I recently went to a real estate brokerage office on the weekend to drop off some papers and was surprised to find the door locked.  The agent was inside and the sign outside said "Agent on Duty."  All external indications created the perception of an open office.  However, when I tried the door, I found it quite unwelcoming.  I knocked on the door and waited and waited.  The agent finally came to the door and let me in.  I apologized for my intruding but told her that I thought that the office was open.  She replied that the office is open, but she always keeps the door locked when she is working on the weekend.  This was not the evening, it was about 11 am on a gorgeous Saturday.  I could not help but think how a potential client might perceive the barrier of the locked door.

This situation got me to thinking about the other barriers that we put up that prevent clients from feeling welcome to do business with us.  I understand that the motivations were due to security concerns. However, the area in question was a very lovely (and safe) part of Chesapeake, Virginia.   Here are a few of the most common barriers that we agents can place in front of our current and potential clients:

1. Not returning calls in a timely manner.  Nothing turns clients off more than the perception created that you are too busy or just don't care.
2. Not listening to what your clients want or need.  If the client says that they want to stay under $300,000 for their house, don't show them only houses that are in the $350,000 range.
3. Not following up on promises.  If you say you are going to do something, do it!  The old mantra of under promise and over deliver is still true today.
4. Providing the bare minimum services.  Unless you are in a limited service agency, clients are looking for more than just opening doors, putting signs in the yard, listing their house in the MLS and shuffling papers. Consider ways that you can increase the value that you provide to your clients.
5. Creating vast blocks of time when you do not do business.  I know that the whole issue of part-time vs. full-time agents can be a sore subject.  However, we need to be available to our clients when they are available.  I always give my clients several choices for meeting with them and I still got feedback from a particular client this year that I should try to increase the flexibility of my schedule.  And I am a full-time agent.
   

Feel free to add to the list, all of you fellow Active Rainers!  Business is tough right now.  We need to make sure that we make every effort to remove any barriers to our clients and how they do business with us.