Real Estate is a loosely defined profession . We know we help the client to buy a home. But what does this mean to the client ? if you dont' care about your client's feelings it's time to get out of the business.
Has it occured to you that your client may have a perception of what an agent does which is different from your own? Do you care to know what that is? Like it or not, it's field which requires a great deal of communication. It is foremost a people business and if you don't know nor care what your client thinks, you will fail. If you cannot focus on their needs, you will not do well?
We're not defining success as just making money(that is another story). However, some of the richest agents do not have peace of mind. I'm redefining success here to mean a situation where everyone wins and everyone can sleep well at night.
When I'm out on the web I see these advertising statements such as: 1) I serve your needs 2) we assist you using the latest technologies 3) we provider top notch customer service ; we can assist you with home buying, and on and on. Away from the printed word: what exactly do you do?that is the question(smile).
For example at the initial meeting with your client : Do you sit down with the client and explain what it means to represent their fiduciary interest and what your limitation are if any ? do you explain in behaviorally specifics terms what you do ? In kind , do you find out what behaviorally specific things they expect you to do? Do you discuss what their fears and concerns and your behaviorally specific plan to address them ? Do you listen? Do you follow though?
Do you make promises ? and in retrospect: do you keep those promises later ? Your client's life income and credit history is on the line and they hang on to every thing you say you're going to do and more importantly they watch and see if you do it. Are you able to seperate your personal feelings about your client from the business relationship ? if not, they'll pick up on that: little things you say, the inflections in your voice when you speak to them, comments about their lifestyle etc.
There is a time which I will call the "shift"; The relationship changes because the client has now made a financial committment. The money is on the table; the money could be lost. The client is now truly watching if you are going to follow through on what you said in the past , or if your appetite has been satisfied because of their monetary committment. There is a shift in their perception of you; and there is a shift in your perception of them. You may wonder if they'll follow through; you may secretly wonder if the deal they've invested in is a good one for them; and( let's be real) you may wonder if the deal is a good one for you. They may wonder if this deal was the best for them. At this time in the buying process : the client is going over all the details of the deal and your role as an agent; it is an evaluative stage . This is the most important pivotal point in the realtor/client relationship.
I challenge you today to : think about your client. put yourself in their shoes, suspend your personal feelings about them and clearly discuss and listen to what your client's expectations are for you. I challenge you to take some time and think about your pass deals and what you could have done better.
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