Industry trainer marks 20-year milestone

Industry veteran Michael Day is marking 20 years since setting up his Integra Property Services consultancy and training business.

The brand now has an impressive bank of more than 1,350 property industry clients.

Day, who had previously held director and partner positions at Connells and its subsidiary Conveyancing Direct, set his own business up in 2003 having completed an MBA at Reading University that he says acted as a catalyst for change.

He explained: “In 2000 I had completed a 30,000 word research dissertation on the internet and its effect on estate agency.

“This was a huge piece of research that effectively ‘predicted’ many of the changes we have seen in the industry since – for example, the arrival of online and self-employed broker style agents, the dominance of the portals and the emergence of artificial intelligence and ability to transact digitally.

“When I undertook the research, Rightmove had only just launched, many agents didn’t have their own websites and email usage was in its infancy. It has been interesting to see much of what was investigated by my research develop into reality.”

The past 20 years have seen Day and Integra establish themselves as a highly regarded provider of business consultancy services, mentoring and training across the industry and have won many awards as a supplier and provider of professional support.

He has helped many agency clients setup and grow their businesses successfully and, in many cases, secure hugely successful exits at significant financial multiples.

Day has also remained close to proptech developments during this time, becoming a non-executive director and investor at teclet, now part of OnTheMarket, and is currently a member of the advisory board of blockchain business Coadjute.

He is a founder member of industry charity Agents Together and also sits on the  Home Buying & Selling Group, the Risk and Compliance Group facilitated by Thirdfort and is an accredited trainer for Propertymark.

In June he will also be part of a panel of speakers at the Propertymark One event at Wembley.

Reflecting on the past 20 years, Day added: ”One of the few constants in life is change and, whilst we may not be able to change the wind, we can adjust our sales. “Planning is key as it helps create a framework to enable us to recognise the need to adopt, adapt and improve.

“Estate agency is still, at its heart a people business and I have always believed that, as Zig Ziglar perfectly described, you can achieve anything you want in life if you just help enough other people achieve what they want.

“Technology can certainly help with the ‘heavy lifting’ and help enhance the consumer experience but it is the empathy, understanding and interpersonal skills that set aside the great from the ordinary. Improving the personal development of those within the industry remains a key objective.”

Day, who has worked in the industry for a total of 47 years, said he still has much more to offer, adding: “I would like to take this significant anniversary as an opportunity to thank my family for their support on the journey so far, my clients for the trust they have placed in me and all of my wider circle of contacts across the industry for their friendship.”