Any business that involves interaction with the public requires a certain amount of patience and understanding. In the real estate business, you come across people from all walks of life, so you need to be prepared to deal with clients who are demanding and fickle. While most clients are friendly and great to work with, there are those that can make the days drag on.
There are many reasons to fire an abusive client. If someone is constantly bullying you, belittling you, criticizing your work or expressing doubts about your ethics, it is time to let them go. What you are being paid is not enough for the stress that an abusive client places on your emotional health and on your business.
The reasons to send clients a thank you note are many. If you help them sell their home, send them a thank you note. If they hire you to sell their home but in the time you work together the home doesn't get a buyer, send them a thank you for having hired you. If you help someone buy a home, even if you aren't successful, send them a note.
It also could help to go over how homes are bought and sold. First time buyers, especially, have no clue about how different home purchase is from the purchase of virtually anything else. Explain the purpose of each person involved in the real estate transaction and the paperwork involved.
When communicating with a client who prefers email, let them know that you only check your email once in a blue moon, despite the message on your website, listing your email and stating, 'Contact me Anytime!
Unfortunately though, due to the dread that can come along with dealing with these types of people, sometimes it's difficult to get them the sale that they are looking for. Because so many agents are tenacious sorts of people who strive to do a good job for every client they have, it can be hard to admit defeat with a client who just doesn't mesh.
Try to eliminate any negative thoughts about yourself and your work. Do your best, but don’t expect perfection. Expect your best efforts from yourself, but don’t beat yourself up over honest mistakes. Keep reaching for self improvement, but don’t hamper yourself with thoughts of “I’m so crappy at my job!” If you really think you’re crappy at your job, you have two choices – improve or leave. If you’re actively trying to improve, you’re doing a better job than a lot of people.
One thing you can do about Mrs. Snigglesworth is look at her thinning hair and fashion sense and consider the source. It doesn’t take a genius to realize that people who are unhappy with themselves like to find fault with others. Mrs. Snigglesworth is operating from her own reality; she is not capable of making a true assessment of your personal characteristics.
This flexibility includes clients being willing to take less for their house than they'd like due to economic conditions and being willing to stage or have their house staged professionally. If this kind of client isn't willing to back down, especially when home values have fallen, they might not be worth holding on to.
Every Realtor wants to have a sure line on how to immediately "connect" with a client. It doesn't exist. What does, however, are strategies whereby you can gain a greater desire on the part of your client to help you and garner positive recommendations. One might think that the client is the leader in this relationship, but this is not so. They are hiring you because of your expertise. You must lead them to what they want or as close as possible to it. Dale Carnegie, in his best-selling book, "How to Win Friends and Influence People", illustrated principles that have been effective leadership tools for years. You can use these principles to positively encourage.
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