectively engage young people.

Amanda's Blue Orchid was first opened in February 2008 by 19 year old Amanda Hartley. Amanda has since gone on to win Hull's Young Entrepreneur Of The Year 2009 and is an ambassador for the "Make Your Mark" Campaign.

First up was by Gary Verity, Chief Executive of Welcome to Yorkshire.

High flying businessman Gary Verity heads the Yorkshire’s tourism industry in a move aimed at increasing its profile across the world and boosting its value to the regional economy.

A dynamic and motivational leader Gary has an excellent track record in brand building, customer service and managing complex businesses with a national and international profile, and wide experience of multi-site (600+) retail outlets.

The visitor economy is currently worth £6.1 billion to Yorkshire, and provides jobs for 240,000 people. It is the sixth largest sector in the regional economy. Mr Verity and his team work with tourism businesses, local authorities, and other partners and aim grow the region’s visitor economy by £300 million pounds over the next three years.

Other memorable presentations came from young entrepreneurs Alex Booth from Clean Drives of Hull and Phil Benson from Zing Smoothies. Dave Barley who joined the Sewell Group as an apprenticed 5 years ago. Amanda Hartley from Blue Orchid who is mentioned above and 14 year old local entrepreneur. Bronwyn Wilson. All truly inspirational.

Presentations where also given on this years 2 chosen charities.

'The Victoria Climbie Charitable Trust' - which has been supported over the last 3 years to build and equip a much needed school in Abobo in Ivory Coast in memory of Victoria Climbie. This year they are aiming to raise enough money to provide every child at the school with a new uniform. We need to raise about £1,000. Also in this World Cup year we want to help the school build a football pitch for use by the children and the local community.

The second charity 'Real Aid and this year they are running a very simple but very practical and effective campaign 'Wellies for Africa.'

'Real Aid supports agricultural projects in the Bumpe Chiefdom, Sierra Leone. This enables the local community to grow rice to feed their families. During 2010 we aim to help the community by reducing the spread of parasitic disease which unfortunately spreads through the soil to the field workers.

And finally the most memorable presentation came from the children at St Nicholas Primary School as they talked about the business operations, processes and procedures they used to turned £150 into £2000. What a fantastic achievement and a huge well done.

Blog post brought to you by Spring Estate Agents. Property sales, lettings and management in Hull. Tel 01482 225525.

VISTA - An Avenue of Business Success.

Business week 2010 has kicked off to a lively and vibrant start down Princes Avenue in Hull.

View down Princes Avenue on a hot Saturday afternnon.

Princes Avenue, Hull is a fine example of that fact that no matter what other interventions are made, it is ultimately business that is the key factor in regeneration. It is the traders and their entrepreneurial spirit who have turned Princes Avenue into the most vibrant and commercially successful area in Hull.

Hull Town Crier doing a great job in the community and looking as good as ever.

Vista 2010 is sponsored by the NHS Hull, Hull City Council and other local business partners.

Very popular home made burger stall hosted by Garbutts.

Pupets highlighting the great work of our emergency services.

Mounted police building relationships with young people.

The Vista festival is a free community event designed to develop Princes Avenue's growing reputation as the cultural and diverse hub of Hull.

Pictures brought to you by Spring Estate Agents. 'Your one stop shop for property in Hull'. Tel: 01482 225525.

Spring Estate Agents Gets Mention On Smarta.com

When asked 'how to attract more customers' this was Spring Estate Agents response.

Leverage your existing customers & give them extra value

"You need to take a step backwards and serve your existing customers way beyond their expectations and do it with integrity and appreciation for their custom. Your existing customers then become your biggest fans and are happy to give you testimonials. These help build your credibility and help attract new potential customers - which in turn you must serve beyond their expectations."

Govind Manocha, Spring Estate Agents

Smarta is a new support platform for business owners and entrepreneurs. Their aim is to provide a one-stop-shop where business owners can connect, learn and actually *do* business and was founded and run by some of the UK's top entrepreneurs. http://www.smarta.com/

The Sawmill Hull Now Open For Weekend Viewing 12 to 4pm.

Spring Estate Agents are pleased to announce that The Sawmill development is now open on the weekend between 12 & 4pm, to view the last few remaining apartments and to get a glimpse of the eagerly anticipated 3 bedroom, 3 story town homes.

Viewing can also be accommodated during the week by appointment. Please contact Spring Estate Agents on: 01482 225525 to book or to register your interest in viewing the town homes.

For More information please visit: www.thesawmillhull.co.uk or call Spring Estate Agents on: 01482 225525.

Young Apprentice Has A Spring In Her Step!

Spring Estate Agents in Hull are pleased to have been selected as a suitable training provider forHull College’s NVQ in customer service and would like to offer a warm welcome to Samantha Kirkham who joined us at the end of March.

Hi there I’m Samantha Kirkham. I am 17 and currently on a customer service apprenticeship with Hull College and on placement at Spring Estate Agent on Anlaby Road.

I first heard about the scheme through the Hull Collage website where I saw the different apprenticeships available. I then attended an open day at Hull Collage for and this is when I heard about the customer service apprenticeship. After I filled the paper work in I was given a date to come back and do two basic Maths and English assessments and meet Steve who would be my tutor. After I had enrolled I was informed that there were three companies that wanted to interview me. I went to two previous interviews before I came to Spring Estate Agents but from walking in the door I felt at ease and surprisingly less nervous than the previous interviews.

I was interviewed by Govind Manocha the business owner and my interview took about an hour including paperwork. Then it was just waiting to hear if I had been successful. Early the following week Steve rang me up and told me I had been accepted and I would be starting the following Monday. On my way to Spring for my first day at work I was a bag of nerves walking up to the front door, but when I picked up the courage to go inside, I was greeted with the same friendly approach from my interview and was made to feel very welcome.

My first two weeks have been jam packed with new experiences and I have even been given my own project to complete to do with the local regeneration scheme. I have learnt so much over the past two week and am looking forward to the coming year with Spring Estate Agents. I am visited by my tutor Steve once a week and he also happy that I have been placed with Spring. I also keep a diary at work which I write in each day so there is a record of my learning. Govind and Jessica have been brilliant and have made me feel part of the team. I have already started to learn some important skills that are essential to a good business/customer service and a professional work environment.

Managing Director Govind Manaocha said “Once again I am so pleased that exactly two years from our launch, we have been selected to offer such a training position. Even though when Samantha came for interview she was very nervous and did not say much, I could tell that she possessed the right qualities we were looking for. During the last two weeks Samantha has come to work every day with a Spring in her step, a smile on her face and a positive attitude for learning. Needless to say we are very happy with Samantha’s initial progress and look forward to her growing in confidence and becoming a valued member of the Spring team”.

Spring Is In The Air In More Ways Than One.

Spring is in the air in more ways than one, as Spring Estate Agents agrees an exclusive two year deal to sponsors the weather on West Hull Community Radio 106.9FM.

WHCR broadcasts to West Hull and the surrounding villages of Anlaby, Cottingham, Hessle and Willerby - adult population 90,000. They are based at their studios in The Goodwin Centre on Icehouse Road in Hull and broadcast a unique mix of local information, interviews and music 24 hours a day.

Spring Estate Agents managing director Govind Manocha said "This is something we have been planning for quite some time. We thought it would be great for Spring Estate Agents to be associated with the delivery of some positive news as we come out of the worst winter for 30 years and the worst global recession since the 1930's"

"Almost everyone is interested in the weather and Spring being the start of the house moving season, it made perfect sense for Spring Estate Agents to be linked to this part of the news".

"All the indicators are now pointing towards an improving housing market and this Spring also marks our second anniversary. It is a fitting way to mark the occasion and to help support the fantastic work that WHCR do within the community".

Please do tune in and have a listen to WHCR on 106.9FM and do contact Spring Estate Agents on 01482 225525 to discuss your property requirements.

Spring Estate Agents Appointed As Marketing Agents For Phase Two Of The Sawmill Development In Hull.

Spring Estate Agents are delighted to announce that following a very successful partnership with Finehouse Ltd in 2009, we have just been appointed as marketing agents for phase 2 of the Sawmill development in Hull. Open viewing Sat/Sun 12 to 4pm.

Existing building at the start of the restoration.

Phase two of the development will comprise of 3 lovingly restored, three story, three bedroom town homes that will front onto George St and will frame the developments communal courtyard garden. Work started early January and the developers are on target to have one building completely finished and ready for our exclusive pre-launch event in June.

Progress picture taken 03.03.10

Progress picture taken 20.03.10


Progress picture taken 10.04.10

Progress picture taken 24.04.10

Managing director Govind Manocha said "I am delighted that all our hard work in 2009 has resulted in us having the opportunity to market these fantastic properties. I have been very fortunate to see the development up close at this early stage and have been struck by the room proportions, attention to detail and the quality materials being used. When completed, these three city centre properties will offer discerning purchasers a perfect blend of heritage, quality construction and cutting edge technology that will not to be found anywhere else in Hull".

For more information please call Spring Estate Agents on 01482 225525. Open Viewing Sat/Sun 12 to 4pm.

Spring Estate Agents Web Site Hits New High.

Spring Estate Agents web site hits new high on February the 1st 2010 following extensive investment into their web presence and online marketing activities.

Managing director Govind Manocha said "Since we launched the company in Spring 2008 we have worked very hard on our web presence and I am delighted to see all our hard work paying dividends. We are now listed on some of the most innovative property portals and we continue to work on improving our organic search engine rankings".

"We have also just signed a very interesting sponsorship deal with local radio station WHCR which will be hitting the airwaves in March. This will further enhance the Spring brand locally and help drive additional traffic to our web site. We are now fully focused on our next target of 200 visits in a single day"

Spring Estate Agents Ltd. Property sales, lettings & management in Hull. Tel: 01482 225525.

Spring Estate Agents in Hull Blogs, Tweets & Skypes into 2010.

There is a saying that goes ‘If you are not moving forward in this new digital world you are actually going backwards’ and this is an attitude that Spring Estate Agents in Hull fully embrace.

Spring Estate Agents in Hull have started 2010 by introducing some subtle design changes to their web site that now unify its branding and integrated the social media web sites Facebook, Twitter & Youtube. They have also linked their Google local business testimonials, which helps reassure new customers of their competence. And their most exciting new addition is the introduction of a talking animated avatar that communicates directly to site visitors. Finally, although this is not new, the Spring site is also Skype enabled making it easier for them to talk to their international clients.

They have also started the New Year with a much stronger marketing mix as they are now premier agents on Zoopla, Propertyfinder, Thinkproperty, UKpropertyshop, Email4property & Globrix. They also list on Findaproperty, Primelocation, Property Index and supplement these portals with Google Adwords.

Managing Director Govind Manocha said “I am delighted with the new changes to our web site as they build on some great existing features and keeps us at the forefront of the digital/social media revolution. By adding these additional features we are better placed to communicate with our customers and promote our properties to the widest possible audience”.

“Our focus, commitment and investment into our online presence have shown in our results during the economic downturn. The Spring site now attracts over 2000 visits per month and we are pushing for the No 1 spot on Google under search term ‘Estate Agents Hull’.

If you are looking to buy, sell, or rent property in Hull, please do contact Spring Estate Agents on 01482 225525.

Freedom Festival & Official Start Of The Clipper Round the World Yacht Race 2009

The freedom festival and official start of the clipper round the world yacht race 2009/10. Freedom is an annual live arts and music event that celebrates freedom in all its forms, with 2009’s festival also marking the 250th anniversary of the birth of William Wilberforce.

Here are a few pictures kindly provided by the Hull Bondholders which Spring Estate Agents are proud members.

You can follow the race over the next 10 months by visiting the Clipper - round the world website. To contact Spring Estate Agents call: 01482 225525 or visit http://www.springestateagents.co.uk/

Spring Estate Agents Are Now Listed On All 15 Web Sites Powered By Zoopla.

Spring Estate Agents marks 2010 by joining forces with Zoopla as one of their premier marketing agents.

Zoopla, the UK's fasting growing portal and Zoopla.co.uk was voted 'Best UK Property Portal in 2009' at the Daily Mail Residential Property Awards'

Zoopla now provide content to http://www.propertyfinder.com/ http://www.hotproperty.co.uk/ http://www.thinkproperty.com/ and http://www.ukpropertyshop.co.uk/ plus the property search for some of the UK's most popular websites such as MSN, Yahoo, Virgin Media and The Guardian.

Spring Estate Agents managing director Govind Manocha said 'We are delighted to be able to add the Zoopla brand to our marketing mix. I am most impressed with their business model and I believe this is the way all portals will go in the future. We have been very proactive with our online marketing during the economic downturn and am very confident that we will see dividends as the market starts to recovers in 2010'. Spring Estate Agents in Hull. Property sales, lettings and management. Tel: 01482 225525.