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24/7- Are You Serious?

The post I wrote last week about family dinner time being a sacred time in which no one should be answering the phone or texting during dinner sparked a fantastic response and I am so pleased to read that so many of you put your family first. In this day and age that is so refreshing to read. Over 140 comments most of them with confirmation that family dinner time is not to be interrupted. coaching for real estate agents

There were a couple of comments about being available all the time for your clients. This brought to my mind the ads that I see some agents run in the newspapers, online, in their newsletters and other marketing materials that reads: "Call me anytime, I am available 24/7."

Excuse me but are you lying or are you really answering your phone 24/7?

This is a recipe for burn out unless you don't have any clients. I guess if you only have one client and no life or family then you may be able to come through on the promise.

The law of great customer service is to under promise and over deliver.

That way your clients always think you are the best.

When you state that you your clients can reach you anytime that is just not humanly possible. This is a perfect case of over promising.

So you stop having sex to answer the phone?

So you answer your phone in the middle of a movie in the theater?

So you answer your phone when you are on the toilet?

So you answer your phone when you are in the middle of a doctor's exam?

The other thing that happens when you tell your clients they can reach you 24/7 is you set yourself up to attract those clients that are going to call you at all hours and since there are no boundaries set you can not get upset about it. I constantly have agents complain to me that their clients don't respect them and that they feel the client is taking advantage of the agent. This happens when there are no boundaries set up ahead of time.

If there are no set boundaries set up in the beginning than the client does not know what is appropriate and acceptable behavior.

If there are no set boundaries set up in the beginning then when a client calls and it is the middle of the night, they will say they are sorry for bothering you and you will then say, OH, THAT' OK! Now you have just set up a boundary that states that anyone can call you in the middle of the night.

There is a difference between being in service of your clients and being their slave. One is healthy the other is not.

If you are living your life this way you are also coming from a place of scarcity. One of the most common excuses I get from agents I have coached is that they fear that this one call may be the one, or that they did try to set boundaries and lost a client because of it or that they feel that in this market they must be available at any time for any thing because it may be the only deal they get.

This point of reference is scarcity.

Turn off the TV.

Stop reading the doom and gloom.

Stop gossiping at the office.

Get away from naysayers and dreamstealers.

There is always enough. There is abundance in every market. There is an equal or greater benefit to ever single negative obstacle.

IF you lose a client, so what. If you think that this is going to be the only food on your table and you just lost it, well, likely this is going to come to pass for you. So you must change your thinking.

Change from a scarcity mentality to an abundance mentality. We did and it changed our lives in a big way.

Make this a part of your new year goals!

Follow me on Twitter at Twitter.com/CoachKaterina.

24/7 Are You Serious? by Katerina Gasset is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License.

Posted by Nestor & Katerina Gasset Realtors® Wellington Florida Luxury Homes on 01/02/2009 11:37 AM

Comments (123)

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Originally posted at: South Florida Real Estate and...: 24/7- Are You Serious?

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123 Comments on 24/7- Are You Serious?

JAN

You are so correct, we can't be available all the time. I do tell my clients that if I am available, I will answer the phone. If it is between the 5pm and 6pm that I will more than likely be eating dinner and you will not get me to answer the phone and I will return your call when I am available.

I have told one client that if he calls me every 5 minutes until I answer, I will answer after about 30 minutes, tell him to stop calling and hang up on him and now he will have to wait 24 hours before I will talk to him.

When I did that, he stopped calling and I got my point across, that if I'm available I will answer the call, no need to keep calling!

I make myself available to my clients ~ but NO WAY am I available 24/7. There are boundaries.

Todd- That was a good lesson and way to deal with someone testing your boundaries. Many people who are not used to having boundaries in their lives will see how far they can push another's boundaries since they really don't know what one is. Your lesson was a great one and will help your client in more than one way! It is healthy to have boundaries,so he just got a little more healthy:)

Jeannie- You may enjoy reading my dinner post, the link is in the first line of this post. Happy New Year and thanks for reading and commenting.

You are right! I once got a call at 1:00 a.m., this guy had just gotten off work and wanted to see a house. Needless to say, I did not go!

My voice mail (and e-mail) is available 24/7 and I do return all voice mails. I mute my ringer when I am with clients, at dinner, in a meeting, with people, out in a public place* (when I remember*). I leave it in the car during church, in the bag during golf, well you get the idea.

The world still spun on its axis before mobile phones and e-mail and answering machines. If we just promise timely responses to needy clients they will still be well served.

As for answering it during sex, I can usually catch it before the third ring.

"Turn off the TV.

Stop reading the doom and gloom.

Stop gossiping at the office.
Get away from naysayers and dreamstealers."

We are who we associate with! If we associate with negative soothsayers we will be negative.There is a difference between being informed and being brain washed. Not only are the talking heads, the doom and gloomers, the gossips, the naysayers, and the dream stealer's going to ruin your attitude they are never going to employ your service any way! Get out with people who may need you. Look for positive people and you'll find them. We almost always find what we seek, so don't blame anyone else for your personal gloom!

Regarding the 24/7 issue if you don't respect your time, why should anyone else!

Great post!

Bill

Spot on. While it can be a challenge, achieving a healthy balance between work, family AND self is important. Respect your boundaries and your clients should as well. Great posting!

Good post and such great reminders to all of us to set our limitations and be reasonable.

Excellent advice! It is true that our attitude attracts what is in our mind/heart...if we drive out towards an expectation of success/abundance, then that's what is going to rush up to meet us.

Wow! I have been reading some GREAT posts here on AR and this one is on the list! Thanks for the advise :o)

I turn it off for all the reasons you stated but do not have a specific day and time I turn it off. (went back to read what I wrote in your other post) Taking a whole day off means I miss something. Over here we get one chance with one maybe two clients at a time... it's so slow here with over 6k agents on this island alone. :) Bottom line...I think I have set my boundaries from the beginning of each transaction. I do not appreciate calls at 10pm and after. I want my coffee before talking to you. :)

I dont think that when someone advertises 24 x 7, that they mean that. They have a choice to choose to pick up that call or not. They probably wont at 2am in the morning, or 6am if they are still asleep. They also wont pick up the phone when they are with a client at 10am or in the Monday Morning production meeting. So 24 x 7 is not really what it truly meant. No one could, in my opinion.

It amazes me how some people think that if the phone rings it has to be answered. In an age of voice mail and caller I.D. we can allow ourselves to be selective. We need to be there for ourselves and our families too. That will help to make us better agents too.

Katerina, You are right on with this one. I do answer phone during sinner hours, but there are no children to consider. And i am availbel in the evenings because I enjoy doing call in te pm. The other activites, dinner out and movie, etc no, unless waiting on an important call back. While at CE classes, I have overheard other agents talking on the phone while in the toilet..UGH!!!

Katerina - I couldn't agree more. I have never held myself out as someone available 24/7. I have said, "call me anytime", but that doesn't mean I will answer the phone at 11pm. On another note, I hope Ginger meant "dinner hours" above. :-)

Katerina,

Everyone in this business, real estate agents, mortgage consultants and others, have private lives as well and they need to attend to that, too. As long as customers know your hours they'll normally respect that.

I always say what you say sets the expectation. So saying you are available 24/7 just sets up the caller into thinking the agent already has started on a bad note if he/she does not answer the phone. In may message I thank them for their call, say I will call back at my very first opportunity and thank them for their patience. To my knowledge I've never lost an opportunity because I am not 24/7. By the way, unfortunately I do know Realtors that answer their phone while doing their private business on the potty. I vented my thoughts in my blog about that a few weeks back. Best wishes for all the success for 2009!

You do have to set boundaries. I tell clients I will answer if possible and try to return calls within an hour. No one can really be available all the time. We as agents and clients should use some common sense.

Kathy

We have a clearly defined system wherein we work WITH our clients, not FOR them. It is a minor distinction based on mutual respect for each other's lives and has made the difference between sanity and absolute mayhem. Thanks for sharing.

Hi Nestor and Katerina. I read your blog, and I agree for the most part. We all need time to get away from the business. I answer my phone 7 days til 9-10 pm, because I am quite driven. I struggled in the beginning, as home inspection is very dificult with all the established competition. If I am busy, I'll get the voicemail. If someone hires an inspector before I can call them back, its no big deal. Great post. Happy New Year! - Ray

I do make myself available all the time, 24/7. As noted on my web site, though:

I answer the phones 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, and yes, that does include "after hours," weekends, holidays, and during all sporting events. Go ahead. Try it now! If you get voice mail, it
means one of five things:

I'm already on the phone with a Client, or at the end of an inspection discussing results with a Client (I'll give you the same respect when I'm with you),
I'm in an area where cell phone service is poor, such as out in the boondocks (Julian, for example),
I'm in an area where I can't reach my phone, such as an attic or a crawl space,
my mouth is full of food and I can't swallow fast enough to answer the phone in time, or
I'm in the smallest room of the house, and I'm sorry, but I'm just not going to answer the phone there.

In all cases, leave a message and I'll call you back within four hours. You'll also receive a 10%
discount on your service fee, or $50 off, whichever is higher. I call it my Voice Mail Discount.
So don't wait; call now! Due to demand, I regret that I will not be able to accommodate all callers.

When I tell my Clients at the end of the inspection that I do answer the phones 24/7, and then give them the five reasons why I might not answer, it gets a chuckle and helps to maintain that rapport that I spend so much time establishing.

I found it ironic that your second-to-the-last sentence says:

Change from a scarcity mentality to an abundance mentality.

I agree totally and that is exactly what I have done. Instead of being scarce, like from 9-4 like my competition is, I am abundantly available, 24/7. Could be why 50% of my competition July 2008 over July 2001 were no longer in business, and more fell by the wayside these past six months.

Did you ever think that perhaps some of us put our families first by answering the phone in order to get work that will bring money in to our now depeted retirement funds so that certain members of the family don't have to be on welfare when they get old and feeble and no longer capable of working?

Did you ever think that perhaps all members of the family work in the same industry, perhaps even in the same home office, and see each other all the time anyway? I work with a family of five Realtors here, all in the same office, all working the same city. I know they enjoy every special minute with each other, but they make themselves available to their Clients 24/7, too.

I get time off from people calling to postpone an inspection because the appraisal didn't come in, or the utilities are not on, or the bank hasn't responded, etc. When that happens, I can take time to be with my family, although my family comprises only one other person. For example, my husband and I spent four hours at the San Diego Zoo yesterday, and I'm taking four of my Marketing & Business Consulting Clients to the Zoo tomorrow, free of charge to them to reward them for their persistence and consistence in working their business plans and succeeding for the fourth quarter 2008.

It also might not be the best thing to presume that eveyone has the same type of family, the same size family, or even a family at all. As Louise Hay says, "You can't choose what family you are born into, but you can choose which family is in your life at the present time."

Different strokes for different folks, as they say.

Best wishes for health, happines, peace, prosperity, and time with family, however one defines it.

When the phone rings and I do not answer I feel that as power...like I am in control. If there is something more important going on I will decide who I will talk to. This is my life and everyone is welcome...just wait your turn.

::Gasp!:: You said sex. LOL!

I agree with the boundaries. People tend to respect and expect that we have a life. Anytime I answer my phone at odd hours or after around 3 on weekends, the caller is almost always surprised I took the call and were fully expecting to go to voice mail.

On occassion I answer my phone late, but that is if I am working late. The thing is, we have to have set hours or we are letting our clients control us.

thanks for this great follow-up post! As I said before - I do not say that I am available 24/7. I have a life. I am a wife and a mother before I am a Realtor. Sorry, that's just the way I see it.

Happy New Year Katerina!

Wonderful post (of course!). I agree with all but the point I love is "there is abundance in every market". If only more people shared your attitude, this would be a better world and would practice being creative over being competitive. I may not attract every client there is by being myself and having my own philosopy, but I will attract those who I want to work with and make my profession more enjoyable. Being happy is more important for my relationship with myself, my girls, my relatives and friends. I wouldn't jeopardize that just to please someone that simply does not care. No one could pay me enough. LOL

You are amazing!

Great post, Katerina! I especially like - "The law of great customer service is to under promise and over deliver." Great words to live by... :)

I lost a client that past spring because I wouldn't stay out past 7:00 with them looking at homes during the week. We would meet at 5:30 and do as many as we could. After a couple of days of that they stopped calling me back and blew me off. I was unhappy at their treatment but IMO they were lucky I even stayed out that late with a wife and 3 kids at home. I try my best to set boundaries with the clients to protect my family from having a distracted father around.

I work with clients that respect my time. When I call them back in the evening they understand that I could not take their call because of bath and storytime.

Thank you... when I first started out I wanted to be the best... I let clients call whenever, I jumped when they said how high... this took about 6 months and I corrected this. I had a boss tell me that I am the one that controls the situation and I am to set my boundries and be firm. I was amazed that once I do this, my clients do know the boundries. I am all for selling a house, but when I am home for the night, I am home with my family and I do not answer my messages after 6 PM, nobody is going to die and I am not going to disturb other agents in the same manner.

Of course I answer the phone during sex. LOL

No of course not, actually I hate the phone..would much rather email, but I don't do that 24/7 either.

Katerina - People have sex? Personally, I'm not available 24/7 but I make my hours and availability more than accomadating for my clients and fellow professionals. Having boundaries is a healthy and recommended practice, for sure.

Okay, I was going to write a very thoughtful comment, THEN I read Missy's and I'm LMAO! You KNOW how I struggled with this and I'm SO glad to be FREE of my slavery to the phone!! I've always avoided answering during mealtime but, otherwise, I was open to answering from 6am til midnight--I've learned that I cannot be everything to everyone all of the TIME--FINALLY!

Happy New Year Katerina!

Debe in Charlotte

None of us wants to be slaves to our clients. I tell mine that they can try my cell at any time, and if I'm available, I'll pick up. No promises of 24/7 but if I'm up late on my computer anyway, I'll pick up a call from a client I'm working with. Why not?

Great post! I always tell them to call me whenever they want to and if I don't answer, I will call them back within 24 hours.

We tell our sellers right at the listing appointment that our cell phones are on from 9am to 9pm. And if they wake up in the middle of the night with a burning real estate question, just email us and there's a good chance they'll get an answer by 7:30 or 8:00am. That way they know from the start that we're available, and if it's important enough for them to email in the middle of the night, they will. (No one ever has!)

Good post of course, as always.

24/7? You're kidding, right? Just another reason I'm in commercial real estate - nothing like a M-F 8-5 job...

I tell all of my clients: "If I answer the cell, I am working. If I don't answer, odds are that I will return the call shortly anyway."

I have timeout for kids around dinner and bed time... then i usually go back to work(home office).

I also answer my phone nights and weekends. Realtors appreciate this,

Hey Katerina!

Ok first of all you are assuming that after 20 years of marriage I still have sex . . .right . .lol Sorry couldn't resist that one!!

I don't tell my clients I am available 24/7, I do tell them that they can almost always reach me. They know my office line rings into my home and they know if they leave a message, I will get back with them as soon as it is humanly possible. I have never had a cleint call me in the middle of the night-in fact my clients seem to be very sensitive to the fact that I have a family. They almost always leave a message and say, "As soon as you get a chance . . ." I guess I am just lucky that way.

I am really trying to find the balance between home and office. I was trained that you answer the phone 24/7. It does not matter what you are doing you better answer that phone. If for some reason my broker called and I did not answer the call I was in big trouble. Well........... I am not at a better office. One that my broker says its ok to let your voice mail pick up if it is not a good time to answer. At my new office we all take turns having the office phone on evenings and weekends. Even then my broker says to just do your best to get it but don't stress out about it. I am so thankful that I changed offices. I do have a family and a life that I can enjoy now. I must admit that I have answered the phone while on potty. lol

My voice mail message says I return calls at certain times on weekdays. I tell my clients that Sunday's family day. And, if I'm available, I will take their calls. I return calls promptly, but I do have a family and a life.

"The law of great customer service is to under promise and over deliver."

Great post!

I've often tried to get ahold of agents who advertise 24/7 with little success. Then it dawned on me.... these agents don't mean 24 hours in a row,

Setting boundaries and expectations up front is key to building a successful relationship with your clients. They will respect reasonable boundaries IF they know what they are.

Try calling your auto mechanic, tailor or favorite contractor tonight at 11pm, will you be frustrated if they don't pick up the phone?

Katerina - I have more trouble with early morning phone calls. By early morning, I mean 5:00 or 6:00 am.

Thanks to all I have learned about SEO from you, my blog is read by people in many time zones. They do not realize that it may be way earlier in the morning here.

Of course, if I am up that early ( I call it the butt crack of dawn ) - I answer, if not, I call them back when I get up and have a cup of coffee.

@Ginger - Good that you don't answer the phone during 'sinner hour'. LOL

I can't agree more! What has been interesting to me is that when I first meet with buyers and sellers I review a list of what they can expect from me and what I expect from them, just so we're all clear. This is where we get to talk about expectations, etc. In this review, I state that I take Sundays off and ask for their ok on it. Most of the time they say "of course"! Sometimes they actually say "only one day off? that must be tough!" I also include a promise to return their phone calls within 24 hours. It all is reasonable and has been accepted by every prospect I have ever discussed this with. It helps them respect my time as they would other professionals.

If anyone wants a copy of the form I use, feel welcome to email me at Trish@BestNJhomes.com. I also welcome referrals for Chatham, Summit, Madison, Short Hills, Morristown, New Providence and Maplewood in North Central NJ. We have terrific schools, charming "New England-like" villages and about an hour or less commute to NYC or Jersey City Financial Center. I am a CRS and ePro and ABR and work with a team to provide service that exceeds expectations with every client. And, usually one of the team is available on Sundays too ;). My website is www.BestNJhomes.com.

Happy, healthy and prosperous New Year to us all!

Trish Giassa 201-960-2090 Trish@BestNJhomes.com

as always guys you provide good food for thought!

I used to be one of those 24/7 agents until I learned to let go and have more fun...funny, my production seemed to increase when I'm happiest and have had some "down time"

What a great way to start off the New Year!

Fantastic post.

I especially like this, "The other thing that happens when you tell your clients they can reach you 24/7 is you set yourself up to attract those clients that are going to call you at all hours and since there are no boundaries set you can not get upset about it."

Nobody in "business" needs to be personally available 24/7.

Katerina, I ask my clients at the start of the process how and how often they would like to communicate. Many clients want to see homes only on weekends. This is the time when I could spend with my family, but being in this business, means I made a choice to be available to my clients when it's convenient for them. I tell my clients when I am away, and ask them to call or e-mail if it's urgent. I take new business calls while on vacation -it's not thousands of calls, so it's not a big deal for me:) I got a call while I was on vacation from a prospective client. They wanted to meet soon, since they were interviewing 5 other agents and wanted to make a decision. I asked if they could wait for a week to meet with me. They did and we are now working on finding them a new home. I am lucky, for the most part, my clients have been reasonable with my time.

Happy New Year, my friend.

people saying 24/7 are lying. This is just another Crap Lie from poor marketing agents. Most sellers and buyers see right through this mess.

Katerina, I have about 5 buyers already call me today that MUST see homes this afternoon. All are in town vacationing and going back home tomorrow.Today is their "free" day. Guess how many I'm working with ? NONE!!!! Serious buyers do NOT wait to the last day of their vacation to decide to look at properties. I jump for no one. 24/7 doesn't happen in my world.

I like your thought about working from a position of scarcity. That is so true. I have business. I don't need business form anyone. Therefore I am able to work when I choose.

I had a buyer call me at 12:30 a.m. one night because she was freaked out about an inspection. I returned her call the next day. I also explained that if the phone rings that late at night, I am expecting the worst, like a death in the family. She didn't do it again. And yes, we closed the deal and 3 years later, she still sends me Christmas cards! I do answer my phone 7 days a week, but there are limits to the time. Happy New Year!

That is a great post. It was very amusing. I cant imagine meeting someone that will literally answer their phone 24 hours a day. Thats just crazy. Thank you for sharing that with us. I hope you have a great day! Happy New Year by the way!

I checked my phone for messages on New Year's Day, and behold, there was a message that I had missed. It was 4:00 in the afternoon right in the middle of

college football games
roaring fireplace
dinner preparations
scary moving watching with daughter

I decided that if someone wanted to surf the net on January 1, that's fine. But it took a lot of willpower not to call back right away. I returned the call at 9:00 this morning and have an appointment set up for a showing on Sunday.

They didn't call someone else, they didn't disappear, they weren't mad, etc, etc.

These things will wait for you.

Great post.

I have my special messages when I am on the toilet and when I am having sex....this way they can leave me the message:))

Great post and interesting comments. I like the pic of the woman in the shower on the phone. I never tell anyone I'm available 24/7 and don't like to answer the phone when I'm with someone else - I think it's rude. I try to return voicemails quickly or call back a number that didn't leave a message. I want to be responsive to clients, but not sacrifice my life for them.

It's funny how some people "insist" they are available 24/7 - even to the point of compromising their relationship with their family. They'll argue that "benefit" to a fault.

What's even funnier, is every single expired listing I take the seller says their #1 complaint was lack of communication. When I tell the seller how and when I communicate they are happy, but skeptical, until it happens.

If you communicate consistently, you don't have to be available 24/7.

I HATE 24/7 phrase -- It is actually banned in our office -- this is the most ridiculous claim there is -- the only thing that is 24/7 is your website -- Nobody could do anything 24 hours a day 7 days a week! Great post -- Family First everything else falls into place! JE

When I started in real estate in 1993, before cell phones, we were told that we had to put our home phone numbers on our cards and be available 24/7 or customers would find someone who is. Of course, the people teaching this were paid staff and nowhere to be found after 5...since they weren't paying us (and still don't) of course they encouraged us to work as many hours as possible for free!

I learned pretty quickly that most consumers really don't behave that way and that professional real estate agents have lives; they're really not available in the middle of the night. The agents who are available are generally the part-timers who don't work all day and then return calls at night and serious buyers and sellers want full-time professionals. Most people know that we have lives and other clients, too. Do they really want an agent who doesn't have any other business?

I tell my clients up-front that I am generally available 7 days a week (I take a week off for vacation every few months) and that my cell phone is on from 8:30 a.m to 6:30 or 7 p.m..I'm not Walmart; I don't have 3 shifts, just me! They completely understand and you know what? they have other things to do at night too! I also tell them that people don't make good decisions after they've been working all day, taking care of kids, etc. and we all do better with a clear head in the morning. I'll show houses in the summer in the evening, but I won't show in the dark - it's too dangerous and people need to see what they're looking at.

Real estate is about relationships and relationships should include respect. We need to respect ourselves and each other if others are going to respond in-kind.

In Theatre Event One Time Only- BEYOND THE SECRET
In threatre event with the Stars from THE SECRET on January 15, 2009
Tickets on sale now go to
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I tell my clients they can not reach me until 9:00 am. (The ones who know me really well know I don't get up before that) There have to boundaries. I don't give out my home phome number now, I used to find clients abusing this privilege. My cell phone is forwarded to my home office all day or to me directly when I am out, so I can be reached at all reasonable times.

I did once have a realtor page me to set an appointment at 2:00 am. That was the last time my pager was in my bedroom!!!

Karina - You are absolutely right. We are professionals and deserve respect just like any professional in any other business. Part of conducting ourselves professionally does not include being available aniy hour day or night. Just as I will not call a client after business hours unless we are in a situation where time is of the essence, I expect the same courtesy from them. Everyone deserves a personal life.

Katerina, Excellent post. I find that if you tell your clients how important your family is to you, and if they have a family themselves, they can hardly expect you to give less time to your family than they do to theirs. It's a 2 way street.

Hi Katerina~ If I am available, I answer. If I am not, I don't answer. Pure and simple!

Nestor ... thanks for this good article about whether we are answering the phone 24/7. I agree with you that "There is a difference between being in service of your clients and being their slave. One is healthy the other is not." Best wishes for a healthy new year. Harrison

Very well said, Katerina. Having boundaries, regardless of your business is very important. It gives structure to our lives. So many people find themselves in trouble because of lack of boundaries - theirs or someone else's. Thanks for this thought provoking post. Wishing you great prosperity & happiness in 2009.

Katerina,

I understand what you're saying. I don't think it's realistic being a 24/7 slave to anyone. With that being said, I admit I answer calls seven days a week, but not 24 hours a day. I think it is important to answer them or give them a quick response. All my phones are put on silent after 9PM and when I'm with a client. My teenage daughter (who loves to text) and I both put the cell phones in a different room during dinner. Luckily, I have never had anyone call me in the middle of the night. I wouldn't be a happy camper if that happened.

I just got a new client over the New Years holiday because his agent wouldn't answer the phone or call him back for days. My family didn't suffer because of that call. We've actually spent a lot of quality time together the past couple weeks. I guess in the end it's all about balance. I think it's a little more difficult for us because we're not 9-5ers.

Great post... Awesome reponses... We are all challenged these days to give beyond excellent customer service, to always be available, to strive for absolute flawless perfection, and to be the best of the best of the best (just to stay in the game). You can do all of these things (which I certainly try), but it doesn't mean giving up your life and family.

Before I learned to be right up front about boundaries I was (let's say) used and abused on occassion. When I changed that modus operandi several years ago, (I even had to fire a few customers along the way), I found that the number and quality of my clientele improved significantly. I think that's still called mutual respect? Today, I'm truly blessed with great coworkers and clients I dearly adore and love working with.

Great catalyst for a great conversation... thanks.

Rene'

I really like my sleep, so I will not answer my phone, nor can I even hear it while I am sleeping. There just isn't a real estate emergency that I can think of that happens during those hours!

Great post! If I was a buyer or seller and the Realtor answered the phone everytime I called I would suggest that Realtor is not too busy. As a busy Realtor, during the day I am usually with a client or on the phone. I return phone calls as soon as possible. Most of my clients would rather email or text because most of my clients seem to be very busy as well. Though I have had a few people just stop by my house......I actually live in a community that we built every home (200 homes) and my house is the very first home in the neighborhood and you would be amazed at how many people would just stop by my house in the evening or early morning just to ask me a stupid question, but I finally just stopped going to the door....I guess they got the hint. Thought about putting a sign on my door that informed people that my home is not my office and I am not available 24/7.....believe it or not I actually have a life and enjoy my time!! I doubt they would knock on their doctor's door or an attorney's door. I have also had people call me at 1:00 in the morning and I usually tell them that they need to learn some manners and personally I would not want to work with someone that thinks it is ok to call someone at 1:00 am. Amazing!!! Those are usually the people that will never purchase a home.

Happy New Year!

Monica

Sadly I have heard numerous people say yes to answering the phone in all the items noted.....Yes, all.

My daughter came up with a great idea a few years back...as I had no idea how much answering the phone emotionally hurt her during our family times. It started with me giving her punishment for something and she came up with the idea of knowing the penalties in advance of a given offense. To make the long story short, my penalty for answering the phone during any family time is that my phone goes to her for 24 hours. I don't answer the phone during family time....

Katerina - Of course, another TERRIFIC post from you!!! I want to change my thinking to an abundance one as well - I do not, however, consider myself a slave to my clients. For sure, NO!!! And I am pretty good with setting boundaries as well. I have always done so in my other business.

I will work on the abundance thinking, and will definitely NOT answer the phone during sex!!! LOL!!!

Include me in that group who feels the family should not take a back seat.

Hi Katerina - Happy new year and thanks for the nice Christmas letter! What I tell my clients is that I will make myself available as much as possible and that I do return calls as soon as I can, but that I might not answer the phone if I am in a meeting or cannot talk at the moment. They know that I wouldn't take calls during my listing presentation (or whatever meeting) with them and that the person in front of me must have my undivided attention. I get them to acknowledge that this is fine with them, since they know I will get back to them very soon. (This only works if you DO return calls within a reasonable time). I tell them that they can leave me a voicemail message any time of the day or night and that I check messages often.

I answer my phone when it's convenient form me, I don't feel bad if someone has to leave a message. I can't do 24/7... It's more like 12/6 - which isn't bad.

Great post and I love Tim's kids "punishment" too brilliant. This year, I am already less available (allowing myself personal time) and more available - really there when I'm on. Should be a great year. Off for some personal time now, called SLEEP!!!

The term 24/7 Katerina is ludicrous and so old school. Most clients realize this too.

Hi Katerina,

Great advice - you're so right that we need to protect ourselves from burnout and set the boundaries for our clients. I really appreciate your advice about keeping things in prospective if/when you lose a client. If we expect to be treated with respect it will happen more than not.

Thank you! Deborah :)

Great post. I wanted to get some idea of setting boundaries this year. I feel like I'm giving up some type of competitive advantage.

Hi Nestor and KAtrina Just a wonderful as usual post, when I see that 24/7 reference I think to myself, that is a inflated promise. It just might send up a red flag..customers could think, what else will this agent exagerate and do I want to work with someone who overpromises?

I consider myself to be pretty available... but 24/7... I don't think so. I will answer the phone at DisneyWorld... but I'm not leaving to get a piece of info. I don't step away from meals, and I have time that REQUIRES I spend it with my kids and wife. But I am available a lot!

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It is definitely about setting the ground rules and creating reasonable expectations. 24/7 - really? So, when you are meeting with me, you are going to interrupt our meeting to take a telephone call. Good customer service is about anticipating the issues and taking action before your client has to call.

AMEN AMEN!!! Even though this is a serious subject, I could not help but laugh. I tried to imagine those agents who DO answer the phone during sex or when they are on the potty. I got to that one and decided that mental images were just not necessary. ;-)

Anyway...your advice is FANTASTIC...as always. Keep it coming!!

Happy New Year, my friend!!! May 2009 be THE YEAR that ALL YOUR DREAMS COME TRUE!! ~GBU~

Katerina lately the phone hasnt been ringing too much so there hasnt been too much of a problem with it interfering with my life.

I still subscribe to George Costanza's perfect day: Watching TV while having sex and eating a sandwich. The answering the phone thing is just over the top :)

I think that if we say we are available 24/7 that they might not value our time.

Everyone! Right after I published this post I had a meeting with a new agent who wants to join our real estate team which lasted for a while then it was off to movie night with Nestor and our son. We just walked back in the door and I sat down to return comments and WHOAHHHH! WOOOOWWWWW! To my surprise this post has not just a gold star on it but 87 fast comments that are long, thought out, emotional and humorous! I will address many of your comments tomorrow. For now, just know, that I love your comments and I am so happy to see them all here! THANK YOU!!!!!

Few other professions are in the 24/7 mode -- not sure how or why Realtors got into that mind set.

WOW...interesting comments to go with a thought-provoking article. As I am firming up my plan for 2009, I have to remind myself of my priorities. I find that I can easily get sucked into "whatever you say" mode to my clients in order to make a deal happen. Thanks for the reminder!

Oh my... what a great post... I see this 24/7 way to often. People actually expect us to answer 24/7 some times. This post will make you stop and think .. that's for sure.

Beautifully said. 24/7 is a total lie....agent's need to stop giving this impression to the public. NOBODY is available 24/7.

JAN

I agree wholeheartedly. It's not how quickly you respond, but the quality of your response. And a good quality service provider will always (unless in case of emergencies) return a call in a reasonable time-frame.

I mentor once told me: Real estate is not life and death.

Many agents don't understand this I think.

So True.. If you can't control your clients they will control you.

Phones and Texting during Dinner (or even lunch and breakfast for that matter) is just downright annoying in my opinion.

Missed the original post but I'm sure it said what I feel...

This is one of the best posts I have read. I have always told my customers/clients that I turn my cell on at 8 AM and off at 9 PM. During those hours I answer whenever possible, after those hours, they can leave a message if they want.

This past summer I had a client who cannot be described in mixed company. He would call sometimes 10 times a day. My husband and I were moving our daughter to DC one weekend. I told this client that I would be out of town and to only contact me in an emergency. After the 5th call on Sat. I told him I was turning off my phone, to feel free to leave any messages and when I turned on the phone I would check for messages. He didn't call again for the entire weekend.

One other thing I have done is give each of my daughters and my husband their own individual ring. When any of them call, even if I'm in a closing, I take the call, ask them if everything is ok. If they answer yes, I tell them I will get back to them whenever I can. All other calls that come in during a time that is inconvenient for me, I just mute. I had to take back my life.

The key, in my opinion, is to change your attitude. When you're desperate, you act desperately. This includes taking calls and being available for people who have no consideration for you. Change your attitude to one of professionalism and know that the world won't fall apart if you aren't available. It's the same thing as taking an overpriced listing. You know you aren't going to sell it, so why take it? A listing that won't sell is worse than no listing at all. Been there, done that. Good luck to all of us in 2009

In my opinion, I am not sure the expression 24/7 should be taken literally.

Obviously, if one is having a surgery - then they cannot answer the phone... but in unexpected situations, I would change my out-going message to reflect this. In all other situations... I cannot answer because I am in the shower; then the call will be returned asap....

I think people generally understand that the term 24/7 is an impossiblity but the key is to manage expectations and keep the caller looked after...

I enjoyed the post - thanks!

love your points about answering (or not answering) the phone during sex, or in bathroom , etc... . it is like a Seinfeld skit which often made fun of those who do

Katerina, the only promise that I'll make is that if I don't call you back within an hour between 9am and 5pm, I'll buy you lunch. Unless, of course, it's a telemarketer. Can you imagine interupting sex and getting a telemarketer? Bummer?

Eugenie- A lie is still a lie, a let down is still a let down. You are not sure the expesssion should be taken literrally- then what else are agents saying that should not be taken literally? It 24/7 is an impossibility then it should not be used at all. It is misleading and sheds bad light on our profession. Most important is for the health of an agent, setting boundaries is crucial in avoiding burnout. Thanks for commenting!

24/7 is just ridiculous. While I am available 7 days a week 24 hours a day is tooo much for anyone to expect.

Nestor & Katrina - this post is soooooooo great! What I have discovered is that your clients will not respect your time if you don't first. I stopped printing my home phone number a long time ago. I prefer everyone to contact me by cell or email that way my home remains my haven and where I can enjoy my life and family in peace. You need that time to recharge and then you can focus so much better on work and clients needs. I will follow you on Twitter!

I completely agree. Abundance is something that I have been preaching for a long time. Things are more valuable because everyone has one (ask Microsoft) or what about a fax machine. What if you were the only one with a fax? Who would you have to fax to?

JAN

Tim- I have to address your comment because it is TOO COOL! Your daughter needs an award for coming up with that one! I love it! Tell her I said so! Good for her. Thanks for sharing that idea with all of us.

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Wise advice, Katerina. Aents who don't respect themselves aren't going to get any respect from their prospects, either.

Thank you everyone for your awesome comments on a subject very dear to my heart. Coming from a point in my life where I knew no boundaries to where I had an x who would not obey any boundaries to who I am today, wow, it has made all the difference in my life and in how I get treated now versus then. Big difference.

A great post with lots of good points to think about. I really do not think anyone truly expects to be able to get you 24/7, so why put yourself through the stress? It is actually confusing to not set hours. Of course if you are working on something exceptional you can make special windows for communication. Thanks for a good discussion, I have not read all of the comments yet, but I am looking forward to it. Have a Wonderful New Year in 2009!

Maggie- I think you really understand the points I was making in my post. Of course there are times you are working on a special project and you accept a call out of the ordinary time frame you work within. There are always exceptions to every rule. You have a wonderful new year too. The comments are very well worth the read.

JAN

I do answer the phone when I can, but never during dinner, sex or while in the ladies room. Can you agree that is exceptionally bad form and very insulting to your caller?! If I don't answer a call, I do call back as soon as is reasonable. The only time I take "late " calls is if I am approaching a contract deadline. I try to consider the best interest of my client without totally giving up my life or privacy.

Bravo! My first Optimist group featured blog selection upon my return (from my seven day vacation - where you'll be happy to know, I did not phone, text or e-mail; my clients were all tended to by my licensed assistant).

Both thumbs up on this one!

I think 24/7 would be an impossible feat for anyone...and if I saw that on an ad my eyebrows would be raised...I think boundaries in your business are needed. You can still give great customer service and have a life too.

Kat, this is by far one of my favorite posts I've read of yours! I feel a marching band coming down the street...people rushing to throw you onto their shoulders...confetti dropping from tall buildings...a Presidential address in the making and more! I'm going to pin this to my mirror, computer, husband, and anything else I can find for a constant reminder.

Thank you.

Deb

Katerina & Nestor-This is such an excellent post! Have a great 2009!

I agree that meal times should be special, but have been known to answer the phone if I am expecting an important call. I make it short so I can get back to what I was doing... and I excuse myself from the room.

You are so right, you have to take personal or family time or you will be so burnt out that you won't be good for anyone.

Deb- Hey, Maybe I will run for President! :) Thanks for the stardom fan fare! I love it, I am eating up your comment with my ego keeping my humble thanksgiving in tact!:) Thanks so much Deb! Happy New Year!

Mirela- WOW! Thank you! I need to keep posting in your group! I like the praise you give me:) I am so happy that you took time off without texting and emails! That is awesome and so good to regenerate your batteries for the awesome year ahead!

JAN

I don't mind answering my phone after hours any time I don't really have something going on. It's not like I am getting 10 calls at midnight every day. I may get one call each week or two that is after 6pm. Then again, if I am with my son at a soccer practice and it's only 4pm, I may let it go to voicemail and call them back when practice is over. I definately think there needs to be some balance, but I always try to call anyone back within a few hours at the most.

JAN

Nestor & Katerina - Amen!!! I couldn't agree with you more and you are so right about setting yourself up for failure when you do that because, and let's all be honest, besides Russell Ray and a few others who say the are available 24/7, how can you physically be available 24/7?

Anyway, I don't want to be available 24/7; been there, done that and lived to regret it. As much as I love what I do (I'll do this for the rest of my life) and as much as I appreciate my wonderful clients (some turn out to be great friends), I also want and need a personal life just as much as I want and need a career.