A tribute to an exceptional South African real estate icon

It was heart-warming to note that residential property marketing icon Pam Golding was rated 5^th in the New World Wealth line-up of the 10 greatest business women and men in South African history – in the company of Donald Gordon, Richard Mopanya, Harry Oppenheimer, Patrice Motsepe, Adrian Gore & others.

This is the apex of a long list of South African and international awards and honours that have been bestowed on this exceptional business woman since she opened the doors of her first Pam Golding Properties (PGP) office in Cape Town in 1976. Since then, Pam has played a trailblazing marketing role in the growth & development of her business. On a more personal note, she provided the catalyst for my own growth as a marketer of higher end real estate.

Launch in Gauteng

My association with Pam Golding began way back in 1989, soon after she led the launch of her then Western Cape-focused brand in Gauteng. It was a market that was then ripe & ready to embrace her superb marketing style & quality attributes.

During her remarkable career, Pam brought class, elegance, sophisticated marketing & a certain decorum to what was a pretty coarse-grained & widely distrusted real estate sector when she first became part of it.

Furthermore, she provided a catalyst for the growth & development of many young real estate agents who, today, are at the top of their game in the property market across the length & breadth of South Africa.

I related to her modus operandi & her caring philosophy, and was excited to ride on the back of it & lead her operation when she acquired my then small agency, along with me, & formed the nucleus of her Johannesburg real estate business.

Incentives and philosophies

Together, we went on to change the way PGP marketed property – not only in the greater Johannesburg/Pretoria area, but throughout the country. Pam conceptualised & applied incentives & philosophies that motivated selling teams to deliver outstanding sales and service performances. That initiative took her company from 12^th in the hierarchy of Gauteng real estate enterprises to number one by 1998.

Furthermore, with the support of a hand-picked agent force & management team, Pam Golding changed the way PGP sold property in Gauteng with trust & integrity it’s core values at the time – & with sole mandate marketing as best practice.

Today I remain grateful for those years, during which I learnt so much from Pam Golding – particularly around humility & dealing with people. She had an extraordinary way of making individuals feel important – no matter whom. In the current, ever-changing era of digitally-driven homes marketing, I continue to embrace & respect at Ennik Estates the core values, experience, knowledge & principles acquired during that purple patch in my real estate career.

* Source - Property Sector Charter Council (PSCC).