Over the past year, I've had a number of cleaning companies work on different properties I've sold or managed. In each case, the companies came highly recommended. I interviewed each one and decided I would give them a shot.
In each case, they promised the moon, but I don't pay much attention to that to be honest. Any
sales pitch is prone to puffing. Each time, I dropped in on the cleaners in the early hours to see how they were progressing, and in each case, they were doing a spectacular job. Everything was clean and shiny. The houses smelled crisp and clean. I was expecting great things.
At the end of the cleaning day, I made another appearance, and the second half of the job was a little lacking. It was obvious that the companies came in with great enthusiasm, but as the day wore on and the work continued to be labor intensive, and the enthusiasm began to wane. I paid everyone as promised, but I would be unlikely to use them again or even recommend them. They didn't finish like they started.
How about you? Do you finish like you start. It's exciting when a new client comes along with the promise of work and future dollars. It's easy to go the extra mile and make the new client feel like he is the most important client in the world, at least in the beginning. What about when it lingers on to month 2, 3, 4, 5, 6? What about when the client can't make up his mind, can't make a decision, can't settle on a property? Are you just as enthusiastic, or has it become labor intensive. Does your enthusiasm wane?
You can avoid some of that by thoroughly interviewing the clients prior to the search, but the truth is, sometimes it just goes that way. Finishing like you start can be a matter of perspective. Seeing the end from the beginning is a lost art. It goes against the hunger for instant gratification of our current society. Sometimes, it takes 60 houses before a house clicks for a client. That's tough, but it happens.
If a client is taking far too long to settle on a home, you may need to gently inform him that you are also working with other clients and you may not be readily available when he's ready to go out looking at houses. You may need to have a pep talk with him to encourage him to focus. You may need to go back to the drawing board with him and form a new plan. Some clients just have a hard time locating that one home that gives them that warm and fuzzy feeling, and they are depending on you to get them there. They want that enthusiasm you brought to the search to carry them through closing. Do you finish like you start?
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