As the company trainer and manager for the Pelican Bay office of Century 21 Sundance Realty, there are occasions where a seller requests to speak to me, why, because I am:
Usually an associate will fill me in and ask me to contact the seller. I tell them, don't make me call your seller's! Usually the conversation ends with I'm Sorry. It's not necessary, but they know.....yes they know!
Usually the customer is no longer speaking to the agent! They want to withdraw! and /or they want to know why their house hasn't sold!
My Detective Work Begins........... There is a lot of history to find out!
- I have to understand what has happened and so does the customer.
- I have to see what we have done right and remind the customer.
- I have to see where we went wrong and apologize to the customer.
- I have to eat humble pie and relive where we went wrong and find a solution.
- I have to be objective and then I will have to apologize to your customer once again.
Remember these important points:
- Usually this is the first time I am talking to the customer!
- Face it! Your customer is already mad!
- There is a 50% chance I can fix where we went wrong, I am not superman!
- Usually I have stop what I am doing to take care of this matter!
- Do you realize how much prep work is involved talking to someone else's customer?
Objectively- The Encarta Definition
Without bias: without being influenced by personal feelings Accurately: on the basis of fact! In many instances, it is our customers largest investments in the world!
I speak objectively! Hmmmm, could that be the problem? I think it is! My job is to keep your customer focused on their move. To make sure we are all on the same team! I don't take it personally, I stay focused and I tell it like it is! I usually warn the customer, that I am direct and blunt and to the point, probably quite different than their real estate agent.
The Customer is Always Right Perception
NO, not with me in real estate! Yes, I do remember that while they are the customer in real estate they are not always right but I do respect the fact they are indeed the customer and I treat them accordingly.
I hear 3 versions of the situation, the agent, the customer and my perception. When dealing with the agent I look at it through a customer's eyes, when dealing with the customer I look through it in the agents eyes, Why Perception! Everyone's Perspective!
These are my usual findings:
- The agent does not contact the seller enough
- Agent does not keep the seller informed on marketing, share it with them!
- Property is overpriced and the agent gave them a reality check on price and they didn't like it!
- The agent over-promised and under-delivered
- The seller read yet another "Earth Shattering" article about our current real estate market
- The agent failed to keep them current on market conditions, updated cma's
My Advice to Seller's:
- Make sure you have to sell now and be really realistic with your price!
- If you don't feel trust between you and the person you are interviewing, don't hire them!
- Remember 6 months to a year is a long time to list with someone make sure you are on the same page!
- Be open to your agents suggestions, you hired them, let them do what they do best and that's marketing your property!
- Try and communicate with your agent, it takes total cooperation and teamwork to get your house sold!
My advice to agents:
- Abide by the Code of Ethics and Real Estate Law
- Pre-qualify and make sure they have to sell and they are realistic
- Keep your Word-Under-promise and over-deliver
- Show them what you do, they won't know unless you tell them and show them.
- Stay in touch with them even if there is nothing to report. They will appreciate it!
- Keep them current on Market Conditions
The usual outcome after the call:
- They didn't like me... They reduced their price!
- They didn't like me and they still do not like you! The only solution, share it with another agent to keep the listing. They reduced their price!
- They didn't like me but they now love you and they will reduce the price!
- OOPS! They reported me to the owner! The only solution share the listing with another agent to keep the listing. They will reduce their price!
To me as long as we did not lose the listing I did my job!
I placed you in the best light available meaning for what you have done and a price reduction, I did my job!
If you thought I should do more or done things different, think again, you had the opportunity to do just that and you placed your customers in my hands!
Tell me, if you spent all these marketing dollars, your valuable time and your level of expertise on this seller, why on earth would you want to take the risk of having them talk to me? Why risk the relationship that you built by allowing them to talk to me (a stranger) Midori, AKA, THE MANAGER!
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