Don’t Count Your Chickens Before They Hatch

How many times have you been sure a deal is sealed, in the bag, good to go; then all of a sudden to your complete dismay and shock, your client backs out.  No returned phone calls or emails, nothing.  This leaves you in a state of possible panic, anger, or at the very least disappointment.  Chin up; it's happened to the best of us.  But who is at fault.  Don't be so quick to say the client.  First you should take a look at your actions.  Ari Galper, Founder of Unlock The Game^TM, has laid out seven steps you should follow to make sure this situation never happens to you again.  Is Ari guaranteeing that a client will never back out on you again, of course not; if he were he'd have to charge you an arm and a leg.  Since this information is free it should be taken as helpful tips to keep your sanity in this crazy world we call "real estate". 

• "Don't assume the sale".  People change their minds all the time and sometimes their not 100% truthful; so you should never assume the sale.  Especially without anything concrete.
• "Keep making it easy for potential clients to tell you their truth". Don't be afraid to ask them more than once if there is anything you can do to make them feel more comfortable about the sale or purchase.  Let them know you really care.
• "Call back to get the truth, not close the sale".  Having not received a call back you pretty much now their no longer interested in the deal, why make them say what they obviously don't want to.  Instead call them up and express your understanding of their situation.  You never know, once their situation improves they might want to do business with the understanding realtor.
• "Reassure potential clients that you can handle a ‘no'".  Let your clients know that as much as you would like to complete the sale, it's more important that they get what they want and are comfortable in the decisions they're making.  This lets them know that instead of avoiding you like the plague, they can simply say they're no longer interested in completing the sale.
• "Ask for feedback".  Contact the client and ask for feed back on what went wrong.  Ask how as a realtor you can improve your services.  Sometimes it turns out it's really not you it's them.
• "Don't try to "close" a sale".  Always ask the client what they think should be the next step.  This allows them to be in control, it also gives them the opportunity to let you know if something is wrong. 
• "Give yourself the last word".  Instead of waiting by the phone like a sitting duck, to hear whether the deal is going through; you should schedule a date to meet with your client.  always to the clients convenience and let them know it's just so both of you can be up-to-date and on the same page.

I hope you find these tips useful; hopefully they can save you from some head aches.