Consider this:
You are showing your customers around a large, well-lit living room. It serves as the focal point of a stunning one-story house that is tucked into a peaceful neighborhood cul-de-sac.
It is a little town. You can get to the grocery shop on foot, and the residents of the building deliver exquisite fruit cakes to you every December.
That's it. Your elderly couple who are downsizing and have been living with you for approximately six months now has a home in this neighborhood.
They seem content. They appear energized. It is obvious that this is a home run. The neighbors are really already honing their knives for the fruit cake.
However, as you take out the paperwork to make a formal offer, the charming older couple surprises you by saying, "Let me just contact our son. He is quite knowledgeable about real estate. Did you know that he once assisted his uncle in selling their apartment? If IT hadn't worked out for him, he would have been such a fantastic agent.
You are handed the phone before you have a chance to speak. Then, out of nowhere, a voice on the other end starts to speak, bombarding you with a series of unrelated inquiries, anecdotes, and an apparent insult.
It appears that you will be adding them to your list of challenging real estate clients.
Your moral character has been questioned. And why on earth aren't you permitted to inform them if there is a church nearby? There's some service, buddy. I was aware that my parents ought to have handled the paperwork by hiring a lawyer. Without providing you with a free lunch, we could have completed your task just fine.
Does it sound like you? Is that a collective "Only in real estate" groan I just heard?
Other sectors of the economy also deal with challenging backseat drivers. Let me share with you a brief example of the Business to Business (B2B) furniture sector and how they consistently overcome comparable difficulties.
We won't simply focus on the furniture, so don't flee in horror. Use this metaphor to illustrate how real estate agents may easily transform a frustrating circumstance into a happy client.
Let's examine this in a clear step-by-step manner.
1. Use Active Listening Techniques
Sit down with your client for a moment (or 60). Although it may seem like a long time, it is much preferable to drive your clients around aimlessly for days seeking what they are really looking for.
Describe your reasons for moving, the lifestyle you hope to live in your new house, and your goals for it. This conversation shouldn't feel accusatory. You will soon have a better knowledge of your client's demands if you pay close attention and engage in an authentic dialogue.
Therefore, be understanding. Their decision is likely driven by an emotionally important life event. Try to put yourself in their shoes and imagine how you would feel. Try to understand things from their perspective.
You'll not only be contributing to meeting their desire to feel acknowledged and cared for on an emotional level, but you'll also be more aware of the type of home they require and appear to be a real person rather than just someone looking to make a sale.
2. Inform Clients Upfront And Throughout The Process
Share pertinent materials with your clients, such as your blog, neighborhood guides, and real estate resources at your advice, before you start the home-search process.
If your customer is a first-time buyer, you might wish to describe each step of the purchasing or selling process in more depth.
Your first-timer's fear will be much reduced by giving thorough explanations and describing what to anticipate. If at all possible, direct them to further knowledgeable professionals who can elaborate on their area of concern. For instance, your client's unease and hesitance may be caused by financial concerns. The financial procedure can be explained in more detail and any lingering finance issues can be resolved by the financial advisor or lender they are dealing with.
Clients who are informed are simpler to work with and less inclined to dispute with you about the realities of the real estate market. Additionally, they will be knowledgeable enough to avoid seeking out second opinions from non-experts. They are more likely to be understanding and handle the ups and downs with grace when events beyond their control occur.
3. Show Compassion
The public mistrust salespeople, attorneys, and real estate brokers. Unfortunately, there are enough horrifying tales of dishonest real estate brokers to justify that level of mistrust.
Therefore, one of the initial obstacles you must overcome is the initial level of skepticism that purchasers would unavoidably harbor toward you. It will be your responsibility to demonstrate that you are a reliable individual who has their best interests in mind.
At the same time, most buyers begin their hunt for a home online. Do you know what else is available online? There are several headlines about home purchasers who, by using a strange tactic they don't want you to know about, were able to purchase the home of their dreams without the assistance of an agent.
Recognize that anyone can feel like an "expert" on the internet. even if (especially if) those pieces are intentionally crafted to confirm the prejudices of their readers.
Those who read this article on buying a home don't want to come across as clueless newbies.
DIY house-buying success inspires admiration and imitation. And the part of our subconscious mind that is dopamine-driven loves to warn us, "Don't listen to that phony expert. You are better aware. Didn't that DIYhomebuyer.biz top ten list just prove everything you already knew about real estate? Ohhhh, you're going to appear so intelligent when you demonstrate that fancy realtor you don't need him/her!"
Don't misinterpret these complimentary remarks as insults. These remarks are motivated by prejudice, false information, and perhaps even fear.
You are the best person to know that purchasing a home is a significant milestone in life. You are also aware that it will likely be one of your client's most emotional decisions during their lives.
Remind them politely that you have a legal and fiduciary obligation to always act in their best interests when conducting business. Additionally, if you took the time to hear their story and were able to offer solutions that connected with them, you would be using your invaluable expertise—which is what they pay you for—without actually bragging about it.
4. Examine Customers Before Accepting Them
Most real estate clients first come across as cheerful and upbeat; it may take something going wrong for them to show you their less-than-sweet side.
Before real estate agents find themselves in a stressful situation, real estate technology like Trust Smart is intended to perform extensive background checks on real estate clientele. You have the option of checking a single piece of their identification or going so far as to request a photo, which will be preserved to their profile and used to access information and confirm their identity for as long as you work with them.
When you have a better understanding of a client's needs, priorities, and natural personality, you can move on to conducting preliminary interviews.
5. Pay Special Attention To Communication
Learn your client's preferred method of contact right away. For instance, you might discover that your client prefers gentle, empathic communication to direct, business-oriented communication. Knowing what kind of challenging clients they are and working from there is also helpful.
Real estate buyers that are hostile or aggressive think that their wants should come first and are not receptive to ideas or alternative viewpoints. Know-it-alls are certain that they (or their moral son) are more knowledgeable than you about real estate. Then there are the "do nothing" clients, who expect you to ascertain their needs without receiving their thoughtful comments or having a clear understanding of their preferences.
It will be easier for clients to feel understood and build trust fast if you communicate with them in a way that complements their natural communication style and addresses their main problems.
Your communication method also matters a lot. Have you ever heard the expression "the medium is the message"? It implies that the method you employ to communicate a message is just as crucial as the message itself. For instance, you might want to call clients to inform them that they missed out on their dream home; doing so via email could come across as uncaring and indifferent.
Finally, be clear about your preferred method of customer communication and establish boundaries that won't cause confusion or be interpreted negatively. If you specify that you won't perform showings on Sundays or ask not to be contacted after 9 p.m. unless it's urgent, for example, that is more than reasonable.
6. Display, Don't Tell
Sometimes using rationality is the only way to combat the emotional brain. the unflinching facts.
Make sure you warn your clients if the buyer is insistent on knowing who lives nearby, which houses of worship are close by, or other demographic data that can be subject to the Fair Housing Act's hammer of moral judgment. Tell them they can readily locate that information online if they insist on doing so.
Ask them to visit the area at various times of the day if they want to see who lives there.
This gives them a sense of involvement in the procedure and serves as a source of validation.
If they think their computer-savvy grandchild can do a better job than you, show them case studies of how you've gotten other clients fantastic bargains.
To put it another way, "Show, don't tell."
Here is an example from the B2B furniture industry to illustrate this:
Since the CEO of the company didn't think worker chairs should be as comfortable as executive chairs, the designer was trying to persuade him to spend money on them.
"I told him to sit in the staff chair and perform the same tasks that his staff performed on a regular day: sit for extended periods of time, grab for files in nearby cabinets, rapidly roll himself over to the landline, etc. He thought it was a really painful and ineffective experience overall. Outboxed Solutions Inc. - Lorenzo, Tryone.
Conclusion…
The equation is ultimately as straightforward as:
Experience a satisfied client by attentively listening to them, comprehending their perspective, and offering proof.
Understanding what motivates your customers to purchase is the first step to a satisfied customer. What problem are they attempting to solve?
Afterward, make use of your arduously acquired skills and use that understanding to support the development of their idealized joyful life. Create a proposal that appeals to them personally and provide them with (partially) self-obtained proof. They could want to dispute endlessly with you, but they won't argue against the truth.