This blog was originally posted on March 15, 2021 but has been updated to reflect the current market.
As a listing agent, you want your clients to return for more of your services, don’t you?
That said, are you taking intentional steps in your business to ensure your success by customer satisfaction? If the customer is happy, they will hire you, refer you to their friends and family, and your business will prosper. However, if you are “just like every other agent in town”, nothing differentiates you from the competition. Since there are more than enough listing agents to go around, your client can easily switch to another agent when they want. And even when your clients do not intend to dump you, another ‘above average’ agent could easily snatch them up if they see no reason to stay with you. Let’s look at 3 ways to step up your listing game.
If you want your clients to come for more, you need to give them value. And you can only bring value to the table when you step up your game in the following ways:
Step Up Your Service
In addition to transacting properties, real estate also involves your service. And this service goes beyond being able to close a deal or successfully sell a client’s house.
What kind of service do you render to your clients? Are there any wow moments your customers get to look forward to when transacting with you? What customer service experiences do they get to enjoy by working with your agency?
There could be more listing agents within your market area than you can imagine. Every other agent passed the licensing exams and possesses the technical skillset required to work in the industry.
Also, the real estate industry affords its agents a somewhat equal platform for operation. Your services make you stand out from the overwhelming crowd.
Know Your Target Customer
To successfully close any sale in real estate, you need to have excellent marketing skills. But your skills may not be of much use to you if you are unsure of who your target customers are. Your wow pitch may also not land you that listing you’ve been vying for if you do not know what your clients want.
Knowing your target customers helps you focus on rendering your services to them. You’ll be able to attend to needs and unspoken desires.
There are two types of knowledge you should have about your target buyers or sellers. The first being who they are, and the type of real estate services they need. Do you want to work with sellers alone, buyers alone, or both buyers and sellers? You should also know that first-time home sellers make up a different market from regular buyers and sellers and will need to be treated differently.
The second thing to know about your target customers is their individual preferences. This knowledge is what you’ll channel into your wow moments to give each client a top-notch customer experience. You don’t want to invite your customer to meet for coffee before a morning house showing, only to discover that your client doesn’t like coffee. They may still understand that you intended well, but their experience won’t be the same as when you’re sure they have kids, and you box in a few toys to keep them busy during a house tour.
The most effective way to understand your clients is by engaging them. Always give them time to talk and express themselves during each meeting. Someone, they’ll communicate their preferences or pain points to you.
Be a Problem Solver
A seller decides to hire you as an agent because they need you to successfully get through the process of getting a good bargain for their property. In other words, they have a problem, and you’re being paid to solve it for them. You are not to present any problem with any transaction to your client without possible solutions. Doing so will mean that you’re delegating your responsibilities to them.
So, no matter what happens in the course of a transaction, never relate an unresolved problem to your client. When you keep stealing their peace with issues like rejected appraisals, or property defects, they’ll have more and more reasons to fall for another real estate professional.
If you’re ready to take your real estate career to the next level, but don’t know where to start or have a solid plan in place for your business, you might want to check out my 90 days to Success Coaching Series.
If you’re looking for more ideas to implement into your real estate business to achieve success, be sure to read The Standout Agent, available on Amazon and everywhere books are sold. There’s a reason why it quickly became a #1 seller!
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