Why I’m driven by human connection in business
The country’s conveyancing sector boasts talented practitioners throughout. In a special series of articles that explores the mindset and behaviours that drive the most successful ones, we sat down with Jared Zak, the founder of Dott & Crossitt, one of the biggest conveyancing firms in NSW.
WITH law and commerce degrees under his belt, Jared Zak worked at a top-tier law firm before moving to London to join a prestigious practice.
Despite rising to an elite level working on billion-dollar transactions for a ‘Magic Circle’ law firm, the experience left him unfulfilled.
“I was just working on these massive transactions … some of the biggest transactions the world’s ever seen, but literally pushing paper,” he recalled.
After being poached to work for a London bank, he still felt like “very much a small cog in a big wheel”.
“It was just very transactional – there wasn’t really much of a human element.”
Returning to Australia, Zak decided to leave big corporate law behind.
“I wanted to do my own thing and have a more human experience practising law,” he said.
Conveyancing, he realised, was “probably the most human legal product you could do”.
His firm Dott & Crossitt opened in 2014 and grew steadily, as conveyancing shifted to the PEXA platform, enabling far more daily settlements.
Today it has 10 offices nationwide and ranks number one in NSW for settlement volumes on the PEXA scorecard, with hopes to reach number one nationally.
Zak rejects the idea of overnight success, insisting it’s about years of doing good work, hiring good people and earning word-of-mouth referrals.
“It’s a business that you grow slowly each year,” he said.
“It just takes years and years of doing the right thing.
“Ultimately it’s the service industry and you build your reputation by doing a good job day in, day out.”
In contrast, businesses built on heavy spending and rapid expansion often enjoy only a short term “sugar hit”, he added.
Zak has deliberately built a business that avoids the image of an elitist law firm, instead focusing on approachable service. The first conveyancer he hired still works for the business today.
With around 80 staff, monthly meetings celebrate successes, reflect on lessons learned and encourage improvement.
He also regularly visits his various offices, believing face-to-face conversations are key to keeping staff engaged.
Despite overseeing thousands of settlements, Zak reminds staff that each transaction is deeply personal to the client.
“Sometimes it really takes a mindset change to say: ‘Okay, this is another transaction for me but for them this is probably the most important thing they’re doing transactionally, certainly in the next three or four years’ and just to make sure you practise empathy accordingly.”
Simply picking up the phone can completely change a customer’s experience, he said.
“Don’t be a keyboard warrior,” he told staff. “Pick up the phone and talk to them. That can completely change the experience, and it has.”
Key behaviours of highly effective people
- Practise empathy when dealing with clients
- Overnight success doesn’t exist – great businesses are built on good service and word of mouth
- Hiring good staff and nurturing them pays off
- Never forget the human element
