Case Studies
John Timoney
Area: Maidstone
Joining A Quick Sale in October 2004 has undoubtedly been one of the best business
decisions I've ever made.
At the time, I was already enjoying running my own London-based Graphic Design business,
which I'd been successfully doing for 14 years. In a short time however, it became
apparent that focusing full time on AQS was the way to go, and a year later I had
closed the design business.
Since then, my quality of life has improved dramatically.
Not only is there the obvious potential for high financial rewards, but I've enjoyed
the support, infrastructure and encouragement of the most professional and ethical
team of investors around. My knowledge of creative strategies has increased immeasurably,
as has my confidence in structuring mutually beneficial property deals.
In short, anyone who is serious about property investment; who has the right attitude
and desire to succeed, should in my opinion join A Quick Sale.
Stuart Donnington
Area: Plymouth & East Cornwall
I joined A Quick Sale in September 2004, covering the Plymouth and East Cornwall
area - I have not looked back. Since joining not only have I been able to buy below
market value properties, I have made friends with other Franchisees, developed myself
personally i.e. gained more confidence and improved my communication skills. On
calling my first lead it took me 30 minutes to pluck up the courage to call; now
it is second nature. Most importantly it has allowed me to give up my day job and
to allow me to control my own destiny.
I believe that AQS offers the experienced property investor, or even a novice property
investor with the right attitude, the platform to launch a highly successful property
career. You will get out what you put into this opportunity and the returns and
rewards for people with the right attitude I feel can not be measured.
Lisa Orme
Areas: 1) Coventry 2) Solihull & South Birmingham
I have been an AQS affiliate and then franchisee since its inception. I have never
seen a reason to leave and in fact only ever see more and more reasons to get more
involved.
As a successful investor already, a lot of people have questioned why I 'need' AQS.
The fact is I don't, but AQS is a lot more than simply a call centre and marketing
medium. It would be easy for me to go and get a call centre service and place my
own ads. But AQS is so much more...
We benefit from a huge resource of ideas and creativity, we all have our areas of
expertise and AQS is a great place to learn from others. I thought I knew most property
techniques and creative strategies - I created many of them! But then I joined AQS
and saw a whole bunch more. My eyes have been opened to new ways to structure deals,
to advertise, to deal with clients. I get to use the paperwork and systems others
have designed. I'm a creative sort but not so good with systems and organising so
imagine how great it is for me to be able to use the brain of those who are good
at the skills I am lacking and be able to instantly apply it to my business because
they are in the same business.
We can collectively benefit from discounted rates for all sorts of things from advertising
to goods and services, from financial products to business solutions. The most significant
being advertising; pretty much anyone can negotiate a discount on advertising but
how about getting a 90% discount because there's so many of you or how about being
able to book advertising in regional media and being able to split it with your
neighbouring colleagues... and know they'll pay up!
Ultimately though while there is significant, time, financial and resource benefits
to being in AQS, the biggest benefit is the people. They are first and foremost
friends and secondly work colleagues. Our events and meetings are some of the most
enjoyable I have ever been to. Property can be a lonely life at times and it's great
to have a constant source of inspiration and friendship to turn to; whenever you
like.
That is why A Quick Sale really is worth it.
Rob Tilley
Areas: 1) Northampton 2) North Lincolnshire
Initially my take on A Quick Sale was why not? AQS was in its infancy but already
there were signs that this had the potential to be something big. I was immediately
impressed by the professionalism of the management team and the way they went about
presenting the deal to the client. We've all heard about Win/Win but this really
was that in action, the starting point was always what does the client need and
how can we give them that whilst making a living.
My instinct was to take it slowly, learn the ropes and make a few calls to get the
hang of it. Straight away though you could feel that the people you were talking
to needed help and they didn't need someone just using them for practice.
Using the tools and techniques supplied I was able to agree 4 deals within the first
4 months and ended the year on 10 deals. This was without any major marketing or
advertising by me, but simply relying on leads generated through the national marketing.
At the end of my first year I realised that I had to decide whether I simply wanted
to do a few deals a year and do okay or whether I wanted to get really serious about
the business and turn it into a multi million pound turnover company. Around the
same time there were lots of discussions going on about the future direction of
AQS. The whole company had grown tremendously over the 12 - 18 month period, both
in terms of numbers but also ability, and quite a few original and new affiliates
(now Franchisees) were ramping up their advertising spend and turning over vast
amounts of deals.
I decided that the multi million pound route was the one I wanted to take! I have
taken over an additional territory and ramped up my advertising. I have taken on
a business associate to manage a small part of my territory and have now set myself
up as a limited company. I am in the process of employing administrative staff and
have taken an office. I am also in the process of taking on more associates in both
of my areas to allow me to concentrate my efforts on a specific area. The associates
are self employed and simply pay a monthly fee for advertising and a fee for every
deal they complete. My projections for the year are 25 deals myself (12 agreed in
the first 6 months) + another 50 from my various associates. Next year I want to
double this.
AQS has given me the opportunity to take giant strides forward whilst having a "safety
net" of other affiliates and the management to avoid making hugely expensive mistakes.
Being a part of AQS has opened my eyes to many other ways of structuring deals,
arranging finance, marketing etc. My business has exceeded my expectations 10 fold
and I am expecting this increase even more over the coming years.
Tumi Hawkins
Area: Peterborough
Prior to November 2004 when I joined AQS, I was already a property investor/developer,
with a small portfolio of rental properties, and had done a couple of big refurbishment
projects, and was in the middle of a new build development. I had been looking for
opportunities to expand my portfolio, and to that point, had relied on the Auction
houses to achieve this. The concept of buying below market was therefore not new
to me, and I could immediately see the benefit of the opportunities presented by
the AQS model.
As I already owned property in Peterborough, I requested that Territory as my area
of operation. Little did I realise I was going to get everything going from St Neots
to Skegness, along that axis. The geographical spread has added a challenging angle
to the business of buying properties, but one which I would not have missed for
anything. After an initial dry spell, and with a shift in my way of thinking, I
got into my stride toward the later part of 2005, and have not looked back since.
AQS has provided me with the opportunity to meet and work with like minded people,
people who see the potential in the property industry, and are not afraid to put
their money where their mouth is. More than that, buying property the AQS way means
I am able to help house sellers achieve their objective, and do so quickly. I have
been able to help some people stay on in their homes when they would otherwise have
been evicted. I stopped an eviction within 18 hours of receiving the enquiry from
the client, an emotionally draining experience, but satisfying to know another family
had not lost its home. Those emigrating have been able to do so in double quick
time due to my involvement in their house selling process. Much as I love property
and seem to live it every minute, the buzz I get from the buying/selling is enhanced
by the knowledge that someone has been able to move on in their life due to my intervention.
I have had the privilege of meeting some really interesting people during my time
with AQS. There are those clients who are so cynical and distrustful, that I wondered
why they bothered contacting us. Then again, on the opposite scale are those who
trust implicitly and see me as a friend rather than the enemy. My interpersonal
skills keep getting honed and developed with each client that I deal with.
AQS is a community of doers, and the support offered by the company is great. The
wealth of experience within the company is phenomenal, and it is a privilege to
be part of such a community. There is hardly a question or situation that arises
that someone does not have an answer or suggestion to help in seeing it through.
AQS has given me a platform to develop personal skills that I didn't know existed,
in building a portfolio of property that will provide good, solid passive rental
income for years to come, and an opportunity to trade property in such a way that
I can see financial freedom arriving in the not too distant future. I hope that
I, in turn, have contributed something positive to the AQS community.
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Can I Earn?