99.co’s Property Agent Success Stories: Jeremy Lim Makes it a Goal to Enrich the Lives of Others

Ever wondered what it is like being a property agent?

In this series entitled Agent Success Stories, we sit down with agency leaders to find out their side of the story. From their humble beginnings to the challenges they have faced on the road to success, we learn that a career in the real estate industry is one filled with boundless opportunities – if you know where to look.

Jeremy Lim was a top student with single digit L1R5 score when he completed his O-level and went on to pursue his studies in a polytechnic. Since then, he has switched multiple careers and eventually found his career of choice – a real estate professional. How did Hutton’s million-dollar salesperson in Rex Tan Division (RTD) and top 5 Senior Director blaze a trail for himself in a highly competitive industry? Jeremy shares his personal growth and journey with 99.co, and how he hopes to bring his career to new heights in 2019.

How do you allocate time in your day to achieve all your goals?

I am a big believer in effective time management. I divide my day into three separate blocks where I dedicate one third of my day to team members, family matters and personal sales targets.

Work life balance is definitely possible. The key is to find innovative ways to achieve a breakthrough in sales and reach the million dollar sales target.

This year, the aim is for my team sales to double! I believe that the goal is within sight and I am committed to achieve that target alongside my team members.

Can you share more about your leadership style and vision?

I always believe that I need to stay closely connected to sentiments on the ground. My understanding of the various facets of real estate in Singapore – gained through personal experience – has enabled me to advise clients effectively and to address their concerns. I take a lot of pride in mentoring my associates well and keeping myself updated on the latest developments in the industry.

I believe that people are at the core of everything I do. I feel responsible for my team as they continue to look to me to help them grow on their real estate journey. I don’t want anyone to join my team and not have a mentor to guide them.

It is not just about improving the team’s sales figures. More so for our existing associates, I will continue to make sure that they receive the guidance they need to achieve personal sales breakthroughs. Even as I continue to grow the team size (which currently stands at 140), I will strive to uphold my slogan – enriching you always – both for my clients and business associates.

What drives you to grow, even as you continue to achieve all these awards?

Coming from a family that was not well-to-do motivates me to win. I used to skimp on school stationery – buying pencils with rubber tips – so that I don’t have to spend more money to buy an eraser. I even used to look on with envy at “rich kids” who could afford chicken nuggets during recess time when all I could pay for was plain char-mee in school.

Truth to be told, material goods don’t motivate me much these days. I live a comfortable life today but still constantly push myself to work hard. This is because I don’t see my targets in terms of simple monetary gains.

In reality, it is my personal responsibility towards meeting the monthly sales target of $100,000 that drives me these days. By setting targets that I am determined to hit, I often find that my mind finds new ways to improve my performance.

If I don’t hit my targets, I will be hard on myself as well. I believe that if you allow yourself to accept failures, it builds a “discount mentality” and becomes a vicious cycle doomed to repeat itself.

What are the traits of a successful real estate agent?

In this industry, it is about having a winning mentality. Period. You have to want success badly enough. It’s only when real estate agents hold themselves accountable for their victories that they grow to become great real estate agents. These are the people I believe who’d benefit the most from working with me – to work smart and manage their personal life and career effectively.

People with the winning mentality understand that there is no limit to growth. In the past 11 years since Rex Tan pulled me into the real estate business, I have learnt that limits are mostly imaginary and effort is everything. Make no excuse – that’s my mantra for personal growth and success.

What is the support people can expect not only from you, but from joining the Huttons team?

At Huttons, we have a strong support system. The personnel from every single department are committed towards helping and assisting each and every salesperson. From administrative, legal, accounts to IT, the team is very approachable and supportive of the associates.

Every quarter, we will have at least 180 hours of training for associates.

Especially in the 700-man strong RTD, all leaders are very established and selfless individuals who will conduct cross group training and contribute to one another’s success. By sharing each of their unique strengths, they present realistic case studies and pass on the learnings from them. Hence, by joining RTD you will actually have multiple mentors instead of just one.

RTD training includes innovative marketing methods that one can easily pick up and and use to upgrade their existing skill set. Techniques and trade secret marketing methods are shared – allowing associates to have the edge over others in this ever-changing, fast-moving industry.

At RTD, we also conduct annual team retreats. Most recently, we went on a Genting Cruise and stayed at Marriott Hotel in Phuket. This is all done to make sure fresh faces meet with existing members and assimilate easily into the team.

Huttons as a whole also provides a very good platform for associates because of the wide spectrum of real estate products one can work on. This ensures that those who join have all the tools they need to succeed.

Huttons is also very willing to spend money to reward high performers. We have an annual Dinner & Dance lucky draw where the top prizes are two Mercedes Benz luxury cars. The number of lucky draw tickets awarded is based on sales performance. As such, the chances of winning those cars increase correspondingly for top sales performers.  

So, do not worry if you are an aspiring property agent in a unfamiliar environment. Choose a good mentor to follow and your journey would be made much smoother.