Career view: Bobby Charalambous, Dandara

August 23, 2021 / Keith Osborne
Career view: Bobby Charalambous, Dandara

We speak to Bobby Charalambous about the career path that has led to his current role at Dandara’s New River View development in Winchmore Hill.

Please tell us a little about your current role?

I am sales consultant at New River View, Dandara selling one-, two- and three-bedroom apartments. The majority of our customers are using the Help to Buy scheme. As well as selling the apartments I am involved in the overall customer journey from start to finish – progressing the sale and assisting with enquires raised, conducting post reservation meetings with purchasers which entails a detailed look at the development and architect plans of their apartment. I am also involved with marketing and organising sales launches and initiatives.

Where and when did your career in property begin?

After completing a degree in Law, and a brief stint working as a legal executive I decided to switch careers to property and have never looked back. I had close friends and family members that worked in this field, and it always appealed to me. I started my property career in 2002 working as a sales negotiator at Bairstow Eves.

Did you have to learn about things yourself or were you looked after and guided to succeed in that first job?

In my first role and having no previous sales experience, I was pushed into the deep end and expected to learn on the job. I remember being told on my first day to call out a list of people and start selling. Although I was not trained in anyway, I had good people around me and I would listen intently and ask many questions which is how I started learning.

What were your next steps in your career, and what were the highlights of each role?

After gaining more knowledge and experience I decided a career in new homes was the way forward. I progressed from senior sales negotiator and was promoted to development sales manager overseeing many developments in different areas. I enjoyed working on a variety of different developments in different locations. I worked for leading developers and every scheme was different, which helped increased my new homes knowledge and experience. Exceeding sales targets and being awarded sales person of the year on numerous occasions stand out as highlights. I also enjoyed being involved with sales launches overseas, and having the opportunity to connect with new clients and colleagues.

People seem reluctant to move from the property industry once they’ve worked in it – have you met previous colleagues and contacts progressing in their career as you progressed through yours?

Many of my friends and colleagues throughout the years have remained in the property industry, and have also excelled in this field.

What is it about working in property that you most like?

Meeting different people from all walks of life. I love matching people with the right property for them and helping them find their dream home. I particularly enjoy working with first time buyers as they are so excited and passionate about buying their first home, and it’s nice to be a small part of that.

Are there skills you’ve learned on the way, whether it’s through qualifications or things that no-one can really teach you?

I have learned many skills along the way, but the most useful and basic is to always listen carefully to the customers’ requirements and to ascertain what’s important to them. Offering alternatives and delivering excellent customer service are tools which nobody can really teach you, these are tools I have developed along the way. Having a Law degree has helped with attention to detail, memorising key aspects of the property purchase, as well as negotiating with customers.

Are you planning on continuing on your current career path or are there other roles you’ve seen along the way that you’d like to find out more about?

At present I am happy to continue on my current career path, with a clear goal of making New River View a success!

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