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How to have boundaries with your clients

By
Real Estate Agent with Coldwell Banker

I had a coaching session with my manager today and the one thing we hit on was the tendency to find clients that require a tremendous amount of service. 

I know this is part and parcel with how I used to attract business - I tried to do more - for my clients.  But I find this takes too much time and in the end I am exhausted and crabby.

 My coach had a few ideas that I thought I would share, because they helped me.  Basically, it is all based on negociations. 

1. Saying no is huge.  It creates respect.

2. Introduce myself as a professional, reinterate it, so others will.

3.Weed out the time wasters and choose not to work with them.  Move on to real live ready buyers and don't allow yourself to be swept up. 

4.  Operate from a winning position, have enough buyers so you can choose who you want to work with.  Often I have seen other agents take on clients who take all their time because they just want to get something in escrow and figure it will pay out in the end. 

 I have a friend who is in escrow now with a client who was shown more than 80 homes (they wrote 4 offers to purchase) then they bought new without my friend and then let her list their house - overpriced - and now 13 months since she began working with them thery are finally going to close.  At the end of the day I don't think she made a penny.

Comments(43)

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Angus in Naperville IL
RE/MAX of Naperville - Naperville, IL

This is why we need to be professional enough that we are not attached to the outcome. Replace the bad ones and just say "next"

Moo

Oct 09, 2006 04:25 PM
Carl Guild
Carl Guild & Associates - East Hampton, CT
Central Connecticut Real Estate
I love saying No! Qualifying leads is sooo important nowadays too.. Why waste time and money?
Oct 09, 2006 04:57 PM
Jonathan Dalton
Realty ONE Group - Glendale, AZ
No is a beautiful thing ... often, the client will want to use your services more because of your willingness to tell them no. I'm running into that now with a listing I'm about to bring to market. I said I wouldn't discount months ago, said it again the other day and will have the listing any day now.
Oct 09, 2006 05:10 PM
Home Design
Alpharetta, GA
Home Design and Real Estate

yes, boundries are very importantant, if they consistantley cross them, I fire myself!

Acworth Real Estate

Oct 10, 2006 12:26 AM
Bob Pavey
RE/MAX Hometown - Aventura, FL
CRS
You got great advice from your coach. I have used Bob Cocoran and he was also very good
Oct 10, 2006 12:54 AM
Christine Adler
FindAHomeWithMe.com - Fort Lauderdale, FL
SE Palm Beach, Broward & NE Miami-Dade Counties FL
Dressing, Looking, Talking and Acting like a professional are all key. You must exude confidence even if you dont have it.
Oct 10, 2006 02:11 AM
Marguerite Crespillo
Marguerite Crespillo - Roseville, CA
The best way to set your boundries is setting them up front.  At your first meeting with them, tell them how and when you work.  I have told my clients for many years that I dont work on Sundays, I spend that day with my family and my clients are always fine with it.
Oct 10, 2006 02:29 AM
Ann Cummings
RE/MAX Shoreline - NH and Maine - Portsmouth, NH
Portsmouth NH Real Estate Preferrable Agent

Excellent Post!!  It does take time and the will to say 'no' to those kinds of people...been there, done that.  And that's not always an easy thing to learn to do.

Great post, and I love the 4 points you made.
Thanks for sharing that information!

Ann Cummings
www.AnnCummings.com

Oct 10, 2006 03:29 AM
Nima Rezvan CT Lender CT Senior Mortgage Broker
Nima Rezvan Prosper First Funding Corporation NMLS#110681 - Fairfield, CT
First Time Home Buyer Expert - CT FHA Loans - FHA

I will admit to it that it is very difficult for me to say NO to anything even during work but it must be done and it feels good once it does come out.  Great blog.

Your Mortgage Man,

Nima

Oct 10, 2006 03:29 AM
Sherri Berry
Reliant Realty, Murfreesboro - Murfreesboro, TN
Murfreesboro TN Homes & Real Estate

Great post!  We are trained to give such a high level of customer service that learning to say NO is the hardest lesson for many of us to learn.  Even now, if I second guess myself and continue working with someone that I feel like going in is going to be "high maintenance" I always regert the decision.  No is necessary sometimes and certainly helps me to keep my sanity in certain situations. 

Oct 10, 2006 11:26 AM
Rob Wills
Gilpin Realty Inc. - Everett, WA

These types of clients exhaust me also. I refuse to work with someone else who has another agent selling for them. If we act as professionals we will get the clients who will not waste out time. Time is Valuable!

Rob Wills

WWW.RWills.com

Oct 10, 2006 12:56 PM
Karen Hurst
RICOASTALLIVING.COM - Warwick, RI
Rhode Island Waterfront!

I know a lot of people who have difficulty saying no. For me the worst is when it is a friend. But I still do it, in a nice way of course.

I am way too busy to not say no. I will not represent someone who does not consider my approach, ie. Get qualified and sign my BA agreement! Otherwise, what is the point? I'm here to make a living and I can't give my best to my clients if I'm traipsing all over the place for people who are not serious.

Oct 10, 2006 01:02 PM
Rebecca Savitski
BSR Real Estate Group - Cary, NC
NC Real Estate Listings

Next this is my favorite word in said of no. I recently had a client from hell -really she had horns- and the tail - The way I fired her was simply sending her a "termination of agency agreement."  In NC it is mandatory to work off of a Buyers Agency Agreement but the beauty of this agreement you can Fire your clients more formally.

Good Luck and just remember the word "NEXT"

Oct 10, 2006 10:26 PM
Jay and Linnea Hanley
PrudentialFloridaRealty - Jupiter, FL

In this market (Florida) it is hard to say "no" because "buyers" are scarce and "sellers" have unrealtistic expectations about the price of their homes. Your blog was a good reminder---we need to say "no" more often and value ourselves as professional realtors.

Jay and Linnea Hanley

Oct 11, 2006 12:34 AM
Susan Trombley
Trombley Real Estate - Wake Forest, NC
Broker/Realtor, Raleigh, Cary, Wake Forest, Youngs
Quick run the other way. Go with your first instincts. Your gut will tell you right away. I know we all like to give them the benifit of the doubt, but at whos price. Run the other way.
Oct 11, 2006 02:31 AM
CHERYL TEAGUE
REMAX - Greenville, SC
I have ran into some absoultely MEAN and RUDE clients lately that have turned on us like Jeckel and Hyde.  I was too glad to release them from their listing.  On a bad day, they were e-mailing everyone in my office slandering me.  I do have a good reputation and most everyone just laughed it off.  However, we are professionals.  The next agents that delt with these clients had to fight for their commissions.  Go Figure? 
Oct 11, 2006 03:29 AM
Jenny Brown
Blue Mountain Real Estate - Tryon, NC

You are right, sometimes you have to say No. Some clients will run your legs off if you don't.

Oct 11, 2006 05:00 AM
Leo Namiot - LeoLends.com
Canopy Mortgage - Leo Namiot - Saint Augustine, FL
More than just great rates
Great advice.... Most people can't say no....
Oct 11, 2006 05:58 AM
Jacqueline McCroy Elbert
RE/MAX Realty Suburban - Overland Park, KS
True, we all have had a time when we found it hard to say "no" then we are quickly reminded once we come upon that client from hell. Unfortunately, mine was a friend and she saw no problem with call a 1am...no joke.  Like Rebecca, I fired her with a "termination of agency agreement". Now I remind myself of this experience and "no" flows freely from my mouth.
Oct 11, 2006 09:19 AM
Home Design
Alpharetta, GA
Home Design and Real Estate

#3 is the most important!  Weed out time wasters.  That is where us agents waste all of our time which is money.  The quicker you get a dropping time wasters the more successful you will be.

Alpharetta Real Estate

Oct 12, 2006 12:56 AM