Jamie Arthur, CEO of Property Webmasters
What is your career background?
By trade, I am a passionate web designer working on various projects from design through to HTML.
It's been a while since I worked on the tools from a design perspective but my creativity, hard work and passion has led to a long career running Property Webmasters.
For the past 15 years I've been working in management in a CEO position at Property Webmasters, and I still carry the ambition and desire to ensure that this company, it's employees and it's clients all meet their potential.
How did you come up with the idea to launch Property Webmasters?
The pivotal point of my career was whilst working as a web designer/developer for a well-known (at the time) international property portal called Property-Abroad.com - During my time here I designed and developed hundreds of property websites for Property-Abroad.com clients internationally.
This led to the desire to create Property Webmasters and offer this service to clients outside of the direct client base. This was a huge success from day one.
What's your proudest achievement?
My proudest achievement professionally is without doubt having the balls to go for it in the first place. I'd never intended to run a business when I was younger, in fact I had no idea what I wanted to do with my life up to the age of 23 but when that opportunity arose I am so proud that I had belief in myself to grab it with both hands.
What are the top 3 challenges you believe your business solves for agents?
Performance Measured Software Solutions - We don't just build software, we build software solutions that contribute to the growth of Estate Agencies
Cost Effective - Our solutions provide High-End products at an affordable cost
Client Acquisition - The biggest pain point for Estate Agents is generating leads, our software solutions combined with marketing campaigns give agents the leads that they need to grow.
Which industry suppliers do you admire most?
Real Estate Webmasters - They've grown quickly and their products look great
Propertybase - An ambitious company that offer he full suite when it comes to real estate CRM
Which estate agencies do you admire most?
Edward Mellor Estate Agents
HiHomes
Sothebys
Chestertons
Coldwell Banker
Openheim
Compass
Keller Williams
The above list is based on the fact that they carry ambition which is something that appears to be lacking in 95% of estate agencies worldwide.
What is the most valuable lesson you have learnt from working with estate agents so far?
The industry changes frequently, and it can change fast. So with that our solutions have to change and we must react to trends quickly.
I do believe that the next 10 years we will see some drastic changes in how estate agents operate, and we are here and ready to support those that stay with this industry.
Matty Hynes, Commercial Partnerships Manager at Property Webmasters
What is your career background?
My story is a little different because I was a professional athlete for nine years. I competed at both the World and European Championships over 10k and the half marathon. At one stage I was ranked No 2 in GB behind Mo Farah over the half marathon distance and managed to finish 15th in the London marathon.
Once I retired I worked for a couple of companies and it was difficult for me to find that next chapter and something that I could belong to.
It was not until I met Jamie Arthur at Property Webmasters 18 months ago that I felt it clicked to me.
I quickly got a project to sink my teeth into after joining in a business development role and quickly progressed to sales manager and built a team around me. I have recently been promoted to commercial partnerships manager which I am over the moon about.
How did you come to work for Property Webmasters?
It was through a mutual friend. They introduced me to Jamie who was looking for staff at the time following investment. Property Webmasters was about to embark on a growth stage and the minute I spoke to Jamie I wanted to work for him. It has been a brilliant 18 months and, believe it or not, I’m happier working here than when I was an athlete, which might sound crazy
What's your proudest achievement?
On a personal level it's definitely my son, nearly five, and my daughter of 21 months.
I’d also have to say representing Great Britain at the World and European Championships was a proud moment. I am also proud to say that I was once North-East champion, the North of England champion and National Champion all in one year.
What are the top 3 challenges you believe your business solves for agents?
We help massively with exposure in an already saturated environment. We also seamlessly integrate which is a massive headache for agencies all around the world. We help their digital systems 'talk to each other' where all data and points of contact and enquiries are all funnelled into one area.
This not only saves time but more importantly money - lead generation through web development.
We have proven ways to prompt website visitors and traffic to make an inquiry or register an interest in their services and products. Making sure we are maximising a positive user experience for all our their website traffic and potential leads.
Which industry suppliers do you admire most?
Street CRM because it provides an up-to-date, modern and technologically more advanced Customer Relationship Management than I have currently seen.
Which estate agencies do you admire most?
Local companies such as Robinson Tees Valley and Anthony Jones Properties have really caught my eye, while the larger real estate companies like Sotheby’s, Chesterton’s and Coldwell Banker do things on a bigger scale and are equally impressive.
What is the most valuable lesson you have learnt from working with estate agents so far?
They are very savvy. The average estate agent knows their business inside and out which makes it fantastic when working with them.
That is generally speaking. They always know what they want, how they want everything to work digitally and online, but don’t always know the best practices. Hence why they employ a good company like us to help them along the way.
Jenny Jefferson, Lead Designer at Property Webmasters
What is your career background?
After leaving Manchester School of Art, where I studied Graphic Design, I moved to London for a few months to do an internship at Conde Nast. While there I worked with the Digital Publishing Teams at Glamour, Vogue and Vanity Fair. Once my internship ended I moved back to Manchester to work at a fashion brand for 2 years. Looking for a new challenge and to relocate back to Teesside I spotted the ad for Property Webmasters.
How did you come to work for Property Webmasters?
After working for a brand in-house, I wanted to work for an agency with a variety of clients. Working at Property Webmasters sounded like a great opportunity to join a small team, and the property aspect also piqued my interest. Strangely enough, my first work experience was at an Estate Agency! After meeting Jamie Arthur, the CEO, I was excited about where the company was heading, when I joined six years ago, and I have remained on board since.
What's your proudest achievement?
In terms of the proudest achievement with PWM, it has to be the rebrand. Myself, Jamie and the marketing team worked on it very collaboratively. From what it was, corporate and old fashioned, we have brought a lot of personality to the brand and we get a lot of compliments about it and the designs we put out. It has changed the whole direction of our online presence. I loved being a major part of that.
What are the top 3 challenges you believe your business solves for agents?
- Increasing Lead Generation
- Providing clients with an industry leading website
- From a design point of view, we help clients to see the importance of their overall image and consistency across their company branding, starting with their website.
Which industry suppliers do you admire most?
Kerfuffle, there is no other company out there that does what they do.
Which estate agencies do you admire most?
The innovative agencies, those who can see the trends and are taking part, for example joining TikTok. They are the same ones that during the pandemic, re-routed and took it in their stride, for example, using virtual tours and utilising technology to help them when they couldn’t do anything face to face.
What is the most valuable lesson you have learnt from working with estate agents so far?
There is no one size fits all approach. Every client is different and has different needs and it is what keeps us on our toes and keeps us learning, which is obviously a great thing.
Luke Fleming, Marketing Manager at Property Webmasters
What is your career background?
From a young age, I’ve always been intrigued by Marketing and this led me to study it at university. I graduated from university with first-class honours and was fortunate enough to have my first role in the marketing industry already secured before graduating. My first role was with one of the largest marketing agencies in the UK and it took me into the world of e-commerce. From there I joined Property Webmasters and the PropTech industry and haven’t looked back since! I joined as a Digital Marketing Executive and have progressed to Marketing Manager in just short of 3 years.
How did you come to work for Property Webmasters?
I was recommended to Jamie by a colleague I previously worked with. He had been at Property Webmasters a short while, I actually worked with him at the job I had in retail whilst I was at uni too. At the time, I wasn’t actively looking for another opportunity but once I had a chat with Jamie and discussed the potential the business had to grow, I knew it was an opportunity I couldn’t pass up. We were a relatively small business at the time, so I knew I’d be able to have a major impact on the growth of the business and progress in my role, which was exactly what I wanted.
What's your proudest achievement?
My proudest achievement professionally is the progression I’ve had since working at Property Webmasters. In 3 years of time here, we’ve seen tremendous growth and it feels so meaningful when you see the impact we’re having on our clients. We’re based in the North-East of England and our office is local to me, so to see us working with some of the most prestigious names in the industry and knowing I’ve contributed to that makes me proud. On a recent visit to Marbella, I met up with a client of ours and he described working with us as life-changing. To know you have contributed to changing someone’s life is an immense feeling and gives you extra motivation to continue working so hard.
What are the top 3 challenges you believe your business solves for agents?
Lead Generation - All of our solutions have been built to help our clients generate leads. Whether this is through our performance-driven websites or marketing campaigns, that is the end goal.
Time - Estate Agents aren’t and shouldn’t be experts when it comes to software solutions. Our services give them the platform to focus on what they’re best at, such as selling and growing their business.
Expertise - We have invaluable knowledge and experience to share from working with clients for over 15 years in over 50 countries.
Which industry suppliers do you admire most?
Kerfuffle, since we’ve joined Kerfuffle they’ve been really helpful and opened doors for us. Looking forward to the relationship continuing.
Property Industry Eye, again they've been great to deal with and they consistently provide great content for both agents and suppliers.
Which estate agencies do you admire most?
The agencies that understand the power of investing in their own brand and have realistic expectations, those that aren’t solely reliant on the portals.
HiHomes, One Property, Sotheby's & Athena Advisers to name a few.
What is the most valuable lesson you have learnt from working with estate agents so far?
To have patience and think long term. The work you put in now may not see a return until a year from now, working in this industry has introduced me to the many different touchpoints a property buyer or seller goes through and the longer timescales when measuring the performance of a campaign. The impact the agent has on a campaign is invaluable, their approach and mindset towards a lead are significant towards the success. This industry is so competitive, customers are savvy and they do their research before choosing who to work with. With all the competition, it’s vital you are going above and beyond to stand out. The more effort you put into your brand and your clients, the more it’s going to pay off.
