Keys to a Healthy Client/Agent Relationship
Tammie weaved together the important values in a marriage, and would you believe that the same skills and values are detrimental to a healthy business relationship between and agent and a client?
I love this blog, because I very much appreciate working with truthful clients.
Keys to a Healthy Client/Agent Relationship
My husband and I are embarking on a new journey this week. We have signed up to become Marriage Mentors at our church. We have been searching for awhile to participate in a ministry that we could do together. This just seemed to be a great fit for us.
We were required to complete training and have been provided with materials to help guide us when working with these young couples who have requested to be mentored.
In preparation for our sessions, I read the article Keys to a Healthy Marriage: Communication, Trust and Respect.
As I was reading this article, I couldn't help but make the transition into the client/agent relationship. You see, the same things that create a healthy marriage also create a healthy client/agent relationship. There has to be open, honest communication, trust and respect.
As a buyer or seller are you confused why these components are necessary to our relationship?
Maybe the best way is to share a couple of recent experiences to illustrate what I mean.
A couple of months ago, I was contacted by a previous client. Her mother and father were contemplating a move to Tennessee. They live in the Seattle area. At that point, it was unknown whether the parents would actually move here.
Her parents were visiting and my past client asked if I would be willing to take them out for a day to see if a move like this would even be possible for them. It meant a day of showing her parents the area and houses at their target price point.
I knew going in that there wouldn't be a potential sale at the end of the day. As a matter of fact, it was possible, they would rule out a move to Tennessee entirely.
What do you think I did?
That's right, I set aside time and took them out for the day. I spoke to my past client's mother about their wants and needs, sent her some possible listings. She narrowed them down to a handful and I took them to see the area. My husband even came along.
We had a very nice day, shared a meal and showed them some potential homes. It is undetermined at this point whether they will make the move or not. Was it a waste of my time? No, quite the opposite.
Not only do I believe they will use me if they move here, it further strengthened the already great relationship I have with my past client. In my book, it was a win-win.
Contrast that to an experience I had last week.
I was contacted by a woman who had found me on the internet. She and her husband are looking to move to the Franklin area. I was told they would be signing the documents that day to list their home. They were looking to work with an agent who knew the Franklin area well rather than work with the agent who was listing their home in a different area.
We discussed their wants and needs and I forwarded some listings to her. We also discussed the process and what they could expect from me. I honestly didn't think I would hear from her again as I thought the listing agent would talk them into using her.
A few days later, I received an email requesting that we go look at some properties. It was a little short notice but since I was available, I agreed to meet. I arranged the appointments and prepared my Buyer's Agency Agreement for signatures. To make it more convenient for the buyers, I agreed to meet at the first home rather than have them drive all the way across town to meet at my office.
While looking at the house, they started asking me questions like how long I had been in the business, what were my qualifications and then came the kicker, "What advantage is it to us to use our listing agent over you?"
I was a little taken aback. I simply said that was something to be discussed with the listing agent and not me, that we all work differently. Then I asked them point blank if they planned on using me. They fudged on the issue.
Since I regularly take buyers out the first day without requiring a signed agreement, I decided to forge ahead. My hope was to "dazzle them with my footwork" as the saying goes.
I'm not sure there was much dazzling going on at all that day. As we proceeded from house to house, it became clear to me that they hadn't even listed their home. Even though, they told me they had. This was nothing more than a fishing expedition for them. The wife wanted to move and the husband did not.
Do you see the difference here?
In both cases, it was unknown whether the day would result in a sale but in the first case, the buyers were open and honest and we were able to discuss the advantages and the disadvantages of a move here.
In the second case, the buyer started the relationship off by lying to me. As a result, nothing that was shared was beneficial to either of us. If they had just told me their dilemma to begin with, then I could have chosen whether I wanted to go out with them the first day or not.
I probably would have still taken them out but because they lied and continued to lie during the course of the day, the relationship was damaged. There wasn't honest communication, trust or respect exhibited on the part of the buyer. Those elements are key to building a relationship, even, a relationship between an agent and his client.
If you are looking to buy or sell a home in Franklin TN, be honest with your agent about your goals and what you hope to accomplish by making a move. It's our job to help you make the best decision for a sale or purchase of a home, sometimes that means not making a move. The only way to determine that is to reveal what you hope to accomplish with a move and then whether it is even possible financially.
I want all my relationships with buyers and sellers to have the same components that have created a good marriage between my husband and I--honest communication, trust and respect.
If you are looking for that, contact me today at (615) 495-0752.
************************************************************************************Tammie White, Realtor® in Franklin TNCell Phone: (615)495-0752This posting and the contents written here are the intellectual property and opinions of Tammie White of Benchmark Realty LLC.
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