How Sophie Kennedy-Rush turns follow-up into portfolio growth

Sophie Kennedy-Rush urged property management businesses to identify where their leads come from, build a process for each client type, and explain the value of their team structure to prospective owners.

Speaking at PM/ONE 2026, the Buxton Geelong Group BDM and director said discipline and structure had helped her develop growth, with a customised CRM keeping lead information and follow-up processes in one place. “I have a structure for every single client,” she said.

Sophie said those processes covered owners transferring management, new builds, and owner-occupied homes where clients had a strong emotional investment in the property.

She said she had tailored her CRM so nothing was left to memory, using separate columns for new builds, purchases through her office, purchases through other offices, and office enquiries.

She said checklists and customised fields helped her capture information at a glance, and she continued to update the CRM.

Sophie grouped her growth sources into internal, external, and self-generated leads, and recommended understanding those channels to decide where to focus effort.

She described internal sources as team referrals, office enquiries, and existing owners, while external sources included buyers’ agents, brokers, and builders who might initially refer an occasional property.

For Sophie, an external contact could become a self-generated source once she had developed and nurtured an ongoing referral relationship.

She said staying in touch with clients over time was part of that process, and identified picking up the phone repeatedly as one of her non-negotiables.

Sophie also recommended a clear handover process between business development and the property management team.

She described her own responsibilities as nurturing and converting the lead, listing the property, taking it through compliance, and arranging advertising before the team took over once marketing began.

Sophie said she had learned to explain that structure to prospective clients by describing the work each team member specialised in, and encouraged businesses with different models to learn how to sell their own approach.

She also recommended asking owners which other agencies they were considering and understanding those agencies’ services, so the conversation could address specific questions about responsibilities such as routine inspections and condition reports.

Sophie said meaningful points of difference included her offices sharing data and working collaboratively, along with her own progression from reception into property management and then a director role.

“I became the point of difference,” she said.

“Whether you want to focus on one channel of growth or all of them, let’s find out where they come from.”

Actionable

• Categorise leads as internal, external, or self-generated in your CRM.
• Build tailored checklists for different property and owner circumstances.
• Define when business development hands properties to the management team.
• Explain your team structure and each role’s responsibilities to owners.
• Maintain phone contact with prospective clients and referral partners.

As featured in Elite Agent following Sophie’s presentation at PM/ONE 2026.

Learn more about Sophie Kennedy-Rush here.

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