We’ve all been there.
Much like dating, we try to woo clients by going above and beyond the call of duty. We go out of our way to give in to their requests and demands all because we’re proving ourselves to be deserving of the answer to the question will you buy from me with “I do.”
And just like in romantic relationships, a few months in can make our clients become a little too comfortable and demanding that we can’t help but be bothered by it. The irony is, in dating, you can call out your partner, withhold intimacy or even threaten to break up with them, but in real estate, we can’t really do that to our clients, can we?
So how do you preserve client-agent relationships while also maintaining some boundaries? Well, before we answer that first let’s look at the most common things that real estate agents wished clients would stop doing:
1. Calling us at midnight.
Often it happens, our clients get caught up with their day. They don’t realise until after they had their dinners and showers that they have forgotten to get back to our calls or e-mails. Thinking that we are the flexible professionals who are always by our phones every waking hour, they just go ahead with ringing us in the middle night.
But really, unless the client is on a different time zone, we really need our 8 hours of sleep right now cos we just met with 10 different groups today showing properties that we feel like an elephant has just walked all over us. Unless it’s an absolute emergency, our neglected conversation will have to wait in the morning.
2. Forcing us to be drinking buddies.
First of all not every one who’s in sales, drinks. And not because we drink, we do a sales pitch either. In fact we’ve been doing this for awhile that we really want to slow down on the alcohol consumption because we want to be able to enjoy doing other things, too.
We know that drinking is a good way to bond on a personal level with clients as we crack along the exchange of stories and jokes but we also need to not be hangover tomorrow cos we have other VIP clients who also need our care and attention in the morning. Thank you.
3. Making us an all-around assistant.
Ever wonder why us agents get to command a high commission rate on our services? That’s because we do SO much preparation and effort on selling or finding the right property in order to ultimately make the process hassle-free our clients.
However, it’s one thing that we’re sweating under 35 degrees trying to find a location for a milk tea business but that doesn’t mean we can be summoned to do side errands like sourcing out materials for the client’s business operations and expect that we do it for free.
Remember we are professionals and our services are within the scope of real estate.
4. Blaming us for things beyond our control.
The job of real estate agents is to educate clients with the market conditions and processes in buying, selling or leasing a property. The job of buyers, sellers, landlords and tenants is to do their own research based on their ability and capacity to fulfil the roles mentioned.
Yes, part of our jobs is to look after client investments and property maintenance but if there was a market dip or economic meltdown, we simply wish to not be lashed out. Real estate is an investment and any one who engages in it must know that there are certain risks associated with it that they must understand and be aware of on a regular basis.
5. Demanding for rebate.
As mentioned, we are in real estate to help our clients make the purchase or sale of properties smooth, fast and secured. We give so much of our time and sacrifice weekends, holidays and even sleep in exchange for a commission that our families’ livelihoods depend on, too.
So when clients threaten that they won’t give a referral unless we give them a % of the sale? It makes us think along the lines of ‘sir, can’t you at least wait for the transaction to complete first before demanding we give you moolah?’
True or false?
Can we stop our clients from doing these?
By all means, yes.
How? By having the courage to tell them or sometimes, show them.
If they’re calling you at midnight, then let that call go to voice mail.
If they force you to do tequila shots with them, take one (or until such amount you can handle), then excuse yourself and call it a night.
If the percentage of rebate is a threat, try to explain calmly to them your personal situation so they can understand why you’re refusing to give in to their demand.
You teach people how to treat you by what you allow and what you stop tolerating. With proper communication, your clients will not have a problem respecting your boundaries you’ve set for yourself. All it needs is the right mentality to overcome roadblocks and trusting that everything will work out fine.
Not sure how to approach with the right script? Let us know so we can give you advice on how to handle different situations you are facing.
