Comments on: Fairfax and Rural Press http://www.business2.com.au/2006/12/fairfax-and-rural-press/ Real Estate Agent News and Information Technology Sat, 11 Feb 2012 06:55:19 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: Robert Simeon http://www.business2.com.au/2006/12/fairfax-and-rural-press/#comment-587 Robert Simeon Mon, 11 Dec 2006 09:03:52 +0000 http://www.business2.com.au/2006/12/11/fairfax-and-rural-press/#comment-587 If you asked me this question a few years ago my response would have been who cares. Today, I am of a totally different opinion because today, the key difference is that today ...... Fairfax cares. A classic example of out with the old and in with the new. Key changes at management levels have certainly seen their business culture change. Today, they recognise us and now respect us. Yes, we pay for the service and they are delivering better results. I have met David Kirk the CEO and James Hooke the managing director NSW and they know their business. Their is no doubting that. What they did do especially Hooke, was to be better educated the real estate business (we are a strange breed) which is exactly what happened. James Hooke, jumped into his car ( a Fairfax management first in my 20+ years) and go face to face with the real estate agents to gather information and industry perspectives about Fairfax. Yes, on many occassions he would have had a red face. However, this information was crucial to bring about the much needed change. You only have to look at how they radically changed their real estate approach with the launch of their mid - week publications and the recent changes to Saturday Domain, which delivers agents/vendors 1.2 million readers each Saturday. Now called Fairfax Media, they have opened the lines of communication between print and online as with any media business the two have to work hand in hand to deliver better results to consumers. Our agency like many others too are enjoying a "purple patch" as Mosman enjoys one of their if not their highest readership. I believe this sentiment was echoed in interviews by John B. Fairfax over the weekend describing what brought about his change of heart to sell Rural Press to Fairfax Media for $2.8 billion. He obviously likes what he is seeing and hearing which would be attributed to the new regime of management. Personally, I see no reason why this sale would be blocked by the ACCC. I am selfish in that their combined products deliver our clients and business results. Yes, a few years ago I used to dislike them intensely however, it was Fairfax who changed my opinion of them as they recognised that they as a media business suffered communication problems - quite ironic that. The "bugger you Jack - I'm all right" mentality is gone. Which probably explains why their print revenues in real estate are well in the black. Real estate agencies and vendors are enjoying the synergies that their products are now delivering. I use the word now, as in the past they simply did not care. Then we were a number, today we are a respected client. It is just not Fairfax, as Cumberland Newspapers and REA are all working much harder on their client relationships. All share a concern that a divorce will mean exactly that. Today, you don't really get a second chance and any business model that runs by chance is fast coming to the conclusion that this too could apply to their very own business. Those ladies and gentlemen are what I see as the " Fair Facts" !! If you asked me this question a few years ago my response would have been who cares. Today, I am of a totally different opinion because today, the key difference is that today …… Fairfax cares. A classic example of out with the old and in with the new. Key changes at management levels have certainly seen their business culture change. Today, they recognise us and now respect us. Yes, we pay for the service and they are delivering better results.

I have met David Kirk the CEO and James Hooke the managing director NSW and they know their business. Their is no doubting that. What they did do especially Hooke, was to be better educated the real estate business (we are a strange breed) which is exactly what happened. James Hooke, jumped into his car ( a Fairfax management first in my 20+ years) and go face to face with the real estate agents to gather information and industry perspectives about Fairfax. Yes, on many occassions he would have had a red face. However, this information was crucial to bring about the much needed change. You only have to look at how they radically changed their real estate approach with the launch of their mid – week publications and the recent changes to Saturday Domain, which delivers agents/vendors 1.2 million readers each Saturday.

Now called Fairfax Media, they have opened the lines of communication between print and online as with any media business the two have to work hand in hand to deliver better results to consumers. Our agency like many others too are enjoying a “purple patch” as Mosman enjoys one of their if not their highest readership.

I believe this sentiment was echoed in interviews by John B. Fairfax over the weekend describing what brought about his change of heart to sell Rural Press to Fairfax Media for $2.8 billion. He obviously likes what he is seeing and hearing which would be attributed to the new regime of management.

Personally, I see no reason why this sale would be blocked by the ACCC. I am selfish in that their combined products deliver our clients and business results.

Yes, a few years ago I used to dislike them intensely however, it was Fairfax who changed my opinion of them as they recognised that they as a media business suffered communication problems – quite ironic that.

The “bugger you Jack – I’m all right” mentality is gone. Which probably explains why their print revenues in real estate are well in the black. Real estate agencies and vendors are enjoying the synergies that their products are now delivering. I use the word now, as in the past they simply did not care. Then we were a number, today we are a respected client.

It is just not Fairfax, as Cumberland Newspapers and REA are all working much harder on their client relationships. All share a concern that a divorce will mean exactly that. Today, you don’t really get a second chance and any business model that runs by chance is fast coming to the conclusion that this too could apply to their very own business.

Those ladies and gentlemen are what I see as the ” Fair Facts” !!

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