AFTER THE DEAL IS DONE, SHOULD YOU FIRE THE CLIENT?

Kathy,

I understand your point and I think it is on a client by client basis.  I fired a client after a transaction because I really did not want to have any of his friends as clients.  I had meet some during the process.

I'm with Diane. Some clients are difficult and birds of a feather flock together and I don't want those difficult clients to refer me their difficult friends.  I very rarely delete a client off my contact list, but it has happened on rare occasions.

Kathy, Absolutely DO NOT FIRE HIM! I do not know all the details but I am one of those people that demands a lot out of an agent or any other professional I work with. If they do a good job for me, I am fiercely loyal and would do anything for them. I work very hard and go above and beyond and I expect the same. I think this could be a great opportunity to gain a loyal customer for life. 

Kathy I think you have done the right thing we all have off days and maybe he was having one of them. Try to stay on good terms and hopefully good things will come.

Kathy, I refuse to burn bridges because you just really do not know how the future plays out. Of course, if the person is toxic or dangerous then...it is necessary to let them go! The best to you!

I agree with Kathy that it needs to be a case by case decision. Who knows what motivated the customer to be "difficult." Sometimes it's just ignorance of the whole process. I'm certain many people have no idea how our commissions are determined... they just look at the figure that says "commission," and think we get it all. Some don't realize we pay for the ads in the newspaper, print and internet, or consider what we've spent in time and fuel driving around with them. Others may have pressing personal problems that they hold privately. Always a good idea to stay friendly. If your services are requested at a later date, then you can make the decision. In the meantime, you may get a few referrals. You can catch more flies with honey than with vinegar!

Unless he was brutal, don't fire him.  I've had some very difficult clients who turned out to be good friends and a source of referrals. There are others who are outrageously high maintenance, and nothing you do is good enough for them. 

In 2009 I struggled with a number of buyers who wanted to see every property listed, and were very demanding of my time.  Sometimes it is like giving birth, long and painful while you are going through it, but happy and proud when you finally get through.

Kathy ~ I have fired several clients (including myself) in the middle of a transaction.  I have two major requirements for firing  - bad communication and abuse.  If either of these are present, I try to resolve the issue.  But, if there is no resolve, I don't tolerate bad behavior.  I guess I am getting a little too old for that :)  In any case, know your ground rules and stick to them.  Clients usually will respect you when there are clearly defined boundaries.  If they don't, toss em!

I would say don't fire him.  You could get some good referrals. Some clients just get really emotional over the home buying/selling process.

A wait and see certainly can't hurt.  And, if the deal is done, the relationship is in the "dormant" stage anyway.  Why stir the hornets nest by firing him after the fact?

I believe the things can get dicey during a transaction, but once you come out the other side you may be surprised to see what the client thinks of you.  Sometimes your toughest clients are you best advocates.  I would suggest sending an after sale survey to them,  Include the a referral dialog as a part of it. 

Kathy - Personally, this has gone both ways for me.  Typically, I try and cut the real jerks loose before we ever get into escrow but some have gotten through.  Some I have essentially fired right after the transaction by removing them from my database and never contacting them again. 

Others I just tried to let hard feelings go and move on.  Some I have worked with again and some have referred me to others, which is always nice.  I guess it really depends on the client and the situation about whether or not I fire them or not.

Great job at hanging in there through the deal. Sometimes the most difficult clients can be your most loyal clients. God knows we don't have to worry about anyone trying to steal the difficult clients! ;)  Stress can change people's personalities to a huge degree and they can change back to a much nicer (referring) client once the stress of their high dollar transaction is over. Congrats. :)

Many decades ago I had a boss whom I absolutely despised. I worked for him for two years but finally stormed out of the office one morning and took the rest of the day off. After talking with friends who convinced me not to burn bridges, I went back to work the next day, apologized for my actions, and gave a two-weeks notice.

Several years later, a company that I wanted to do consulting work for actually asked for references from each of my past five employers. Ooops. The only one left at the company was my former boss, so I gave them his name. My former boss couldn't say enough good things about me, even telling them that when they were finished with me, to send me back to him since he would love to rehire me. I got the consulting job, which turned out to be extremely lucrative, both in terms of money and contacts made for future work.

If you decide sometime down the road that you don't want to work for a bad Client when he comes back, you have at least a couple of choices: Don't work with that Client, or raise your fees significantly. You can also claim that you don't have time, but perhaps you can refer him to someone else and get a referral fee.

Reverting to yet one more story, I had a Client whom I really did not want to work with again, so instead of quoting him, say, $500 for a home inspection, I quoted him $1,500, figuring he would never go for it. I guess you know that I did the inspection a couple of days later.

You just never know.