It’s tough to break through some consumers’ perceptions of real estate agents. Those perceptions may come from just general chatter with family, friends and colleagues or they may actually be based upon less than positive interactions with other real estate agents. In order to turn those prospects into clients (and hopefully lifelong clients), you need to bust those perceptions and prove that you are the real estate agent of their dreams.
One of the main issues consumers have with real estate agents is their lack of responsiveness. Consumers feel like they are ignored. Calls go unreturned and emails languish in the technological black hole. So how can you make sure you are the most responsive agent you possibly can be without going overboard? Here are a few tips:
1 – Set a daily schedule. Yes, daily. That means you should have a work schedule seven days a week. Even if you set aside a single day a week for family or other pursuits, it should be clearly written in your schedule. As real estate agents, some days are more “fly by the seat of our pants” than others. Things come up and plans change. And that’s okay.
But you do need to have some semblance of structure to your work days in order to be able to ensure you have the time to get in contact with your clients and prospects. You may even want to set aside certain hours of every work day to return calls and emails. You can leave this information on automatic email responders and your outgoing voice mail message. Your clients and prospects become comforted knowing when they should hear back from you.
2 – Tell your clients what they should expect and then follow through. When you take that listing, make it clear how often you will update them on the progress in regards to selling their home. Will you call once a week on a particular day? Will you call within 24 hours of a showing in order to provide feedback? Will you provide updates via email only and then follow up with a phone call periodically?
3- Give your client your plan in writing to show you mean it! When you work with buyers, it may be involve a frenzy of phone calls and emails initially as you set up showings and visit homes. But once they make that offer on a home, will you call them every day to guide them through the process? Every other day?
A once a week phone call or email probably won’t cut it when you have a 30 day close. Let your buyers know what to expect from you. You can create a buyer’s timeline sheet that clearly shows when you will be contacting them to follow up on financial issues, inspection issues and so on.
Likewise for your sellers. At your listing appointment, let them know when you plan on calling or emailing them. And give them a handout so there is no miscommunication or misunderstanding later. If you have your client communication schedule set and in writing, it leaves all the guesswork out of the equation.
4 – Never make any promises you can’t keep. You don’t want to set yourself up for failure. It only makes you look bad in the eyes of your clients. So if you have any doubt in your communication plan, then change it to fit the reality of your business.
5 – Return calls, even when you have no new information. Here’s a scenario: your buyer calls to see how that bank approval is going on the short sale. You haven’t heard anything from the bank. Nothing has changed from yesterday, the day before, or the day before that. And you know that your client wants to hear that call from you saying “The bank has approved it – we’re good!” But you’ve got nothing.
That does not mean you don’t call until you have something, some tidbit of information, to pass along to your client. It could be days or weeks until the bank approves the offer. So you need to return your client’s call and let her know that you are on top of it and still waiting to hear back from the bank. Because clients want their calls returned, even when you have no information to give them.
Making the effort to become responsive to your prospects will turn them into clients. And being responsive to your clients will make you their beloved lifelong agent. So make being responsive a high priority in your real estate business.
Volker Weiss – Maui Realtor(R/S) specialist focusing on Wailea homes. Make your vacation last forever, check out Wailea condos. For immediate help call VW directly at 888.572.6888
[tags]real estate, homes for sale, realtors, realty, realtor, mls, houses for sale, luxury homes, hawaii[/tags]
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