Michelle Rodger: Negative image has an upside in the world of work

LOTS of people hate their jobs. But how many of you hate other people's jobs? Do you dislike estate agents? Look down your nose at car salesmen? Think that football agents are in it just for the money?

I expect so. But have you ever considered how much harder it must be for successful businesses to thrive and grow when the negative perceptions around what they do are so incredibly damaging?

Footballer turned scout turned agent Scott Thomson knows the industry's reputation is bad. But he is focusing on building the network of contacts he developed as a player and using personal experience to ensure that he and his business partner are not seen as "money grabbers" with no interest in the game.

Thomson believes the negative perception can actually be turned to an advantage; it's making the duo work harder, to ensure they're available 24/7 and to offer the kind of support players today really need. You see, what most people don't appreciate is that being an agent is not just about negotiating multi-million pound transfers and taking a sizeable cut for their efforts.

"Whether they are a young professional breaking through or an older, experienced pro, they won't be treated differently," says Thomson. "They may have off-field problems, family problems or injuries, and we'll be there to help them through whatever it is."

Estate agents and landlords are always at the top of any published list of the most hated professions. And you read regularly the bad publicity around unsafe and potentially hazardous properties, unscrupulous rent collection activities, and dreadful customer service.

It means the good estate and letting agents have to work twice as hard to reverse the poor image conveyed by their less-than-professional counterparts.

Failure to provide a good service is principally why the sector suffers from a bad image, according to Richard Murray, and at Murray and Currie efforts are spent looking after customers and attempting to distance the firm from poor levels of service, which are endemic in so many competing agencies.

The problem with the letting agent sector is that there is no barrier to entry. Pretty much anyone can start up an estate agency or a letting agency tomorrow from their front room and operate their business over the internet. Anyone with a few flats will feel that they can successfully start up an agency and grow a business off the back of this.

Says Murray, the fact that the bulk of their competitors are failing to provide a hassle free professional service has unquestionably been a substantial advantage and he would be the first to confess that this has helped the team rapidly grow the company - zero to 700 letting properties in a little over 24 months speaks for itself. Simple things like rent paid on the day they receive it is just one of Murray and Currie's differentiators.

"We do work harder and smarter but, most importantly, we have well published rules and the launch of our Purple Standard will be a very public discipline of excellence for everyone in the company."

Well, if you think estate agents have a bad rep, consider the snake-oil car salesman, with his slick sweet-talking approach to sales.

For 32 years John Maguire of Phoenix has been trying to raise the bar, and improve not only the quality of sales teams in the sector but also the customers' perceptions of car dealers.

Maguire's Honda sales team in Paisley recently picked up the top award as Sales Team of the Year - out of 6,500 car dealerships in the UK. Says Maguire, it's all about people and attitude and you need the best of both.

"Our policy is to employ the brightest and the best, and we have a large number of graduates working with us who make up the majority of our sales teams.

"You need people who are clever, smart and very very focused on looking after customers."

Maguire is optimistic that degree-level qualifications in automotive management and schemes to attract young people straight from school will further help improve the previously-poor image of the car salesman.

"It's been dignified as a profession and now it's time it was recognised as a profession," says Maguire.

So next time you jump to the conclusion that some professions are all bad, stop and seek out the successful businesses who can demonstrate the good.